Shakespeare on Management (Hardcover)

by Paul Corrigan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
As a manager, you may secretly long for the odd head to roll, for the plans of potential usurpers to be spectacularly foiled, for your role as fearsome leader to be acknowledged and lauded by all. Melodramatic fantasies aside, however, the more conventional leader in you may also believe that the job of managing is for the eight-to-six daily grind and that Shakespearean drama is better left for the occasional evening at the theater. This, as Paul Corrigan tells us, is sorely underestimating the potential influence of the great Bard.

In Shakespeare on Management, Corrigan presents a number of Shakespeare's plays as lessons on leadership. Obviously, company leaders at the start of the 21st century deal with vastly different issues from those faced by the monarchs and warriors of the late 1600s and earlier. Corrigan begins his book, however, by emphasizing that while today's rapid pace of change creates an unpredictable environment for managers, a company in transition cannot achieve lasting success unless led by someone with exceptional leadership skills. The plays he examines are about the politics of leadership, and the intricacies involved in an individual's pursuit and execution of power and authority. Characters rise to great heights on the strength of their ambitions, but fall from grace on their lack of true leadership ability. Most of Shakespeare's plays deal with failure, but provide useful insights for managers intent on avoiding it. While Richard II points out the pitfalls of believing one's power stems solely from a title or position, King Lear demonstrates the disastrous results of not recognizing one's changing responsibilities. Richard III and Macbeth both portray the destructive capacity of ambition that is unchecked by a leader's morals or relationships. On a positive note, Henry V, Shakespeare's most heroic character, inspires leaders to develop the potential of their followers, to understand their individual skills and limitations fully, and to reward innovation.

Though managers with a passion for literature will enjoy this book, they don't have to love Shakespeare to learn the lessons. Corrigan draws clear, useful parallels between the plays' characters and the types of leaders that exist today. He doesn't attempt to eliminate the ambiguities often found in Shakespeare's complex characters, but instead offers up their strengths and weaknesses as descriptive signposts for the modern leader. --S. Ketchum

From Library Journal
Both of these books present palatable lessons on leadership, change, risk management, crisis management, power, and emotion, though Corrigan's book has a unique chapter, "Listening to Fools and Knaves." Corrigan's approach is more closely tied to Shakespeare's individual characters, while Augustine and Adelman focus on entire plays and the interaction of characters. Their writing style is also the more casual and engaging of the two. A passage from their introduction effectively captures the rationale for studying the lessons of Shakespeare in a high-tech world: "While the accoutrements of corporate life are now dramatically high tech--dominated by e-mail, cell phones, the web, and PCs--the basics still hinge on human nature." Both books link lessons from Shakespeare to modern-day business practitioners, although Corrigan tends to repeat the well-known names, while Augustine and Adelman refer to less well known, smaller-scale success stories. The latter use more actual passages from the Bard's work and end each "Act" with lessons for today's business leaders. Either or both books would make valid additions to collections of all sizes. If you have succumbed to Dilbert, Winnie the Pooh, and Goldilocks in your business collections, Shakespeare deserves to be represented.
-Susan Dimattia, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Kogan Page (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749428457
• ISBN-13: 978-0749428457
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #879,481 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining book on what makes leaders successful, September 11, 1999

By A Customer

Modern managers will find a great deal of relevance in how Shakespeare's characters handled those around them in this highly entertaining book in five parts on what makes leaders successful. No in-depth knowledge of Shakespeare is required as all is explained in detail.

In Shakespeare's time, `senior managers' were called `leaders' (read kings, queens, dukes and lords), whose job was to lead an organization (read nation, clan or county). Running an organization then, as now, required consummate leadership skills.

Understanding how Shakespeare's characters fare as leaders provides lessons for most modern organisations since the issue of leadership is so central to their survival. An analysis of the characters who fail as well as succeed as leaders is provided.

Part 1 underlines the different reasons why Shakespeare's leaders can provide lessons for today's managers.

Part 2 explores the way in which Shakespeare creates individual leaders (Richard II, King Lear and Antony) who fail because they believe that power and authority are enshrined in them as people.

Part 3 covers leaders (Richard III, Macbeth and Coriolanus) who fail because they believe that authority resides in the ability to manipulate and to use fear to maintain power.

Part 4 explores the one heroic and successful leader Shakespeare created-Henry V-who recognized that to become a great king he has to learn how to do it. And in order to learn how to do it he needs to learn not from other kings but from his future subjects.

Part 5 demonstrates both in Shakespearean and modern management terms the importance of understanding the life of the mailroom as well as the boardroom. The two are interconnected and a brilliant leader knows not just how, but never forgets it. Both the Fool in King Lear and Falstaff in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2-strong personalities who provide truthful messages contrary to the company line-are vital to the generation of good leadership.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently managing partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management.

4.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare on Management, January 6, 2009

By	Gail - See all my reviews

Had to purchase this book for a class, and I thought it would be boring, but it turned out to be a very interesting book.

3 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Duh!, September 10, 1999

By A Customer

Using Shakespeare or any other drama to illustrate management techniques isn't that new of an idea. I personally have been using the St. Crispin's Day speech for years. In a pinch, lines from Field of Dreams, The Spirit of St.Louis, Rocky or even The Grapes of Wrath work well also.