| | |  | Visitor Recommendations | | Home » | | | | | | | Description: | | This meticulously researched book, which grew from a much buzzed-about article in the Harvard Business Review, puts into plain language an undeniable fact: the modern workplace is beset with assholes. Sutton (Weird Ideas that Work), a professor of management science at Stanford University, argues that assholesâthose who deliberately make co-workers feel bad about themselves and who focus their aggression on the less powerfulâpoison the work environment, decrease productivity, induce qualified employees to quit and therefore are detrimental to businesses, regardless of their individual effectiveness. He also makes the solution plain: they have to go. Direct and punchy, Sutton uses accessible language and a bevy of examples to make his case, providing tests to determine if you are an asshole (and if so, advice for how to self-correct), a how-to guide to surviving environments where assholes freely roam and a carefully calibrated measure, the "Total Cost of Assholes," by which corporations can assess the damage. Although occasionally campy and glib, Sutton's work is sure to generate discussions at watercoolers around the country and deserves influence in corporate hiring and firing strategies.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Robert I. Sutton | | Hardcover:
| 224 pages | | Publisher:
| Business Plus | | Publication Date:
| February 22, 2007 | | ISBN:
| 0446526568 | | Package Length:
| 8.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.75 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 112 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A great book ... why you do not want jerks on your teamAug 16, 2008
It is inevitable that we all have to deal with jerks at the workplace or on your team. Sutton does an excellent job of pointing out the consequences of having these individuals in your organization. He also gives you the tools to handle these jerks.
As a team manager, I needed to recognize the ripple effect and toxic implications that one of these egomaniacs was having upon my team. I had been tempted to keep this person on the team because they were a "rock star" and considered one of the most productive people in their field
Through Sutton's book I recognized the toll that this individual was having upon the rest of the team members. My team is now less one "rock star" and performing better than ever. Thank you Dr. Sutton.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Dead Bang On!!Aug 14, 2008
Sutton gets right to the heart of what it means to turn the tables so the rest of us can work in ***hole-free zones. Part of the problem in dealing with butt heads is really and truly naming them butt heads and not making excuses for there behavior. Or worse yet, finding fault with ourselves for letting them get under our skin. Well, no more snickering uncomfortably because we don't know what else to do. This should be required reading in business school, conflict resolution training and in behavior management courses. Take the time to plumb the profiles in the book and find yourself rewarded.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Loved it and used it with great successAug 13, 2008
I read this book again recently because it's worth learning from. The accounts here are not a "how to", but a "why not?" Why not shift the dynamic so that it no longer favors butt heads? I keep it on my desk and recommend it to anyone having difficult interpersonal relationships. More import, I used it with stunning success in a prison setting to help an inmate defuse an imminently violent situation by shifting the conflict dynamic and getting other inmates to join him. The would-be perpetrator backed off and was forced to find a different way to relate this inmate in the violent and hyper-masculine setting that is prison.
I'd recommend The No "Butt Head" Rule for use in any kind of confrontation training and behavior management education program you can think of. It's a powerful and empowering tool for anyone who'll take the time to explore it.
1 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Boring...Aug 06, 2008
This book was too boring to really get into. Started it several times but it just didn't hold my attention and I've never finished it.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Die KeinearschlochregelJul 12, 2008
A**holes create a toxic work environment, destroying productivity. Sutton introduces the Total Cost of A**holes (TCA) metric. In the case of a salesman named Ethan, the cost was estimated at $160,000, including time spent by Ethan's manager, HR professionals, senior executives, outside counsel, as well as the costs related to high turnover of support staff.
Sutton warns not to hire wimps and polite clones. "A series of controlled experiments and field studies in organizations show that when teams engage in conflict over ideas in an atmosphere of mutual respect, they develop better ideas and perform better. For this reason, Intel requires all new employees to take "constructive confrontation class."
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