The Org: How The Office Really Works

Organisations can drive us crazy! Discover how to stop working for The Org and start making The Org work for you.

Why do members of Al Qaeda have to submit travel and expenses reports?

How do you create incentives for the police force, or for priests?

What are managers good for?

We create organisations because they are an efficient way of doing something we couldn't do alone. We join organisations because we are inspired by their mission, or their payslip. But once we're inside, these organisations rarely feel efficient or inspiring.

In The Org, Ray Fishman and Tim Sullivan explain the trade-offs that every organisation makes, arguing that this everyday dysfunction is in fact actually inherent in the very nature of orgs. Woven throughout The Org are fascinating stories of organisation ranging from Google and McDonald's, to Al Qaeda and the island of Samoa.

The Org tells us how the office really works. As such it is required reading for anyone who wants to come to terms with the frustrations of their workplace, or to work their way up the org.