Turning to a source of wisdom that has withstood the ages, Gimian and Boyce offer a written version of the interpretive seminars they conduct on the teachings of Sun Tzu's The Art of War
. While guiding today's corporate warriors on spiritual journeys to solve management issues in a group setting may result in an abundance of insights, the authors' presentation of these journeys is less than compelling. Their material is vaguely familiar and hard to argue with, but is presented without passion, much-needed breaks or conclusions. Sun Tzu's concepts are never translated into tools or methods of practice for today's leaders to grasp quickly and introduce into their daily office battles. Rather, they are presented in the abstract and the reader must figure out what use to make of them. For those with the time to contemplate metaphorical “blades of grass” in hopes of discovering blades of insight, this could be enlightening. For those looking for immediately practicable answers to managing actual episodes of chaos or conflict, this volume may not be of much help. (Mar.)
