Fad Surfing in the Boardroom: Reclaiming the Courage to Manage in the Age of Instant Answers

This wisely irreverent book for business managers describes ``riding the crest of the latest management panacea'' in ways that can either make a company more profitable or wreak havoc, depending on how they are applied. Whether Shapiro (How Corporate Truths Become Competitive Traps) is describing ``vision'' or total quality management, she unearths a trove of applications ranging from innovative to whimsical. Then, tongue in cheek, she raises the major players to archetypal status by comparing them with Greek gods. Thus, in an effort to establish a ``corporate culture,'' one of the fad panaceas, General Electric crafted a climate of employee comfort during the Reginald Jones era but stepped up the pressure when Jack Welch became chairman. In like manner, the Greek god Hermes had changed the culture of the Olympian Council through new-fangled deal-making. A business dictionary at the end is strictly for laughs. (Aug.)