What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management - Hardcover

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.

Why do so many companies make so many missteps—even while led by hard working, smart, and serious people who expend major time and effort trying to do the right thing? In What Were They Thinking? Unconventional Wisdom About Management, Jeffrey Pfeffer provides incisive and engaging responses to this question based on his popular business 2.0 column, “The Human Factor” Pfeffer shows how poor business choices arise when business leaders:

FAIL TO CONSIDER THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS.

For example, when companies get into financial trouble, they often slash wages, benefits and staff. That boosts cash flow in the short run. But it also drives essential talent--and customers--out the door as service, quality and innovation vanish.

RELY ON NAÏVE THEORIES OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

For instance, many executives fall victim to the prevailing—but inaccurate—belief that if you want employess to do something you have to impel them with external forces such as threats or rewards.

IGNORE OBVIOUS ANSWERS

Many principles governing organizational behaviour are simple and powerful—but companies fail to capitalize on them. To illustrate, leaders could activate the “norm of reciprocity” by demonstrating generosity toward employees and thereby building a loyal and committed workforce. Yet management theory fails to take such obvious solutions into account.

What Were They Thinking? contains twenty-eight short chapters filled with examples, data and insights that challenge conventional beliefs and much accepted management wisdom. Each chapter also provides guidelines about how to think more deeply and intelligently about a wide range of critical topics—from people management and leadership to performance measurement and competitive strategy.

Abounding with solid organizational advice—delivered by Pfeffer himself—this book provides the wise and timely business commentary you need to make the smartest possible decisions for your company.