Book Review

[David Cox]

Someone from the OS list recently mentioned Peter Block. Here is a copy of
the book review I did for amazon.com on a new book (just released in July)
by Peter Koestenbaum and Peter Block, Freedom and Accountability at Work:
Applying Philosphic Insight for the Real World

I definitely think this book would be of interest to OS facilitators
Koestenbaum and Block have put together a book that is head and shoulders
above anything I have read in the leadership domain in a long time. This is
a book with deep penetrating messages that go to the very heart of what it
means to be a human being and to bring our authentic selves to the
workplace. It's obvious that Koestenbaum has played a major role in Block's
philosophical underpinnings as a management consultant. The two scholars
share a special bond and admiration for one another that make for a special
book.

The book is organized into four parts with Block introducing each part
followed by chapters that are adaptations of Koestenbaum's 1970's writings
on existential philosophy. Then Block wraps up each part with implications
for the workplace in general and for leadership in particular. What makes
this book so special is its attention to the fundamental issues of human
existence: freedom (free will) and accountability (responsibility) (Part I),
anxiety (Part II), death and evil (Part III), and guilt (Part IV). The
concepts are integrated into what they call "philosophic insight" that make
for fully human organizations. Koestenbaum concludes the book with a
summation, reminiscence, and glossary.

This is a book that spoke to me on both a personal level and as a
professional educator. The insights are profound and get to the core issues
of leadership. My hunch is it will be a classic. This is a book I will savor
and read over and over again for many years to come. I will recommend it to
others, as I am doing now, every chance I get.

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