The General Managers

Name: The General Managers
ISBN: 9787111748892

约翰·科特China Machine Press2024

4.0

Chapters: 18
Series: John Kotter Leadership and Change Management Classics
ISBN: 9787111748892

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Summary

The General Managers is the breakthrough work of John P. Kotter, an authority on leadership and change, and one of the few empirical studies in management devoted specifically to the position of general manager. Originally published in the United States in 1982 as The General Managers, it has been listed as required reading for master's programs in management at many universities. Over several years Kotter conducted an in-depth study of fifteen general managers from different industries and business backgrounds: the researchers carried out more than 500 hours of on-the-job observation, made nearly 4,000 pages of notes, accompanied the managers to meetings and on business trips, read their correspondence and memoranda, and interviewed a large number of people connected with them, thereby obtaining firsthand material. The book unfolds on three levels. First, what general management work actually is: general managers face a great deal of informational uncertainty, and almost everything must be accomplished through other people, making the work far more complex than the image of the “independent decision-maker” suggests. Second, what kind of person becomes a general manager: Kotter distills common personal traits and background characteristics, and points out that successful general managers are closer to specialists than to generalists; they tend to concentrate their energies on a familiar company and industry, reducing uncertainty through specialization. Third, why some general managers perform better than others: through cases such as Tom Long and Richard Papolis, the book compares behavioral differences, the antecedents of behavior, and performance, emphasizing comprehensive and lengthy career accumulation rather than a single event or innate talent. The closing section discusses the implications of these findings for corporate selection, career development, talent cultivation, formal education, and research, and includes instrumental appendices: a note on the research, an interview guide, a questionnaire, the résumés of the managers studied, and performance ratings.

Editor's review

市面上讲「领导力」的书很多，真正把摄像机架在总经理办公室里、用几百小时观察记录写出来的，却极少。《总经理》就是其中一本。科特没有停留在概念推演，而是追踪了15位不同行业、不同处境的总经理，看他们如何分配时间、如何处理信息、如何在依赖他人的现实里推动事情，因此书中随处可见能对照自身的细节。它给出的结论也颇具反直觉意味：总经理并不像外界想象的那样靠独立判断驰骋，他们长期面对信息模糊，几乎每件事都要靠他人配合；成功的总经理往往是深耕某一公司或行业的「专才」，而不是样样通晓的全才；优秀也不是某次机遇或天生禀赋造就，而是长期、多样、渐进的经验积累。对企业而言，这些发现直接落到选人、育人、用人上；对个人而言，则是一张关于「如何长成一名管理者」的路线图。本版由机械工业出版社推出，耿帅翻译，保留完整附录工具，既可作为管理研究者的案例文本，也适合作为管理者的案头参照。

Who it's for

A good fit for

正在走向综合管理岗位的中层管理者
负责高管选拔、继任与培养的人力资源从业者
管理学、组织行为学专业的师生与研究者
对领导力与变革议题感兴趣的企业经营者

Not a good fit for

希望读到速成技巧和清单式方法的人
只想了解科特「变革八步」而无意深入实证研究的读者
缺乏管理经验、对组织运作尚无直观感受的初学者

Reading tips

先读序言、前言与第6章，把握全书结论，再回头细读第2至5章的论证过程。
读到行为共性与差异部分时，对照自己或身边管理者的实际工作方式做记录，效果更佳。
把附录B访谈提纲、附录E业绩评定当作实用工具，可用于内部访谈或干部评估。
可与科特《权力与影响力》《变革的力量》对读，理解其领导与变革思想的完整脉络。

About the publisher

China Machine Press China · Founded in 1950

In addition to science and technology and professional publishing, the books in our catalog from China Machine Press also reflect a sustained focus on psychology, computing, management, finance and economics, and social sciences. In psychology, the catalog includes works by C. G. Jung and introductions to analytical psychology, as well as applied topics such as stress and health, and addiction and healing. In computing, it features Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (JavaScript Edition). Management and finance titles include Administrative Behavior (4th Edition), The Price of Inequality (Collector's Edition), and This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly (Commemorative Edition). In the philosophy and history of science, there is The Worldview: The Third Edition. Relevant authors include C. G. Jung, William McGuire, Sonu Shamdasani, and Gabor Maté. Public information is limited; the above summarizes the publisher's profile based solely on the books in our catalog.

Praise for the Series
Publisher's Note
General Preface (Xi Youmin)
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 Introduction (Participants in the Study, Findings, and Implications)
Chapter 2 General Management Work: Key Challenges and Dilemmas
Chapter 3 The General Managers: Personal Characteristics and Backgrounds
Chapter 4 General Managers at Work (I): Behavioral Commonalities
Chapter 5 General Managers at Work (II): Behavioral Differences
Chapter 6 Summary, Discussion, and Implications for Improving General Manager Performance
Appendix A About the Study
Appendix B Interview Guide
Appendix C Questionnaire
Appendix D Résumés of the General Managers Studied
Appendix E General Manager Performance Ratings
Notes
About the Author

FAQ

这本书和科特的《领导变革》是同一本吗？

不是。《总经理》原书为 The General Managers（1982年），是基于15位总经理的实证研究；《领导变革》则聚焦组织变革的步骤与方法，两书主题不同，但同属科特领导与变革系列。

这本2024年版和旧版有什么区别？

机械工业出版社此前出过2008年版（ISBN 9787111223986）与2013年珍藏版（ISBN 9787111422532），均由耿帅翻译。2024年版ISBN为9787111748892，属「约翰·科特领导力与变革管理经典」系列，正文与附录框架一脉相承。

书里的研究样本有多少人？可靠吗？

研究基于15位来自不同行业与业务背景的总经理，研究者进行了500多个工作小时的现场观察、近4000页笔记，并辅以访谈和问卷，属于定性实证研究，样本不大但资料扎实。

没有管理经验能读懂吗？

能读懂，但收获会打折。书中大量讨论信息不确定性、人际依赖和职业积累，有一定组织经验后阅读更能产生共鸣。

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About the author

约翰·科特 Author

John Kotter is an author about whom the available Chinese-language book data is quite limited; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded. Two of his works are included in the database, covering the fields of management and personal finance. The first, Power and Influence, appears from its title to deal with the exercise of power and interpersonal influence within organizations. The second, The Bull Market Is Coming: A Barclays Vice President's Winning Investment Strategy, is, as its subtitle suggests, oriented toward investment strategy and market judgment. The considerable distance between these two subjects indicates that his writing spans both management practice and personal finance, addressing general readers who wish to understand organizational behavior and investment methods. Because public information is limited, his biography and academic background cannot be confirmed at present, and readers may turn to the above works to learn about his areas of interest and style of expression.