Subject: Review: The Virtual Boss by Floyd Kemske

From: [email-masked] (Dana Goldblatt Anthony)
Date: 22 Jan 1994 23:51:41 GMT

Review of The Virtual Boss by Floyd Kemske
Review written by Dana L. G. Anthony

The Virtual Boss
by Floyd Kemske

   A science fictional, near future satire and horror story about 
management!
   Donald Jones has a horrible experience with his first three jobs:
People--personalities--get in the way of getting things done. 
"...it's impossible to get people to do what you want just by
telling them to." he discovers.  He discovers this by going through
experiences that are uncomfortably realistic-sounding; I felt that
anyone who went through what he did would try what he tried,
and (as he felt) feel that he was creating a utopian company.
   Jones establishes a combination expert system/ Eliza program
(with some handwaving about neural nets &c) which tries various
maneuvers on each employee and verifies by the company's 
databases what makes each employee more effective.  The 
program becomes a "Virtual Boss", without ever being an AI...
there's nothing about how it "comes to life", just its imitation of
lifelike behaviors and manipulation of human employees is 
enough.  
   The setting is revealed in only small doses; jobs are harder to 
come by and there are some technical advances, some new social
protest groups; but it is a believable near future.  The author 
wisely leaves the computer program enigmatic; it is ultimately 
not a force for good or evil, though it often seems like one or the
other, but the tool it is; the force is how people respond to it, and
its ease at manipulation.  
   Caught between the awfulness of working for a Virtual boss and
the torture of being or working for a real one, the story shows no
way out except being your own boss; which may be the path for
the future anyway.
   This is a very well written book; the characterizations are 
satirical, not realistic, but very on target.  It made me squirm &
made me think. 

%T  The Virtual Boss
%A Floyd Kemske
%G isbn 0-945774-22-2
%I Catbird Press, 16 Windsor Rd,, North Haven CT 06473
%C North Haven, CT
%p 237
%O hardcover, $19.95
%D 1993