This is a book in the Wiley Series in Management. Its sub‐title is “Studies in Organizational Behavior”.
It begins in the Prologue in an arresting and most thought‐provoking way by giving an exegesis of a corporate announcement about the naming of “Ben W Franklin to the newly established office of Corporate Director for safety programs.” This exegesis is the work of Stanley, the main character in the book and results from hard‐won experience. This experience the author sets out in the book. The author states, “this book is a series of allegorical stories and cautionary tales, the cast of characters does not strictly speaking, constitute a reflection of real life. Our characters are few, and none is truly an individual but a representation of a type.”
Even though the book is a “series of allegorical stories” the author makes it clear that “what you are reading is a textbook, a serious text, though it may not appear to be nor read exactly the way you might expect a text to read. Yet, it is nothing less than a text on organizational life. More specifically, it deals with organizations that constitute America’s greatest institution ‐ business. It is an instruction manual for the novice, for the junior executive, and for those in the September of their careers.”
The book is in four parts:
Part 1 deals with Corporate Culture and Socialization;
Part 2 deals with The Myth and Mystery of Motivation and Decision Making;
Part 3 deals with The Romance of Leadership and the Forms of Communication;
Part 4 deals with Power, Stratification, and Managerial Mobility.
This book is attractive in presentation and style and it is recommended for its refreshing and stimulating approach to the study of complex concepts.
A list of additional reading is selected for those who might wish to avail of it.
