Brilliant, wise, humane and funny, Harvey's classic book on organizational behavior is entertaining and thought provoking. Many of his explanations about corporate behavior struck a chord with me--I read this one with a pen in hand, jotting down notes about specific experiences that I have had in phrog farms. If you are unhappy at work, maybe it is not your fault--maybe you are stuck in a degrading and unhealthy work environment.
Harvey expects a great deal from leaders in business, politics, and even education, and is not reticent to criticize them for abusing their position of authority. He characterizes contemporary corporate culture as being a virtual conspiracy, assisted by a higher-education system that teaches students not to cooperate, but to actively resist working together. A radical idea that deserves some consideration.
This is almost--but not quite--a spiritual book, and the author even claims the attributes of a preacher. It is a secular take on the theme Edward Welch discusses in "When People are Big and God is Small." The fear of other people has tremendous negative consequences--both personally and organizationally. Like Welch, Harvey's highlights the benefit of overcoming that fear and provides practical advice on how to do it.
Anyone manager with a conscience should read Harvey, just to ensure that they are not perpetuating an unethical system.
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