Book Description
The No Asshole Rule is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Business Week bestseller. It won a Quill Award for the top business book of 2007, and was recently chosen as one of audible.com's top picks as well.
Customer Reviews:
Great time reading and laughing.......2007-10-02
Lot of truths mentioned in the book... Wish there were more, especially when it comes to government entities... Just have to be diligent about "practicing" the tips and tricks provided.
Great book.......2007-09-28
This is a great book that has a good level of scholarly support but written in an easy-to-read style that should appeal to most audiences.
Stating The Unspoken.......2007-09-23
Everybody knows the abuse-of-power types that this book outlines. Too often companies/cultures put the onus on victims to adapt, and get-along. What that approach does is allow managers to NOT do their jobs - and that is to confront dysfunctional behaviors clearly and directly.
Dr. Sutton takes a no holds barred approach to defining culture up front. Letting the community know what is and is not acceptable behavior. I wish that he would create a study of companies that are this direct in dealing with behavioral problems, bring the concept along further with specifics of what works and what doesn't.
The "avoidance approach" clearly is not a true solution, but as he states in the book if management will not address the organization's asses, and you want to keep your job, it is the best option sometimes.
A few times in my life I've worked in environments where the assholes have kissed upward so much that they are well connected. And poorly skilled career bureaucrats looking to keep their position, single these emotionally inept people out as stars to be heralded - because heralding a well connected asshole makes you an ally. In each of those situations, I've watched the best people move on, managerial incompetence thrive, motivation deteriorate, and a fairyland scenario of pretending flourish. What a sad state of affairs that leads to.
Bringing the difficult concept of an actual asshole present in the mix, naming what is unspoken, is an essential element in this work. Further development of the idea, refinement of behavioral understanding could only continue to develop greater awareness of truly sly assholes that are skilled to be non-confrontational to those above them and non-approachable to those below.
A meeting with such people present vs. absent is like day and night. Personally experiencing this, I saw groups transformed from demotivated-lackluster-lifeless chair slugs to excited-active-contributors. Such culturally (negatively) controlling individuals cost an organization far more than can ever be measured.
The book is worth the read if only for the stories. But, the principles, the validation, are the real meat and potatoes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, and if you can't gift it directly, then throw a few copies into envelopes and drop them in your managements' mailboxes. It's about time the pretending to be nice facade gives way to true comprehension of what civility is, and the complete disregard for it will not be tolerated.
I love this book!.......2007-09-22
I urge everyone to read this book, whether they're in an office environment, or just dealing with day-to-day situations. I've bought three copies so far to give to co-workers and family, and I may need more!
The minute you open the book, you will SO recognize what is described!
Accurate Potrayal of Many Work Environments.......2007-07-22
I commend Bob Sutton for publishing this book. It is apparent many jobs expect you to tolerate a coworker or superior whose behavior is off the chart yet protected and sometimes endorsed by management. The cost to a business is high and Bob did a great job of quantifying it. I highly recommend this book if you work in a toxic environment. Bob outlines some great strategies for succeeding in such an environment and discusses how to create policies to prevent one person's inflated ego from sinking the ship.
Book Description
With its conversational writing style, cutting-edge content, current examples, the three-level integrative model, dialogues, and technological learning tools, Organizational Behavior remains
the global book, used by more readers interested in the topic than any other since 1979. The 12th edition retains all of the best features of the previous editions, yet adds much more: contemporary issues and research have been included into a seamless, whole, and comprehensive tome.
Many topics are comprehensively covered, but on the whole, this book is written in a conversational, easy to read style. Topics include: management functions; the social sciences; helping employees balance work and other responsibilities; improving people skills; improving customer service; motivational concepts; communication; power and politics; conflict and negotiation; culture; and stress management.
Globally accepted and written by one of the most foremost authors in the field, this is a necessary read for all managers, human resource workers, and anyone needing to understand and improve their people skills.
Customer Reviews:
Organizational Behavior.......2007-09-30
This was my first experience ordering a College Textbook on Amazon. I ordered a brand new book and CD and was very pleased to receive my order in time for my class. Most important I was able buy a brand new textbook at a used textbook price. I liked being able to provide my credit card information to an Amazon rep by phone rather than send it over the Internet. I plan to use Amazon again for my future requirements.
A classic reference for OB.......2007-07-01
Recently I took a course about Organizational Behavior & this was the course textbook. It's a reasonable choice for an introductory course. I found it easy to read & informative. However, the accompanying SAL CD-ROM was disappointing - I didn't think it was worth the effort.
Bottom line - I would recommend it.
Book Description
"The Human Side of Organizations" delivers complete, up-to-date, practical information on how people behave in organizations presented in a readable, easy to understand form. The vital information can be used to understand managers, peers or workers. If you work, you need this information to thrive and survive.
FOCUS BOXES/Reality Checks - Bring the work world as it really is into every chapter./Question of Ethics - Presents ethical questions related to the particular chapters' material./A Global Glance - A look at an international aspect of a chapters' concepts./FYI - A new focus box for the 9e./Presents useful hints readers can apply in their daily lives.
Anyone who wishes to better understand managers, peers, or workers can benefit from this book as it covers the vital skills needed to survive and thrive in an organization.
Customer Reviews:
Good Service.......2007-02-24
Received Book in about 2 weeks after purchase. Book was in excellent condition. Good Service.
Exceeded Expectations.......2005-09-30
My textbook came sooner than expected and it was in great condition! The savings were unbelievable and I actually recommended using this seller to everyone in my class.
Book Description
Used by more than a million people throughout the world, this highly readable book provides a comprehensive examination of the applied behavioral sciences, and focuses on fundamental ideas which have stood the test of years of application in academic, business, not-for-profit and administrative environments. Complete coverage of motivation and behavior, situational leadership, building effective relationships, planning and implementing change, leadership strategies, the organizational cone and integrating situational leadership with the Classics. For individuals interested in expanding their knowledge of, and proficiency in leadership strategies.
Customer Reviews:
Call this book the Management Bible.......2007-09-19
Ken Blanchard went on to become the management guru of the 90s, writing countless books that can be found right here on Amazon. However, this text book is where is all began. I call it a text book because it is. This text has been used and is still used in management schools around the nation. Written with Hersey and Johnson, this book is the definitive foundation text on how to manage organizational behavior as it pertains to managing people. Following are a couple key points:
1) Diagnosis: It is a manager's job to modify their management style to employee needs. Evaluting employee needs and corresponding management styles can be easily done using Situational Leadership tools (found in book).
2) Intervention: Performance can be managed using the fundamental postive reinforcement psychology. Further, by consciously indentifying needs, performance can be improved more rapidly.
3) Evaluation: If behavioral change does not occur, the individual may not be in the right role.
This sounds dry and obvious by today's standards, but it wasn't when the first edition of this book was published (1980s). Further, most modern organiztional and management theory is based on this book. There is still gold to dig from its pages.
A 'must have' for all leaders........2006-06-17
If you take your job as a business leader seriously, this book is a 'must have'. As a business coach I use it in my practice with great success. For leaders (and managers who think they are leaders) and their teams it's an eye-opener. It gives insight in what it takes to turn a good team into a great team, and what great leadership is all about. If you want to be more effective as a leader and take your team to the highest level of readiness, read this book. It will change your life....and of those you lead.
Management of Organizational Behavior.......2005-02-26
Not too bad as these books go but a tremendous amount of verbiage explaining the obvious. Excellent example of turning simple concepts in complex charts and definitions. I would imagine that people in the field love this hyperbole but it's BS to me and pretty much a waste of time to drudge though all of it.
Goes where few texts dare to go: the real-world.......2004-03-15
I recommend this to managers as much as students.
Sure, the price seems like a lot of cash to shell out at first. But trust me, it is worth it. I had to read it for a Management class, and it started of like a typical OB text, illustrating the history of management studies (Taylor to Maslow to Mayo to Likert to ...). Good stuff, but pretty dull. Then, Hersey et al went where most scholars, even the supposedly worldly MBA types, fear to tread: real-world application!
The text covers all of the material covered Blanchard's "One Minute Manager," "Putting the One Minute Manager to Work," and a shelf load of other books. It also does a great job introducing Blanchard and Hersey's Situational Leadership, where the manager matches leadership behavior to a report's ability level and motivation. This replaces "Leadership and the One Minute Manager," and delves much deeper into the topic.
Hersey et al also cover:
- Behavioral shaping, and positive and negative reinforcement quite nicely
- Communications skills necessary to lead reports
- Power building, and using effective power bases ...
- The list literally goes on and on.
I use the concepts I was first exposed to here day in and day out. They work. My OB professor told us that, if he would be limited to just one book on management, he would choose this one. And, five years later, I agree. I am very glad that I did not sell this book back to the campus bookstore. I consult the book at least once a week while pondering both thorny and maundane problems with my employees.
You see, Dr. Davis? Some of us do listen.
All about Leadership!!! Must read!.......2003-06-13
This book is one of my favorites! It leads you first through a complete review of management and leadership theories, then introduces the authors' famous SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP model and theory. This book goes into great depth about the sit-lead model and theory, and is a great read. Want to be a better leader??? Read the book by the experts! ...
Average customer rating:
- A timeless software classic, a must read for every manager, and a source of inspiration for practitioners (software developers)
- So good, a must have
- Highly Recommended - Software is about people
- everyone should read, not just the manager
- A facinating insight into the workplace
|
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
Tom DeMarco , and
Timothy Lister
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ASIN: 0932633439 |
Amazon.com
Peopleware asserts that most software development projects fail because of failures within the team running them. This strikingly clear, direct book is written for software development-team leaders and managers, but it's filled with enough commonsense wisdom to appeal to anyone working in technology. Authors Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister include plenty of illustrative, often amusing anecdotes; their writing is light, conversational, and filled with equal portions of humor and wisdom, and there is a refreshing absence of "new age" terms and multistep programs. The advice is presented straightforwardly and ranges from simple issues of prioritization to complex ways of engendering harmony and productivity in your team. Peopleware is a short read that delivers more than many books on the subject twice its size.
Customer Reviews:
A timeless software classic, a must read for every manager, and a source of inspiration for practitioners (software developers).......2007-07-08
Peopleware: Productivity Projects and Teams [Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister] was first published in 1987 - three decades later it is a revered classic. DeMarco and Lister focus on the human factor of software development (managing people). Through their 30 years of project management experience and consulting they share what went right, and more importantly, what went wrong - so we can learn from their mistakes.
This series of essays cover a wide variety of topics ranging from: office environments that encourage work, the importance of the closed door (read: "cubicles are BAD"), the significance of "flow" and creativity, the dangers and hidden cost of turnover, the importance of hiring and keeping the right people, how to retain employees, how to encourage productivity, the importance of a "jelled team", the dangers of teamicide, how not to manage people, and many other equally interesting topics.
Some quotes I found interesting:
"No one can really work much more than forty hours, at least not continually and with the level of intensity required for creative work." Chapter 3
"the process of improving productivity risks worsening turnover" (Chapter 3)
"People under time pressure don't work better; they just work faster." (Chapter 3)
"People who had ten years of experience did not outperform those with two years of experience." (Chapter 8)
"people who perform better tend to gravitate towards organizations that provide a better workplace." (Chapter 8)
"the total cost of replacing each person is the equivalent of four-and-a-half to five months of employee cost or about twenty percent of the cost of keeping that employee for two years on the job." (Chapter 16)
This book continues to change the way I view my job, organization, and career. Practitioners and authors like: Steve McConnell, Robert L. Glass, and Joel Spolsky heavily cite the industry-shattering truths originally exposed by Marco and Lister. This book should be on every professional's shelf along side other classics like: The Mythical Man-Month, and Code Complete.
So good, a must have.......2007-04-17
I think this book opens your mind in how to manage people as a book about SOA opens it in how to architecture an application. It gives no answers, but you will see how you would like to work after reading it.
Very impressive.
Highly Recommended - Software is about people.......2007-04-11
A must-read for managers especially, but useful for developers as well, who may be wondering why they don't enjoy their job as much as they would like. Clearly spells out the oft-hidden costs of development and why some teams work well and are enjoyable to be part of and why some are demotivating.
This book is relevant not just for software development, but for any team environment where the work entails thinking for a living.
I found this book a breathe of fresh air amongst the talk of productivity enhancements, out-sourcing and the latest must-use technologies.
everyone should read, not just the manager.......2007-03-14
I would recommend anyone to read this book for project (task, mission) that is going to be carried out by a team or an organization. It is a humanistic (and not lazy) way of carrying out things. We all know that when the profession of management digress itself from keeping a close eye on human psychology, troubles are looming on the horizon.
Wonderful collection of thoughts and many gems. Hey.. does Amazon come with a six starts? :)
A facinating insight into the workplace.......2007-01-23
A very good book. You realize a lot of what has to change in your office after reading it. Most of the suggestions apply to office work in general, not just software development. Unfortunately most of the suggestions only apply to the ideal employees, who do actually take advantage of the improvements to increase productivity, which is not the case in most workplaces. Appart from that it is a must read for all who work in an office environment
Book Description
Organizational Behavior provides the essential knowledge base and skill set so that future managers can harness the power of employees and teams to successfully navigate the changing world of work. Organizational behavior is the study of individual behavior and group dynamics in organizational settings. It focuses on timeless topics like motivation, leadership, teamwork, and communication. The text presents the opportunity to know concepts, ideas, and theories, and to practice skills, abilities, and behaviors to enhance the management of human behavior at work. To make the book more relevant to the learner, we have enhanced and further integrated the subtitle Foundations, Realities, Challenges into the theme in the 5th edition. The reader will see the tie to the subtitle with new feature titles: Foundations (new title: Science), Realities (new title: The Real World), and Challenges (new title: You) that have a more contemporary and personal feel. This theme will be integrated throughout the text and supplements making a true integrated learning package. In this new edition, six new focus companies have been selected. The authors use the focus companies so that learners can see how one company responds to different organizational situations. The focus companies are a variety of company types, for example, Whole Foods, Pixar, and Canine Companions. The authors also make sure to integrate four organizational behavior key themes into each chapter. These supporting themes are globalization, diversity, technology, and ethics. Sub-themes are designed to arm future managers with the tools they need to meet organizational challenges.
Customer Reviews:
Good Stuff.......2005-10-01
I am using this textbook for an MBA course. I had already started the class when I ordered the book, but I received my book in enough time where I was not left behind. I appreciate the prompt service. Thanks:-)
Book Description
With its conversational writing style, cutting-edge content, current examples, the three-level integrative model, dialogues, and technological learning tools, Organizational Behavior remains
the global book, used by more readers interested in the topic than any other since 1979. The 11th edition retains all of the best features of the previous editions, yet adds much more: contemporary issues and research have been included into a seamless, whole, and comprehensive tome.
Many topics are comprehensively covered, but on the whole, this book is written in a conversational, easy to read style. Topics include: management functions; the social sciences; helping employees balance work and other responsibilities; improving people skills; improving customer service; motivational concepts; communication; power and politics; conflict and negotiation; culture; and stress management.
Globally accepted and written by one of the most foremost authors in the field, this is a necessary read for all managers, human resource workers, and anyone needing to understand and improve their people skills.
Customer Reviews:
Organizational Behavior.......2007-06-16
Book was beneficial for class. It gave a lot of insights on issues within coporate organizations which could be used in schools as well.
Organizational Behavior, 11th Edition by Stephen P. Robbins.......2006-05-20
This is the text that we are currently using in my Organizational Behavior class. While the text is well laid out, easy to read and well-written, Robbins' tendency to blame the baby-boomer generation for all of society's modern-day problems and ethical issues is a bit much to swallow. I do not enjoy reading mere opinions that potentially carry the weight of fact by students when presented in a text-format by a "OB professional" and not presented as merely the opinion of the author. For example, Robbins states in chapter 3, page 74:
"By the early 1990s, a large portion of middle and top management positions in business organizations were held by Boomers. The loyalty of Boomers is to their careers. Their focus is inward and their primary concern is with looking out for "Number One." Such self-centered values would be consistent with a decline in ethical standards. Could this help explain the alleged decline in business ethics beginning in the late 1970s? The potential good news in this analysis is that Xers are now in the process of moving into middle-management slots and soon will be rising into top management. Since their loyalty is to relationships, they are more likely to consider the ethical implications of their actions on others around them. The result? We might look forward to an uplifting of ethical standards in business over the next decade or two merely as a result of changing values within the managerial ranks" (Robbins, 2005, Organizational Behavior, Eleventh Edition).
The author provides no evidence to substantiate this statement. Thus, it is merely the authors' opinion. To me, Robbins' statement in and of itself is unethical, as it attempts to persuade not from the level of expertise of the author, but from the author's opinion. With subjective statements like that stated for truth in a text, it is no wonder that many people view Organizational Behavior professionals with cynicism. Yet this is the type of text that college students are learning from. If a statement is born from the opinion of the author, then the text should point that out. It is unethical to not do so. Reader beware to distinguish the author's opinion from substantiated fact.
Apology from the seller.......2005-10-21
The book I had received from Escobook was not hardcover as it was promised. It was also an Indian edition. (No color, thin paper, no different than photocopy) I paid almost $80 for $20 book. As soon as the the seller was informed about my dissatisfaction of the product, she sent my money back.
BEWARE!.......2005-10-04
If you are expecting a real version, buyer beware. The version I received through Amazon was not a real US copy, but rather the "Eastern Economy Edition". It was a "photo-offeset reproduction" which is legally for sale only in Bangledesh, Burma, etc. You can purchase these on E-bay for a fraction of what I was charged. It is a black and white version only, so pictures and graphs intended for color are much harder to read. Since it is basically a photocopy of the original, even the text is harder to read than it should be.
Either get the real version or get it cheaper.
great sale.......2005-09-24
great price and great sale. it was quick and mailed out in time for my class. thanks
Book Description
Senge's best-selling The Fifth Discipline led Business Week to dub him the "new guru" of the corporate world; here he offers executives a step-by-step guide to building "learning organizations" of their own.
Customer Reviews:
Tools for creating a Learning Culture.......2006-09-11
Peter M Serge, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
To quote the first few paragraphs at beginning of book:
Among the tribes of northen Natal in South Africa, the most common greeting, equivalent to "hello" in English, is the expression: Sawu bona. It literally means, "I see you." If you are a member of the tribe, you might reply by saying Sikhona, "I am here." The order of the exchange is important: until you see me, I do not exist. It's as if, when you see me bring me into existence.
This meaning, implicit in the language, is part of the spirit of ubuntu, a frame of mind prevalent among native people in Africa below the Sahara. The word ubuntu stems from the folk saying Umuntu ngumuntu nagabantu, which from Zulu, literally translates as: "A person is a person because of other people."
"I bow in honor and reverence that place within you where to the Universe resides, when you are in that place within you, and I am in that place within me, there is One." ~namaste
The five disciplines are at the CORE of a Learning Organization
1) Personal Mastery: expand your personal capacity and ability
2) Mental Models: see how our internal pictures of the world shape action and decision
3) Shared Vision: group commitment
4) Team Learning: group ability is greater than the sum of individual talents
5) System Thinking:
"When we try to bring about change in our societies, we are treated first with indifference, then with ridicule, then with abuse and then with oppression. And finally, the greatest challenge is thrown at us: We are treated with respect. This is the most dangerous stage." --A. T. Ariyaratne (Speech made at International Community Leadership Summit, Winrock, Arkansas, March 1983. This quote paraphrases and expands upon a well-known statement made by Mahatma Gandhi in his book Satyagraha in South Africa, 1982, 1979, Canon, Me.: Greenleaf books)
"An [organization] is not a machine but a living organism." --Ikujiro Nonaka /****
Fundamentals of epistemology: what is knowledge, the nature of knowledge, and what constitutes learning.
understanding is achieved after internalization.
Without experience, we cannot truly understand.
Internalization: transformation from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge, habits and culture that we do not recognize in ourselves.
Innovation is a process to capture, create, leverage, and retain knowledge.
What is your belief? A belief about images of the world - you may call it a mental model - is a very subjective thing
information is the flow of a message, while knowledge is created by accumulating information. Thus, information is a necessary medium or material for eliciting and constructing knowledge.
The second difference is that information is something passive. When we switch on a TV set, information comes regardless of my commitment. But knowledge comes from my belief, so it's more proactive.
And the organizational knowledge or intellectual infrastructure of an organization encourages its individual members to develop new knowledge through new experiences.
This dynamic process is the key to organizational knowledge creation - that is, socialization (from individual tacit knowledge to group tacit knowledge), externalization (from tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge), combination (from separate explicit knowledge to systemic explicit knowledge), and internalization (from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge) [...].
[...]
Three Guiding Ideas
1) The Whole. When you are pointing a finger at the problems, notice how many fingers are pointing back at you. If you fixed the symptoms and ignore the root causes, the problems have not gone away. Another way to look at this is treat the person, not the disease. Of course treat the disease if the patient is dying, but know that the patient will get sick again because the "root causes" are stil there.
2) Community. The self is "a point of view." "The essence of being a person is being in a relationship [with] other people." You will not believe this, but each person before you is there for a reason. The reason this person is there at this moment is for you to learn something about yourself. If you ignore the person, do not ignore or forget the lesson.
3) Language. The map is not the territory. We cannot contain every bit of information that comes to us in the world, so we have to create a "map of the territory" and then refer to the map for our information. By changing a person's map, we change their reality. Language is the map, not the reality.
enlightening concepts about leadership.......2005-10-26
It seems to me that The Fifth Discipline (the previous publication of the series) is more attacting to me. The second book can be more precise and concise in content. Generally speaking I still like these two books as a foreign reader.
The Fifth Discipline.......2003-02-08
This book is a collection of theoretical summaries, reports, analyses, and strategies all quite useful to anyone interested in generating some thinking and action around change. The team of five writers (Peter Senge, Richard Ross, Bryan Smith, Charlotte Roberts, and Art Kleiner) provide some original work, but also serve as editors to a vast quantity of material drawn from practitioners, theorists, and writers in the field of organizational improvement. According to Senge, "great teams are learning organizations - groups of people who, over time, enhance their capacity to create what they truly desire to create." (p.18) This book is really about creating and building great teams. The learning organization develops its ability to reflect on, discuss, question, and change its current and past practices. To do this, people and groups in the organization need to meaningfully pursue the study and practice of the five disciplines - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking.
The learning organization - Senge's vision for the productive, competitive, and efficient institutions of the future - is in a continuous state of change. Four fundamental questions continuously serve to check and guide a group's learning and improvement (see page 49): (1) Do you continuously test your experiences? ("Are you willing to examine and challenge your sacred cows - not just during crises, but in good times?") (2) Are you producing knowledge? ("Knowledge, in this case, means the capacity for effective action.") (3) Is knowledge shared? ("Is it accessible to all of the organization's members?") (4) Is the learning relevant? ("Is this learning aimed at the organization's core purpose?") If these questions represent the organization's compass, the five disciplines are its map.
Each of the five disciplines is explained, and elaborated in its own lengthy section of the book. In the section on "Systems Thinking" (a set of practices and perspectives, which views all aspects of life as inter-related and playing a role in some larger system), the authors build on the idea of feedback loops (reinforcing and balancing) and introduce five systems archetypes. They are: "fixes that backfire", "limits to growth", "shifting the burden", "tragedy of the commons", and "accidental adversaries". In the section on "Personal Mastery", the authors argue that learning starts with each person. For organizations to learn and improve, people within the organization (perhaps starting with its core leadership) must learn to reflect on and become aware of their own core beliefs and visions. In "Mental Models", the authors argue that learning organizations need to explore the assumptions and attitudes, which guide their institutional directions, practices, and strategies. Articles on scenario planning, the ladder of inference, the left-hand column, and balancing inquiry and advocacy offer practical strategies to investigate our personal mental models as well as those of others in the organization. In "Shared Vision", the authors make the case for the stakeholders of an organization to continually adapt their vision ("an image of a desired future"), values ("how we get to travel to where we want to go"), purpose ("what the organization is here to do"), and goals ("milestones we expect to reach before too long"). The section offers many strategies and perspectives on how to move an organization toward continuous reflection. In "Team Learning", the authors rely mostly on the work of William Isaacs and others, and make a case for educating organization members in the processes and skills of dialogue and skillful discussion.
This book is enlightening and informative. It has already found a place on my shelf for essential reference books.
A follow up to the legend.......2003-01-27
The Fieldbook attempts at making the esoteric concepts of the fifth discipline more down to earth and contains a treasure trove of strategies, tools, methods and explanations on how to make the learning organization into a reality.
Thus people who have read The fifth discipline will gain the most from this book. It's a must read for people who want to make their organizations transition into a 'learning organization'
A second dose of Inspiration..........2002-02-09
Senge's second serving of the Learning Organization is filled with practical tips and real-life examples from companies and organizations that have embraced the teachings of the Learning Organization successfully.
The Book is a collaboration of several writers who do a superb job of unraveling the web that is the learning organization. At times, it may seem to the reader that the book is a labyrinth of disjointed concepts and ideas. However, if you have read `The Fifth Discipline' you will find no problems following the concepts introduced. In fact, you will even understand why the writers have chosen to introduce them in that fashion. If you have not read "The Fifth Discipline', do not despair, it will take a little longer to get `the whole picture'.
The Book is divided into 8 main sections:
1) Getting Started addresses the basic concepts and ideas of the Learning Organization.
2) Systems Thinking (the fifth discipline) - Many people have argued that Senge should have delegated the fifth discipline until the end, however, without Systems Thinking, your vision is disjointed and incomplete.
3) Personal Mastery covers the area of individual development and learning. The chapters here are among the most valuable in the area of self-growth and self-improvement.
4) Mental Models - These are the pictures that you have in your head which represent reality.
5) Shared Vision - You've seen the whole picture, you've developed and you understand how you see the world. Now you need to find a common cause with the rest of the people in your organization, something that you all work for.
6) Team Learning - As you work with other people in teams or groups, you need to pass the stuff that you have learnt and the wisdom you've acquired to others. At this stage, the learning is no longer that of the individual, but the group.
7) Arenas of Practice - (Self explanatory)
8) Frontiers - Where do we go from here.
If you are interested in development, learning, growth, leadership, gaining a competitive edge whether at an organizational or personal level, then this book is for you. In fact, I'd venture to say that this is book is for everyone.
Book Description
Easily master the core concepts of organizational behavior with ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR! With coverage of theory, research, and practice, this management text provides you with the tools you need to succeed. Chapter opening vignettes and boxes, an inside look boxed feature, experiential exercises, and critical incidents found throughout the text make exam preparation easy. See organizational behavior principles in the real world through short stories, current examples, and experiential exercises.
Customer Reviews:
Simple Language and Practical Book.......2007-05-21
Book language is very clear and straight forward. I spent over 15 years in industry; I see this book worth reading since it covers most of the organizational behaviors that we come across daily in the workplace. Book does not cover committee role in business organizations, and focuses only on groups' behavior. Also, the book does not address stereotyping behavior in details for multicultural organizations. I was not happy about the last 4 chapters in the book since I see it as a collection of general information that can be found easily over the internet. In general, the book is excellent particularly for people who are purely non-academic and looking for practical readings about organizational behavior.
Its ok.......2007-01-09
I found the text a little redundant in some areas, but its still a good read, and has nice and easy wording within. It is somewhat of a review of a lot of concepts about organizational behaviour, and has a psychology twist to it as well.
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