Average customer rating:
|
Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Reality and Challenges (with InfoTrac®)
Debra L. Nelson , and James Campbell Quick Manufacturer: South-Western College Pub ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
Accessories: ASIN: 0324224702 |
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
Average customer rating:
|
Foundations of Human Resource Development
Richard A. Swanson , and Elwood F. Holton III Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1576750752 |
Book Description
Foundations of Human Resource Development is a careful presentation of the basic theory and practice of human resource development (HRD). The book clearly frames and explains HRD in a manner that is useful for beginners and experts. Working definitions and core values derived from the history of HRD and its present challenges are presented.Customer Reviews:
A classic in the field.......2002-01-11
A must-have for every trainer's library........2001-11-12
Average customer rating:
|
Training Within Industry: The Foundation Of Lean
Donald A. Dinero Manufacturer: Productivity Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1563273071 |
Book Description
Training Within Industry, by Donald Dinero, explores a crucial piece of a Lean initiative that has been overlooked throughout U.S. industry. The Training Within Industry (TWI) program developed by the United States during World War II has been used by Toyota for decades! This powerful program standardizes training processes and assists front-line supervisors in teaching new operations to workers quickly and effectively.Dinero completely explores the history and application of the four modules that compose TWI:Job Instruction in which employees are trained to perform their tasks as quickly as they are capable with minimal waste; Job Methods in which employees are taught how to improve their processes using existing resources; Job Relations in which personnel problems are solved in an analytical, non-emotional manner so that employees are focused on a stated objective; and Program Development in which robust training plans are developed to meet the particular needs of a specific plant.
Readers of Training Within Industry will see that standardized work imparts measurable continuous improvement because it sets a baseline. It establishes a framework for efficiency and innovation.
In addition, the book includes a CD containing the text of original TWI bulletins issued by the U.S. government in the 1940s.
Unique and Compelling Features and Benefits: Provides a key to successfully implementing Lean Thinking Provides basic knowledge without any non-valued added material Applies to all positions in all industries Time tested - has been used for over sixty years and is still successful
Customer Reviews:
Informative from a practical and historical perspective.......2006-04-27
Average customer rating:
|
Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation
David M. Fetterman Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 080395669X |
Book Description
"This timely addition to a new genre of evaluation methodology eschews the objectivity of an external evaluation in favor of internal value-driven assessments that advance the goal of self-improvement through self-determination. Fetterman offers down-to-earth, clearly written descriptions and explanations of an approach that reconciles the contingencies of organizational practice with the standards and principles of evaluation accountability. He adroitly bridges the gap between the subjectivity of self-evaluation and the objectivity of external evaluation by showing with case examples and detailed methods, forms, and narrative why empowerment evaluation extends the reach of standard evaluation practice."
--Dennis Mithaug, Teacher’s College, Columbia University
What is empowerment evaluation? When is it the most appropriate approach to use in an evaluation? How can it best be implemented? Aimed at demystifying empowerment evaluation, the book shows readers when to use this form of evaluation and how to more effectively use its three steps (developing a mission statement; taking stock by identifying and prioritizing the most significant program activities; and, charting a course for future strategies to accomplish program goals). Fetterman also illustrates the steps with four case examples, ranging from hospital to educational settings. In addition, he covers: how to use empowerment evaluation to meet the standards developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation; the caveats and concerns about the use of empowerment evaluation; the relationship between collaborative, participatory, stakeholder, and utilization-focused evaluation with empowerment evaluation; the role of the Internet in disseminating empowerment evaluation; and, an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, and conditions of empowerment evaluation. This book will guide evaluators exploration of their roles as coaches, facilitators and advocates as well as enable them to more effectively use this innovative evaluation technique.
Customer Reviews:
Empowerment Evaluation Need Empowerment.......2001-05-10
I also bring to Fetterman's book a growing discomfort with traditional, empiricist research and program evaluation. My colleagues have been working for several years with different Native American tribes and have learned first-hand why research is so often considered a dirty word in Indain Country. At best, positivist research and evaluation are usually irrelevant to the experience and concerns of Native peoples, at worst it contributes to their continued subjugation by reinforcing negative stereotypes. I therefore come to Fetterman's book with a keen interest in research and evaluation which in itself is a benefit to the participants.
Empowerment evaluation, as articulated by Fetterman, is located within "the larger context of emancipatory research" (Fetterman, 2001, p. 110) and specifically action research. Empowerment evaluation differs from action research, however, because it is "explicitly driven by the concept of self-determination" and collaboration at every level of the agency, program, or community being evaluated (p. 11). Within that framework, empowerment evaluation helps people analyze their programs using self-evaluation and self-reflection. In contrast with some program assessments conducted by outside evaluators, empowerment evaluation is not an endpoint but in integral part of program development and improvement (p. 3). As a result, empowerment evaluation "ideally helps organizations internalize evaluation principles and practices, making evaluation an integral part of program planning" (p. 35). Not surprisingly, Fetterman equates using empowerment evaluation with teaching participants to fish.
The methodology of empowerment evaluation is deceptively simple. First, gather everyone involved in the program together, from clients to workers, to administrators, to funders. The empowerment evaluator then acts as a coach or facilitator, who leads the group through three activities: 1) explicate the mission of vision of the program; 2) take stock of each program activity, rating how well each is doing; and 3) plan for the future by setting goals, strategies for reaching the goals, and documentation to be used to track progress. Because empowerment evaluation is ideally an ongoing process, the first time through these steps forms the baseline for monitoring future progress.
Methodologically, the obvious potential weakness of empowerment evaluation is the possibility of generating self-serving, `sugar-coated' results (p. 5-6). "An outside evaluator charged with monitoring the progress can help keep the effort credible, useful, and on track, providing additional rigor, reality checks, and quality controls throughout the evaluation" (Fetterman, 2001, p. 6). This task is operationalized during the ranking phase, for example, when the empowerment evaluator questions each individual's ranking of each activity, asking for specific documentation of why the rating is no higher and no lower than they have indicated. Additional rigor is gained, according to Fetterman, by indicating that people can change their ratings at any time. Mostly, however, Fetterman argues that trustworthiness flows from the nature of the group (the insistence on democratic participation of clients, workers, and administrators), and the group process itself which he claims comes to conclusions which are more realistic than the conclusions of external evaluators (pp. 32-33).
Unfortunately Fetterman's organization and writing of this volume does little to support his claim that empowerment evaluation is rigorous and inherently trustworthy. In terms of organization, note that the two quotes I used to locate empowerment evaluation within research and evaluation traditions were separated by 100 pages. Repeatedly, ideas and concepts are partially developed in one place, only to be modified or more fully defined/described much later. In many ways, this review has made Fetterman's book more comprehensible than it is. For example, I stated previously that when participants rank program activities they must provide documentation. Fetterman, however, discusses ranking on page 29, but waits 60 pages (almost half the book) to mention that "documentation is always required to support a high or low rating about a program assessment, and is scrutinized." (p. 93).
In addition, Fetterman's writing often confuses or obscures important points. The trustworthiness of empowerment evaluation rests in large part on including the perspective of every stakeholder and participant in the program, from clients to administrators. Fetterman, unfortunately, uses the term program participants variously, mostly to refer to paid employees, but occasionally also to include clients (e.g. pp. 3, 34, &146). As a result we are never sure who he is talking about participating in what aspect of the evaluation. Similarly, Fetterman refers to "outside evaluators" both as the `coaches' who help participants throughout the process and, in other places, as people not otherwise involved in any aspect of the evaluation. Consequently when Fetterman writes that "An outside evaluator charged ... can help keep the effort credible, useful, and on track" (2001, p. 6), I have no idea who is responsible for this crucial methodological function.
Finally, Fetterman states that the trustworthiness and utility of empowerment evaluation flow, in large measure, from use of baseline data and repeated empowerment evaluation sessions. Though Fetterman devotes more than a third of his book to case examples, every one of those examples is of an initial evaluation, never a follow-up session. Because Fetterman (belatedly) admits that empowerment evaluation "takes more time than most traditional evaluations (p. 145), I am left wondering if follow up is ever conducted.
The disorganization of the book unfortunately contributes to an impression that empowerment evaluation is methodologically less rigorous than I believe it really is. Fetterman thus undermines the very evaluation methodology which he passionately believes in and espouses.
Average customer rating: |
Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice (Foundations for Organizational Science)
Gary P. Latham Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0761920188 |
Book Description
Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice provides unique behavioral science frameworks for motivating employees in organizational settings. Drawing upon his experiences as a staff psychologist and consultant to organizations, author Gary Latham has written this book in a “mentor voice” that is highly personal and rich in examples, including enduring influences of mentors on researchers in the field.Intended Audience:This is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying work motivation in the departments of Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Organizational Behavior, and Human Resource Management.
Talk to the author! http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/facbios/viewFac.asp?facultyID=latham
Average customer rating: |
Functional Job Analysis: A Foundation for Human Resources Management (Applied Psychology Series)
Sidney A. Fine , and Steven F. Cronshaw Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items: ASIN: 0805812741 |
Book Description
This book was written to address the need for timely, thorough, practical, and defensible job analysis for HR managers. Under continuing development over the past 50 years, Functional Job Analysis (FJA) is acknowledged by major texts in HR and industrial/organizational psychology as one of the premier methods of job analysis used by leading-edge organizations in the private and public sectors. It is unique among job analysis methods in having its own in-depth theoretical grounding within a systems framework. In addition to providing a methodology for analyzing jobs, it offers a rich model and vocabulary for communicating about the competencies (skills) contributing to work success and about the design of the work organization through which those competencies are expressed. br br FJA is the right theory and methodology for future work in an increasingly competitive global economy. This book is the authoritative source describing how FJA can encourage and support an ongoing dialogue between workers and management as they jointly pursue total quality, worker growth, and organization performance. It is a flexible tool, fully recognizing the rapid changes impacting today's organizations. It is a comprehensive tool, leading to an in-depth understanding of work, its results, and its improvement in a unique organization context. It is a humane tool, viewing workers in light of their full potential and capacity for positive growth. With FJA, workers and managers can work more constructively together in a wholesome and productive work relationship. br
Average customer rating:
|
Exploring Positive Relationships at Work: Building a Theoretical and Research Foundation (Lea's Organization and Management)
Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0805853898 |
Book Description
Customer Reviews:
A great start..........2007-05-07
Average customer rating: |
Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership, Video Set (includes Workbook, Facilitator's Guide and Video) (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation)
Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management , Max De Pree , and Frances Hesselbein Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 0787944963 |
Book Description
Craft a unique learning experience and help your group to work through the modules in the Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership video. Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership provides insight, inspiration, and practical tools for nonprofit leaders who want to make a difference in their organizations and communities. The facilitator's guide takes you through each of the twenty-minute modules contained on the video:
It shows you how to use one, two, or all three of the modules to guide a learning and discussion program for the leaders in your organization or community. Along with the participants' workbook, the facilitator's guide contains all the materials you need to get the most out of the video presentations and to extract the key learnings. Each module can be tailored to fit your group's needs, size, and the time available.
Average customer rating:
|
Hesselbein on Leadership (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation)
Frances Hesselbein Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0787963925 |
Amazon.com
Frances Hesselbein's views on leadership have attracted fans since the one-time Johnstown, Pennsylvania, troop leader became CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA in 1976 and turned that venerable but struggling organization around. Now in Hesselbein on Leadership the current chairman and founding president of the Drucker Foundation has compiled 19 essays that lay out the philosophy she honed during those experiences and in years since--a philosophy that today draws more admirers than ever, such as Jim Collins, who wrote the book's foreword. In a disarmingly simple manner, Hesselbein offers her underlying definition of the topic at hand ("leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do it") and spells out nuances and specifics that those atop any private, public or nonprofit organization would do well to absorb. Throughout the book she shows how character determines performance, how a willingness to innovate and a desire to make a difference regularly bring results, and how the best leaders actually turn a vision into the spark needed to ignite their enterprise. There is plenty of pragmatic advice here amidst the theoretical, and in light of Hesselbein's wealth of provocative yet practical insights, the only complaint may be that this collection is a little on the slim side. --Howard RothmanBook Description
The woman BusinessWeek called the "grande dame of American management" shares her vision of leadershipFrances Hesselbein rose from a volunteer troop leader to become CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. During her tenure Hesselbein transformed the Girl Scouts and created one of the most vibrant and recognized organizations in the world. In the course of her brilliant career, she was recognized by Fortune magazine as the "Best Nonprofit Manager in America" and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now, for the first time, Frances Hesselbein has collected her most incisive and stirring writings on the topic of leadership in one compelling book. The book affirms Hesselbein's specific leadership principles that will give readers the inspiration to go forth and become exemplary leaders. It is also filled with the practical knowledge readers need so they can make a difference every day. These gems of leadership wisdom include Hesselbein's thoughts on innovation, change, diversity, and what it means to be a woman leader. At the heart of the book is Hesselbein's belief that leadership is about character-a question of how to be, not how to do it. Hailed by Warren Bennis, Peter Senge, Jim Collins, Peter Drucker, and others as one of the most innovative and inspired leaders today, Frances Hesselbein gives readers a star to steer by. Hesselbein on Leadership will engage, energize, and motivate readers to do their best and be their best.
Frances Hesselbein (New York, NY) is the Chairman of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and Editor in Chief of Leader to Leader, the premier leadership journal. She is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the coeditor of numerous books on leadership including The Leader of the Future (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5204-4) and The Organization of the Future, The Community of the Future (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5203-6).
Customer Reviews:
"To be or not to be, that is the question".......2007-09-19
Excellent guide to leadership principles.......2007-04-09
Managing in a world that is round . . ........2002-11-26
Hesselbein writes in a clear and conversational manner that makes it easy to understand her point. But one should not be lulled into complacency while enjoying her most readable style for the insights to be shared are important and many. She points out with great understatement that "Leadership is a matter of how to be rather than how to do it." She offers as whole new way of organizing our enterprises as she explains "Managing in a World That Is Round." This book will find its best use for those managers looking for a metaphor or simple explanation to share with others in the organization such complex topics as organizational change, behavior, and interaction with the environment. It will be on my reference shelf for a long time to come.
Class shows.......2002-09-06
One of this Centurys Greatest Thought Leaders.......2002-08-28
Her thoughtful and thought provoking words are a call for the action of "being" not just "doing". Every sentence rings with truth and power. This is a book you will return to again and again.
Average customer rating: |
Investing in Pension Funds and Endowments : Tools and Guidelines for the New Independent Fiduciary
Russell L. Olson Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0071413367 |
Book Description
"For more than 20 years I have admired the diligence and resourcefulness of Rusty Olson in the wise management of fiduciary investments. Institutional executives in all nations may want to study his experienced advice."-John M. Templeton, founder, Templeton Investment Counsel
"Rusty Olson has provided a reader-friendly tour through the complex jungle of investing, pointing out both the opportunities and pitfalls that lie before those responsible for Other People's Money. At once constructive and skeptical, his reputation as the consummate investment professional shines through on every page."-John C. Bogle, founder, The Vanguard Group
On the heels of Enron and other high-profile debacles, the performance of pension fund managers is one of today's hot-button topics. Investing in Pension Funds and Endowments provides tools and guidance for managers to operate prudently while achieving the high rates of return required for successful longterm asset growth. This accessible how-to reference covers all aspects of tax-free investing for pension funds, endowments, trusts, and foundations.
Books:
Recommended Books