(FORTUNE Magazine) – Dramatic, silly, outrageous . . . gestures are becoming increasingly common in American business. And those gestures . . . are winning praise from . . . consultants. ''This is a very positive trend,'' said the consultant and author Tom Peters. ''We need more dramatic acts and less stuffed- shirtedness.'' Recent examples of such gestures abound . . . William R. Berkley, chairman of Finevest Foods Inc. and ((also)) of the W.R. Berkley Corporation, an insurance holding company, likes funny hats. At one board meeting, in a two- star general's hat and with a pistol and hand grenade next to his notepad, he presented grim financial news. The point: He wanted people to absorb the bad news but approach the next day with a smile . . . An intriguingly large number of top male executives, including Sam Walton of Wal-Mart . . . have appeared in women's clothing. Only one chief executive -- Al Neuharth of Gannett -- seems to have succumbed to the urge to dress up as Jesus. -- From an article in the New York Times.