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Creativity and Perception in Management by Jane Henry Publishers: Sage Price: £ 18.99

When the going gets tough, the tough get creative. That just about sums up the attitude of most successful businesses. With competition getting intense, it's only the creative and innovative businesses that survive. It's another story, of course, that for many corporates, innovation is not a part of their processes. Nor is the spirit of creativity and innovation built into the thought processes of many managers. And it's for such organisations and their managers that Creativity and Perception in Management by Jane Henry is meant for.

That Henry is an authority on creativity and innovation is beyond dispute, given her profession as an applied psychologist and her status as the author of several other books on creativity and innovation.

The fact that she is also a senior lecturer at the Open University Business School, where she works in creativity and innovation, adds to her standing as an expert on creativity.

The central idea around which this book hinges is that most management thinkers tend to ignore the role that perception plays in business success.

And to project this thesis, the book is structured on the lines of a textbook on organisational behaviour. It is divided into five sections that, between them, present insights into creativity, perception, style, values and sustainability.

Each chapter is interspersed with exercises and activities that test the reader's perception and stimulate interest in the book.

The review section at the end of each chapter act as an aide memoir and the long list of references add some extra punch. The humorous illustrations that are sprinkled throughout the book add a light touch.

For those on the lookout for a comprehensive introduction to the basics of organisational behaviour, the book is a real treasure. The chapters on style, roles and values are particularly important in this context.

The book not only presents the various theories in each of these areas, but also takes one through their evolution and the rationale behind each of them.

However, Henry does refrain from passing any judgements on the efficacy of the various approaches to the study of the human mind.

However, those readers who are looking for `feel-good' book that makes for some light reading are going to be extremely disappointed. Creativity and Perception in Management is first and foremost a textbook, and an integral part of the Open University Business School's master's level course on creativity, innovation and change.

This is, perhaps, the most striking feature of this book. That it does not take sides or pass value judgements.

Instead, what it does is presents readers with the information and lets them make their choices.

Equally valuable is that the book takes a no-nonsense, `get on with the job' attitude. And perhaps that's what makes it a rather interesting, if heavy, read.

Sankar Radhakrishnan

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