Micklethwait, John and Wooldridge, Adrian. The Witch Doctors: Making Sense of the Management Gurus. New York: Times Books - Random House, 1996. 369 pages.

Anyone who was ever forced by their boss to attend something as silly and pointless as a total quality, reengineering, or excellence seminar, will enjoy this book. Management fads come and go in cycles, pushed by highly- paid gurus who are able to say nothing at all, but say it with style. Some 2,000 business books are published annually, most of which are along the lines of "how to succeed." They often contradict the last book by the same author, and some gurus manage to contradict themselves every few pages.

The authors, both of whom are editors for The Economist, look at the history of management theory and examine the writings of some of the big-name consultants and hucksters. They conclude that management is an immature discipline that barely deserves a place in academia. The personal quirks of the gurus provide the material for the books they write, rather than any solid social or economic research. Some of the gurus are pure opportunists, having defected from serous disciplines to join business schools, simply for the big bucks of consulting, speaking tours, and book contracts. One chapter of this book describes a more disturbing development -- the gurus are now infiltrating the public sector, which means that our tax dollars may soon be paying for their drivel.
ISBN 0-8129-2833-4

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