The Necessary Nature of Future Firms : Attributes of Survivors in a Changing World

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: I took the title of my review from one of the 12 reviewer testimonials that appear on the back cover and on the back of the the first page:"This book is a must read for managers concerned with guiding their organizations into the information age. THE NECESSARY NATURE OF FUTURE FIRMS represents the first rigorous in-depth effort at anticipating the shape of new organizations by combining and interpreting vast management research literature and presenting it to managerial audiences. The book is very accessible to a broad managerial audience."

What first attracted me to the book is that the majority of the testimonials are from very, very accomplished authorities, people who seem to have reached really high stature as faculty at the top business school AND who have been successful authors themselves of books for managers. What then impressed me was how readable the book is. Knowing that it was written by a professor, I suspected the worst, but found that the book was actually an enjoyable read, with lots of examples, some from the author's own experience. But make no mistake, this isn't a shallow book with large print, lots of white space, three bullets per page, and unsubstantiated assertions. To the contrary, from two other testimonials: "This book stands head and shoulders above the many management books offering short-term fads, fashions, and therapies of the moment." and "THE NECESSARY NATURE OF FUTURE FIRMS is cleverly written, grounded in history, integrates an unusually extensive survey of organizational research, and is filled with evocative examples and practical guidelines." I found these comments to be on target.

Rating:
Summary: For managers at all levels
Review: There is a lot about this book that sets it apart from other advice-to-managers books. Perhaps the most significant is that it offers actionable suggestions to managers at all levels. It is not just for the CEO or other high level managers. In addition, the suggestions are not just opinions or the experiences of one company. They are backed with high-quality studies that are applicable across a broad range of firms. Even with my thirty years as a manager at a Fortune 50 company, I found the book to offer many opportunities for improving the competitive advantage of my function.