The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t
by Robert I. Sutton, Ph.D.

Recommended for:
- anyone who works, has worked, or is looking for work
- anyone who’s in management

This is one of those must-have books. It’s not a large book, and it flows well.

Dr. Sutton writes about all those mean-spirited people who sap the energy from everybody around them. He describes their behaviour and the effects they have on people around them — and on the bottom line. Dr. Sutton not only gives practical advice on how to deal with and survive these mean-spirited people, he gives practical advice on how to stop your own “inner jerk” from coming out.

The sixth chapter is entitled “The Virtues of Assholes”, Dr. Sutton sets out all the various “reasons” given for rude and bullying behaviour. He also sets the record clear under the heading “Why Assholes Fool Themselves: Are You Suffering from Delusions of Effectiveness?”

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

About the author:
Dr. Robert I Sutton is a professor of organizational behaviour at Stanford University, in the Management Science and Engineering department. His Stanford webpage can be found at http://soe.stanford.edu/research/layoutMSnE.php?sunetid=bobsut. His blog, Work Matters, can be found at http://bobsutton.typepad.com/.

Published by Warner Business Books, New York, in 2007.
ISBN 978-0-446-52656-2

Review by Anne E. McTavish