Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths And Total Nonsense: Profiting From Evidence-Based Management

The marketplace for business advice is crowded with conflicting advice, many of which are retreads of older versions claiming to offer breakthrough results. The "really bad news" is that breakthroughs rarely happen - the wise manager will not simply jump for what is in vogue. Corporate leaders who want to practice evidence-based management might begin by recognizing that the odds are against them in undertaking a merger... Read Full Review

In my opinion, the most valuable business books are those which pose and then respond to an especially important question. For example, before Pfeffer and Sutton wrote their previously published book, The Knowing Doing-Gap, they asked: Why is it that managers who know so much about organizational performance, say so many smart things about how to achieve performance, and work so hard are nonetheless trapped in firms that do... Read Full Review

This was one of the best business books to pass my desk in a long time. Then, I'm biased. Doing research bores me, but _applying_ research is my great love. It's a love unrequited after decades in the business world. Not for lack of trying; more for lack of good research. Most business books, buzzwords, and brilliance are pretty much bull-pucky. Not "Hard Facts." Pfeffer and Sutton have a simple premise: Companies run better... Read Full Review

Ever since I read his book "Competitive Advantage through People" I have bought every book Jeffrey Pfeffer has (co-)written. And I have never been disappointed. All his books both are consistent with and build on his previous work and add new and interesting angles. When this new book by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton was advertized I had a slight worry about its title. It sounds so decisive and self-assured .... I worried... Read Full Review

This is an outstanding book written by two business and engineering Stanford professors. Analyzing modern management practices using surveys and studies, they debunk many of modern management practices. According to their studies, pay-for-performance does not work. Companies that had the widest range of pay scale between top and bottom performers also suffered the poorest financial results. So, pay-for-performance does... Read Full Review