Absurd, all right.
February 15th 2008 09:27
Sometimes you have to wonder at management books. In the last few decades they’ve been a niche – and a cliché – of their own. Many of them are just plain rubbish, books put together for the sake of another book to add to the management shelf. Some of them are very good, the work of people who’ve really done some research and investigation into what makes good management, and good companies.
And then there are books like Richard Farson’s Management of the Absurd.
Now, I’ll tell you front up: I haven’t read this. And most of the reviews I’ve seen of it are positive. The Melbourne Age’s Management blog calls it an absolute must-read. And so who am I to criticise?
But in reading the chapter headings – which a reviewer on Amazon kindly listed out – I have to say that some of the time Mr Farson has decided to write a book based on the saying the opposite of what seems likely.
I’m not going to list all the chapter headings here, because some of them aren’t that inspiring (as the same reviewer notes) but I want to list some of them because they seem to me to show up that approach to a subject that has been so written about there’s almost nothing left to say.
Chapter three states: The more important a relationship, the less skill matters. Okay, you could agree with this, but my question is: Is it wise to agree? Don’t we take relationships for granted too much anyway? Skill may not be the issue, but care with the relationship certainly is.
Chapter 4 states: Once you find a management technique that works, give it up. Why? Isn’t it hard enough to find something that works? Why throw away what you know works?
Chapter 13 says: Every act is a political act. Quite honestly I don’t even know what that means, and in truth, I don’t know that it means anything, unless the use of the word ‘political’ is very broad.
Chapter 17 says: The better things are, the worse they feel. This is plain piffle. When life is good and things are going well and humming along, it would be plain curmudgeonly of us to feel grumpy about it. This is for people who are never satisfied, come what may.
Chapter 21: We learn not from our failures but from our successes -- and the failures of others. Oh, yeah? In that case why isn’t the world a much better place? Learn from the failures of others? Please.
Chapter 22: Everything we try works, and nothing works. Another ‘look at me, I can say clever things’ statement, that really so contradicts itself it falls apart. This isn’t a paradox, because we know that not everything we try works, and we know that plenty of things do work. Twaddle.
Chapter 28: There are no leaders, there is only leadership. Sounds good, but is it actually true? Don't we all know people who are leaders?
Chapter 33: My advice is don't take my advice. So why do people buy his book by the mile? Because he put this chapter at the end, maybe.
And then there are books like Richard Farson’s Management of the Absurd.
Now, I’ll tell you front up: I haven’t read this. And most of the reviews I’ve seen of it are positive. The Melbourne Age’s Management blog calls it an absolute must-read. And so who am I to criticise?
But in reading the chapter headings – which a reviewer on Amazon kindly listed out – I have to say that some of the time Mr Farson has decided to write a book based on the saying the opposite of what seems likely.
I’m not going to list all the chapter headings here, because some of them aren’t that inspiring (as the same reviewer notes) but I want to list some of them because they seem to me to show up that approach to a subject that has been so written about there’s almost nothing left to say.
Chapter three states: The more important a relationship, the less skill matters. Okay, you could agree with this, but my question is: Is it wise to agree? Don’t we take relationships for granted too much anyway? Skill may not be the issue, but care with the relationship certainly is.
Chapter 4 states: Once you find a management technique that works, give it up. Why? Isn’t it hard enough to find something that works? Why throw away what you know works?
Chapter 13 says: Every act is a political act. Quite honestly I don’t even know what that means, and in truth, I don’t know that it means anything, unless the use of the word ‘political’ is very broad.
Chapter 17 says: The better things are, the worse they feel. This is plain piffle. When life is good and things are going well and humming along, it would be plain curmudgeonly of us to feel grumpy about it. This is for people who are never satisfied, come what may.
Chapter 21: We learn not from our failures but from our successes -- and the failures of others. Oh, yeah? In that case why isn’t the world a much better place? Learn from the failures of others? Please.
Chapter 22: Everything we try works, and nothing works. Another ‘look at me, I can say clever things’ statement, that really so contradicts itself it falls apart. This isn’t a paradox, because we know that not everything we try works, and we know that plenty of things do work. Twaddle.
Chapter 28: There are no leaders, there is only leadership. Sounds good, but is it actually true? Don't we all know people who are leaders?
Chapter 33: My advice is don't take my advice. So why do people buy his book by the mile? Because he put this chapter at the end, maybe.
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