The BrainSmart Leader

Citation

Mamman, A. (2002), "The BrainSmart Leader", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 171-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm.2002.23.2.171.3

Tony Buzan, a writer, broadcaster and scholar on mental effectiveness, together with his associates Tony Dottino and Richard Israel have produced a collection of useful and practical management ideas and tools that can improve managerial and organisational effectiveness. The main goal of The BrainSmart Leader is to provoke managers to think differently about their role as leaders of their organisation. As the authors put it, “We want to help you explore new possibilities that will transform you into a catalyst for productive change.” In a nutshell, the book provides answers to six questions:

1. (1)

   Why do so many companies struggle to use teams effectively?

2. (2)

   Why have so many companies got change programmes?

3. (3)

   Why do companies which have been successful for many years suddenly fail?

4. (4)

   Why do some companies recover from major failures, while others spiral into decline?

5. (5)

   How can companies process information more efficiently?

6. (6)

   What does a manager need to do to reform successfully in the modern world?

To put it another way, the book represents a significant effort to help managers to understand how to develop and use their own brain in order to achieve organisational objectives.

The book is divided into 11 chapters. In addition to the main theme, each chapter but one, has four features: Quiz, Mind‐Map, Case example, and Activities. Chapter 1 encapsulates what the entire book is all about. It tells a story of how Richard Banon used the principles and tools outlined in the book to manage change and develop successful vision for the two organisations he leads. Chapter 2 focuses on the issue of intellectual capital. It underscores the significance of human intelligence as a primary driver for change. The notion of intellectual capital puts human resources central to the ways and means of achieving organisational objectives. Although the chapter is rather skeletal and anecdotal, it has put forward a powerful and convincing argument regarding the potential contribution of the human brain to the achievement of organisational and societal development.

The authors also echoed the view expressed by many experts concerning the lack of adequate knowledge of, and the erroneous beliefs about the human brain. Indeed, the authors argued that 95 per cent of what we now know about the human brain has been learnt in the last ten years. An important feature of the book is the introduction of management tool called PITT (Process Innovation Through Teams). PITT has been “used with groups in top‐level companies to tap the enormous potential of the human brain, unleash their creative energies, and establish the ultimate competitive advantage”. It is the development of a creative team geared to the elimination of wastage. Although the idea is by no means novel, it can improve work process.

By far the most novel and potentially most useful sections of the book are Chapters 3 and 4. In Chapter 3, the authors introduced seven practical brain principles that many readers would find fascinating and thought provoking. The chapter elaborates and demonstrates, using case examples, the practical implications of the seven principles within an organisational context. The authors have demystified the issue of intelligence and brain capacity. It would undoubtedly develop and/or boost the confidence of readers and disappoint those who thought that they have monopoly of intelligence.

Another equally invaluable tool that many managers would find interesting is the concept of Mind Mapping. Central to the idea of Mind Mapping is the development of cortical skills that will enable managers to use both the right and left side of their brain regularly and with ease and by so doing improve their effectiveness. Mind Mapping is a graphic technique that can unlock brain potential. The tool can be applied in most areas of managerial tasks such as in problem solving situation, meetings, and negotiations. In a nutshell, the tool can improve memory, but most importantly it can potentially improve brain efficiency and effectiveness. The authors have successfully demonstrated how the idea of Mind Mapping can be applied in different situations. The remaining six chapters of the book tackle conventional topics in management such as visioning, managing teams, empowerment, and managing information. The main idea threading through the remaining six chapters is how managers can leverage their brain capacity (using the tools and ideas discussed earlier in the book) to manage people, work process, and information, and create and implement organisational vision.

The BrainSmart Leader brings together a number of important topics and managerial tools that can improve organisational effectiveness. Although some relevant management topics have been included, the authors ensure that there is a coherent theme across the chapters. Like most books, this one is not without limitations. One of the limitations of the book is the failure to explicitly justify the selection of the topics included in the book. For example, it can be argued that many of the relevant management topics have been either ignored or barely discussed in depth. Although some of the ideas in the book are sound, they are neither novel nor supported by empirical evidence. This is an issue which many academics would regard as a major limitation given that some of the ideas are yet to be popularised in management circles. Another shortcoming of the book is the limited list of further readings provided at the end of the volume. Given the skeletal nature of the book, the authors should have provided a healthy list of readings on all the topics covered in the book. This will provide readers the means to further explore the issues, which are not covered in depth.

Despite these limitations, The BrainSmart Leader has a lot to offer managers in their efforts to improve employee and organisational effectiveness. The book is not written in an academic fashion, hence practitioners should find the book easier to read and understand. Another advantage of the book is its volume. Arguably, most managers can finish reading the book within a two‐hour flight. And the Mind Map at the end of each chapter should enable the reader to recall what he/she has read with relative ease. Management educators and trainers should find the book a useful resource.