An employee's-eye view of what makes a great boss--and howyou can become oneWhereas most books on managing people approach the subject fromthe perspective of a manager of an idealised organisation,Becoming a Better Boss takes a real-world approach, lookingat the topic from the perspective of an employee in a real-worldorganisation--dysfunctions, warts, and all. Focusing on thechoices individual employees make every day in getting work done,this book reinvents the practice of management one employee at atime.Author Julian Birkinshaw stresses the importance of takingmanagement seriously, reveals where management practice often goeswrong, and dives deeply into the worldview of employees. He thenexplores the common personal biases and frailties of managers anddiscusses the vital importance of experimentation to overcome thelimitations and idiosyncrasies of a particular organisation.Throughout, he supports his assertions with case studies from awide and varying range of management experiments and situations atreal companies.* Written by a leading authority on strategy, management, andinnovation who is also the author of eleven books, includingReinventing Management* Introduces a new approach to management focused on realemployees and actual situations* Includes case studies from real organisationsBetween the stress of deadlines and the demands of today'sbusiness environment, it's easy for managers to lose sight of theimportance of people management. Becoming a Better Boss notonly shows managers how to lead effectively, but why doing so isvitally important to every organisation's success.

Preface ixAcknowledgments xiiiIntroduction xv1 Why Management Matters 12 So What Is Good Management Really? 173 Getting Inside the Minds of Your Employees: What Makes Them Tick? 354 Seeing the World Through the Eyes of Your Employees 575 Doing What We Know We Should: Managing As an Unnatural Act 816 Experimentation: Functioning in a Broken System 1077 The Future of Management? 129Endnotes 143Index 149