The CENTERLESS CORPORATION : TRANSFORMING YOUR ORGANIZATION FOR GROWTH AND PROSPERITY

Rating:
Summary: A good business book
Review: Although I am a little biased, as my father is the main author of this book, this is one of the better business books I have read. At school I gave a copy of it to each of my economics professors, and each one of them decided to use an excerpt in their lectures. This book provides a clear and simple solution to many problems the business world faces today. This book wasn't written as a money maker; anybody who works for Booz Allen needn't worry about money, and this book was a way to offer a much cheaper way of hiring a consultant. And in conclusion, this is a succint way of improving a business, and could end up saving millions on consulting.

Rating:
Summary: A few interesting ideas, but caveat emptor
Review: I worked as an internal consultant in a large US federal agency where Booz Allen & Hamilton used this book as the "Bible" for their restructuring effort. While some of the ideas have merit, the book is overly prescriptive without enough regard for the nature of the underlying organization and its environment. Woe to the government executive who thinks he or she can manage a "centerless" agency, with its scary implications for accountability to Congress, the head of the agency, and citizens. Perhaps this review is more a reflection on how the book was used by BAH, but the lack of caution I saw in its application leads me to advise readers to be careful about applying its guidance. I would hazard a guess that similar dangers confront private sector consumers of this book's prescriptions.

Rating:
Summary: A few interesting ideas, but caveat emptor
Review: I worked as an internal consultant in a large US federal agency where Booz Allen & Hamilton used this book as the "Bible" for their restructuring effort. While some of the ideas have merit, the book is overly prescriptive without enough regard for the nature of the underlying organization and its environment. Woe to the government executive who thinks he or she can manage a "centerless" agency, with its scary implications for accountability to Congress, the head of the agency, and citizens. Perhaps this review is more a reflection on how the book was used by BAH, but the lack of caution I saw in its application leads me to advise readers to be careful about applying its guidance. I would hazard a guess that similar dangers confront private sector consumers of this book's prescriptions.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing but Fluff
Review: This book was written solely as a money-maker, rather than a real information and strategy provider. As a consultant, I bought this book to provide background on corporate organizational issues. Much to my dismay, the book offered me nothing--and I mean NOTHING! The book is simply a recap of what any consultant should already know about corporate strategies, business models and organizational development. I believe that these writers began to think that they were in the wrong business, and therefore, tried to earn a little extra money by putting down what they already knew rather than researching, analyzing and providing something that is truly innovative and transforming. A good read if you want to know the basics and are new to business, otherwise, a waste of time!