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The New Boss

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( 45 ratings, 4 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The New Boss explores the unsettling changes faced by any organisation when a new leader takes charge. Niklas Luhmann delves into the complex dynamics between a manager and their staff, highlighting communication challenges, self-presentation demands, and fundamental value clashes. Central to the discussion is the question of power, revealing that employees adept at influencing their superiors, a concept Luhmann terms "subtervision," can hold significant sway. This thought-provoking analysis offers keen insights into workplace relationships and the subtle art of leadership.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will appeal to students and professionals interested in organisational behaviour, management, and sociology, as well as anyone keen to understand the subtle power shifts within workplaces.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Any organization, no matter how stolid, may be unsettled by the news that a new boss is about to take over. Talk in the hallways increases, staff worry about their jobs, uncertainty grows.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Any organization, no matter how stolid, may be unsettled by the news that a new boss is about to take over. Talk in the hallways increases, staff worry about their jobs, uncertainty grows. Even when the change has happened, problems emerge when the boss who was hired to manage “from above” has to learn about the organization “from below.”

In The New Boss, Niklas Luhmann scrutinizes the relationship and shows how it is stretched to its limit by communication difficulties, demands for self-presentation, and disagreements concerning fundamental values. Many of the tensions crystallize around the question “who has the power?” It isn’t necessarily the boss, provided the employees are well versed in the art of directing their superiors. “Subtervision” is Luhmann’s term for this state of affairs, and tact is the most important means to this end. Yet caution is advised: whoever achieves mastery in subtervision may well become the new boss.

This slim and thought-provoking book from one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century will be of great interest to anyone seeking to understand the dynamics and machinations of the workplace.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"While many know Niklas Luhmann in his capacity as a systems theoretician, few are aware that he has also written a number of important essays in organisation theory. The New Boss represents an excellent introduction to this part of Luhmann's work: it is bristling with interesting ideas about leadership, formal organisations, groups and much more."
— Richard Swedberg, Cornell University

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509517886

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 September 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 122.0mm

Height: 188.0mm

Weight: 159g

Pages: 80

About the Author

Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) was Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Bielefeld University.

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