What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management [Hardcover] Jeffrey Pfeffer(Author) Hardcover: 241 pages Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (July 10, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 1422103129 ISBN-13: 978-1422103128 Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1 x 8.3 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
Book Description Publication Date: July 10, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1422103129 | ISBN-13: 978-1422103128 Every day companies and their leaders fail to capitalise on opportunities because they misunderstand the real sources of business success. Based on his popular column in "Business 2.0", Jeffrey Pfeffer delivers wise and timely business commentary that challenges conventional wisdom while providing data and insights to help companies make smarter decisions. The book contains a series of short chapters filled with examples, data, and insights that challenge questionable assumptions and much conventional management wisdom. Each chapter also provides guidelines about how to think more deeply and intelligently about critical management issues. Covering topics ranging from managing people to leadership to measurement and strategy, it's good organisational advice, delivered by Dr. Pfeffer himself.
From Booklist There is much to laud about the objective perspective that Stanford professor and author Pfeffer brings to business. First and foremost, he calls em as he sees em, showcasing common management errors and building on four years as a Business 2.0 columnist. Trimming employees' compensation and benefits packages? Nothing is gained from that immediate cost savings, except plummeting morale and retention issues—as the airline and auto industries have learned. Thinking about a merger or acquisition? Think again, he urges; it's an easier strategy than fixing operations—but one that more often than not fails. No function or goal of corporate America is left unscrutinized, from strategy to human resources. Yet he softens his radical and common-sense opinions by offering a range of solutions and companies that practice them well. Pfeffer points to Whole Foods, to Larry Culp at Danaher, and to CEO Gary Loveman of Harrah's as leaders who have managed to set corporate priorities and agendas that succeed. Short chapters with clear-cut messages and examples allow time to contemplate and copy. Jacobs, Barbara
Review There is much to laud about the objective perspective that Stanford professor and author Pfeffer brings to business. --BookList, June 15, 2007
"Pfeffer talks a lot of sense. [He]provides a kind of alternative MBA in how not to run a business." --The Financial Times, July 17, 2007
The topics are diverse, from how companies get smarter to what to do about executive pay... --The Globe and Mail, October 24, 2007
以下为对购买帮助不大的评价