William Shakespeare as a management consultant? This I had to read, and I was not disappointed. Power Plays is an ingenious approach to theorising about leadership and management, that draws on Shakespeare’s genius to present sound business ideas within a new and exciting framework. The authors, a business professor (Whitney) and CEO of Massachusetts‐based Shakespeare & Co. (Packer), take the reader through the Bard’s plays in a way that has never been done before, to explore what makes for successful leading, managing and following in business today. And, surprisingly, few of the Bard’s ideas seem outdated. Facing a hostile audience? So did Mark Anthony, and we can learn from him. Worried about firing someone? See what Henry IV did and learn from his experiences. Whether the theme be trust, power, communication or decisiveness, Shakespeare had something to say through his characters – and the authors drive the message home with real modern‐world examples.
The book is divided into three parts (not Acts, as I had expected!). The first is “Power”, then comes “All the world’s a stage” (business as theatre) and finally “The search within” (integrating values, vision, missions and strategy). Chapters within each part bear familiar titles such as “Uneasy lies the head that wear a crown”, “Lend me your ears” and “To be or not to be”. Each of the chapters draws on relevant examples from among Shakespeare’s 39 plays and proves to even the most sceptical that what the Bard has to say about leadership is of just as much value today as then. For example, if your profits are sagging and your business flat, the authors advise that you rally the troops just as Shakespeare’s King Henry V did before the Battle of Agincourt when the weary, damaged English forces were outnumbered by the French five to one. If you have received a promotion that colleagues do not think is deserved, King Henry VI could instruct you in how to deal with the backlash. Or, you are in a new job and facing a building full of hostile employees; Mark Anthony’s brilliant funeral oration on behalf of Julius Caesar is, according to the authors, a textbook on how to win over an angry crowd.
Each chapter also combines anecdotes from the authors’ own business experiences and Shakespearean parallels and analogies. Big players in the business world are discussed and compared with Shakespearean characters; for example, Jack Welch, leader of General Electric for 20 years is used as a foil to Shakespeare’s’s Richard II, while Al Dunlap, whose lean, mean style earned him the nickname “Chainsaw Al” is studied through the story of Coriolanus, the rigid Roman general of Shakespeare’s tragedy of that name.
In conclusion, Power Plays makes for a most entertaining and informative read, but is not what I would consider to be essential reading for managers. It would obviously appeal most to those with more than a passing interest in the Bard, or to those who enjoy being inspired through original formats. Certainly, many people are bored of reading books about “new” management fads, which are really the same old ideas dressed in different clothes – at least this text makes no pretence of the age‐old ideas it presents. I feel that the book would also appeal to managers and CEOs who make a number of business speeches, since there are plenty of quotes and analogies rich for the picking, that would enlighten many an after‐dinner speech.
