Top 50 Management Reads

Author: Stuart Crainer
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-09-01
Features: The 50 Greatest Books on Management collects 50 great management classics. Each book includes not only an introduction but also a short biography of the author and Gary Hamel's commentary, designed to pique your interest and encourage you to seek out the original works (though this is often not easy). The 50 Best Books on Management will also help you update your knowledge, whether about a great thinker's ideas or within your professional field. Selecting the 50 greatest management books was not a difficult task 20 years ago. The only problem was finding 50. The times have changed. Over the past 20 years, we have experienced a commercial boom and a surge in management books. These books frequently appear on bestseller lists, spark controversy, and earn authors substantial sums of money. At the same time, they have quietly changed the way managers conduct business by infiltration rather than abrupt shifts. In a fast-paced, action-oriented, and stressful business world, books have made a difference. They have changed perspectives, behaviors, expectations, and aspirations. No other field has seen books play such a central role in spreading new methods and ideas. Now, as the degree of global business and the standardization of management techniques continue to increase, this fact also helps these books gain global popularity and gradually reshape the future of management.
Of course, books don’t always make things better. A writer’s vision of the future may not be the right one for you or your organization. Even with all the books in hand, most general managers still struggle to develop perfect corporate strategies. They also fail to leverage new technological advancements to work in virtual enterprises. Ideas and our understanding of ideas are rarely similar, and many are often ignored. Let’s look at the wave of reengineering mania, which dominated the management book market in the early 1990s. Some saw reengineering as the path to corporate paradise, while others believed it was a massive waste of corporate energy and time. However, regardless of your view, the impact of reengineering is undeniable. At the height of the reengineering craze, a CSSIndex survey of 624 companies found that 75% of European companies were undertaking at least one reengineering project, while half of the remaining companies planned to do so in the near future. James Champy and Michael Hammer promoted the concept, predicting that by 1993, 50% of large American companies would claim to be engaged in reengineering. Many have found reengineering impractical—and still will—but this does not negate its influence. And it is undeniable. James Champy once predicted that two-thirds of those who embarked on reengineering would not reach their destination. A recent survey revealed that only one in ten companies achieved breakthrough progress, and he noted that most completed projects resulted in only minor improvements. This nationwide movement began with Champy and Hammer’s bestseller Reengineering the Corporation (1993). This book captured management imagination, and several others that emerged in recent years did the same. What truly energized the management book market was In Search of Excellence, co-authored by two McKinsey consultants, Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman. Published in August 1982, some consider the book a milestone in the history of management thought. In Search of Excellence has now sold six million copies. Yet its success surprised everyone—especially its authors. Before publication, Peters and Waterman distributed 15,000 photocopied copies to interested groups. Their publishers were terrified. It seemed they were sending out more than they could possibly sell. When the book was released, even the usually indifferent critics were caught off guard by a tidal wave. Those 15,000 free copies turned out to be a stroke of lucky, brilliant marketing—the recipients were so impressed (or grateful) that they rushed out to buy the book. The book took off in ways neither the authors nor the publishers had anticipated.
Not long ago, a Barnes & Noble bookstore near AT&T’s headquarters in New Jersey was selling 2,000 copies of the book per week. Thanks to its success, Thomas J. Peters has transformed from the amiable, approachable Tom Peters—a globally recognized master, a millionaire, and the ultimate beneficiary of commercial book success—and, let’s not forget, the originator of the idea. (“We all owe Tom a debt,” a commercial book author told me.) After In Search of Excellence roared up the bestseller lists, others quickly followed suit. Soon, commercial books were everywhere. Airport bookstores moved Harold Robbins’ massive works to the corner and filled their shelves with works by consultants, scholars, journalists, retired CEOs, and even charlatans eager to jump on the bandwagon. Hundreds of commercial and management theories are published every year, but how many truly inspire? How many guide your work? How many are truly valuable? The 50 Greatest Books on Management brings you directly face-to-face with the world’s greatest management thinkers, allowing you to hear their voices. This book discusses the masterpieces of each thinker, with commentary by Gary Hamel. From Tom Peters to Peter Drucker, from Rosabeth Moss Kanter to Charles Handy, both rival representatives of major management paradigms are given fair judgment. Not only can this book quickly enhance your understanding of modern management concepts, but it can also help you understand the origins of these ideas. In short, with limited time, uncover infinite treasures of wisdom.