High Output Management

One of the best business books I've read in a long time. Short book, common sense and to the point. Written by Andrew Grove former CEO of Intel.I would challenge anyone to review their own workplace, their own work practices using some of Grove's ideas.Liked the simple idea on the manager's preparation for decision making:What decision needs to be made?English: Portrait of Andrew Grove. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)When does it have to be made?Who will decide?Who will need to be consulted prior to making the decision?Who will ratify or veto the dcisionWho will need to be informed of the decision?Pity it does not happen more often.On meetings I think he is right: two types. Are we talking of a process oriented meeting (one-on-one, staff meetings, operations reviews) or a mission-oriented meeting?The discussion of hybrid organisations and dual reporting is straightforward and recognises the reality of how many businesses need to be structured.Liked the honesty of his section on performance appraisal. And his clarity on the importance of this process, the need for preparation and the rationale for the process in the first instance.Not sure I fully agreed with him on his views on trying to retain people who say they are going to leave.Finally - he is very clear on the manager's role and responsibility for training - including preparation and delivery of training. I would see this as a major failing with many managers in industry. And a major missed opportunity.

A fascinating read where Grove talks about how he pulled off the greatest transformation in the history of #Intel: moving from the memory business to microprocessors more than a decade after its founding.During his tenure at Intel Corporation, he described the different reorganisations that the company went through, with the only one which was effective - which just about every large company or enterprise that he knew was organised was in a hybrid form, which consisted of mission-oriented departments. This reminding me of product lines.Although it was published over 25 years ago, the management practices are timeless, where Grove touches on the negative impact of 'managerial meddling' (disempowerment) and he talks about productivity, work simplification and leverage with the goal to work smarter, not harder!As Grove says "..the single most important sentence of this book: The output of a manager is the output of the organisation units under his or her supervision or influence".The key to survival is to learn to add more value, which is ultimately what this book is about.A classic book on management, which I'd recommend.

old-fashioned ideas that might have worked in the 1970s but we've all moved on a lot since then. I particularly objected to his idea that in handling under-performing staff the only options you have are motivation and training. I would say this is not wrong, but it isn't helpful either. And what about "vision" in management? A lot of current problems are caused by blinkered attitudes and sheep-like behaviour. Grove has nothing to say on the topic.But a good book nevertheless.

Probably the finest management book I've ever read! I think about some of the concepts/ quote this to some of my colleagues on an almost daily basis.My absolutely favourite quote from the book which I feel like is one of the most profound misunderstanding of the business world today: <<Delegation without quality control processes is abdication>>.Thank you Andy!!!

I found this book a fantastic source of actionable insight. Andy approach is very pragmatic, as you would expect from someone with an engineering background, which distinguishes this book from a mass of fluffy management literature. The perfect gift for someone just moved to a management position to quickly improve, or someone more experienced that would immediately relate with situations and benefit from such a successful CEO advice.

This is a timeless piece of writing from a man who has seen and experienced management at the highest level.The author never gets bogged down. It is a substance filled book littered with analogies so simple to make it all easy to absorb.

Flimsy cover and scratchy paper inside - they've really cut corners to print this edition. Yes, it's a wonderfully written management classic, but you'd hope for £10 you'd get a decent quality physical object to refer back to, rather than this throw-away low-grade thing.

If you know anything about this book.. you'll know it's a must read. Little heavy going.. but worth it to learn about some of those principals.