Good Novels, Better Management

The collection of essays in this text demonstrates how novels are not only comparable, but often superior to the case histories used in business education. As many novelists have had personal experience of working in organizations, their work combines introspective insight with analytical skill. Fiction overcomes the drawbacks of organizational theory and economics; it combines the subjective and the objective, the fate of individuals with that of institutions, and the micro events with the macro systems. Many parts of Europe are now in danger of splitting into societies that draw energy from sources obscured by a century of rationalist ideology. It is on this subject that novels discussed in this book, by authors as diverse as Zola, Conrad, Musil and Stindberg, make their greatest contribution, describing the provenance and impact of modernity. Essays published in this volume relate novels to economics, business administration and public management. They range across different cultures and historical periods, focusing mainly on the realist novel. At the same time they aim to convince the reader that many kinds of fictional literature might be of help in understanding the complexity of modern organizations.