Managing Einsteins: Leading High-tech Workers in the Digital Age - Hardcover

Ivancevich, John M.; Duening, Thomas N.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0071375007 ISBN 13: 9780071375009

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 2001

Synopsis

Every day sees another Internet start up, and every day sees a .com company succeed - or fail. What makes one company successful and the other one unsuccessful? Management. Thousands of people are flocking to the Internet for the growing number of high-tech jobs. High-tech workers are often moved quickly up the career ladder without any management skills - they're ill-prepared and unskilled, and they can make or break a business. Technology has triggered the new economy, breaking all the tried-and-true rules of management. "Managing Einsteins" shows business leaders, new managers and techies how to develop the needed skills for better leadership in the Internet age. Filled with helpful lessons and effective guidelines, this practical, hands-on book provides strategies for building communication and teamwork as well as "bits and bytes" on the management know-how needed in the business tech world. The book is presented in an easy-to-read, friendly format that bridges the gap between non-techies and techies. 21st century management calls for different leadership practices than previous management practices. The key to success will be people. The more people understand each other, the better the management performance will be in terms of achieving positive results. "Managing Einsteins" walks managers through the best ways to optimize the ability, skill and knowledge of the new economy workforce, whether these employees are on-site or teleworkers. With the emerging presence of high-tech workers in our rapidly changing, technologically-dependent business world, new business skills are needed in order to succeed and stand out in this competitive market place. "Managing Einsteins" straight-forward content shows readers: how to expand their technical knowledge -without a lot of confusing jargon; new rules of management; ways to deal with difficult people; techniques for building better communication; and how to develop team performance. Whether you're a high-tech worker heading for management or a new manager in charge of high-tech workers, the old rules of management no longer apply. "Managing Einsteins" shows you how to break out of the old rules and lead with new rules, new skills and better performance.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Frontline Tips for Managing the New Economy's Most Valuable­­and Volatile­­Employees

Today's new breed of technologically gifted employees often think and respond differently than their more traditional counterparts did. Managing Einsteins is the first book with tips and traps for managing these highly valued, fiercely independent workers­­and, just as important, keeping them out of the grasp of your talent-starved competitors.

Praise for Managing Einsteins:

"In this age of the workplace environment, attracting and keeping Einsteins on staff is a must.  Managing Einsteins offers the ultimate guide to motivating the 'working genius' through their value system."­­Ken Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Tradecast Securities, Inc.

"Managing high tech workers is a major challenge for even the most gifted managers. This book provides a practical, how-to approach to dealing with a range of issues commonly experienced with techies. The authors have written in a style that combines instruction, humor, and insight. Anyone who manages techies should read this book."­­Geary Broadnax, Senior Vice President, Reliant Energy Communication

"Insightful ... informative ...well conceived ... Managing Einsteins is a book not only for managing the brilliant among us, but for managing people overall. It's a very valuable resource."­­David Rippe, President, Dia InnerActives

Einstein­­An intelligent, curious, and technologically proficient knowledge worker who has the know-how to keep everything operating without costly delays, breakdowns, and crashes­­and the individuality to drive managers insane

Picture your workforce, even for a second, and you will be able to immediately identify the Einsteins. They're the lifesavers who hammer through your impossible problems, keep your essential operations running by any means necessary, and consistently find answers when others scarcely understand the questions.

And as valuable and essential as they are to your organization, these curious and brilliant employees can also be your most frustrating, aggravating, and difficult to manage.

Managing Einsteins is the first book to provide strategies and guidelines managers can use to recruit, train, lead, and retain Einsteins, even as outside forces and recruiters are working just as hard to lure them away. Introducing managers to the proven techniques needed to optimize the skills, abilities, and knowledge of the new-economy workforce, without stifling the creativity and innovative spirit that exceptional employees need to achieve breakthrough success, this hands-on management guidebook discusses:

-Tips and pointers for building better communication between techies and nontechies
-Three factors for dramatically increasing job satisfaction for Einsteins
-Proven methods, from alternative work schedules to on-site quiet rooms, for satisfying even the most hard-to-please Einsteins
-Strategies for freely sharing information among coworkers­­without destroying its inherent value
-Insights from top leaders, including Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Andy Grove, and others

In today's increasingly technical, specialized workplace, Einsteins are as valuable as diamonds­­and as fragile as glass. Their anything-goes brainstorming and authority-flouting approaches can be both critical for innovative, out-of-the-box thinking and a nightmare for their bosses. Let Managing Einsteins provide you with a complete, well-researched profile of these diverse individuals, tips and strategies for maximizing their energy and knowledge, and an overall guide for effectively deriving their value and skills­­without driving them to your competitors.

About the Author:

John M. (Jack) Ivancevich, DBA, has a long and distinguished career as a professor, dean, provost, and recognized authority on management and management issues. Dr. Ivancevich is the author or coauthor of over 60 books­­as well as an increasing library of Web-enabled courseware­­on management, human resource management, and organizational behavior. He serves on a number of boards, business associations, and organizations, and is the recipient of numerous academic awards.

Tom Duening, Ph.D., is a visiting assistant professor in the department of marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of Houston Bauer College of Business. Author of Management 2.0: Managing in the New Economy, Dr. Duening has published numerous articles on entrepreneurship and small business. He consults on business development and new-venture creation for clients of every size, from small to multinational.

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0071375007
• ISBN 13: 9780071375009
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224