Entertaining Executives

p>Office politics, power struggles, ulterior motives, personality differences ...all combine to make this cynical poke at the "executive branch" of a typical office highly entertaining. The setting takes you to a management training program where several managers are invited to attend. As we watch form the sidelines we are witness to undercurrent of what really goes on. This is pure entertainment disguised as education! Using extensive research and personality tests for a look into human behavior we are able to glean from this witty and ironic work. Performance versus personality, management versus leadership all play a part in the clever portrayal of the world of executives. As the managers are skeptical about the motives of those who organize and conduct management conferences, they meet to discuss tactics. At the conference they argue with the psychologist who is trying to entertain them. The conference proceeds in the face of questions and arguments which challenge the authority of the psychologist who attempts to control the protagonists. But the conference participants have other ideas... Sit back in your seats, prepare to laugh uncontrollably.

About the Author :
Robert Spillane is a Professor and past Dean of the Graduate School of Management at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He has degrees in clinical and industrial psychology and worked as a psychotherapist for more than 25 years. He 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. From 2003 to 2011 he delivered a series of widely acclaimed lectures on philosophy and psychology at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He has written numerous journal articles and several books on philosophy, psychology and management. His recent books include: 'Questionable Behaviour: Psychology's Undermining of Personal Responsibility', 'The Rise of Psychomanagement in Australia', 'Personality & Performance' (with John Martin) and 'The Management Contradictionary' (with B. & R. Marks). In 2006 he received the international Thomas S. Szasz Award from the Center for Independent Thought in New York for his professional contributions to the cause of human liberty.

Review :
"Entertaining Executives is equal parts thoughtful workplace introspective and an entertainingly funny comedy that keeps you laughing from start to finish. It's drama filled and richly written, delving deep into the complexities of the "executive" mindset and all of the foibles, drama, hilarity and idiosyncrasies that come along with it.” ~L. Clifford ”The story is entertaining with fully developed characters, each one adding layer after layer to this funny tale and bringing to light the human behaviors (both those that are obvious and those that are more subtle) that we encounter every day. Robert Spillane does a wonderful job of entertaining the reader while at the same time exploring everything from leadership and authority to office politics and workplace learning. Overall, this managed to give me a more insightful look at the workplace and the complexities therein while getting me to laugh at the same time.” ~L. Collins “Entertaining Executives was a very entertaining and intriguing book from beginning to end. The book is written in the format of a play which was something I had not seen in a while but something that I found to be very amusing as you go through it. All of the characters, my favorite probably being Brian, are all unique, whimsical, and very well developed as you progress through the play. The author did a great job of making this a very humorous entertaining read while at the same time allowing some serious truth to flow through the story. Very captivating read with just the right amount of great lines on every page.” ~Monica G “This well-written and organized read was exactly what I was in the mood for! Not only does the plot keep you laughing from page to page, but the character dialogue is also strangely addicting. Additionally, the unique plot left me thinking long after I had finished the book. Overall, not only does the theme of this read keep you interested, but the characters do as well. I definitely look forward to reading more from this from this author in the future!” ~Lindsey ”Entertaining Executives by Robert Spillane is the perfect dinner theater fair. With a wild cast of office managers and a psychologist on a mission, we get to just sit back and watch, as they all take part in a training exercise and program that is not only hilarious, but really cuts to the chase of what's really going on in the dynamics of human behavior versus management leadership in the everyday world of business executives and offices. The book reads like a play, though, it is very light on stage directions and character movement, all too good effect. The dialog is the star of this delightful two-act story. You can’t go a few lines without laughing. A lot of one-liners and zingers, the kind of laughs that catch you off guard. An enjoyable, fun read.” ~D. Roberts