posted
I just thought you might all be interested in the fact that once you've read Ender's Game you're qualified to be the CEO of any major corporation in the world.... or at least that's the message I seem to be getting from my Management professor.
I'm starting my MBA in night school at UTSA this year, and my management professor is convinced that after this one class we'll all be studs on being able to run businesses. He is absolutely obsessed with complexity theory being applied to business, and his major text book is called "Surfing on the Edge of Chaos". Both he and the book completely ignore major problems in this philosophy, however, all PRACTICAL advice he's given us, and all the theories he quotes of actual people and system management that can actually be applied to anything are all present in Ender's Game.
Thus, obviously, Ender at age 11 was a better manager than 99% of the people in the business world today, thus, in order to be a business big shot, all you need to do is read Ender's Game.
Maybe Card can go into the business of selling business books??? I bet he could make alot of money, and he gives more practical advice than I got out of the entire "text book" we had to read.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Don't know about learning everything from Ender's Game, just almost everything. I do agree, Ender's Game gives so much -inadvertent- instruction in leadership, social structure, history, philosophy.
Posts: 130 | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
I think that some of it could be considered "advertent".
I think that the entire point of the book is that Ender was a better commander at 11 than 100% of people in the business world today, and his brother and sister (with similar mental capabilities) were better politicians than anyone in the modern world. So it's at least plausible that Ender would have been a better manager than 99% of who we have now.
Somebody obviously thought it was worth betting the future of the human race, at least
The Tao Te Ching and Sun Tzu's Art of War are also considered must reads for the competent business manager of today.
Posts: 763 | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
yeah, but you can skip "surfing on the edge of chaos"... It's prety much pointless... I can sum it up in one sentence. "In order for a business to be successful it must be as adaptable as an organism striving for survival... and, oh yeah, complexity theory is cool"
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hmmm...I'd say that that's probably an oversimplification.
After all, many organisms do fine over the long term without much in the way of adaptation at all. Very few businesses can do the same, they operate in an inherently more competitive environment. But I'll take you at your word for the summation.
Posts: 763 | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
It's just the old "red in tooth and claw" theory. I'm living through a major agency merger in my state right now. Of two agencies as unalike in philosophy and systems as they could possibly be . . . and the prevailing managment style is to yank the rug out from underneath every last employee and see who survives.
Once they achieve their expected attrition rate, they'll then make moves towards setting a workable system in place.
*takes another Tylenol and reflects on the art of "suiting up and showing up" vs. "giving a damn."
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Thus, obviously, Ender at age 11 was a better manager than 99% of the people in the business world today, thus, in order to be a business big shot, all you need to do is read Ender's Game.
I buy your first assumption, that Ender was a better manager than 99% of the people in the business world today.
Your second assumption, that anyone who reads the book can duplicate Ender's success, is a bit of a stretch. To put it lightly. I mean, I read the novelization of Star Wars and yet I still can't move stuff with my mind (much to my chagrin).
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I can see it now: The heads of the 'Big 3' US automakers will read Ender's Game and then proceed to blow up Japan.
Posts: 7 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I read Ender's Game when I was eight so I guess I qualify for some sort of supergenius natural-born CEO.
I would like to work in the telcom industry, thank you please. Why? Because any dope can make better customer service than they have now.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I do agree, Ender's Game gives so much -inadvertent- instruction in leadership, social structure, history, philosophy.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
