Reviews

Professor Sutton (organizational psychology, Univ. of Michigan; Weird Ideas That Work) provides a unique, in-your-face business guide to increasing productivity by weeding out problem employees and avoiding hiring them in the first place. Using numerous examples of behavior by jerks-they are demeaning, insulting, or abusive of others-Sutton explains the total cost of these "assholes" in today's corporations, and he shows how to spot one of them by their frequent use of rude interruptions, subtle putdowns, public humiliations and insults, sarcasm, and teasing. The author also wisely draws on research data to show how managers can eliminate this type of mean-spirited and unproductive behavior in order to generate a productive workplace. Case studies include the embarrassing, negative behavior of former business executives and government officials that became public, a description of how an analysis of Google's "don't be evil" maxim helped launch the company to unprecedented early growth, and the approach used by JetBlue and Southwest Airlines to evict passengers who demean their employees. This refreshingly new material is soundly narrated by the author and nicely supplements the business literature that predominantly focuses on leadership styles. Relevant for all organizations, this program is recommended for university libraries supporting a business curriculum and larger public libraries.-Dale Farris, Groves, TX Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.