Beyond the magic circle: The role of intimacy in business

"Beyond the Magic Circle" was written for the millions of workers and managers who feel something is lacking in their day-to-day activities. The book thoroughly explores the role of an intimacy that goes far beyond the realm of mere sexuality or pollyannaism in the workplace. This kind of intimacy makes good business sense. Moreover, it may be the only quality that can either prevent the migration of the brightest and best from the organized workplace, or lure new workers into it. Unlike other business and management books, "Magic Circle" is intimate itself, intertwining personal, observational and experiential information that touches all levels of the organizational pyramid. Via a series of simple examples and principles, the book demonstrates how much of the strife that exists in our places of work results not from opposing forces so much as those in lower levels mimicking the behaviors of their superiors. Readers will find that many of the supposedly worst problems almost magically resolve themselves if they're willing to risk intimacy. When intimacy increases, unnecessary process designed to separate and rank people becomes unnecessary. When intimacy increases with the amount of technology in a business, the successful implementation and realization of that technology also increases proportionately. When intimacy increases, the need for costly restrictions arising from distrust decreases dramatically. Intimate communication within a business wields tremendous influence relative to the organization's success, decreasing the need for time-consuming and diluting compromises or the destructive process of branding different orientations "wrong." If intimacy exists within the business environment, each person becomes a unique individual with his or her own special needs, not a hapless drone or power-hungry mogul. Above all, what distinguishes "Magic Circle" from other business books is that it places the responsibility for success or failure in the workplace directly where it belongs: on the individual. Rather than touting some corporate policy or union work rule as the cure for various business ills, it demonstrates how each individual makes choices which lead to their positive or negative views of their co- workers and organization. A vice president who overeats because he's afraid of his boss doesn't need a fitness center; an assembly line worker or data entry clerk who's bored to tears doesn't need a raise or job security. What these and so many workers on all levels need is intimacy: a superior, co-worker or environment that says, "I care" but also "I'll help all I can, but you must make your own choices and accept responsibility for them."