Changes

|title=Meaning Inc.: The Rise of the 21st Century Company

|author=Gurnek Bains et al

|genre=Politics and Society

|summary=Gurnek Bains et al take a fresh look at the corporate world and the future of business, and present a brave new world of meaningful lives for employees and meaningful purposes for their companies. The interactive nature of the book encourages readers to reflect on the level of meaning in their working lives and provides tools and ideas to promote further growth and development in this area.

|buy=Maybe

|borrow=Yes

|pages=224

|publisher=Profile Business

|date=January 2007

|isbn=978-1861978837

}}

For a text that aims to give answers to the questions of what shape the future of business will take, this book starts with an awful lot of questions for the reader to ponder, and left me slightly concerned about why I'd not thought about most of them before. However, it swiftly moves on to speculation and reassurance, and paints an interesting picture about the way the future may unravel, and the importance of steering the people who contribute to big business down a happy and fulfilling path.

There are 12 people named as having contributed significant amounts to this book. 12! No wonder the cover goes for a more succinct "Gurnek Bains et al". However, the number of authors, and who they are and what they do is notable. All work for a "corporate psychology consultancy" and have had day-to-day contact with many of the various well-known companies which feature in the book. At one point, the authors talk of "mutual advantage", the 21st century equivalent of a "win-win", and it made me wonder what "mutual advantages" were being played out in the book. Whether or not the companies featured were picked because they were previously clients of the authors is unclear, but almost all are portrayed in a very positive light, making me at times question the impartiality of the text. Perhaps it is pure coincidence. Perhaps it is down to the fact that the authors knew more about the companies in question than they might about other corporations, and therefore were more familiar with anecdotes they could weave through. But, when you also note how the two glowing references on the back cover blurb both come from the CEOs of two such companies, you can't help but wonder. This is a book which, for example, talks about the positive and forwarding thinking values of that world-dominating chain Starbucks. Surprising, perhaps, until you note that the name features on their client list. Would it ever be in a firm's best interests to criticise former clients and run the risk of alienating future ones? Probably not. Does this bias the book as a result? Possibly. But does that mean the overall message is any less valid? Not really. The points being made are sufficiently important and relevant that even without the case-studies and name-dropping, they still form a compelling argument, and corporations around the world would be wise to sit up and listen.

My thanks to the publishers for sending this book.

{{amazontext|amazon=1861978839}}

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|name=Jill

|verb=said

Welcome aboard Zoë!

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|name=Caroline Burbury

|verb=said

I thank Zoe for her review as I was hard-pressed to find any problems with the book. It makes so much sense, is very easy to read, it's interesting, full of relevant and quotable facts and examples, inspiring and thought-provoking. I can identify with it as a person and an employee. I was hard-pressed to find the negatives, and was accordingly very interested to read Zoe's comments. Now I will be a little wary about the authors' client ramifications.