Book Summary Preview : Mad, Sad & Bad Management

The Big Idea

Many management books take the recommendatory approach: they bring up good practices, for instance, and explain why and (to a certain extent) how they can be emulated. Correspondingly, some management books choose to take the opposite tack; they bring up examples of how not to go about managing companies and organizations and explain why and how these should not be emulated.

In “Mad, Sad and Bad Management”, author Adrian Furnham takes a look at management practices, managers and management science that is at the same time both enthusiastic and cynical. He starts with the serious literature on management and moves onto the guru-inspired, magic-formula texts, while spicing things up by presenting real-life accounts of failures and cock-ups to be found in the popular press and in his own consultancy.

Why You Need This Book
This entertaining and instructive book contains some five dozen analyses on aspects of modern business and management. The theme is incompetence rather than competence, stupidity rather than wisdom and insanity rather than sanity.

Analyzing Your Boss
A simple but effective way to begin managing upwards is to understand the abilities and personality of one’s manager:

ABILITY. Below-par bosses may take particularly sensitive handling. They resist new ideas and are frightened of bright young things. Give them suggestions and show them how to do things. But don’t make them too reliant on you – they may hold on to you too hard and prevent your progress if they need you too much.

PERSONALITY. There are essentially five personality traits that require close attention:

1. Neuroticism. Neurotic people are often predictable and need constant help, reassurance and calming down.

2. Extroversion. Extroverted people need to have their impulsiveness tempered by more considerate judgment. But they also need lots of stimulation and variety to keep them comfortable.

3. Conscientiousness. People who are too conscientious can be rather tight-fisted and intolerant, and they can be risk-adverse as well.
4. Agreeableness. They are well-liked and have a reputation for being good managers.

5. Openness to experience. They embrace changes and are sensitive to the teaching and ideas of others.

If you have a bright, stable, agreeable, conscientious and open boss, celebrate your good fortune. If not, you may want to start practicing these upwards management skills.

Bond in the Boardroom: Business Espionage
The methods can be simply divided into people vs. observational strategies and each involves different approaches:

PEOPLE METHODS

1. Hiring competitor employees with highly attractive packages.

2. Conducting phoney job interviews.

3. Using trade fairs and conferences to pick the brains of technical people.

4. Using newspaper reports about company activities of all types, one can target ‘middle-managers’ with interested calls.

5. Placing your people in their camp. This means trying to get one of your employees to get a job in the opposition.

OBSERVATION METHODS

1. Studying aerial photographs of plants to which access is restricted. This can reveal plant layout (which is often a clue to process) inventory stockpiles, a tip-off for a sales drive, etc.

2. Videotape comings and goings to headquarters, plants, etc. This can give information about who works, where and when. It can give clues about particular individuals, but also shift patterns, recruitment, downsizing, etc.

3. Reverse engineering, which involves taking products apart to study components and manufacturing processes.

4. Garbology: obtaining the rubbish people throw away, examining everything including shredded papers.

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