Is There Such a Thing as "Office Logic"? Bring Your Questions for the Authors of The Org
We have been exploring, on this blog and especially in our Marketplace radio segments, the mores of the American office, from bosses to morale to the benefits of working from home.
If these topics interest you even a little bit, then you might want to check out The Org: The Underlying Logic of the Office
The Org examines a variety of institutions, including the Baltimore Police Department (here’s an excerpt), Procter & Gamble, the United Methodist Church, McDonald’s, and even Al Qaeda. According to the book’s promo materials, you will learn:
- The purpose of meetings and why they will never go away
- Why even members of Al Qaeda are required to submit travel & expense reports
- What managers are good for
- How the army and other orgs balance marching in lockstep with fostering innovation
- Why it’s the hospital administration — not the heart surgeon — who is more likely to save your life
- That CEOs often spend over 80% of their time in meetings — and why that’s exactly where they should be (and why they get paid so much)
Fisman and Sullivan have agreed to field reader questions on the topic, so have at it in the comments section. As always, we’ll post their answers in short order. To give you a better idea of the book’s focus, here is its table of contents:
Introduction: A Machine for Getting Stuff Done
CHAPTER 1: The Outsider
CHAPTER 2: Designing the Job
CHAPTER 3: Putting Together the Organizational Puzzle
CHAPTER 4: In Praise of Squelching Innovation
CHAPTER 5: What Management Is Good For
CHAPTER 6: The View from the Corner Office
CHAPTER 7: The Economics of Org Culture
CHAPTER 8: Disaster and Change
Conclusion: The Future Org
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