The Challenge of Front-Line Management

The Challenge of Front-Line Management

By Ronald Sims, John Veres III, Katherine Jackson and Carolyn Facteau

Quorum Books, 280 pages, $65

Engaging: 2 Innovative: 1.5 Usefulness: 3 Visual Aids: 1



Given the constant assault from the mass media and publishers of brand new books, self-help audio and video tapes and executive education programs, it's evident that we business people need a lot of help.

Wow, we are either the best-educated and informed business leaders in history or the dumbest, I don't know which. I guess it's Tom Peters' fault.

What should we say to all these well-meaning authors and business educators? We can't tell them to stop writing. (What would book reviewers write about, after all?) What we can tell them is that we'd like books, etc., that are easy to understand, useful, and maybe offer a new idea or two.

On the first two counts, The Challenge of Front-Line Management does pretty well, but if you are looking for fresh perspectives, innovative thinking, or a "gosh, that sounds terrific" idea, you probably won't find it here. Ronald Sims et. al provide some good, common facts about how and why line managers have greater challenges today than ever before: the speed of change, the diversity of the work force, the moving target of customer satisfaction being among the toughest.

However, too few shiny new knowledge nuggets of any consequence appear in this book.