Fad Surfing In The Boardroom: Managing In The Age Of Instant Answers [Paperback]

Eileen C. Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1996

Fad Surfing (n): the practice of riding the crest of the latest management panacea and then paddling out again in time to ride the next one; always absorbing for managers and lucrative for consultants; frequently disastrous for organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Shapiro's newest book can help ensure that your company catches the right wave--instead of getting drowned by the ebb and flow of contradictory managerial fads. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

This wisely irreverent book for business managers describes "riding the crest of the latest management panacea" in ways that can either make a company more profitable or wreak havoc, depending on how they are applied. Whether Shapiro (How Corporate Truths Become Competitive Traps) is describing "vision" or total quality management, she unearths a trove of applications ranging from innovative to whimsical. Then, tongue in cheek, she raises the major players to archetypal status by comparing them with Greek gods. Thus, in an effort to establish a "corporate culture," one of the fad panaceas, General Electric crafted a climate of employee comfort during the Reginald Jones era but stepped up the pressure when Jack Welch became chairman. In like manner, the Greek god Hermes had changed the culture of the Olympian Council through new-fangled deal-making. A business dictionary at the end is strictly for laughs.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (October 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201441950
• ISBN-13: 978-0201441956
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even with the best advice, management is still hard., July 15, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fad Surfing In The Boardroom: Managing In The Age Of Instant Answers (Paperback)

One of Shapiro's best points is her review of research done on companies who have implemented a new management technique--say, TQM. There are some spectacular successes but a high percentage of reports of "no effect" or negative effects. In light of such evidence, Shapiro attempts to suggest the nuggets of sound thinking in popular management ideas and to spot some of the pitfalls. In the real world of business where the level of uncertainty always remains high, there continues to be no substitute for educated managers evaluating for themselves the applicability of new techniques to their unique situations. And then there are never any guarantees. Shapiro's main lesson may be that doctrinaire reliance on somebody else's theory will never substitute for learning as much as one can about one's own dilemma, from all the relevant players, looking at the experience of other organizations whose situations appear to have some similarities to one's own, and then makin! ! g the tough calls about what to do Monday morning, remaining open all along the way for new information.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fad Surfing Rides an Interesting Wave, January 12, 2000

By 

Jr Altfeld "Management Consultant" (Burbank, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fad Surfing In The Boardroom: Managing In The Age Of Instant Answers (Paperback)

A powerful, on the money book that expands upon James Champy's "Reengineering Management" and brings out a lot of missing detail. Anyone considering or involved in strategic thinking, strategic planning and long range planning should read this book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and interesting commentary on today's management., July 11, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Fad Surfing in the Boardroom: Reclaiming the Courage to Manage in the Age of Instant Answers (Hardcover)

Shapiro has captured the essense of manufacturing management in her book. Most corporations go around shopping for the latest panacea or silver bullet on the market. She does an excellent job in poining out both the benefits and pit falls of each of the major trends. Shapiro does a great service to management practices by pointing out that all of these initiatives are neirther good or bad in themselves, put can be used at the wrong time with disasterous results.