Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I liked this book. The topic has been well researched and the book is carefully laid out. Each chapters starts with an overview, "Key Points" and concludes with a summary of "Learning Points". This approach makes it easy for readers to get a quick gist of the chapter and key points and is also well suited to the big picture person. It would also be useful when it comes to implementing some of the ideas suggested.
There are plenty of case studies, vignettes and quotes from practising managers who vary across organisations, cultures and continents. Although I did find that at times the case studies became a little too numerous and one had to dig or re-trace to grasp the point being made. Nonetheless, they were most valuable to understanding the theme of the chapter.
To get all the subtle messages as well as the key points Bloch and Whitely make, it is necessary to read the book in-depth. This is not a book to be skimmed over. However, if you are in a hurry it would be easy to go to the last chapter and review the 10 key points for managing in a flat world. In fact some readers may wish to start there.
In terms of content, there are many excellent tips, suggestions and proven techniques (from practising managers) that will assist managers who need to manage virtual or widely dispersed teams. Two that stood out for me were:
-Communication requires an emotional commitment to engage, and
-It is easier to overcome the limitations of virtual contact if there is a rapport between individuals
Of course, the authors go on to explain how to implement these ideas.
One quote from Dadvid Grigson, CEO, Reuters is also memorable:
-"Managing your people is often less urgent, but is always more important"
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has to manage virtual, multicultural or multinational teams.
Bob Selden, author What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new managers become successful managers
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How to Manage in a Flat World: Get Connected to Your Team--Wherever They Are (Financial Times)Thanks to the internet and a globalising economy, businesses today are often stretched across different locations and different time zones, and increasingly communicate online rather than face-to-face. For a manager, it is very hard to manage and motivate a team that spans continents. Managing in a Flat World gives today's manager much-needed advice on how to communicate, manage and motivate in the flattened company and how to operate effectively in the flat world.Within this book, authors Susan Bloch and Philip Whitely expose insights from in-depth interviews and research with managers and leaders in global businesses to show the successes, struggles and triumphs amid a constant battle for balance within a changing world, based on technology. You can learn from their experience how best to collaborate as teams and groups within the flat economy, how to equip yourself as a team leader or team member with fresh ideas on ways of working with your colleagues so as to make the most of the advantages that the networked world can offer.
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