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 Understanding
and Changing Your Management Style
by Robert C. Benfari
Copyright 1999 Jossey-Bass, Inc.
282 pages including an extensive set of tests and an index.Reviewer:
Marc A. Pitman
Director of Individual Gifts, The Stony Brook School
I began Understanding and Changing Your Management Style expecting just
another book on management theory. While Benfari definitely is well versed
in management theory, he's packed this book full of dozens of practical
tools, advice, and descriptive case "studies."
After reading Understanding and Changing Your Management Style, I've come to
see that books on management are often like the three blind men trying to
describe the elephant-they each describe focus on one aspect of the whole. Benfari attempts to take in the whole picture and help the reader understand
all the aspects of managing. Quite a daunting task!
In the introduction, Benfari says, "The most fruitful way of working through
the book is to take the assessment in the appendixes before you start your
journey" (p. xii). I was already familiar with the Myers-Briggs profile but
much less familiar with the influence inventory, and the assessments of
needs, conflict resolution style, problem solving style, values, and stress.
I spent so much time assessing; I almost gave up on the book without even
reading the first chapter!
I'm glad I gave the book a chance. This book is Benfari's explanation of his
"integrated management style." In his words, "Changing your management style
is possible once you understand what can be changed (and what cannot) and
are willing to do the work to shift your assumptions, perceptions, and
behavior" (p. xi). We can't change our basic wiring-personality-but we can
change most everything else. Benfari even offers techniques on influencing
and temporarily flexing our personality tendencies.
At times, I found Understanding and Changing Your Management Style to be
somewhat redundant. I think this stems from trying to describe the elephant
from eight different angles. No matter how many ways you look at it, the
elephant is still an elephant. Much of what Benfari writes about already
appears in many management theory and pop psychology books. The value of
this book is precisely in the "multiple views" packaging Benfari gives the
material.
Understanding and Changing Your Management Style is more of a workbook than
a textbook. Don't just read this book. Have a pen handy and be ready to flip
back-and-forth between the section you're reading and the appendices in the
back. The last chapter was a bit of a let down for me. Rather than
"developing an action plan," it amounted to little more than re-recording
the results of the assessments.
Nevertheless, if you're interested in developing yourself and your
management skills, Understanding and Changing Your Management Style may be a
useful book to have in your library.
The table of contents for Understanding and Changing Your Management Style
is:
Introduction: What Makes a Good Manager?
Part One: A Model for Change
1 The Dynamics of Management Styles: What Can Be Changed?
2 Personality and Psychology: What's Your Type?
3 Practical Intelligence: How Do We Make It Work?
4 Mental Models: How Do We Make the Shift?
Part Two: The Elements of Management Style
5 Needs: The Drive Towards Competence
6 Power Bases: Influence, Authority, and Expertise
7 Problem Solving and Conflict Management: Catalysts for Change
8 Values: Clarifying What You Stand For
9 Stress: Managing Work and Difficult People
10 Putting It All Together: Developing an Action Plan for Your Management
Style
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