Manufacturing Civility was refreshing in its unexpected simplicity . Manufacturing Civility straddles the line between business strategy and improving humanity. The title’s play on the word “Manufacturing” was a delightful pun because it informed much of what and how the book was presented, while also highlighting the tightrope this book walked. Christian Masotti and Lewena Bayer explored a soft skill that is essential to any organization, company, relationship, or family.
Civility is a forgotten trait that used to be taught in homes and schools, so it could help children grow into responsible adults. Masotti and Bayer explore the downfalls of this optional civility in this timely and essential read for any manager or leader. This book should not be limited to work, but read by every human.
Using visual aids, bullet points, definitions, and concise language, Masotti and Bayer present a clear case for civility. The book’s subtitle, ‘People Treatment as a Continuous Improvement Strategy,’ appeals to business brains by using terms that focus on improving the bottom line by supporting the employees.
The differentiation between civility and respect in the introduction was paramount in distinguishing traits versus personality. Until that distinction was made, I believed the terms to be interchangeable, so it was pleasant to learn something early in the book. For some, the content may appear to be ‘common sense and decency,’ but for others, clarifying the different terms will ground the book in the business realm.
Another strength was that almost every strategy can be practiced by anyone, this duality is what made this book so refreshing. I found myself pondering how these strategies could’ve been employed at my own place of business to strengthen the upper management.
Manufacturing Civility reads like an orientation manual every manager or leader should be given upon their hire. I would even suggest that this book become a mandatory read for high school seniors who will be entering the workforce. What a different world it would be?
The order of presentation for each chapter was flawless, and I particularly enjoyed Chapters 3 and 5. I appreciated that each chapter succinctly identified its purpose and laid out its strategy with justifiable references and examples—without an abundance of superlative language meant to cater to the authors’ egos. This simplicity made the content easily digestible and able to fit into any industry. I appreciated this broad approach, but it also became a double-edged sword. By identifying manufacturing as its focus, the content should’ve been more specific to that industry. The examples were tailored to the manufacturing industry, but the strategies were quite general.
In fact , the book’s jewel—“Masotti’s Commonsense Social Competence Strategies’—was outstanding enough where I’d keep it for future reference, but it was also generic . The introduction says the book is for those in the manufacturing industry, but they may view it as a universal HR manual instead of a tool designed to enhance their culture.
This book was co-written, and it became somewhat obvious which of the authors’ wrote which chapter because Bayer used Masotti’s name throughout the chapters she wrote. At times, she used his surname, and other times, an abbreviation of his first name. It was jarring to see a name pop up, as this book is non-fiction and without characters, and the intimacy took me out of the flow because it didn’t align with this type of book .
Overall, Manufacturing Civility was a revelation in its simplicity, adaptability, and ability to identify a core challenge facing a specific industry and humanity. With clear programs to identify, resolve, and improve an area where people spend 75% of their lives, this book should be a must read.
Pros:
• Excellent formatting, including visual aids, bulleted points, citations, and repetitive language
• Chapters 3 and 5 are outstanding
• ‘Masotti Commonsense Social Competence Strategies ’ is the strongest section
• Strategies adaptable to any industry and life in general
Cons:
• Use of one author’s first name throughout is too ‘familiar.’
Favourite Part of Book:
• ‘Masotti’s Commonsense Social Competence Strategies’
Lesson of the Book:
• Implementation of the Civility Competence Program improves industry, the workplace, and life
Cover Score: 7/10
Book Score: 8.5
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