THE NAKED MANAGER: Games Executives Play

by Robert Heller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1985

Heller's acerbic, wide-ranging critique of management as ""pseudo-science"" is notable on many counts, not the least of which is its generally dim view of ""big-bang theory,"" i.e., that there are simple solutions to the typically complex problems involved in running any organization. As a starting point, the author (editor of Management Today, an English business publication) argues that management, like the emperor's clothes, does not exist. About the only thing winning companies actually have in common, he concludes, is their success, which may well not last. In support of his contrarian stand, Heller offers a wealth of anecdotal evidence which identifies most errant enterprises by name. He contends, for example, that domination by apparatchiks ""grown old in service and traditions"" prevents many great companies from capitalizing on their ""innate superiority."" Along similar lines, he notes, preoccupation with marketing, diversification via acquisition, long-range planning, purposeless innovation, recruitment of B-school grads, and other trendy pursuits can dissipate corporate resources to the great disadvantage of their true owners. While resolutely anti-authoritarian, Heller does advance a decalogue of Peter-like principles--e.g., ""All good management is the expression of one great idea."" Insofar as he expresses a viewpoint, the author is pro-shareholder: ""Think before you act; it's not your money."" He casts a cold eye on, among other things, generous compensation policies with scant correlation to corporate performance, gimmicky accounting practices that paint an unduly bright picture of financial results, and studies by presumptively independent consultants which endorse dubious asset allocations. There's also an antic chapter equating the remarkable continuity and solidarity of top management teams (including directors) with organizational aspects of the Mafia (whose prosperity owes much to the code of silence), plus myth-mocking probes of 18-hour workdays, risk-taking, and publicly held ventures that are the equivalent of one-man bands. Cautionary commentary from a knowledgeable observer (convinced that managerial capabilities are invariably less than any organization's real needs), this provides a refreshing counterpoint to the current spate of reassuringly prescriptive guides.

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1985

Categories: NONFICTION