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Management F-Laws We've all heard of Sod's Law (also known as Murphy's Law) - If anything can go wrong, it will. Most of us know Parkinson's Law – Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Management f-Laws follows in the tradition of C. Northcote Parkinson’s famous Parkinson’s Laws and is an ironic take on how business functions despite itself. It is published by Triarchy Press. The book was the brainchild of Russ Ackoff. Russ is Professor Emeritus of the Wharton School and has written many books on Management Systems and is high in the list of the World’s Top Business Brains. To find out more about him go to:
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Russell+L.+Ackoff Here’s what the publishers say about the book: “Sally Bibb, author of The Stone Age Company and co-author of the award-winning Trust Matters, gives her own feisty responses to Ackoff and Addison’s bad laws or f-laws. Sally is a Young Turk, a self-confessed pioneer of good practice. The conversation between the authors is funny and wise and brings a light touch to the debate on change. Insisting that understanding the status quo is what makes change possible, the book will be a great gift for anyone who has experienced the frustration of working in a hierarchical management structure.” Here’s an extract from the book: Management F-Law #56: Competition consists of conflict imbedded in co-operation; the more of such conflict, the more co-operation Two tennis players in a friendly match are in conflict with respect to winning. But they co-operate with respect to a more important shared objective, recreation. The more intense their conflict, the more fun and exercise they derive from the match. If the co-operative objectives, fun and exercise, do not dominate the conflicting objectives, winning, then the match is neither a game nor competitive. It is a fight. Competition is conflict according to rules. The rules ensure the co-operative outcome of the conflict. When the rules are broken, co-operation evaporates and conflict alone remains. This is why competition always requires a referee. In economic competition the conflict between alternative suppliers should serve the interests of consumers. If competitors collude to ‘bilk’ consumers – as in price fixing – they no longer compete; they co-operate with each other and conflict with consumers. Government is supposed to be the referee that prevents economic competition turning into conflict or pure co-operation. But government is a supplier of regulations that are for sale in the lobby. Response from Sally Bibb: Hmmm. I don’t think this is the point. Once companies start training their magnifying glass on the competition they’ve lost the plot. Really great companies pit all their energies and resources into doing what works for the customer. Look at South West Airlines, Innocent Drinks, WL Gore, Metro newspaper. They all work in very competitive markets. Had they attended to what competitors were doing, the changes they’d have made to the competitive landscape would have been incremental. What they actually did was imagine a new way of doing things that would excite and please the customer. In doing so they made huge leaps forward and broke the mould in their respective sectors. They did not waste their time on competitive analysis. That only leads to ‘me too’. Those who set up these companies and set their values and ways of working were pioneers not ‘me-tooers’. Pioneers aren’t known for thinking about competition and rules of competing. They create their own rules. Off the point? Yeah, sure? I’m a pioneer. What people have said about 'Management F-Laws' "Long
ago, Shakespeare wrote “The Comedy of Errors.” Now, Russell Ackoff
and Herbert Addison, with astute commentary by Sally Bibb, write
with compelling wit about the errors found in the usual practice of
management. In this aptly labeled tome, “Management F-Laws,” using a
wonderfully readable style, laced with humor and irony, the three
writers skewer many conventional behaviors and practices prevalent
in today’s management. But do not be deceived, there is much, much
more here than the piercing of sacred cows. The book is an
instructive gem that should be required reading for anyone
interested in effective management." "The
ancient laws of management suck. And in this unique little book,
Russ and Sally have a go at assessing them, dismissing them and
revealing them for what they are – a hindrance to good business, and
something that we can have a good chuckle about." "This
book offers profound thoughts in digestible bites. It is easy to
read and entertaining, yet full of wisdom. How much better our
organisations would be if managers could really learn these
lessons!" |
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All rights reserved © Sally Bibb 2006 - 2008 |
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