Re: Bashing Management books LO297

Dr. Ivan Blanco (BLANCO@BU4090.BARRY.EDU)
Thu, 2 Mar 1995 16:24:42 -0500 (EST)

Replying to LO115 --

Bashing management books and fads are kind of connected. Management books
and the concepts they contain are the subject of this bashing for the
simple reason that they are not doing the job anymore. Most of them were
very good until, as Kent said in a previous message, they were made
obsolete by the writing on the fringes. Senge, Lessem, Koopman, Deming,
Argyris, etc. seem to have been on the fringes. They could see new
things, that others could not. I tried to defend the "books" too by
asking people to also take a closer look, or a "careful examintation."
But now I ask myself, how can a careful examination of an obsolete book
produce in terms of new learning! This doesn't mean that we should
abandon some of the theoretical concepts presented in those books. What
we need to abandon is the interpretations of those theories presented in
those books that have passed down generations after generations with very
little change.

So, I don't think that bashing management books is a bad thing. I believe
that bashing might help us shake off those interpretations, and force us
to search for new ones. For instance, most management books are written
on the basis that management thinks, plans, directs, etc., and
subordinates work! Regardless of how many new concepts are incorporated
in the books, the basic premise of command and control dominates the
writing. I have some colleagues who told me once that it was necessary to
preserve that, because command and control principles constitue the
business reality. But the business community continues to say that we
(business schools) are "disconnected" (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 28 ?),
from them!

I believe the business community!

Ivan,

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R. IVAN BLANCO, Ph.D. Voice 305 899-3515
Assoc. Prof. & Director Fax 305 892-6412
International Business Programs
Andreas School of Business _________E-Mail Addresses________
Barry University Bitnet: Blanco%bu4090@Barryu
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"Las naciones marchan hacia el termino de su grandeza, con
el mismo paso que camina su educacion." "The nations march
toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational
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