Description
Book SynopsisExplores the range of institutional fads, analyzing the features of our culture that foster them, and identifying the major stages of the fad cycle - emerging, surging, and purging. This book examines the causes and consequences of fads and suggests ways of fad-proofing our institutions.
Trade Review"Flavors of the Month is a marvelous antidote to the infectious bite of the fad bug, and should be required reading for all optimists who believe we can move towards perfection by adopting the latest 'breakthrough paradigm.' If enthusiasm for transforming your organization persists after reading this engaging book, then read it again. Repeat as often as necessary, or until irrational exuberance has dissipated." - Robert Bimbaum, author of Management Fads in Higher Education: Where They Come From, What They Do, Why They Fail "A well-written, effective, and surely needed examination of institutional fads that should find a wide audience." - Gary Alan Fine, co-author of Whispers on the Color Line: Rumor and Race in America"
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. The Illusion of Diffusion 2. Why We Embrace Novelties: Conditions That Foster Institutional Fads 3. The Fad Cycle: Emerging 4. The Fad Cycle: Surging 5. The Fad Cycle: Purging 6. Fad Dynamics 7. Becoming Fad-Proof Notes References Index
