Review by Choice Review
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
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
