rbharath's review
5.0
I read Dan Lyons ‘Disrupted’ about his experiences working with Hubspot and found it very interesting. In contrast, this book takes a broader view and discusses why the world of work is so much more stressful and less satisfying today than in the past.
Dan Lyons lays the blame largely on the management practices and culture emanating out of Silicon Valley, where the leadership mostly lacks people skills. The problem is getting worse with most traditional companies trying to ape the toxic practices which stress employees and increase income disparities. Flippancy & theatrics now rule over substance, and old school values such as respect, career progression, camaraderie at work have taken a beating. Dan has examples from many companies, especially leading technology companies, on how work is getting depressing with the issues being broadly – monetary benefits declining, job insecurity, constant (largely pointless) change and dehumanization. Lack of diversity & ageism are rampant and constant monitoring of employees added to all the other issues has elevated stress to levels which never existed before.
A lot of the ecosystem these days is structured for the founders & leaders to make money based on valuations & stock prices. The Gig economy with part-time workers makes things worse for employees though it is emerging as a great way to cut costs. A lot of industry attempts to fashion a cult-like culture with grandiose statements such as “We are out to change the world”, with a lot of frivolous workplace benefits (under the impression that this is what millennials want). He discusses the contrast in current popular management practices vs that of the last century. The Netflix culture code says it all – ‘We are a team, not a family’, and as Dan questions “Can we not be both?”. The discussion on the latest fads – Agile, Lean Startup, Holacracy are hilarious and engaging. They raise very important questions, though not all his conclusions are right. There is a tendency to jump from one fad to another keeping companies in constant change, employees in fear which takes a toll on health & productivity. The final sections discuss examples of companies doing it right (such as Basecamp, Managed by Q) and the positive trend of impact investing to bring about positive societal change.
This is an important book – it cuts through the pretentiousness and is thought provoking. The sweet spot lies at the intersection of companies caring for their employees and employees putting in their best & constantly improving. This is why, I do not judge the writings of Ayn Rand (Dan refers to her as a nutty author), despite the megalomaniac lead characters in her books, as harshly as many do – we cannot escape taking a hard look at ourselves – what we are capable of and what we are actually doing. Also, growth & success does create energy. That said, Dan gets right many of the leadership & culture issues most companies face and also important – that younger workers want something different is a lie. We all crave for respect & care.
It was good to read this book shortly after ‘Enlightenment Now’ by Steven Pinker (also thought provoking). There is a lot which aggregate statistics hide and issues real people face is the story – which this book does well to bring out.
A book I certainly recommend – it is very engaging & lively, other than raising the most vital issues in today’s work cultures, though some of the reasoning is simplistic and not wholly accurate.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
Dan Lyons lays the blame largely on the management practices and culture emanating out of Silicon Valley, where the leadership mostly lacks people skills. The problem is getting worse with most traditional companies trying to ape the toxic practices which stress employees and increase income disparities. Flippancy & theatrics now rule over substance, and old school values such as respect, career progression, camaraderie at work have taken a beating. Dan has examples from many companies, especially leading technology companies, on how work is getting depressing with the issues being broadly – monetary benefits declining, job insecurity, constant (largely pointless) change and dehumanization. Lack of diversity & ageism are rampant and constant monitoring of employees added to all the other issues has elevated stress to levels which never existed before.
A lot of the ecosystem these days is structured for the founders & leaders to make money based on valuations & stock prices. The Gig economy with part-time workers makes things worse for employees though it is emerging as a great way to cut costs. A lot of industry attempts to fashion a cult-like culture with grandiose statements such as “We are out to change the world”, with a lot of frivolous workplace benefits (under the impression that this is what millennials want). He discusses the contrast in current popular management practices vs that of the last century. The Netflix culture code says it all – ‘We are a team, not a family’, and as Dan questions “Can we not be both?”. The discussion on the latest fads – Agile, Lean Startup, Holacracy are hilarious and engaging. They raise very important questions, though not all his conclusions are right. There is a tendency to jump from one fad to another keeping companies in constant change, employees in fear which takes a toll on health & productivity. The final sections discuss examples of companies doing it right (such as Basecamp, Managed by Q) and the positive trend of impact investing to bring about positive societal change.
This is an important book – it cuts through the pretentiousness and is thought provoking. The sweet spot lies at the intersection of companies caring for their employees and employees putting in their best & constantly improving. This is why, I do not judge the writings of Ayn Rand (Dan refers to her as a nutty author), despite the megalomaniac lead characters in her books, as harshly as many do – we cannot escape taking a hard look at ourselves – what we are capable of and what we are actually doing. Also, growth & success does create energy. That said, Dan gets right many of the leadership & culture issues most companies face and also important – that younger workers want something different is a lie. We all crave for respect & care.
It was good to read this book shortly after ‘Enlightenment Now’ by Steven Pinker (also thought provoking). There is a lot which aggregate statistics hide and issues real people face is the story – which this book does well to bring out.
A book I certainly recommend – it is very engaging & lively, other than raising the most vital issues in today’s work cultures, though some of the reasoning is simplistic and not wholly accurate.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
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