Management by obstruction

the long version

From the book jacket: A manager's job consists principally of solving problems. But, as this book points out, "with the falloff of problems, of course, comes the reduced need for management." Thus, the more problems a manager creates, the more he is needed - and the better he fulfills management's most basic function. Jared Harrison, who has spent over fifteen years teaching effective management, takes the realistic view that high morale, simplified marketing, and high sales offer few opportunities for managers to show their true talents. To assure continued promotions and stock options, today's manager needs more than misplaced memos and office politicking. How can he prolong a crisis until his boss is back from the golf course to see him clear it up? The answer is Management by Obstruction. This ground-breaking book provides detailed analyses of the 22 most rewarding Obstructive Techniques. Most businessmen are familiar with Strategic Myopia (obtaining immediate personal gain by utterly disregarding long-range implications), Innovative Complacency (creating the illusion of change while safely adhering to company tradition), and Calculated Reactionism (a conscious lack of planning followed by timely overreaction). But it takes the experienced manager to recognize – let alone employ! – Affirmative Abandonment, Democratic Favoritism, or Conscientious Incompetence. Harrison illustrates his points with dynamic case histories of top executives who, thanks to these principles, have been able to retire to obscure Caribbean islands and up-the-river “resorts.” Actual “memos” and “transcripts” show the reader how rampant innovation can be smothered away, step by careful step. A unique corporate flow-chart shows how management can recycle disturbing new projects indefinitely through Research and Development, avoiding the risk of making a final decision. But Management by Obstruction is not for the executive alone: This novel analysis of successful corporate practice will be enlightening to the lowliest employees, even as it inspires their superiors to new levels of complacent job-security.