Sense and Nonsense in the Office

"What happens to all those management books that are published in greater number each year? Who has the time (or the inclination) to sit down and read them? The answer seems to be practically nobody. Managers buy the books, only to leave them on their shelves for show-off value or at best to dip into them briefly." For anyone not familiar with Lucy Kellaway's management column in the Financial Times, this is a great place to catch up. Her technique is as follows--keep an eye open for the latest fad/trend/book/general craziness to emerge from the business world, hold it up for enquiry and watch it crumble under the enormous pressure that light scrutiny brings. It is tempting to have a pop at Sense and Nonsense in the Office just for the sheer bloody-minded perversity of it--the pleasure that comes from watching the sender-up get sent up. Kellaway would appreciate that. But Sense and Nonsense is a great read, a fantastically caustic tirade of perfectly formed anecdotes aimed squarely at the posturing improbability of management. It's light, but dark, as the advertising man would say.The book works for exactly the same reasons that the column works--it is good fun, it questions where many accept received wisdom, it retains a sense of irony where its subjects are losing theirs and beneath it all, there is an undercurrent of genuine enquiry which asks, "is this really what it's all about?" The collected articles fall into 12 categories, with "victims" ranging from Management Consultants through to Jargon and Self-Help. Old favourites such as "Buzzword Bingo" are here, so if you missed the rules when those emails went round you can get into it again. Who, to address Kellaway's own question will read this? If you have ever set foot in an office, read a business book, wondered what consultants actually do, been managed, been a manager--if you want to have a laugh at work, this is for you. What the hell! Buy it anyway, it'll look impressive on your bookshelf. Sense and Nonsense in the Office may not offer any answers but at least it asks the right questions--with a smile. --Iain Campbell