#AcademicRunPlaylist - 8/26/24

It was a relatively relaxing weekend/start to the week, and while resting up I was also able to listen to a great book for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

This weekend I read Temp by Louis Hyman, and it provides an excellent account of the historical players - people and organizations - that have led to the current dominant modes of management and work in the US. This book is at its strongest when examining that history, revealing the surprising roots of certain now standard management practices and how to view the current wave of gig work as a natural extension of previous forms management and work.

A lot of time is spent on the important influence of management consulting firms, McKinsey in particular, and the genesis of many titles and practices in the consulting industry. One challenge with these sections of the book is a lack of context around some of the numbers provided - saying a firm had 100 people doing something or made $X million doesn't mean a lot if you don't know the scale of the business/industry. The last two chapters also suffer from too much ungrounded speculation about technology and economics that detract from the strong chapters that precede them.

Overall this is still a great foray into 20th and early 21st century work and management history.

https://www.louishyman.com/temp