Prameya 2013 14 September Issue

Book Reviews The Art of War Written by Sun Tzu Translated by Thomas Cleary This book was written in sixth century B.C by Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician of Chinese military. This book contains 13 illustrious chapters all pertaining to the facet of warfare and battle. The most fascinating aspect of the teachings provided in this book is that it amazingly retains its full value in terms of wisdom and acumen for the readers even in such ‘interesting’ times.

Each of the chapter emphasises on a certain specific aspect of warfare and each of them beautifully transpires metaphorically as wisdom for our day to day life. The art and strategy described during a warfare in this book is analogous to today’s dog-eat-dog business environment. It completely mirrors the manner in which the businesses in corporate world interact and compete with each other such as a strategic merger between two organizations in which one buys out another is similar to a country conquering its counterpart. ‘The Art of War’ provides a great read and provides management strategies and solutions to day to day conflicts in form of ancient military warfare tactics. If you have even a slight bend for war and history, this is the ‘management’ book for you.

Employees First, Customers second- turning conventional management upside down Written by Vineet Nayar One small idea can ignite a revolution just as a single matchstick can start a fire. One such idea—putting employees first and customers second—sparked a revolution at HCL Technologies, the IT services giant. In this candid and personal account, Vineet Nayar—HCLT’s celebrated CEO—recounts how he defied the conventional wisdom that companies must put customers first, then turned the hierarchical pyramid upside down by making management accountable to the employees, and not the other way around. The book is a refreshing and frank look at the challenges facing leaders looking to transform their company, culture and employees. Nayar discusses his experience leading HCLT and its transformation from a $700 million dollar company that was losing market share to a $2 billion dollar company at the front of their market. He explains how he succeeded in reversing accountability which meant to get certain element of the hierarchy to be more accountable to the value zone. This book is a journey that continues to repeat itself time and time again because managers are force to react to its environment and the uncertainty of running a business.

Individuals will see an example of the actions and evolution involved in realizing a new way of working. Just about everyone wants to work this way and this book provides an example that can help crystallize your thoughts and how you communicate with your peers and management. A must read for management students and upcoming entrepreneurs.

39