In this summary you will learn
- Why hierarchies are here to stay for the foreseeable future
- How to evaluate the pros and cons of hierarchies
- How to operate as a "humanizing" middle manager with "social influence" in an authoritarian corporate structure
|
Why you should read Top Down
|
| This book could be subtitled "A Survival Manual for Those Stuck in the Middle." In the modern hierarchical (read "authoritarian") organization, the beleaguered middle manager is indeed stuck in the middle. Author Harold J. Leavitt is a self-professed "humanizer" who acknowledges the dehumanizing, authoritarian tendencies of the modern hierarchical organization. However, he goes beyond automatic humanistic inclinations to ask an important question: "What’s the alternative?" Hierarchies have structured human activity for centuries. They’ve learned to cloak themselves in commoners’ clothes in order to do business in egalitarian cultures, but don’t let that fool you. Large organizations are still ruled by hierarchies, and woe unto the middle manager who forgets it. Leavitt’s book evinces empathy for the plight of the unsung middle manager who has to meet the company’s objectives while helping it appear to be something it’s not: caring and humanistic. getAbstract.com highly recommends this book to all managers caught in the middle - which is to say, all managers. |
About the Author
|
|
Harold J. Leavitt is the Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior emeritus at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He served as director of the Stanford Executive Program for several years. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, the London Business School and INSEAD. He also wrote Managerial Psychology.
|
| Overall |
 |
 (8) |
| Applicability |
|
 (7) |
| Innovation |
|
(8) |
| Style |
|
 (9) |
Level of Expertise
(what is this?)
|
| Level |
|
 (6) |
Buy the Book |
| Click here to buy the book "Top Down". If you wish to purchase 20 or more copies of the same title (not the summary, but the "real" book), please contact us at bulkorders@getAbstract.com. Make sure you include the title of the book and your phone number. |
getAbstract makes it easy for you to access the summary of Top Down any time or any place. Once registered, you can choose from a variety of download formats: PDF for your computer, BlackBerry, iPhone, Kindle, PDA or other handheld devices. You can even obtain the audio version of many of our summaries.
Subscribe today to gain access to this summary as well as many other compelling titles! |
|
Sample the audio version of Top Down
