Managing the Human Animal

by Nigel Nicholson

Book Overview

This work explores many of evolutionary psychology's central tenets and its implications for business management. The insight that this science provides into human instinct is a key to understanding why people act and think in frequently perplexing and unproductive ways while at work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587991624
• ISBN13: 9781587991622
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Texere Publishing
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Insightful, easy read

I really enjoyed this book. It holds your interest, not being at all sleep-inducing. The point of the book is to apply evolutionary psychology to all aspects of organizational behavior. I was fascinated by his discussion of masculinity in management, how difficult it is for women to get to the top because they are not as ruthlessly competitive as men and how hierarchy is inevitable throughout the animal kingdom. He talks about how men are driven to seek status through either of two routes - dominance or achievement. Both can be leaders in their own way, but he identifies leadership with getting to the top slots. This is the only area where I disagree. Leadership has always been associated with power, but the power of ideas is increasingly more important than the power to dominate through force of personality. With the power of ideas, I think it is possible to show leadership upwards without needing or wanting to dominate others.