[From Publishers Weekly] Sutton, a professor of management science at Stanford University, argues that assholes - those who deliberately make co-workers feel bad about themselves and who focus their aggression on the less powerful - poison the work environment, decrease productivity, induce qualified employees to quit and therefore are detrimental to businesses, regardless of their individual effectiveness. He also makes the solution plain: they have to go. Direct and punchy, Sutton uses accessible language and a bevy of examples to make his case, providing tests to determine if you are an asshole (and if so, advice for how to self-correct), a how-to guide to surviving environments where assholes freely roam and a carefully calibrated measure, the "Total Cost of Assholes," by which corporations can assess the damage. 

In this audio podcast, Professor Bob Sutton discusses "breakthrough" ideas in his latest book about dealing with difficult and conflicting relationships in a work environment. Sutton describes strategies to deal with "jerks" in an organization, and he illustrates the application of his ideas by using real-world examples sourced from readers' email responses to his new book. 

When trying to foster innovation within an organization, Sutton feels that sometimes the best management is no management at all. He also stresses that creativity means selling, not just inventing something. 

[From Publishers Weekly] Who'd have thought fighting with each other would be good for employees? Or that ignoring superiors would be a wise business practice? Sutton, consultant and professor at the Stanford Engineering School, advocates taking a nontraditional approach to innovation and management in this quirky business manual. He advises taking unorthodox actions, suggesting managers should forget the past, especially successes; hire people who make them uncomfortable and hire slow learners. 

Sutton illustrates two examples from his book "Weird Ideas that Work." He encourages people to ignore and defy superiors and peers, and suggests trying to learn anything from people who say they have solved the same problems you face. 

Stanford Professor Bob Sutton writes about management and workplace issues, bridging the gap between research and practical problems faced by organizations and their people. Some of his favorite topics are innovation, leadership, turning knowledge into action, and building civilized workplaces.