Every manager of a software development team should be required to read Joel Spolsky's three-part series on management techniques that work, and those that don't. It's a quick read from a very knowledgeable source, and it hits the nail on the head time and again.

The series is composed of three short articles:

- The Command and Control Management Technique (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/08/08.html) which explains why you can't just boss around software developers.

- The Econ 101 Management Method (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/08/09.html) which explains why cheesy incentives never work... not just for software developers, but for employees at every level.

- The Identity Management Method (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/08/10.html) which explains Joel's technique of motivating your employees.

While these articles are focused on software development, a lot of the techniques and examples apply to other fields too.