The Folklore of Management (Wiley Management Classics Series) - Softcover

Randall, Clarence B.

9780471185116: The Folklore of Management (Wiley Management Classics Series)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471185116 ISBN 13: 9780471185116

Publisher: Wiley, 1997

"For his courage to speak out forthrightly, he is to be commended. Plain talk...by a fellow member of the lodge is still regarded as the act of a renegade. "--The New York Times

"...unsparingly critical of the follies that hinder business efficiency, poking fun zestfully at stuffed shirts wherever he finds them."--Christian Science Monitor

In 1959, Clarence Randall wrote a book that blew the lid off of business culture in America. Armed with nothing more than old-fashioned common sense, a mordant sense of humor, and the unflinching willingness to call a spade a spade, he, in one fell swoop, did in 16 of corporate America's most sacred of sacred cows. Now, more than four decades later, Randall's trenchant insights and keen sense of humanity remain as fresh as when he penned them. This specially reprinted edition includes a new foreword by Ken Iverson, Chairman of Nurcore Steel.

CLARENCE B. RANDALL was Chairman of Inland Steel Co. of Chicago. and held various government posts, including special consultant to President Eisenhower on foreign economic policy.

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From the Publisher:

The Folklore of Management blows the lid off the conventions of business, the rules of corporations, and business truisms. Randall covers 16 of the sacred cows of business as myths: the myth of communication, the myth of the organization chart, and the myth of the management committee. A selected quote (there are hundreds more): "Are we too tolerant of the top man who justifies a swollen salary with the magic word "incentive"? Top-heavy executive pay reflects a distorted view of human relations. Worse still, it can dangerously undermine public confidence in our system." The Folklore of Management is a management classic in the vein of The Peter Principle, Up the Organization, and Games Mother Never Taught You. It also includes a new foreword by Ken Iverson of Nucor Steel.

From the Back Cover:

"Unsparingly critical of the follies that hinder business efficiency, poking fun zestfully at stuffed shirts wherever he finds them." --Christian Science Monitor

When The Folklore of Management first appeared in 1959, it blew the lid off business culture in America. Armed with nothing more than old-fashioned common sense, a sharp sense of humor, and the unflinching willingness to call a spade a spade, Randall, in one fell swoop, took on 16 of corporate America's most sacred cows. Starting with the myth of communication, the myth of the organization chart, and the myth of the management committee, Randall reveals the shallow thinking and assumptions that can cripple companies and careers. Nearly 40 years later, Randall's trenchant insights and keen sense of humanity remain as fresh and enlightening as when he penned them.

The Folklore of Management offers a book that undeniably ranks among such timeless classics as The Peter Principle, Up the Organization, and Games Mother Never Taught You. On reading it, contemporary managers are certain to experience a shock of recognition as Randall reveals how so many of these same stultifying myths continue to impede our ability to manage wisely or humanely today.

Timeless wisdom from one of the century's most celebrated business leaders

On Specialists: "Industry of today is like the Pharaoh of old. We too are threatened with a plague of locusts. . . . Our locusts are specialists--the men who, with infinite patience, skill, and learning, have completely mastered one minuscule segment of a business and can do nothing else."

On Balance Sheets: "We concern ourselves so much with the question of financial solvency and so little with that of human solvency."

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