Companies

matthew_heusser at mcgraw-hill.com matthew_heusser at mcgraw-hill.com
Mon Jul 16 06:41:46 CDT 2001


>Is anyone aware of any good writings that present sort of an
>anthropological analysis of what goes on inside companies?

I sounds to me like Joel is talking about Organizational Behavior.
There is a novel about project management I've been itching to
read called Deadline:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932633390/qid=981654943/sr=1-1/ref=sc_b_
1/107-2215417-1175707

Otherwise, I'm going to wax philosophic about management below.
If you read dilbert regularly, you can probably skip it ...

For the $ofties:

The Microsoft Edge by Julue Bick
All I really need to Know in Business I learned at Microsoft by Julie Bick
Show-Stopper: The Breakneck race to create Windows NT by G. Pascal Zachary

There is also a great book by the Harvard Business Review called "On
Leadership."

Personally, I think one problem of modern companies is that we over-manage
and under-lead.

Managers write budgets, set goals, define products and allocate resources to
accomplish tasks.

Leaders inspire people by creating a shared vision.  Leaders get people to rally
round the flag, instead of rallying round the pay check.

Managers count on authority to direct resources.  Leaders get things done, and
the
best leaders don't need a title or piece of paper to do it.

bleh.  That leads me to #2, which is the labor/management credibility gap.  For
a good explanation of that, just watch any good war movie and see the way the
senior NCO treats the "butter bar" 2nd Lieutenant.


regards,

Matt H.





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