Under New Management

How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business as Usual

By: David Burkus

Narrated by: Rich Orlow

Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

A provocative work that challenges the traditional and widely accepted principles of business management - and proves that they are outdated, outmoded, or simply don't work.

Do open floor plans really work? Are there companies that put their employees' welfare first and their clients second? Are annual performance reviews necessary? Dr. David Burkus is a highly regarded and increasingly influential business school professor who challenges many of the established principles of business management. Drawing on decades of research, Burkus has found that not only are many of our fundamental management practices wrong and misguided, but they can be downright counterproductive.

These days, the best companies are breaking the old rules. At some companies, email is now restricted to certain hours, so employees can work without distraction. Netflix no longer has a standard vacation policy of two to three weeks but instructs employees to take time off when they feel they need it. And at Valve Software, there are no managers; the employees govern themselves. The revolutionary insights Burkus reveals here will convince companies to leave behind decades-old management practices and implement new ways to enhance productivity and morale.

©2016 David Burkus (P)2016 Recorded Books

information age work assembly line management

This book really makes you think. Our work becomes more mental and less physical every day. Our management teams still work as if we had shifts to fill on the assembly line. This book gives real world examples of companies that grew through flexibility in vacation, shifts, mixed open/closed work spaces.

Great book that challenges the common wisdom

I really enjoyed this book. I wish it was longer because I would gladly listen to more great insight. The only (very minor) criticism is with the editing. Either parts of this book were recorded with different mics or different sound engineers and these different tonal profiles would change mid-paragraph in parts.

Just wow!

I was hooked just in the intro. Companies need to flip the model and put people and trust first. This book needs to be required reading for anyone in business.

Great listen for all managers!

Any additional comments?

In Under New Management, David Burkus has pieced together a fascinating collection of firms that have successfully implemented radical new management ideas. The individual case studies are thought provoking, but collectively they challenge managers to reflect on how their firms might upend ‘business as usual.’ The author is an engaging storyteller, with a style similar to Charles Duhigg and Malcolm Gladwell. Great listen for all managers!

Fresh ideas

Well done, great summary of some interesting concepts. Love the writing style, too! Easy listen and very educational. I'm buying copies for many business owner friends!

improve the output of you thinking work

A great collection of possible tweaks to improve management practices optimised for thinking work to improve the modern knowledge work environment.