"Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada"--Title page verso.
Author is a senior lecturer at the School of Business and Public Management, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 180-200) and index.
Introduction -- The management guru and management fashion phenomenon -- Dramatistic rhetorical criticism -- Michael Hammer, James Champy and the reengineering movement -- Stephen Covey and the effectiveness movement -- Peter Senge and the learning organization -- Discussion -- Conclusion.
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"In addition to its theoretical and empirical contributions, this book aims to stimulate a much-needed critical dialogue between practitioners and academics about the sources of the underlying appeal of management gurus and management fashions, and their effect upon the quality of management and organizational learning."--Jacket.
"Since the 1980s, popular management thinkers, or management gurus, have promoted a number of performance improvement programs or management fashions that have greatly influenced both the conduct of organizational life and the preoccupations of academic researchers."
"This book provides a rhetorical critique of the management guru and management fashion phenomenon with a view to building on the important theoretical progress that has recently been made by a small, but growing, band of management researchers. Fantasy Theme Analysis, a dramatistically-based method of rhetorical criticism, is conducted on three of the most important management fashions to have emerged during the 1990s: the reengineering movement promoted by Michael Hammer and James Champy; the effectiveness movement led by Stephen Covey; and the learning organization movement inspired by Peter Senge and his colleagues."