Working the Shadow Side: A Guide to Positive Behind-the-Scenes Management

Offers managers, consultants, and employees alike a practical starter kit that reveals how to identify, manage, and gain value from the below-the surface activities in an organization. Drawing on his worldwide consulting, teaching, and research experience, Gerard Egan shows how to create opportunity and competitive advantage by learning how to manage shadow-side realities. He identifies five interactive categories of behavior that affect both productivity and quality of work life in today's organizations--covert culture, the idiosyncrasies of individuals, the interactions of the organization's social system, institutional politics, and the hidden organization--and details specific skills and strategies for mining economic value from each one. Harness the covert aspects of your organization -- covert culture, individual idiosyncrasies, institutional politics -- for competitive advantage. World-renown consultant, teacher and researcher Gerard Egan identifies five shadow side work behaviors, and details specifics for mining the economic value of each.