Facing up to Management Faddism: A New Look at an Old Force

by Margaret C. Brindle, Peter N. Stearns

Overview

Organizations pour billions of dollars into programs that in the end prove to be nothing but fads—short lived enthusiasms with little purpose other than to make those who initiate and promote them rich. Brindle and Stearns take a look at these vogues and fashions, and find that over a history of at least a century, there is continuity to, and similarities among them. Fads are both product and process, they find, tied to tensions in the workplace and to those who too quickly profess solutions to problems these tensions cause. The authors shed new light on such fads, examining how they develop in other cultures too, and give managers everywhere new ways to react to them, ways to uncover and resist patently nonproductive blandishments.

How to distinguish fads that may have at least some validity from those that don't is a main purpose of the book. The authors show that what works in one place may not work in another, exploring how firms often implement fad-based programs across borders without considering the cultural nuances in doing so. Brindle and Stearns use an interdisciplinary approach with an historical bent in their reviews, examinations and appraisals, but they remain pragmatic and utilitarian at all times. They are serious when they say that managing the fad itself is at least as important, often more so, than managing the fad's content. Their section on strategy alone will be of special value to managers in the trenches who need guidance day by day, as well as to financial and organizational analysts who want to avoid being hoodwinked by today's fads and tomorrow's as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781567203967
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/30/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Margaret C. Brindle is an associate professor at George Mason University. Previously she taught management strategy and health care management at Carnegie Mellon University, from where she received her PhD. Dr. Brindle consults in the field of behavioral management, has also served as a hospital administrator, and is co-author (with Lisa Mainiero) of Managing Power Through Lateral Networking (Quorum, 2000).

Peter N. Stearns is Provost of George Mason University and former Dean at Carnegie Mellon University. He holds a doctorate from Harvard and has authored more than 60 books and 200 articles on topics in social, labor, and world history, with an emphasis on change and continuity.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: A Slippery Target
What Fads Are: On and Beneath the Surface
The Nature of Business Fads
Fads: Change and Continuity Across the Century
Why Faddism?
What Causes Fads, and Why Are Causes Important?
Transmitting 20th-century Faddism: The Role of Business Schools
The Role of Consulting Firms
The International Dimension
International Outreach
Fads/Faddisme: A French Case Study
Fads on the International Stage: Trends and Prospects
Strategies for Managing Business Fads
Managerial Problems and Case Studies
Conclusion: How to Evaluate, How to Respond

Editorial Reviews

Of interest to upper-division undergraduate and graduate students of management as well as professionals.” —Choice

“The authors take a long, sobering look at the vogues and fashions in management that in the end prove to be nothing but ineffective nostrums for highly complex problems.” —Business Horizons

From the Publisher

Takes a look at fads in organizational management, shows how they develop and become accepted, and gives managers advice on resisting unproductive and wasteful fads, including those imposed on them by senior officials. Examines the roles of business schools and consulting firms in contributing to fads, and looks at faddism internationally. Useful for executives, managers, and others with stakes in how organizations function. The authors are affiliated with George Mason University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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