Slashdot Mirror
The Management Secrets of T. John Dick
In fact, the resemblance to Dilbert is confined to the setting (a dysfunctional company) and a general atmosphere of corporate absurdity that will be only too familiar to many of us. This is a novel which is closer in tone to British humor of the 1950s. For 268 pages we go inside the head of T. John Dick, a hopelessly incompetent but supremely self-confident marketing manager, transferred from Boston to a small company in the fictitious town of Falling Rock, North Carolina.
Dick immediately goes about licking the company into shape, with disastrous and frequently hilarious results.
The humor derives chiefly from the character of TJ himself and the stark contrast between his self-image and reality. In his mind, he is a dynamic leader in tune with the latest management techniques. He is fond of sharing with us some of his "greatest strengths," including his ability to see "the big picture." In reality, he is a bumbling nincompoop, obsessed with petty details like the tidiness of his employees' desks and his mind-numbingly complex Meeting Room Reservation Procedure, the constant flouting of which drives him to distraction. He is completely unaware of the source of amusement he provides for his colleagues, particularly his nemesis, the laconic VP of Finance, and Hans Kartoffel, the German acting President of the group.
TJ applies the same cutting edge management techniques to his marriage, with similar results. He is completely oblivious to his wife's frequent affairs. We would feel sorry for him, if he weren't such a jerk. In fact, we do occasionally find ourselves sympathizing with him, but we soon get over it.
TJ's unusual management style leads him into some unique (and very funny) situations. His arrangements for a celebration of two million accident-free work hours lead to a fire which burns down half the factory. He attempts to struggle through a violent attack of diarrhea during an important presentation. He accidentally locks the company's president in a restroom stall and endeavors to free him without being noticed. So accident-prone is he that we are hardly surprised when his golf pants catch fire. Of course, no matter what happens, TJ always has a perfectly rational explanation - and it's never his fault.
The character of TJ is an exaggerated but nonetheless very recognizable version of bosses we have known. I laughed, but I also squirmed at the thought that there is no shortage of TJs running around gumming up the gears of industry. The book will appeal to anyone, engineer, product manager, secretary or other corporate wage slave, who has ever had to deal with an incompetent boss or colleague.
The Management Secrets of T. John Dick concludes with a series of completely absurd topics for readers discussion groups. My favorite: "TJ's obsession with trivial details....might be described as a serious personality defect. Discuss some of your own personality defects. Bet you've got some real doozies! You might like to help your co-members by pointing out some of theirs."
The book's back cover reveals little about its author, Augustus Gump, so I turned to the publisher's web site www.mainlandpress.com. Gump has previously published a number of short stories and his humorous articles have appeared in the Charlotte Observer and other regional newspapers. This is his first novel. I will be looking out for his next one.
You (or your boss) can purchase The Management Secrets of T. John Dick from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
You forgot to divide by the number of people. You're exactly right in your second sentence. Companies count man-hours, so you would contribute 8 accident free hours for every shift you worked.
To understand recursion,
you must first understand recursion.
here's a shot of the cover
FYI, "Kartoffel" is German for potato.
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
This is almost exactly like the office, in tone, if not setting.
"The Office" is a UK series that's won loads of the biggest awards, and is, I guess, something yet to make it over to the US on masse.
When it does, I think it'll be the next "Fawlty Towers"....
The Hudson's Bay Company was granted a Royal Charter from King Charles II on May 2, 1670. That's 333 years, 2 months, and 16 days, making it the oldest incorporated company in the world that is still in existance today.
Carpe Cerevisi - Seize the Beer
Yeah that's exactly what I thought of too while reading the review. It's a very funny BBC sitcom set in an office (tada) centering around an incompetant manager and the staff who work for him, some of whom are as equally bizarre as their boss. you'll notice hundreds of similarities to an office you've worked in, especially if you've worked in the uk! the macho bravado and sexual innuendoes are perhaps not as prevalent in american companies.
"all broken things dream of repair" - chris letcher
Definitely worth watching. You can find it on BBCA Channel 264. The DirectTV website has an online programming guide that will help you find your favorite shows.
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech."--Benjamin Franklin
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry started in 1570 on its current site. Later research indicated the company could trace itself back to 1420.
Some famous bells they have cast include the Liberty Bell (damaged in transit, they offered to repair it properly but a little war got in the way) and Big Ben. They recently cast a bell donated to the City of New York by the City of London on the first anniversary of 9/11.
http://www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk/
Sounds like David from The Office (one of my favorite shows of all-time!). The most awful boss in the world, who thinks he's the greatest, everyone loves him and his 'artistic' soul. It's a show that makes you cringe while wanting more ;) I can't wait to read this book.
Just follow the day, and reach fo
I got ya beat anyway. Beretta Arms Company and its U.S. counterpart have been around since 1526.
I remember watching a PBS special on the "revenge of the nerds" where it talked about how Big Brother Bill's mom got him the deal with IBM simply because she was, or knew someone who was, on IBM's board, so it's not so much a poor business decision, but a personal favor that ended up with consequences that no one could've foreseen.
The Hudson's Bay company has been existence since 1670. When Canada was formed as a country it was already 200 years old. They still operate stores all over Canada. You can still buy the same blankets at these stores that you could at the Hudson's Bay Company's trading post. Except now you give them paper or plastic instead of a corresponding number of Beaver pelts. Mmm... Beaver Pelt...
For those who have no idea who Zildjian is, know this. They are undoubtedly the manufacturers of the finest cymbals in the entire history of the world. I cannot describe for you the feeling I get when I hear their perfect resonance. (For the cymbal nerds, I have 60 year old beauties, but I don't read Arabic so I don't know what they are)
They are my benchmark for digital audio. When a speaker can reproduce that high, it is done. No further development is required, the upgrades will have to be made on us.
He wrote a humorous wee screed here...