Management Mumbo-Jumbo: A Skeptics' Dictionary

by A. Furnham

Overview

Bestselling author and psychologist, Adrian Furnham, takes a critical view of the jargon and fads in management contained in manifestos and mission statements and shows how these often obscure and mystify. He considers atmospherics, compulsory training, fundamentalist gurus, integrity tests, personality of organizations and uncertainty avoidance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781403987020
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	01/24/2006
Edition description:	2006
Pages:	166
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.02(d)

About the Author

ADRIAN FURNHAM is Professor of Psychology at University College, London, UK. He is on the editorial board of a number of journals, has received many awards, and was recognized as the most productive psychologist in the world from 1980 to 1989. He is the author of over 600 journal articles and more than 42 books, including successful, popular management books. He acts as a consultant to a number of bodies including HM Government, British Airways, HBOS and SAP and also a number of multinational corporations. He writes regular columns in the Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times and is a frequent contributor to BBC radio and television.

Table of Contents

Ability and Ambition Above the Line All Interventions are Equally Effective Atmospherics Awards, Citations and Gongs Blame Culture Breaking Bad News Bright Boss Casuistry, Sopistry and Spin Choosing Management Courses Compulsory Training Correcting Cockups Curse of Perfectionism Damned if you do... and if you don't Dom and Sub Energy at Work Engagement to Divorce Evangelists at Work Everyone is a Winner Family Business From Private to Public Fundamentalist Gurus Gullible Executive How not to use Consultants Human Remains Incommunicado Incubation Period Inoculating the Workforce Integrity Tests Job Fit in Plain Speak Living in Sweden Managing the Post Materialist Employee Management Psychiatry Money as a Motivator Nepotism, Corruption and Incompetence Networming Nyet: Stopping Progress Odd Places: University Management Orality at Work Organisational Defence Mechanisms Passive Aggressive Bureaucrats Personality of Organisations Professional Recruiters Protecting your Legacy Psychological MOT Rank Sensitivity Recruitment to Betrayal Rock and a Hard Place Seeking the Saviour Shift Work Space Exploration Specialists and Generalists Speeches, Sermons and Seminar Presentations Striking a Balance Task and the Process Telephone Tell-Tales Titular Realities Trust at Work Uncertainty Avoidance Understanding Understatement Why Would Anyone want to Work for You? Workplace Spirituality Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

'The sly wit of Management Mumbo-Jumbo amuses and enlightens. We start to see how shallow much of the management hype really is and begin to pick out the things that matter and bring honest results. A refreshing book.' - Business Executive

'I find this a very accessible book that contains plenty of useful material to help managers think more ambitiously, positively and effectively. Overall I found it very enjoyable.' - Michael Cullum, Leadership Matters

'Challenging the received wisdom of the corporate world, this book makes an enjoyable and stimulating read for sceptical employees, open-minded business students and managers alike.' - Mark Whitley, IET (Engineering Management)

From the Publisher