Ray Fisman

The world is full of organizational cynics. Look around. Heck, look in the mirror. We sit in our cubes, adjust our chairs, sharpen our pencils and stare at our computer screens with the sense that we're immersed in dysfunction. We could, we're sure, do a far better job of running things if we were given the chance. But we know we won't get the chance and so sink into doubt, distrust, and pessimism. But it doesn't have to be that way. In THE ORG, authors Ray Fishman and Tim Sullivan take readers through the logic of organizations using basic economic principles as their guide. Examining why organizations exist in the first place, THE ORG explores the tradeoffs that every corporation faces-from how to select members to how to inspire and discipline them-and then looks at the components of the whole structure from cubicle dwellers to CEOs. Using the tools of organizational economics, THE ORG provides readers with a concrete, logical, and practical way of thinking about how organizations ought to work. The insights unearthed in THE ORG may surprise you and may also explain how, with a few tweaks, the dysfunctional nature of today's office may nonetheless provide the ideal structure for getting the job done.

Organisations can drive us crazy! Discover how to stop working for The Org and start making The Org work for you. Why do members of Al Qaeda have to submit travel and expenses reports?How do you create incentives for the police force, or for priests?What are managers good for?We create organisations because they are an efficient way of doing something we couldn't do alone. We join organisations because we are inspired by their mission, or their payslip. But once we're inside, these organisations rarely feel efficient or inspiring.In The Org, Ray Fishman and Tim Sullivan explain the trade-offs that every organisation makes, arguing that this everyday dysfunction is in fact actually inherent in the very nature of orgs. Woven throughout The Org are fascinating stories of organisation ranging from Google and McDonald's, to Al Qaeda and the island of Samoa. The Org tells us how the office really works. As such it is required reading for anyone who wants to come to terms with the frustrations of their workplace, or to work their way up the org.

Why do members of Al Qaeda have to submit travel and expense reports? How do you create incentives for policemen, or priests? What are managers good for? We create organizations because they are an efficient way of doing something we couldn't do alone. We join organizations because we are inspired by their mission, or their payslip. But once we're inside, these organizations rarely feel efficient or inspiring. In The Org, Ray Fisman and Tim Sullivan explain the trade-offs that every organization makes, arguing that this everyday dysfunction is in fact actually inherent in the very nature of orgs. Woven throughout The Org are fascinating stories of organizations ranging from Google and McDonald's, to Al Qaeda and the island nation of Samoa. The Org tells us how the office really works. As such it is required reading for anyone who wants to come to terms with the frustrations of their workplace, or to work their way up the org.