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Become a better manager by challenging the myths of commonly accepted management wisdomA humorous review of current management practice with a very serious message, The Management Mythbuster makes an entertaining case for questioning much of the conventional wisdom that pervades the corporate world today. Through contrarian and provocative points of view, real world examples and deep analysis, author and management thought leader David Axson offers over a dozen short, pithy commentaries on the important issues in management today: Short chapters on popular management practices, theories, tools and behaviors A humorous review of current management practice, with an underlying serious message The fallacies of conventional management wisdom revealed and refutedExposes the fallacies of standard management thinking If you are brave enough, this concise, easily read book is for you, returning a sense of common-sense perspective to the practice of management.
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The Management Mythbuster
The Management Mythbuster
David A. J. Axson
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Axson, David A. J. The management mythbuster / David A. J. Axson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-470-46362-8 (cloth) 1. Industrial management. 2. Strategic planning. 3. Employee motivation. 4. Success in business. I. Title. HD31.A97 2010 658—dc22 2009031698 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Mervyn Axson
Contents
Acknowledgments About the Author Preface About this Book
xiii xv xvii xix
Introduction
1 Strategic Plans Are of Little Us