Rating: 
Summary: This is no "theory du jour"!
Review: Finally, there's something more substantial than "theory du Jour"...in fact the thinking expressed in this book is absolutely breakthrough. Fritz tells organizations how to achieve clarity on their goals and to produce the results they want with ease and grace (he calls it using an "economy of means," and I've found this to be true). I now use his approach to develop business strategy for my clients, and give out copies of his book! Few books have the power to change the thinking of people and organizations - Fritz is a master.
Rating: 
Summary: Not good.
Review: I am appalled at how uninsightful The Path is. For those looking for theory, there is nothing compelling; for practitioners, there is nothing actionable in this book. The glowing reviews listed here are incredulous, and literally unbelievable.
There is nothing here advancing the field of organization design and systems theory. There is only one idea that is even remotely close to having value; that of structural oscillation and advancement. Unfortunately, Fritz doesn't develop the idea; nothing actionable is presented.
If you really want to dig into systems thinking, read Barry Oshry (Seeing Systems, among other great books of his) and Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline.
Senge, in his foreward, comments that Fritz's Path of Least Resistance "is probably not the last word on structure. It is probably more like the first word." That sound like a ringing endorsement to you?
Don't waste your money, and more importantly, your time.
Rating:
Summary: This book will make a major impact in your organization.
Review: I have spent 25 years growing a family business, read many volumes on leadership and management, completed an Executive MBA, and taken post masters work in leadership and organization development. This book provided me deep insight that I had not found in any of my studies. The understanding of structure I found in the Path for Managers gave me a new clarity of what it takes to design an organization to accomplish its most important goals. The insights are very practical in their application. I have begun to apply these principles, and the results have been profound. Organizations with structural conflict will never achieve the intended results, and when structural tension is created, the results build upon themselves. I give this book my highest recommendation. It will give you tools to align your organization with a vision, and to insure that the vision becomes a reality.
Rating:
Summary: This book will make a major impact in your organization.
Review: I have spent 25 years growing a family business, read many volumes on leadership and management, completed an Executive MBA, and taken post masters work in leadership and organization development. This book provided me deep insight that I had not found in any of my studies. The understanding of structure I found in the Path for Managers gave me a new clarity of what it takes to design an organization to accomplish its most important goals. The insights are very practical in their application. I have begun to apply these principles, and the results have been profound. Organizations with structural conflict will never achieve the intended results, and when structural tension is created, the results build upon themselves. I give this book my highest recommendation. It will give you tools to align your organization with a vision, and to insure that the vision becomes a reality.
Rating:
Summary: Architecture for Organizational Success
Review: In the Foreword, Peter Senge notes Fritz's distinction between "structural tension" which enables an organization to succeed and "structural conflict" which causes an organization to "oscillate" rather than advance. Both Senge and Fritz insist that it is possible to design organizations to succeed. That is to say, to design a structure which moves an organization "in the directions [its] members seek." Such movement is explained by three scientific facts: energy moves along the path of least resistance, the underlying structure of anything will determine its path of least resistance, and it is possible to determine the path of least resistance by creating new structures.The implications of these three scientific facts are even more important when we acknowledge that external forces and circumstances can so quickly (and unexpectedly) require an organization to change its direction. Competitors can substantially increase resistance with an advertising blitz, initiating a price war, introducing a hot new product, etc. Internal forces and circumstances (eg a workers' strike, loss of key executives, litigation caused by defective products) can also require an organization to change its direction. It is insufficient merely to design an appropriate structure. The organization must also make certain that everyone involved understands that structure and, especially, understands what is expected of them to ensure that structure's effectiveness. In a "total learning organization", moreover, everyone involved is prepared to help make whatever modifications may be necessary. Fritz does a brilliant job of explaining HOW to achieve all of these objectives. The material is organized within a framework provided by what he calls "The Nine Laws of Organizational Structure." At the end of each chapter, he includes a "Quick Review" of key points. If you share my high regard for this book, I suggest that you also read his earlier work, The Path of Least Resistance, as well as Senge's The Fifth Discipline and The Dance of Change.
Rating:
Summary: The best book ever on crafting organizational strategy!
Review: Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." Robert Fritz, in this clear, compelling analysis of how the deep structure of an organization gives rise to successful or unsuccessful surface behaviors and results, makes the complexity of organizational design simple, accessible and understandable. He provides leaders, managers and consultants with poweful tools to design and re-design all levels of their organizations. In 25 years of project and organizational design and planning experience, I have never read a more useful, empowering book. I give it my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Simple, profound principles from a master creator
Review: Peter Senge, in his forward to Robert Fritz's latest and highly readable book, praises Robert's ability to penetrate complex subjects and articulate simple principles that guide effective action. Peter Senge elaborates with a telling point: "...But this simplicity can be misunderstood. The difference between simplicity that trivializes and simplicity that illuminates defines genius. In this day and age of quick-fix nostrums and management books that excel at making trivial ideas complicated, it is rare to find simplicity based on deep understanding, verified from extensive first-hand experience. In reading this book, I found what Peter Senge found - simple principles that penetrate to the very heart of the dilemmas facing most organizations today and that offer a highly practical approach to building an organization that works. And all of this 'how-to' information coming from an expert who spends most of his time actually building and creating. I have put the principles I have learned from Robert Fritz's book into practice, in my work as an executive coach. The CEO's that I work with have unanimous praise for the impact these principles have had on their organizations and on their personal and professional lives. You are indeed very fortunate to come upon both this book and this author. It is simply the most important business book I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read!
Review: Robert Fritz takes a novel approach to corporate organizational theory by framing his book around the laws of nature. Fritz is especially attached to the law that states that energy follows the path of least resistance, and in this book, he urges managers to utilize this principle in reshaping their organizations. Once you get past this conceptual foundation, however, the advice that's offered here will sound pretty familiar to anyone acquainted with the basics of strategic planning. Form a central vision, create attainable goals, break goals down into smaller steps, assess your results, adjust your strategies; these techniques are all mentioned. But Fritz's adoption of scientific and engineering principles for management purposes, combined with the accompanying charts and examples, make the book an engaging read, despite the less-than-original conclusions. We [...] recommend this book to executives, managers and individuals who are looking for a new, if slightly theoretical, view of how to organize their companies or their lives.
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Summary: A profound and practical guide for successful organizations
Review: This is one of those rare books that is both profound and accessible. Fritz lays out, in a readable and understandable fashion, principles for understanding how our organizations work and further how to design organizations that succeed. Fritz writes with an elegance that makes this important subject matter easy to grasp. Some might confuse this elegance with a lack of depth but what on the surface seems easy has profound implications. There are many indications that we don't have what it takes to effectively design and navigate our organizations through changing times to the point where we sometimes see the very survival of once great organizations in question. Most recently mighty Nortel and Lucent come to mind. Fritz's insights about the workings and impact of structure may be the answer.This book is set out in a way that we can begin to experiment with the ideas and see how they work. This is not a nice intellectual exercise but rather a powerful how-to manual. My own experience in road testing some of these ideas is very promising. It is obvious that, like music, this author's theory is based on practice. This is a hopeful book. Modern organizations are relatively recent inventions that have become incredibly powerful and sometimes unruly forces. I am hopeful because I can see a way to bring order and design based on purpose and higher values to our companies. This is in the top five most important business books I have ever read and very possibly leads that list.
Rating:
Summary: A Pragmatic, No-Nonsense Book
Review: This is the best book I've ever read on business strategy and organizational design. If you've ever wondered why some organizations take three steps forward and one step backward while others constantly progress step after step after step, this is the book for you. It's clear and concise with powerful ideas and practical techniques. Unlike most business books these days, this book is refreshingly fad-free, formula-free, and philosophy-free. Fritz writes in a straight forward, no nonsense manner. He doesn't seem to be "selling" anything, other than a very pragmatic approach to business design and planning. As a management consultant, I find Fritz's structural approach tremendously useful with clients. In addition to being accurate and results-oriented, it's much faster than other approaches I've used. Why waste your time or the clients' time?
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