The Future of Management

By: Gary Hamel, Bill Breen

Narrated by: Gary Hamel

What really fuels long-term business success?

Not operational excellence or new business models, but management innovation: new ways of mobilizing talent, allocating resources, and building strategies. Over the past century, breakthroughs in the "technology of management" have enabled a few companies, including General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, and Visa, to cross new performance thresholds and build long-term advantages. Yet most companies lack a disciplined process for radical management innovation.

World renowned business sage Gary Hamel argues that organizations need bold management innovation now more than ever. The current management model, centered on control and efficiency, no longer suffices in a world where adaptability and creativity drive business success. In his most provocative book to date, Hamel takes aim at the legacy beliefs preventing 21st-century companies from surmounting new challenges. With incisive analysis and vivid illustrations, he explains how to turn your company into a serial management innovator, and reveals:

The make-or-break challenges that will determine competitive success in an age of head-snapping change

The toxic effects of our legacy-management beliefs

The unconventional management practices generating breakthrough results in a handful of pioneering organizations

The new principles every company must weave into its management DNA

The Web's potential to obliterate smokestack management practices

The actions your company can take now to build its own management advantage

Get ready to throw off the shackles of yesterday's management dogma. Tomorrow's winners will be those companies that start inventing the future of management today.

©2007 Gary Hamel (P)2008 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"Like many great inventions, management practices have a shelf life....Gary Hamel explains how to jettison the weak ones and embrace the ones that work. ( Fortune)
"There's much here that will resonate with forward-thinking managers." ( BusinessWeek)

Extremely Helpful

A Fascinating look at how management is changing. I found this audio to be a great listen and extremely useful for its specific suggestions and challenges to be innovative.

Thought Provoking

This is a thought provoking book. It was a great challenge to work toward innovative management.

Diferente ideas

New and fresh ideas. It motivates to use and develop a different kind of management however it doesn't provide any solution. Difficult to implement, only if you are the owner of the company. Due a new management structure would affect the whole organization.

Narration Ruins Excellent Book

This offering is a great example of the axiom that authors are rarely good narrator/readers of their own work. Gary Hamel is a insightful management thinker, and his books are always worth reading. Unfortunately, this audio book is barely worth listening to. The content is excellent (worth 5 stars, although it echoes 2002's "Leading the Revolution"), but Mr. Hamel's reading is awful. It's full of mispronunciations and atrocious diction (bleeve?). This is one of those rare instances where I have to recommend that you buy the book rather the audiobook. Hamel's words on the page have a much greater impact than his words on your iPod.

Excelent! A "MUST READ" book

An excellent approach for future of leadership and management. A challenge to today practices, with good examples of today's innovators.

Best ideas I read so far on future management

I have read many books on the topic of the future of management. My most common complaint is that they get so carried away with their concepts that they take them to unrealistic levels. Hamel/Breen too did this somewhat, but they backed up their ideas with history on the topics and didn't 'leap' too far. They have an uncanny understanding of the forces that actually drive business in my opinion.

They make the point that technology and methodology are exploding but management hasn't really changed for decades; how very true. They get it that we could do things a whole lot more effectively using new management methods and offer many ideas that are exceptionally good and insightful.

Indeed, there are a few companies out there trying better ways, but I do mean few. Hamel/Breen believe that we will eventually have to switch. Will we? I'm not so sure. Human beings are loathe to change, especially if they are comfortable. From my perspective the only thing that will bring change is monetary necessity; if my competition is doing it and being more successful then so must I. I hope they are right.

From my perspective, this is a must-read book. Enjoy.

Great

Very good read for anyone looking for fresh perspective on management. Came away with lots to think about.

More inspirational than instructional

Discussing how Whole Foods, Google and Gore are leading the management revolution was very inspirational. Hamel discusses in detail how these companies engage in what may seem unorthodox to traditional minded corporate folk. The book makes you think, how can I bring about management innovation at my company, and that's the idea behind the book. In this way the book delivers perfectly. However inspiration doesn't always translate into action. For the listener its difficult to put the lessons learned from this book into action. This book would serve an executive well, someone who has the authority and the ability to affect change at a governance level. If you're a mid level manager who is disillusioned with your company's management style and structure, you'll only be inspired to go work for Whole Foods, Google, or Gore.
I liked the book and anyone who is inspired by it will incorporate some of its principles when they go on to become executives. I enjoyed it.

Post-Industrial Management

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the premise of the book outlines the possibility for a new age of innovation in management. If you've previously read books like "Drive", this book will give you more of the background on where management (and the predominant "management style") come from historically, and philosophically.

What other book might you compare The Future of Management to and why?

It definitely shares some insight with Daniel Pink's "Drive".

Which character – as performed by Gary Hamel – was your favorite?

This question doesn't really fit the material of this non-fiction book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I enjoyed listening to this book in short sections.

Any additional comments?

Don't come to this book thinking it will give you answers- it discusses history and trends more than outlining a completely new management approach. Also, some of the examples in the book are becoming trite across the management community. Even so, I really enjoyed listening to this book!

the world of work is changing for the better

Would you listen to The Future of Management again? Why?

yes - already listened to it twice

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Future of Management?

Whole Foods, Gore Associates, Google

What three words best describe Gary Hamel’s performance?

It's the author. There's something nice about hearing from the author. But he's not an excellent reader.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Hamel's encouragement to give management innovation a try, even though the road is uncertain, is excellent. His work is inspirational and gives plenty of educational content for getting started. I expected to only want to listen to the 3 main company profiles but the entire content was captivating.

Any additional comments?

Excellent excellent.