Bailyn has written a book employees will want to give to their bosses. The author, a professor at the Sloan School of Management at MIT, argues that the traditional way companies organize their operations and measure success--around time concepts--needs to be revised. Bailyn contends that changes in society, primarily the increasing number of women in the workforce, should prompt companies to find methods that allow their employees to "work smarter, not longer." Using such techniques as occupational autonomy, empowerment and flexibility, corporations can devise organizational structures that can both increase productivity and lessen chances of burnout. The book has its limitations, however. Bailyn frequently lapses into academese, which could discourage readers. Another drawback, and one which Bailyn herself acknowledges, is that the book deals only with professional employees (e.g., lawyers, consultants, engineers), making the application of some of her theories to the factory floor questionable. Still, for employers interested in learning what they can do to adapt to the needs of a changing workforce, Bailyn's book should be able to provide a tip or two.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
With the increasing numbers of single parents and dual-career families in the American work force, changing family structures create more demands at home, causing workers to shift their priorities to balance their careers and families. At the same time, businesses are asking their employees to work harder and longer. Bailyn, an MIT professor and corporate consultant, addresses the problems of coordinating work and home life among people in managerial, technical, and other professional positions. She believes that businesses must change their management styles to accommodate time constraints and alternative career goals. Bailyn explores strategies for management, illustrating her points with case studies and examples of corporate innovations. This book offers some solutions to problems outlined in Juliet Schor's The Overworked American ( LJ 1/92). A useful addition to all business collections.
- Gary W. White, Pennsylvania State Univ., Harrisburg
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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