Fake Work: Why People Are Working Harder Than Ever But Accomplishing Less, and How to Fix the Problem

I was glad to come into a copy of this book "Fake Work". I am a supervisor at a computer support desk with student employees. Because of the stories and examples in this book, I have been able to teach better ways of thinking to my students. As they graduate and go on to jobs in all fields of work, I hope they take something with them to do real work and have time for family and to live life! I love the examples throughout the book. The examples help me to find comparable situations in my work life as well as my home and family. I appreciate the time and experiences Mr. Nielson and Mr. Peterson have had and now share in this book. Additionally, I love that each chapter has the "Road Map For Action" to summarize the learnings and give me a place to start asking questions. I have told and retold the story about 'The Road To Nowhere' so many times. It has almost become a theme in my life. I highly recommend this book not just for a manager to read, but for an entire organization to adopt the teachings of this book. Every member of the team can be a part of making a difference in their own way and collectively.

What a great book! A kind of anonymous whistle blow; yet another inconvenient truth about work-life. As a psychologist in solo private practice with zero necessity for "fake work," having read this book, I find myself feeling overwhelmingly fortunate with the opportunity to earn a living with minimum of pretense. "Fake work" - the phenomenon, not the book - is an existential calamity. Building roads into nowhere is what rotted Soviet style socialism from inside out (as they used to say in my country of origin, "they pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work"). Sure, work that is not aligned with company's strategic goals is a tactical productivity loss. But, most importantly, "fake work" is a loss of morale and authenticity of the work life - and as such a productivity loss of strategic (long-term) significance. On a personal level, given that the lion share of our adult time (and progressively more so) is spent at work, "fake work" (work without meaning) is an existential suicide. Peterson and Nielson are calling on us to step away from the ledge of work-life meaninglessness. As a book, "Fake Work" is the kind of book that could have sent the authors to Gulag if it had been written in the Soviet Union. Peterson and Nielson, with a mixture of compassion and straight-shooting mercilessness, strip away the layers of corporate pretense, delving deep into the administrative and psychological motivations behind "fake work." The authors go well beyond the statement of the problem: they offer both individual-level (bottom-up) and managerial-level (top-down) solutions for preventing and/or controlling the morale- and bottom-line-rusting effects of "fake work." As such, the book is a must read for anyone who works for anyone (I am allowing myself an assumption that self-employed individuals are less susceptible to the "fake work" phenomenon although, as the authors imply, this might not be necessarily so in the cases of where "billing for time" can create Potemkin-village illusions of productivity). In short, "Fake Work" compels the employees and the employers to shift away from the paradigm of pro forma processes towards essence- and meaning-focused work. Why? Because it pays! Pavel Somov, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, author of "Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time" (New Harbinger, 2008) [...]

My Name is Tyler. I'm an actor, and a musician. At fist glance, a title like "Fake Work", immediately brings to mind the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." As you delve into the book (further than 10 pages, Mr. Karten), you are immediately cast into a world of corporate nonsense, and Tom-Sawyer-foolery; where the things that seem so critical to being or SEEMING successful are placed under a microscope, and revealed to be a hindrance to oneself, or to whom one works for. This book forces everyone to ask a Hamlet-esque question: Am I Doing Fake Work, or Real Work? As an Actor, I read this book without the focus of a corporate lens, and yet it still spoke to my profession as well. How many films have gone over-budget due to poor planning, or misguided alignment - the cogs in the proverbial machine not all turning at once? How many millions of dollars end up on the cutting room floor? How many of us - not just in our work, but in our lives - do things that don't serve our ultimate goals? While reading this book, I conjured the metaphor of a beehive. In a beehive none of the worker bees are micro-managed. None of them spend time - or rather waste time - doing things that don't serve the hive. Every member on every level of the hive understands its strategic relevance to the success of the hive, and they all just do their job. (and they don't even get paid.) I know full-well that a metaphor like this is missing the complex intricacies of any corporation or business, but the key message to me is: Understand your job, and how it helps your company thrive. From an extra to the producer of a film - everyone plays a critical role in telling a story successfully. I don't know about anyone else out there, but the story of a long, hard day of bailing hay, and plowing the fields; and coming inside to a warm home-cooked meal and a smiling wife, is a Romance to me. The story of the person sitting in front of a computer, of staying up all night or weekend, of pots upon pots of coffee to get that one document done for your company, and have it ignored - is a Tragedy. We could all use a little more family time, a little less stress, and a better economy, but this book won't solve that problem on its own - It needs the help of dedicated workers. Read this book. Follow the Paths and just do real work.

The authors provide the research for understanding the sources of conflict, misunderstanding and poor productivity in organizations. Good case studies illustrate problems that we can easily relate to and a usable roadmap for improving team performance. The book contains numerous profound insights. I would recommend this text to anyone who leads or is a member of a team.

This book is the first book I've read in a long while that changed the way I think about work. This book tackles the biggest problems I find with my teams, my employees, and my job. I have found numerous ways to increase productivity, increase morale, and reduce workloads by killing the Fake Work in my business.