Gung Ho!: Turn on the People in Any Organization

Blanchard and Bowles (Raving Fans) lay out a three-step strategy for motivating employees: make sure they know why their work is important; give them control of how they do their jobs; provide encouragement. The authors related their story through the voice of a female plant manager who is said to have learned these truths from a Native American manager who had been told them by his grandfather. The book reads like a fable, e.g., the first step is presented as ""The Spirit of the Squirrel."" The construct wears thin. Worse, the authors offer no specifics about how employees should work together (gung ho in Chinese), and what exactly management should do all day, except make sure all three steps recommended here are followed. If in fact employees really are a company's most important asset, as managers everywhere seem fond of noting, one might wonder why such a three-step plan is needed at all. (Oct.)