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Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace (平装)
by Gordon MacKenzie
| Category:
Creativity, Innovation, Leadership, Influence |
| Market price: ¥ 228.00
MSL price:
¥ 198.00
[ Shop incentives ]
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Providing great advice for finding creativity in the corporate space, this gem book is a must read for all managers, entrepreneurs and innovators. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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Booklist (MSL quote), USA
<2008-05-13 00:00>
There is no denying the creativity of someone who can persuade one of the 50 largest private companies in the U.S. to create a position for him called "creative paradox," or someone who can convince the accounting department of that same company to write off to the company art collection the purchase of more than a dozen roll-top desks to be used in his "creative lab," or someone who could come up with such a goofy title for a book. MacKenzie worked for the Hallmark greeting card company for 30 years, first as a sketch artist and eventually as an upper-level manager, until he escaped the "hairball" by creating his own niche. A corporate hairball is an entangled pattern of behavior or a mess of bureaucratic procedure that discourages originality and stifles imagination. A consultant for the last seven years, MacKenzie tells what he knows about creativity and what he learned about the creative process in a corporate setting. David Rouse |
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P. Lozar (MSL quote), USA
<2008-05-13 00:00>
This is far and away THE most delightful book I've bought in a long time. It's stimulating visually as well as intellectually, fun to read, and the chapters are short enough to be assimilated by even the most harried business person. But it's not fluff: the points he makes about education, the way businesses are run, and the continual tension between creativity and corporate inertia, are crucial ones (every manager in every large firm should read Chapter 18, "The Pyramid and the Plum Tree"!). And MacKenzie's recommendations are not, as some critics have argued, applicable only in an "entertainment" industry like greeting cards: in today's fast-paced business world, a company's most important asset is its ability to be flexible and continually come up with new ideas; the "giant hairball" of entrenched structures and organizational habits won't cut it any longer. While I agree that the people who most need to hearken to this book's message are educators, I think it's equally important for business people: even if you've been trained (first by your schools and then by your employers) to stifle your natural creativity and become a good little corporate clone, it's not too late for you to recapture what you started out with. I wish I could rate this 10 stars! |
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M. Strong (MSL quote), USA
<2008-05-13 00:00>
Given the title of the book, it may go without saying, but this is a very different approach to managing a business and creating a corporate culture.
Some people say the book is too "cute" and lacks solid ideas, but I used many of the concepts from this book in helping to turn around the culture of a business and it worked very well. This is certainly not a paint-by-numbers guide to business, but if you are striving to do something truly different and better with your business, "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" may provide an approach that can help you.
As an aside, the book itself is a piece of art - I've never seen another like it. The writing and the physical product clearly come from the mind of a creative individual. |
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Tom Williams (MSL quote), USA
<2008-05-13 00:00>
Gordon MacKenzie's "Orbiting The Giant Hairball" is a wonderful book for anyone looking to bring more creativity into his or her life or job. First of all, aesthetically this is one of the most beautiful books I own. Gordon tapped his own creative genius and turned out something that in addition to being filled with quality content is a work of art. Secondly, Gordon lived the role of "corporate fool," at Hallmark where he was able to use his wonderful creative spirit to stimulate creativity. He walked the talk and in this book shares that experience.
As someone who speaks extensively on creativity and is the author of "Aha!-10 Ways To Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas," I have read many books on the subject of creativity. Gordon's is unique and special. It is a joy to read, and guaranteed to provide any reader with a fresh perspective on their creative challenges. It is sad that Gordon passed away not to long ago. He was a gift to everyone he crossed paths with, and we are fortunate that he left this legacy so that he will continue to cross paths with many more in the future.
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Lawrence E. Wilson (MSL quote), USA
<2008-05-13 00:00>
Words of wisdom from a former executive with Hallmark Cards. Creative people in corporate America must read this book...Subtitled "A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace," it's the author's stories of subverting the conglomerate structure/stricture of a very large company's modus operandi. Ways to release real creativity, not the corporate-mandated sort...And filled with delightful sketches and offbeat typesettings. A much-more-scholarly version of all those snarky self-help books, and a good companion to works of writers like Howard Gardiner, Pat Allen and Robert Sternberg. Funny and fearless. |
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1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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