Up the Organization: How to stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits - Hardcover

Robert Townsend

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0394450345 ISBN 13: 9780394450346

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970

Synopsis

First published in 1970, Up the Organization continues to top the lists of best business books by groups as diverse as the American Management Association, Strategy + Business (Booz Allen Hamilton), and The Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management. 1-800-CEO-READ ranks Townsend’s bestseller first among eighty books that “every manager must read.” The benefit of Robert Townsend’s timeless, groundbreaking book continues to remind us not to get mired in all those sacred organizational routines that stifle people and strangle both profits and profitability. He shows a way to humanize business and a way to have fun while making it all work better than it ever worked before. It is written by "the man who got everyone to try harder".

About this title

From the Back Cover

"Townsend shouldn't just be read, he should be memorized."
—Tom Peters

"Bob Townsend's words still ring true, truer than they seemed almost 40 years ago."
—Warren Bennis

"With this book, Robert Townsend punctured the secret, bureaucratic world of corporate complacency. It was ubiquitous then and still surprisingly prevalent now—and this book, based on his countercultural stint as Avis CEO, is still one of the best weapons against it."
—Art Kleiner, editor-in-chief, strategy+business

"Robert Townsend's book continues to light up the business world with straightforward and practical management advice that is as pertinent today as when originally published. A must-read for all managers!"
—Ray Davis, president and CEO, Umpqua Holdings Corporation

"Townsend proves that the best business wisdom is timeless. In an era filled with business buzzwords and ethical misdirections, Townsend's bluntness makes for refreshing and hilarious reading for the next crop of CEOs."
—Ben Casnocha, chairman, Comcate, Inc.; author, My Start-Up Life

About the Author

Robert C. Townsend (d. 1998) drew upon his early experiences as a banker at American Express Co. to redirect Avis Rent-a-Car as president and chairman. Under his leadership, Avis experienced a celebrated turnaround, fueled by the "We Try Harder" advertising campaign. Townsend also worked as an executive at 20th Century Fox and was director at several companies, including Dun and Bradstreet and Radica Games. Townsend was a celebrity in his own right, and a frequent lecturer and talk-show guest.

Edition details

• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Publication date: 1970
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0394450345
• ISBN 13: 9780394450346
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 202