The Rise of the Player Manager (Penguin business) [Paperback]

"This pleasing book, itself earthed in a recognisable reality, is an important wake-up call."

"welcome and exciting."

"a treasury of first-hand witness statements and personal reminiscence."

"The book is well founded on direct experience, consultancy and research, and it's also a good read."

All but ignored by management theory, more and more employees are being asked to combine management and production responsibilities. Millions of workers are trying to lead teams while maintaining their own performance, often without management training. The result is too often stress, unnecessary workloads and feelings of helplessness. This volume aims to help those overburdened with such responsibilities manage a team while keeping their edge as a producer. Using a blend of historical analysis, personal experience and detailed case studies, this book is a practical guide to the dilemmas faced by the ambitious "player managers".

Philip Augar ended his career in finance as head of broking at Schroders, where his reputation was described by one insider as "awesome" (Financial Times). He is the author of The Death of Gentlemanly Capitalism (Allen Lane, 2000). Joy Palmer is a management consultant and author. This is her first book for Penguin.