Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies : Itinerant Experts in a Knowledge Economy

Rating:
Summary: "The Apprentice" starring Dilbert, produced by Margaret Mead
Review: Ah the sweet life of a contract programmer... the big bucks, the independence, the freedom from corporate politics! Barley and Kunda are brilliant anthropologists who take you inside the reality of the contractor's life. You hear their stories, learn their secrets, and smell their nervous sweat. The authors' style is captured nicely by the title of the book. They're irreverent and on-target. They allow you to spy with them--mixing voyeur appeal with hard science. Imagine an episode of "The Apprentice" starring characters pulled from Dilbert, and produced by Margaret Mead. I laughed out loud and took notes. If you work with contractors, if you live with a contractor, if you hire contractors, and for sure if you are a contractor, you must get this book.

David Maxfield
Director of Research
VitalSmarts