No canned laughter allowed

I have long been interested in management theory and since my postgraduate studies have read countless management books from the classic "Effective Management Skills" by Scott & Rochester; to the novel "The One Minute Manager" by Blanchard and Johnson; to the much hyped such as Tom Peters’ transition from prescription management in his book "In Search of Excellence" to his more liberal and flexible views in "Liberation Management". Recent best sellers such as "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni or "Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell are all interesting reads.

But one thing they all seem to miss in my view is the day to day reality of management. Reading these books is like living your life in a sitcom. Only in reality life does not include canned laughter. That great throw away line does not seem as funny without the timely scene cut away. Instead you are left standing there dealing with the follow up. This blog is intended to try and merge these two worlds. That is, to apply the basic principles of management theory in a day to day capacity. I have long been interested in management theory and since my postgraduate studies have read countless management books from the classic "Effective Management Skills" by Scott & Rochester; to the novel "The One Minute Manager" by Blanchard and Johnson; to the much hyped such as Tom Peters’ transition from prescription management in his book "In Search of Excellence" to his more liberal and flexible views in "Liberation Management". Recent best sellers such as "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni or "Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell are all interesting reads.

But one thing they all seem to miss in my view is the day to day reality of management. Reading these books is like living your life in a sitcom. Only in reality life does not include canned laughter. That great throw away line does not seem as funny without the timely scene cut away. Instead you are left standing there dealing with the follow up. This blog is intended to try and merge these two worlds. That is, to apply the basic principles of management theory in a day to day capacity.