COMMUNICATION FOR MANAGEMENT

A Book Review On

MANAGEMENT MOLE
Lessons from office life - John Mole

THE AUTHOR Management Mole by John Mole grabs the readers attention at exactly the right place- the title. The title is catchy and engages the reader completely. The similarity between the authors name and the title only adds to its overall appeal. At times poignant, o ten hilariously unny and constantly surprising, the boo! binds the readers interest throughout its length. An MA rom "x ord and an M#A rom $%&'A(, Mole )oined an American ban!, wor!ing at various levels o management across the globe until he resigned in *+,- to ta!e up writing, ull time. .ith two humorous novels success ully published, he returned to the business world ta!ing up a series o temporary o ice )obs as a semi-s!illed cler! with the clear ob)ective o discovering what it was li!e not to manage but to be managed. This espionage mission culminated with the learning being captured in the orm o this boo! / Management Mole: Lessons from Office Life. THE BOOK "rgani0ation, motivation, dedication and leadership. .e come across these terms very re1uently in our pro essional lives. 2et how many o us really understand what they mean3 And do all the theories attempting to explain them really hold water3 John Mole, in this boo!, tries to answer these 1uestions. 4e goes out into 5the ield6 and distills his experiences to give us some perspective on management in action. 4e observes that many classroom theories o employee behavior do not seem to it the grass-roots reality o o ice li e and the myriad o evergrowing and ever-changing problems that a lict it. $t is precisely this gap between theory and reality that this boo! tries to explain and subse1uently bridge. The boo! urther goes on to explore the importance o communication in the wor!place. To this end, the author recollects his experience as a temporary intern in the cash department o a

cancer research oundation. (espite being a temporary employee, he says, 5$ did not once hear mysel re erred to as The Temp.6 as he was addressed by his previous employers. This according to him really helps motivate him and oster a sense o belonging. The boo! brings out the advantages o explicit praise and its role as an essential prere1uisite o per ormance. 4e also describes how the director at the cancer oundation as well as many senior managers lunch in the common canteen along with the employees. This, the boo! comments, in addition to a culture o hierarchy-less communication, generates a ree low o in ormation and a healthy disregard o authority which goes a long way in ma!ing wor! lively and en)oyable. 7inally, the boo! examines stress at the wor!place due to intrinsic and extrinsic reasons. $ntrinsic reason, as given in the boo!, is about persons being wor!aholic by nature. The author describes a scenario where a supervisor and her deputy are wor!aholics. They wor! unremittingly and conscientiously. They ta!e ownership and wor! long hours to complete their wor!. Though these are positive traits but without any temperance lead to stress which cause irritation and demand con ormity. The extrinsic reasons include nature o wor! demanding short bursts o intense pressure or continuous presence o heavy wor!load. $n the scenario, a short intense burst o wor! pressure allows gaps or relaxation leading to reduced stress. .hile continuously heavy wor!load with no special recognition built stress. The boo! mentions that stress is enhanced when there is a communication gap between the hierarchies in the organi0ation. Any change by the management, including the reasons or change, should be communicated to all the employees a ected by the decision. The boo! also suggests that there should be a culture o positive eedbac!. Thus, Management Mole does a very good )ob o holding a mirror onto us, employees and pro essionals. $t sweeps the entire gamut o employee behavior as well as the environments in which it is rooted. #y allying with wit and humor, Mole creates a very power ul team which success ully explores the twin interrelated worlds o communication and management. The anecdotes recollected by Mole o er penetrating insights into corporate behavior and gives us !eys to understanding, at least partially, organi0ation, motivation, dedication and leadership. This is what John Mole starts out to do and inally, does succeed.