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Management of the Absurd
 
 
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Management of the Absurd (Paperback)

~ Richard Farson (Author), Michael Crichton (Foreword) "OUR GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS in science, law, government, and in every intellectual pursuit are dependent upon our development as rational, logical thinkers..." (more)
Key Phrases: leaving rake marks, Carl Rogers, Richard Farso
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Psychologist, management consultant, former CEO and college dean, and currently head of the International Design Conference in Aspen, Farson has put together a challenging, irritating, galvanizing manual designed to help managers cope with the paradoxes, organizational logjams and interpersonal dynamics of corporate, business and institutional life. In 33 short, conversational chapters, he delivers a series of Zen-like injunctions to jolt readers out of well-worn grooves of thought and action. Some of these prescriptions have a counterintuitive appeal ("Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for." "Once you find a management technique that works, give it up"). Others exude Confucian wisdom ("Every great strength is a great weakness"), and still others sound potentially dangerous if misapplied ("Praising people does not motivate them"). This pithy guide is an armchair workshop in participative management.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Library Journal

Today's CEOs have enormous challenges in this rapidly changing, paradoxical world. Author Farson, a psychologist, educator, and former CEO, attempts to help struggling managers reexamine their assumptions about leadership and to better understand and deal with what Farson describes as the absurdities that define modern organizations. While adept at explaining these conflicting situations, Farson narrates in a somnambulant voice that at times sounds as though he is speaking through a flannel blanket, making for a challenging listen. Sample topics include "life is absurd" and "we can never master our relationships." Unfortunately, these paradoxical topics are as difficult to handle as trying to nail jelly to a tree. Farson's advice sits in the shadow of Stephen Covey's Principle-Centered Leadership (S. & S. Audio, 1992). Recommended only for the largest business collections.?Dale Farris, Groves,
Copyright 1996 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: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press (March 13, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0684830442
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684830445
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #94,106 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #68 in  Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Management Science

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Richard Evans Farson
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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OUR GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS in science, law, government, and in every intellectual pursuit are dependent upon our development as rational, logical thinkers. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars 'meta-thinking' about management, December 23, 2000
By Timothy H. Mansfield (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
We generally believe that human behavior in a corporate setting is rational, a game with deterministic rules. The implication is that if we can just study the rules well enough, especially by learning them from the right guru, any reasonably talented person will know how to win. An enormous management training industry in books, tapes, seminars, consultants, etc. exists to teach various versions of the rules.

"Management of the Absurd" aims to show how such logical, conventionally-wise approaches to management are just too simplistic, in that they do not take into account the paradoxes inherent in human nature. In much the same way that the financial decisions of real people, taken individually, are much more complicated and unpredictable than the simple-minded 'homo economicus' which basic economics requires for its explanations, the workplace behavior of real people is much more complex than typical management theories are able to capture.

Parent-child and boss-employee relationships are hardly analogous, but a parallel can be usefully drawn between management training and parenting manuals. No one expects to become a good parent just by reading a book. Similarly, the many aspects of working together successfully in an organizational context are too subtle to effectively systematize. So this book's intent is to describe, not prescribe.

I did not give the book a fifth star because some of the illustrative examples were uninspired: the tired old "lower the truck by letting air out of the tires" anecdote as an example of seeing things from a different angle, the popularity of both fast food and gourmet cookbooks as an example of coexistence of opposites, and a few others. Also some of the observations seemed trite, e.g., "nothing is as invisible as the obvious" and "every great strength is a great weakness". Having said that though, I did find most of the observations to be genuinely thought-provoking. They are listed below in chapter order.

1. the opposite of a profound truth is also true
2. nothing is as invisible as the obvious
3. the more important a relationship, the less skill matters
4. once you find a management technique that works, give it up
5. effective managers are not in control
6. most problems that people have are not problems
7. technology creates the opposite of its intended purpose
8. we think we invent technology, but technology also invents us
9. the more we communicate, the less we communicate
10. in communication, form is more important than content
11. listening is more difficult than talking
12. praising people does not motivate them
13. every act is a political act
14. the best resource for solving any problem is the person or group that presents the problem
15 organizations that need help most will benefit from it least
16. individuals are almost indestructible, but organizations are very fragile
17. the better things are, the worse they feel
18. we think we want creativity or change, but we really don't
19. we want for ourselves not what we are missing, but more of what we already have
20. big changes are easier to make than small ones
21. we learn not from our failures but from our successes -- and the failures of others
22. everything we try works, and nothing works
23. planning is an ineffective way to bring change
24. organizations change most by surviving calamities
25. people we think need changing are pretty good the way they are
26. every great strength is a great weakness
27. morale is unrelated to productivity
28. there are no leaders, there is only leadership
29. the more experienced the managers, the more they trust simple intuition
30. leaders cannot be trained, but they can be educated
31. in management, to be a professional, one must be an amateur
32. lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for
33. my advice is don't take my advice

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Of the best business books ever, May 16, 2004
It's amazing this book isn't handed out to every literate adult in America. In so few pages, it completely challenges linear thinking about everything from running a meeting to raising kids, and you'll find yourself constantly finding real-world examples of what he's talking about after you read it. Though much of what he writes may not be new, as he frequently cites the predecessors he learns from, the ingenuity is how he coherently and concisely pulls it all together.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Leadership is a paradox, not a formula, August 23, 2001
By A Customer
I enjoyed this book so much I made it required reading in the leadership course that I teach. (Although it is not the ONLY book that I require...linearity has its' place.) Interesting that some of the other reviewers treat the book harshly, if I may paraphrase, because Farson does not provide any "formulas" for leadership. The entire central thesis of the book is that leadership is not about "formulas," it is about finding balance between extremes. It is about paradox. An excellent book to stimulate reflection and introspection; a foolish one if you are bound too heavily by linear thought.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
If you are in a leadership/management position you need to read this book. The subtitle could read "How not to be a PHB. Read more
Published 10 months ago by James E. Robinson III

5.0 out of 5 stars Individuals are resilient; Relationships are fragile
For me, the core of Richard Farson's message is that "individuals are resilient and relationships are fragile. Read more
Published on February 11, 2007 by Andrew Malekoff

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Saving
Every couple of years I get so fed up with things I want to walk, even though I really enjoy management. Read more
Published on February 18, 2006 by E. Collins

5.0 out of 5 stars Absurdly brilliant! Extremely satisfying paradox of a book!
I'm an avid reader of business books. Some of the greatest books out there like "Now Discover Your Strengths", "First, Break All The Rules", "Built To Last" and "Good to Great"... Read more
Published on September 15, 2005 by Jin Wan

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be fooled by the word 'management'
This book may be listed under 'management' in the bookstore, but it's just as good for sole-proprieters, teachers, or even parents looking for new ideas on problem-solving... Read more
Published on April 8, 2005 by Paul

5.0 out of 5 stars Insights into business paradoxes
I'm not a manager, and have never been a manager, but this book has been critical to my development as a worker bee. Read more
Published on September 6, 2003 by Derrick Peterman

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this is like taking a competence pill
Reviewer: Mark Lamendola, MBA,....

Two thumbs up! Farson hits the nail on the head, time after time. Read more

Published on March 16, 2003 by M. L Lamendola

5.0 out of 5 stars Hands down, the best book on management/leadership I've read
Farson's book has more 'universal truths' in it's pages than any book I've read. It may not be a 'how to' book, which I believe is why some have given it a negative review, by... Read more
Published on July 11, 2002 by Glen A. Simonsen

5.0 out of 5 stars Good contrast to easy solutions on managing human behavior
"Management of the Absurd" is very very humorous and easy to read. It cleverly and logically exposes the reasons why quick and simple solutions (for simple minds) will... Read more
Published on June 25, 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Reads Fast, Stays with you
Farson has some great insights, many of which he identifies by reference to the noted psychologist Carl Rogers. Read more
Published on June 12, 2001

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