Book Review: Let's Fire All the Managers

Already title is caching our attention : “First, Let 's Fire All the Managers”. Intriguing start changes in the list of charges against the modern management system. The author is showing his critic for complicated system, where we have hundreds of managers in various level. He lists three main problems. As first is the costs of management which is very expensive. At second he shows that typical management hierarchy increases the risk of “calamitous” decisions with bad judgment. And as third multitiered management structure systematically disempowers lower-level employees. For all this three he is giving examples to make sure that readers will understand the problem. After that there is a lot of information about how this system is working and how the place of work is organized. So now we have question. Wouldn’t it be great if we could achieve high levels of coordination without a supervisory superstructure? To confirm theory author is giving very strong arguments by describing new management model called self-management which is in use at American company Morning Star. There are no employees, there are only “colleagues” which are taking personal responsibility for what they have done. And each person is at the same level. So if there is any problem other colleagues going to help to resolve it. There are no managers all the decision are made in the group of employees : “Around here, nobody’s your boss and everybody’s your boss.” To be sure that each employee now what he is doing and what kind of opportunities standing in front of him there are management courses , seminars which provide necessary information. As author is showing company have got only great achievement and there is only few small disadvantages. He is giving very strong arguments about almost “utopia” organization where everybody are happy. Everything sounds perfect but is it real? Using the Google’s I found Morning Star company. “One of the best, world’s leading tomato ingredient

References: Books: 1. Nic Peeling, Brilliant Manager, (2010), What the best managers know, do and say, 3rd edition, Great Britain, Harlow: Pearson 2. Richard Templar, (2011), The rules of Management, second edition, Great Britain: Pearson 3. Scott Adams, (1996), Dogbert’s Top secret Management Handbook, New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc. Websides: 1. Self management Institute, http://self-managementinstitute.org 2. Morning Star, http://www.morningstarco.com, (accessed on 11/12/11) Article which I used: Gary Hamel, (2011) First, Let 's Fire All the Managers, http://hbr.org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-all-the-managers/ar/1, (accessed on 06/12/11)