Customer Reviews

The Synergy Myth: And Other Ailments Of Business Today

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Essentially the same material as his first book. The New York Times review of that book pretty much covers this one. I can't say I'm any more enlightened after reading mostly comments about what the author did, which was great, 20 years ago. However, I was looking for more insight into the reasons business men, intelligent business men for the most part, insist on going for 'buzz' concepts of management that repeatedly are shown to be without merit. Didn't find it in this book. I was left wondering if Mr. Geneen's 'buzz' isn't just another variation that, somehow, I feel I've read before.

Global business, never mind American business has been damaged by the idiocies of "big for bigness sake", dumbsizing, business process engineering and the like. By turning his elderly, but still gimlet eye on the fads, fallacies and foul-ups instigated by the business bodice rippers aimed only at making a fortune for their authors and at the sheeplike behavior of boards of directors who aimlessly follow the trend hyped by people who have rarely had a real job, Geneen does us all a favor.
Certainly he is egotistical, but he has a track record to back it. You don't have to read this book, but if if lead a major business and feel a sudden urge to follow the herd it is a good investment. (and if you don't go for this iconoclast, try Michael Moore wqho says the same things from the opposite side of the tracks.
Tom Lambert - Author High Income Consulting etc......

Although the writer seems a bit arrogant, in fact we are talking about one of the best managers ever in corporate America. Really useful: work hard, be honest and take risks. It sounds great, isn't it?
On the other hand, common sense is one virtue that Mr. Geneen can be proud of. I recommend it to anyone interested in real business, not theories. Real work, not sluggish.

The entire value of the book comes in the first few pages when Mr. Greene pokes fun at some common business myths (and that part is reprinted in INC magazine) The remaining 243 pages should be recycled to save the environment. He spends inordinate amounts of books praising himself. This book is a testament to a mediocre CEO more obsessed with building a big company than generating shareholder value. (If you want evidence, check out some WSJ articles)

I picked up the book hoping to find a cogent critique of current management fads. Unfortunately I found a personal history or a man who built a conglomerate that is presently in the process of "de-glomerating". This book really has little value in terms of insight into business or management theory.