On a tip from Tim Carter (of Nub fame), I’m reading Richard Farson’s Management of the Absurd. I’m really enjoying it so far. The blurb on the back sums it up quite well
In organisations, as in life, human behaviour is often irrational – and problems do not easily lend themselves to the simplistic answers and gimmickry offered in the myriad business “self-help” books and management training programs available today.
Farson’s response is to talk about the paradoxes of humans and organisations, which is wonderfully rich territory. His style is thought-provoking and steers away from how-tos. Here’s another tasty snippet
It is the ability to meet each situation armed not with a battery of techniques but with openness that permits a genuine response. The better managers transcend technique. Having acquired many techniques in their development as professionals, they succeed precisely by leaving technique behind.
It is such a relief to find that kind of thinking expressed so eloquently.
