Jerry B. Harvey (1935–2015)

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. Both books highlight the benefit of overcoming that fear and provide 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.… (més)