Mintzberg on management : inside our strange world of organizations /

Mintzberg (McGill University and also president of the Strategic Management Association) is perhaps the preeminent scholar in management strategy and "processes." Nearly 20 years of seminal, high-profile contributions have displayed his distinctive competence at applying an empirically grounded realism to conventional (academic) management wisdom. Here he provides a wide-ranging analysis--part an anthology of ideas Mintzberg has developed over the years, and part entirely new (especially his incisive and critical concluding commentaries). These 17 chapters display the breadth of his contributions: five initially deal with management as such and its building blocks (the manager's job, strategy, planning, analysis and intuition, and managerial training); then nine chapters furnish an analytical typology of seven organizational configurations (entrepreneurial, machine, diversified , professional, innovative, missionary, political) framed by two dealing with overall organization design and character; finally, three chapters turn to external control of corporations, a note on efficiency, and a preachment on unmanageability, "Society Is Unmanageable as a Result of Management." The collection is outstanding: it is witty, provocative, seeded with real-life examples, and attentive to academic research. It is most highly recommended for its informative and challenging--yet readable--approach to organization and management. -J. C. Thompson, University of Connecticut

This book brings together Mintzberg's thoughts on organizations and how they are managed. The essays, many published previously in book or journal form, are grouped into three sections. The first deals with the world of management--what the manager does, the process of strategy development, and the need for both analysis and intuition in management. The second focuses on how differently configured organizations achieve coordination and formulate strageties, the role of politics in organizations, and the driving forces in organizations. The final section addresses the role of the large organization in society. The book raises many important questions. Highly recommended.-- Jane M. Kathman, Coll. of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.