Management and Myths

This book of short essays takes a critical look at modern management fads and fashions and shows that many do not stand up to scrutiny. It is believed, for example, that coaching is successful. What is the evidence for this? Selection procedures at interviews result in the right candidate being selected. Again, what is the the evidence? The author explains that many trends in management are short lived and based upon flimsy evidence, yet they enjoy a period of support. Some eccentric, guru-inspired ideas are examined and evaluated. It is the faddishness, not the reasonableness, of management that is the real target of the author's humorous gripes and snipes. His book is an important tool for managers who want to understand the substance and rigour, or lack of it, associated with modern management ideas and concepts.

• Introduction
• Fads in Management
• Fallacies in Management
• Fashions in Management
• Accidents at Work
• Acquiring People Skills
• Addicted to Consultants/Consultant Dependency
• Barnum in Business
• Behalfers
• The Bullying Boss
• Business Books and Stalinist Realism
• Cash Rich, Time Poor
• Conference Stress
• Continuous Assessment
• Control Freak
• Delivering Bad News
• Development Plans
• Does Coaching Work?
• Emotional Labour
• Expectations… and How to Manage Them
• Expensive Experts/the Consultant, the Trainer and the Facilitator
• Failing in Business
• Fixers and Inventors: Semi and Real Creatives
• Fudging the Happy Sheet
• How to Choose Consultants
• Hypocritical Management Speak
• Ice Breakers
• The Lying Game
• Deprivations
• Favourite Compliments
• Sincere One-to-One
• Integrity
• Intrinsic Motivation
• Judging Intelligence
• Kickin' Arse
• Knowledge College Management
• Larks and Owls
• Lumpers and Splitters; Halos and Horns
• Lying in Interviews
• Management Apologetics
• Management Literacy
• Management Tips
• Marketing Hubris and Humility
• Money Secrecy
• The M-word
• Nomadic Workers
• Optimism
• Personality Testing
• Problems of the Board
• Psychologists in Business
• Psychology of Hoarding
• Selection Mistakes
• Selling Cost-Saving Devices
• Sociobiology and Inheritance Tax
• Strategic Planning: Who Needs It?
• Support Groups for CEOs
• Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
• Telling Clients What They Want to Hear
• The Icarus Syndrome
• Typical Management Style
• Unlocking Talent
• Visitors from Headquarters
• What Makes a Good Business Conference?
• Wisdom in Business
• Work-Life Balance
• Conclusion
• Getting It Right
• The Necessary Trio
• Why Is It Not Done
• The Characteristics of Competent Managers

An interesting title, but the contents, even though interesting, fails to even begin living up to it.

It is not bad, but you won't miss anything if you don't read it.