Separating fads from facts: Lessons from The Good, The Fad, And The Ugly

Management fads present executives with an interesting paradox. With the benefit of hindsight, many fads appear silly. Yet, it seems that as each management fad falls out of favor, a new fad emerges and gains legions of devoted followers. Our short graphic novel, The Good, The Fad, And The Ugly, illustrates the difficulty of separating fads from facts. Although fads are remembered with scorn, they generally contain an important element of truth about organizations. One implication is that executives need to recognize and leverage the merit offered by a fad without viewing the fad as the solution to all organizational challenges. We apply this notion to the graphic novel format, and argue that graphic novels should be viewed as one tool among many for effectively communicating with today's employees.