Don't Kill the Bosses!: Escaping the Hierarchy Trap

Don't Kill the Bosses! is a cool-headed blueprint for changing companies by challenging the idea of boss-dominated relationships. The book explores the critical flaw of the boss/subordinate relationship: Management fails to establish a framework for subordinates to communicate in a forthright manner, so subordinates spin the facts for their bosses.

The book identifies the culprit as one-sided accountability and shows the consequences: warped communication, corrupt internal politics, illusionary teamwork, and a pass-the-buck mentality. The proposed solution is surprisingly simple: Replace this particular hierarchical relationship — without disposing of the organizational chart — with an alternative model. The authors demonstrate how to establish candid, equal-footing relationships that allow organizations to work effectively and productively.

Despite the incendiary title, this is a cool-headed blueprint for changing companies by challenging the idea of boss-dominated relationships. The author shows how to establish candid, equal-footing relationships that work effectively and productively.

Samuel A. Culbert is Professor of Behavioral and Organization Science at the UCLA Graduate School of Management. A licensed clinical psychologist, he has written extensively on organizational effectiveness, management education, small group processes, and the human element at work and shares a McKinsey Award from the "Harvard Business Review." He is also author of the acclaimed book "The Organization Trap."

Ullmen is a senior manager for organizational effectiveness at Earthlink.