Robert Spillane (B.Com. NSW, PhD, Macq) is a Professor and past
Dean of the Macquarie University Graduate School of
Management, Sydney Australia. He majored in clinical and
industrial psychology and worked as a psychotherapist for more
than 25 years.
Robert has taught at the London Business School, the ABIN
Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, in Singapore and Hong Kong and
several Australian universities and he was a visiting scholar at
the
Center for Working Life in Stockholm, Sweden.
He has written numerous journal articles and several books on
philosophy, psychology and management. His recent books
include: ‘An Eye for An I: Philosophies of Personal Power’,
‘Questionable Behaviour: Psychology’s Undermining of Personal
Responsibility’, ‘The Rise of Psychomanagement in Australia’
and ‘Personality & Performance’ (with John Martin) and a play
‘Entertaining Executives’ (2015).
This vibrant analysis of the growing role of psychology in
Australian management starts at a most unutual reference point -
Australian literature. Spillane quotes Miles Franklin recommending
that visitors to Australia who want to understand Australian life
must immerse themselves in its atmosphere before coming to hasty
conclusions. The same can be said about the Australian management
climate. In an effort to determine whether management should be
practised by performance or by psychology, the author immerses the
reader in a critical examination of a number of topics - Australian
literature and the culture of mateship, postmodernist influences,
the measurement of intelligence and leadership qualities. The role
of occupational stress and conditions like RSI are also considered
- these seen as crucial psychological developments....Spillane's
credentials also permit him to write with a level of cynicism and
authoritative questioning. He is highly sceptical of testing
intelligence, as a means of determining managerial potential,
stating that 'the field is a mess and a mass of propaganda. He is
also critical of the measurement of leadership qualities. 'The
search for stable and enduring personal qualities of leaders has
failed, and must lfail, because leaders cannot be understood apart
from the relationship with their followers.' This book attempts to
unravel the relationships between leaders and followers, managers
and employees and performance and psychology in the workplace. It
does so effectively, with extensive research, meaningful arguments
and a healthy dose of scepticism.
~Law Society Journal
Finally a detailed exploration into the history of psychomangement
along with the bonus of an understanding of the Australian psyche
like never before. Why are there more managers in Australia (as %
or workforce) than almost anywhere else in the developed world, yet
there is little respect for management and authority from the
general Australian worker?
~P. Frensemeyer
This is an unusual book. It is semi-autobiographical in that
Spillane discusses a range of topics from levels of cortisol in the
saliva of Qantas flight crews to Popper's theory of science.
However is there is a core message from this book it is that
personality tests as method of predicting the performance of
managers are useless... On the other hand there is much to enjoy in
this book and it is thought-provoking. Spillane contends that too
few management groups argue and discuss issues, and there is too
much emphasis on consensus particularly emotional consensus. I was
reminded of the scene in The Iron Lady where Thatcher realises that
people "spend too much time feeling and not thinking." And too many
leaders, "want to be something rather than do something." Although
Spillane would probably be horrified at being compared to Thatcher,
there is in both the desire for logic and rational thinking which
in our current world is becoming less prevalent.
~EQ Expert, Amazon
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