Book Description

In addition to the solid estimating data this manual has provided for years, this new edition is expanded and updated to include installation of pneumatic mechanical instrumentation, which is used in monitoring various process systems. ... Read more

Book Description

As an international speaker and consultant to virtually every business sector over his more than thirty-five years of research and development in technology-based instruction, Michael Allen now speaks out about his frustrations with e-learning and brings fundamental issues to light. He shares specific, commonsense guidelines that reliably produce effective and practical learning solutions. From his pioneering work on learning management systems, to authoring systems, and now on instructional design, experts and buyers alike follow his leadership and respect his opinion:

"Every subject area has its bible. This is it for e-learning. This is the how-to book for both instructional designers and executives responsible for corporate e-learning programs. Especially well done and unique to this book are the chapters on learner motivation and how effective instructional interactivities are created. The bottom line, from our experience working with Michael Allen and his team, is the methods and principles defined in this book work–and work well."
–Mike Groszko, Manager, DaimlerChrysler Quality Institute

"Michael Allen has done it all. He has designed and developed huge amounts of effective e-learning. He has built several very successful businesses providing programs to sophisticated clients. He has managed development. He personally led the creation of Authorware, the benchmark authoring system used throughout the world. He has lectured. He has written. He has taught. His opinions and perspective are sought by many. But mostly, he thinks. And the results of that thinking are to the benefit of us all. I am glad he wrote down what he thinks."
– Gloria Gery, Gery Associates ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Emphasizing the essentials
This book takes e-learning to its core mandate, that of engaging and involving the learners, so that they learn the key skills and knowledge required.

An excellent and easy read, with lots of good examples and non-examples, nicely compared side by side.

Must have for new designers
This book is a must have for the aspiring e-Learning developer. It reviews enough theory to make the point and directs the reader quickly through the logic and science of good e-Learning design.

This book directly applies to your work!
Dr. Allen is a champion of learner-centric design - and has written a refreshingly reader-centric book about the topic. He understands that learning is an "internal, personal, and ultimately individual act." His words reveal his passions and opinions in such an authentic manner that you can quickly understand his perspective, and extract points of meaning that can directly apply to your work. As a producer and designer of interactive media, I continually find his insights an inspiration.

Guidance from the Master
This book is subtitled, "Building Interactive, Fun and Effective Learning Programs for Any Company" and I think that says it all. I've spoken on the topic of where's the fun in eLearning and know that most of what I've seen is "deadly boring."

I have known Mike Allen since I worked for Authorware in the 1980's. One of the things I always regretted was not working in the MN office, as he, along with the rest of the Authorware team, conducted critiques of the work in progress being developed for customers. The few I did attend were always insightful and thought provoking. Along with being pretty scary if your work was on the agenda, because you might have to listen to bad along with good feedback. Mike Allen is a kind person, but not one to mince words when it comes to what makes up good and bad eLearning. I've also had the opportunity to attend several lectures by Mike on eLearning.

This book shares his insight on what makes good elearning, particularly from the viewpoints of motivation and interactivity. I am starting a new project with a lot of possible impact and reading his book has helped me immensely. Also, it contains several little history lessons on eLearning and Authorware that I really enjoyed. Lots of examples of good projects are discussed and included on a CD-ROM that unfortunately is not included in the book, but available for free from his website. If you are really interested in learning more on what makes good eLearning, I would definitely order it soon.

It's about time we had this book!
I have been involved in what is now called eLearning since 1976. I wrote Making CBT Happen in 1987 to help implement eLearning... so I am familiar with this field. Michael Allen has provided us with what we need to design and develop powerful and effective and engaging eLearning. Finally... a solid, experience-based book is available to us all. I read the book and loved the specific guidance on when to do what. Michael moves beyond the technology to its use. Specific design strategies are revealed... and "virtual" templates are provided. So many designers are just given authoring tools and goals... but no direction, creative support or stimulus for ideas. This book fills that void.

This will surely be the baseline resource for eLearning Design for at least the next five years! Thank you, Michael Allen! We needed this. ... Read more

Book Description

Put coaching into practice in your organization!

Executive coaching is dramatically increasing in popularity. Leaders around the world are both using coached and becoming coaches. But, the understanding of what executive coaching is and how it can increases leaders' effectiveness has not grown as fast as the application of this process.

Coaching for Leadership brings together the world's best executive coaches to give the reader an understanding of:

Book Description

A perfect blend of theory and practice, Making the Team unites cutting-edge research on groups with practical management principles. The clear, step-by-step approaches offered in this book will prove especially useful for managers-in-training as well as seasoned executives.The book is organized into 3 primary tasks for the leader/manager: 1) Accurately assessing and improving team performance; 2) Managing the internal dynamics of teams (diversity, conflict, and creativity); and 3) Optimally leveraging the team within the larger organization.For Human Resource employees and trainers, consultants, and all levels of educators. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Worth the Price for "External Evironments"
Leigh Thompson has done it again. Like few others this Northwestern University scholar takes current research and puts it on the page like few other experts. I particularly found the sections on dealing with conflict within teams, creativity, and social capital (in the External Evironment section) worth reading. I keep this book with me when I am meeting with a team. I use the individual chapters as a guide for activities there. If you have an interest in teams, Leigh Thompson is the one expert you should include in your library.

Making the Team Makes the Grade!
Whether you work in teams, design them, or study them, you will find much of value in this book. Drawing on a wealth of social and behavioral science findings, Leigh Thompson shows the advantages, and the pitfalls, of getting things done through teamwork. Clearly written, with many case examples, Thompson builds on her research and consulting experiences to create a complex picture of what makes groups tick. I particularly liked her explanation of how to foster creativity in teams, as well as how to deal with the inevitable conflicts that arise. She notes that teams are not a panacea. However, under the right conditions, properly organized teams contribute substantially to their organizations. If you're dissatisfied with the way things are going in your organization, this book would make a great (anonymous?) gift for your boss! ... Read more

Book Description

A renowned communication expert introduces a subtle and efffective way of selling your best asset--yourself--without turning off those you're trying to impress. It is well-documented that working hard isn't enough to keep your professional star rising: Self-promotion is recognized as one of the most important attributes for getting ahead. But learning to share your talents and successes without coming across as smug or rehearsed is a tricky skill. Now, Peggy Klaus, top communication and leadership coach, has developed a program that will teach anyone to brag--and get away with it. Filled with practical examples of ways in which people in various work-life stages can promote themselves, Klaus teaches readers to communicate strengths and accomplishments without appearing too opportunistic, eager, egotistical, or self-aggrandizing. Now anyone can communicate with style and substance--in any situation--and walk away shining like the star they are! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Yes- Brag
This is an amusing, informative book advising people how to self-promote. I read the book, and then put into practice what was taught for some telephone promotion for raising funds for a non-profit organization that I work with. It was amazing how the technique Ms. Klaus advised encouraged the return of calls previously ignored. I was so pleased. As well, it is fun to read, making you chuckle throughout. She is a great educator.

MyShelf.com Book Reviewer
In today's corporate market, competition is fierce, as people try to out do each other to get ahead. There are many techniques, but not every one is effective. Finding the right marketing technique to sell your skills is crucial. Survival is only for the fittest.

Peggy Klaus is a world-renowned Fortune 500 communication coach. Being an expert in the art of communication has enabled her to create a book based on simple-to-understand, real-life concepts. Her techniques show how to capitalize on being yourself while making the most of your accomplishments.

With her "Track 12" concept, she allows readers the opportunity to interact with the book itself by answering questions that can be referred back to at the right time and appropriate moment to make yourself outshine the competition. For instance, you will learn how to effectively throw a reference to one of your achievements into everyday conversations without sounding phony or unnatural. Her advice is golden; it provides the polished style and refined substance needed to climb the corporate ladder.

Of all the books I have ever read on this subject, I found Ms. Klaus's to have the most grace and the most overall, long-term impact. For anyone who is struggling to gain the recognition for their hard work and long hours, this is the book you will need to add to your book collection. Very highly recommended.

Wow! I think this book was written just for me!
Brag! was recommended to me highly... three different times. The third recommendation was because the book was on the "must read" list of a class I was taking on marketing. I finally bought the paperback version of the book since I was unable to find it at the local library.

I ho-hummed as I opened the book thinking it would be yet another inspirational speaker writing a book bragging about her success and that everyone else should be inspired. Inspirational speakers have never been that inspirational to me - probably because their "inspiration" lasts as long as it takes for me to get back to my car (usually at the top level of the parking lot furthest away from the auditorium). Once I'm behind the wheel of my car I am thrust back into my own world wondering what just happened. Hadn't I felt great just a few moments before? Wasn't I ready to go get 'em? Wasn't I determined to get going and make a success of my business?

I read the first paragraph of the Introduction of Brag! and Peggy Klaus had me hooked. Wait a minute. I know she was talking about her own background in her narrative, but it sounded as if she was talking about me! She speaks of her father telling her as a child, " ...don't toot your own horn; if you do a good job people will notice you." My parents and Sunday School teachers said that all the time, too, and more. "Bragging is a big no-no." "The Bible says that modesty is a virtue." No wonder I never really liked inspirational speakers. They come off as giant braggarts. According to Peggy Klaus, they're not doing it right.

Countless phrases of virtue and avoidance of being obnoxious and self-aggrandizing hang in the back of my head waiting to pounce as soon as someone asks me what I do. I murmur, "I'm a graphic designer" only half-believing that I deserve the title despite my success. "Graphic designer?" they ask. "Does that mean you do, like, brochures and stuff like that?" "Yeah," I answer. And then the conversation falls flat.

This is where Peggy Klaus picks up the pace and tells you right out that if you don't speak up for yourself, no one else will. However, there is an art to this type of communication. Peggy spends the remaining 190 pages helping you take stock of what you have to brag about while you make yourself a "Brag Bag" full of "Brag Bites" and a few good "Bragalogues" to fit various situations. She also has some plain talk rebuttals to the "buts" we all have to talking about ourselves. My favorite:

" 'But... do I really need to brag 24/7?' Like the Scouts, be prepared... to toot at any time. That doesn't mean, however, that you do it all the time or that you do it at inappropriate times or places. You do it when it feels comfortable. And learning how to make it feel more comfortable is what this book is all about."

Peggy's examples are plentiful and, if you're like me, you'll see yourself in her examples more than once. She's not just any braggart, she's the best! Her natural way of writing (read: unpretentious), extremely practical advice, recommendations and her sense of humor combine to make this my favorite book of my business reading and the book that, right now, is making the most impact in my life and in my business.
-Anna Kris Bell
Catchphrase Graphics

Keep on Tootin¿
Probably most people were taught three principles early on in life: Obey the golden rule, don't pick up hitchhikers, and let other people praise you. Author Peggy Klaus can't help you with the first two, but she debunks the third principle.

Just what is bragging? Or put more properly, WHEN is bragging bragging and when is it taking advantage of opportunities? According to Klaus, there's a time and a place for proper bragging. Bragging (or "self-promotion") can be practiced in and out of the office. It can help you get better assignments, better pay, better recognition, better relationships, and more. But you have to do it properly...

Klaus show us first how NOT to brag, citing many examples of failed bragging and how to correct them. When practiced correctly, the principles of BRAG can help you communicate your talents without coming across as obnoxious. Recommended.

193 pages

Great for Job Hunters
As someone who is looking for a new job, I am always thinking about how to make my interviews go better. This book made me see how I have been presenting myself to possible employers with an almost apologetic attitude. Klaus explains how to make up bragologues about yourself so that you can let people know who you are and what you can do without sounding obnoxious. I was skeptical at first, but for the first time in months I have been called back for a second interview. I also told my friend about this book and she said that it helped her get a new client. It's fun to read and has lots of easy to use advice. ... Read more

Book Description

Management and Organizational Behavior: An Integrated Perpective blends the traditional management and organizational behavior topics by presenting the technical aspects of management and managerial practice, as well as its social-psychological and behavior consequences. The authors present an integrative model that positions Management philosophy as a force which shapes the practice of management and organization design, both of which impact and explain organizational behavior. The text emphasizes that to be a strategic manager, there must be an understanding of the organization, management process, individuals as members, and the deep interrelationship between all these areas. ... Read more

Book Description

Learn how to mobilize support, improve efficiency, and get things done!

Politics is an inevitable, legitimate, and even beneficial aspect of corporate and organizational life. Hard work and good ideas are not enough to ensure success-your ability to win allies and head off resistance is what really matters in today's corporate environment. If you don't garner support for your ideas, you could become an organizational casualty.

Get Them on Your Side outlines how to:

Book Description

Much more than simply a list of protocols, Cultural Intelligence helps readers develop a mind-set that can be applied to any number of countries, cultures, and business situations. It is a systematic way to approach the tremendous variety of interactions and challenges that business people must face around the world - much easier and more realistic than documenting every trait of every culture and preparing to cater to each. This book presents a three-stage process for becoming culturally intelligent. These steps involve learning the fundamental principles of cross-cultural interactions, such as what cultures are, how they might vary, and how they affect behavior; practicing mindfulness and paying attention in a reflective and creative way to cues; and developing a repertoire of behavioral skills that can be adapted to different situations. It takes time and effort to develop high cultural intelligence, but this book helps readers with the right attitude begin this rewarding experience. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Outdoes all the rest
I have read countless books regarding inter-cultural communications and competence but I have to say that this is eons ahead of all others (including some by the same title). The strongest argument that the authors make here is that there are no patronising sets of rules to follow in different cultures, that one can, using an effective method and basic awareness, communicate across any culture successfully and without the aid of guidebooks and the like. In essence, this is the only book anyone will ever need on this subject...nice work! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Nice system, acceptable book
The system itself seems to be a good one, and EasyScript Express an acceptably effective way to learn it.

Here's how the book is broken down:
5pp Introduction
8pp Lesson 1: Simple words
7pp Lesson 2: Prefix words
10pp Lesson 3: Suffix words
11pp Lesson 4: Prefix/Suffix words
6pp Lesson 5: Compound words
2pp Easyscript Overview
2pp Adapting to EasyScript
8pp Answers to the exercises
45pp EasyScript Dictionary

The remaining 60 of the total 164 pages (most of the left-hand pages of all the chapters) are lined "notes" pages presumably for the student to practice in, leaving 104pp total of actual content. Of the content, at least 50% is lists of vocabulary for the learner to transcribe into EasyScript.

This would be a fine basic workbook for a class taught by an instructor that was available to explain things to you. As a self-training book it's rather lean. Ideally I'd want an introductory book like this to have perhaps triple the content (At least fill in those "Notes" pages). I'd want a lot more explanation of the reasoning behind the design, some anecdotes and examples of what people have been using ES for in their lives, examples that show it being used for something other than dictated business letters...something to "humanize" it a bit more.

I'd also like the opportunity to review previously-learned rules, and a lot more opportunity to familiarize myself with it by reading EasyScript text, not just writing isolated words. There are seven brief business-letter transcription exercises, but that's not enough. There's little EasyScript text available on the web (and basically nothing but generic PR stuff available on the official website), so after this brief overview of the basics, my only opportunity to practice is going to be to write something out myself, hope I'm doing it more or less correctly, and practice on that.

Basically the feel of this book was "Okay, we got a couple of hours. Here are the rules, here's a list of words to practice on, now go out and use it, good luck." After going through all the exercises I kind of vaguely know the basics, but I want more. Preferably without paying a hundred dollars...

It's been a blessing
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to write down more necessary information as opposed to doing it with my own abbreviations or in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

Low investment but a high value-add
This book has taken the pain out of note taking for me. The book's page layout could be improved, but the technique is so simple and user-friendly that anyone can learn it quickly and begin to apply immediately. I highly recommend this book.

A great concept !!!
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

Poorly structured
Past experience with speedwriting well thought out and clearly described has much to do with my disappointment with this method. I believe the general rules are sound enough but little real guidance and a poor presentation on the pages diminishes the effort. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If most coaching guides look as if you'd need a coach just to get throughthem, you'll love this itty-bitty guide, which zooms in on the mostimportant aspects of organizational-workplace coaching, from selecting aneffective personal coaching style and preparing and shaping a coachingsession to followup steps, dealing with barriers to coaching,troubleshooting, and more advanced coaching, such as team coaching,long-distance coaching, coaching plus appraising, and assessing your owncoaching skills. On every page, boxed "power tips," quickie case studies andself-tests, to-do checklists, and easy-to-follow flowcharts demystify theprocess. Granted, if you're looking forspecific or in-depth guidance, you may find this book too general in its approach. But if you're looking for a thumbnail guide to the basics, it'll do just fine.

It's worth mentioning that the book is also part of reference publisherDorling-Kindersley's Essential Managers series--20 itty-bitty books onbusiness and career topics ranging from communication, leadership, anddecision-making to the management of time, budgets, change, meetings, people,projects, and teams. Combining the For Dummies series' talent forbreaking down a lot of information into bite-sized bits and sidebars withDorling-Kindersley's signature, crisp graphics on agleaming white backdrop, they don't represent the cutting edge of businessthinking and they don't necessarily reflect any unique individual perspective.

Instead, it's as though someone collated the best general thinking on these 20 topics and rolled them out into 72 brightly designed and easy-to-readpages, studded along the way with boxed tips, color shots of a multiracialcast of "coworkers" animatedly hashing through the workplace issues of theday, and a self-test of one's skills in the topic at hand on the last fewpages of each volume. Again, they're not for anyone looking for in-depth or focused help on any of the subjects they cover, but they'reperfect as a quickie general-interest reference... and let's face it, they're so cute, and look so smart in a neat little stack or row, thatyou'll probably want to buy a whole bunch to give to your entire department or staff. --Timothy Murphy ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Power Tips from two experts in the field...
John Eaton holds a doctorate in psychology and is a senior partner of Coaching solutions. They provide coaching and cultural change programs for managers and directors. Roy Johnson has extensive senior management experience and runs Pace, an award-winning training company. Together they also have written Business Applications of NLP.

If you want to learn all you need to know about helping people to achieve their full potential, then you will enjoy Coaching Successfully. This book will show you how to motivate others, promote initiative and help others to take responsibility.

Your coaching style will need to be adapted when dealing with a group and you will also enjoy reading about how to overcome negativity. There are power tips throughout the book which help you to handle real-life situations and increase your effectiveness.

In today's business environment, e-mail can also be used for coaching, however they advise you not to use it for "personal" coaching. At the end of the book, you can evaluate your own coaching skills.

"Raise your expectations and ask people to live up to them." -pg. 62 "Allow people to learn from their own mistakes." -pg. 63 "Motivate staff by linking their personal goals to the company's aims." -pg. 20

These power tips are very useful and there are so many great ideas contained in this mini book. It won't take a long time to read, but you will be able to be a more positive influence on others and will know how to bring out the best in those you work with. ... Read more

Book Description

2 CDs, 1 1/2 hrs

Read by Agnes Herrmann

Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, co-authors of the New York Times business bestseller Raving Fans, are back with Gung Ho!-an invaluable management tool that outlines foolproof ways to increase productivity by fostering excellent morale in the workplace.Through the inspirational story of business leaders, the revolutionary technique of Gung Ho! is revealed in three simple, yet amazingly powerful principles:

The Spirit of the Squirrel: Practice worthwhile work
The Way of the Beaver: Be in control of achieving the goal
The Gift of the Goose: Cheer each other on

Destined to become a classic, Gung Ho! also includes a clear game plan with a step-by-step outline for instituting these groundbreaking ideas that boost enthusiasm and performance and usher in astonishing results for any organization.Whether your organization consists of one or is listed in the Fortune 500, this AudioBook ensures Gung Ho! employees committed to success. ... Read more

Reviews (80)

Great Book and Here's Another!
Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles have created another classic. In a highly effective parable, they provide a blueprint any leader can use to create organizational excitement in just about any type of organization. The most positive characteristics of this book, like all Blanchard books, are the underlying values and wholesome philosophies that drive the message home at each juncture along the way. Whether a person is leading a small work group, a department, a division, or an entire company, he or she will find many useful ideas in this easy-to-read book.

Another book, with a foreword by Ken Blanchard, that I have just finished is also destined to be a classic alongside GUNG HO! I highly recommend everyone - not just people in leadership positions - read WINNING WAYS: FOUR SECRETS FOR GETTING GREAT RESULTS BY WORKING WELL WITH PEOPLE, by Dick Lyles. Dr. Lyles is a protégé of Blanchard and Bowles and this book proves that he, also, has mastered the art of parable writing. This book contains tips that will help anyone be more powerful and charismatic in their dealings with other people.

It will make you believe in yourself and your staff
I joined a new company almost two years ago. Many management people over me were required to read "Gung Ho". I asked to read it and found it thought-provoking, but the three concepts exciting. I've lived those three concepts for the past year and just recently was put in charge of a group seven staff-members. As I recalled the book and the basic concepts, I took it down and read it afresh. As I had practiced, I began teaching the three basic concepts without telling my staff what they are doing. Now my next step is to let them in on the secret. I know "people" are watching me and that's okay. My team is succeeding. With these three concepts in my daily plan of action, I know I will pass the test of a new supervisor as well as have helped create a great winning team. The staff themselves are the winners. The book explains in extremely simple but motivating language how to work together, take control of your actions, and praise one another when we "do good". The book "Gung Ho" is a great birthday or Christmas gift.

You may be able to take something from it
Managers may not be able to enact all of the principles of Gung Ho, but they will be able to walk away with some valuable insight in the world of motivation and performance. If your not sure if you really want this book or not I would recommend that you go for it. There is truly nothing to lose and the reading is entertaining and informative. Every person will be able able to take something from this book and be able to apply it to their work environment.

economics class
The book gung Ho by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles is a great book for managment. It is excellent in the way it simply defines a way to significantly improve your management skills by focusing in the 3 principles. the principles could be used in personal life as well as your profesional life. It is so great that it helps create organization and to use practice using techniques on a daily basis. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in improving their work style. This book is also easy to read and understand.

Simple But Useful
Gung Ho! is a book related to management. Although the concepts in the book are simple, it is important to everyone, especially those are in the management field. The three underlying principles are The Spirit of the Squirrel, The Way of the Beaver and The Gift of the Goose. They are parables of the importance of making employees understand their roles, the conflict between directing the tasks to employees and empowerment by management, and the importance of appreciation to employees respectively.

In my view of point, I think Gung Ho! is a revolutionary technique to boost enthusiasm and performance and usher in astonishing results for any organization. The principles are the tips to increase productivity by fostering excellent morale in the workplace. For example, employees will be loyal to the company if they gain job satisfaction from their worthwhile work. Positive reinforcements such as appreciation (i.e. say ¡§well done¡¨ when those have good performance) and empowerment can motivate employees to improve and have a better performance.

To conclude, Gung Ho! is easy to read but useful for everyone. The writers convey the important management strategies to the readers by using simple story and parables. I think it is a good time for the company, the management team and the employees to refresh and understand their roles so that they can have a good relationship which can benefit as a whole. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very Good Beginner or Refresher Source
This comprehensive guide to the legal office offers much to those who are just starting their careers as legal secretaries or for those who have been away from the field for a few years and need a refresher. In addition, secretaries in general law offices may find the specialty sections helpful when preparing documents for unusual situations. The information is more current than not and is clearly presented, including short glossaries of Latin and English legal terms. However, Ms. DeVries omitted criminal law practice from her areas of specialty section and neglected to discuss the various legal-specific software programs available.

Recommended as a general source.

Not completely satisfied but a good reference.
Informative, however it lacked several vocabulary items and court documents I was in need of. Also spent too much time on how to set up your office when my office had already been established. Overall though, a good reference.

Must-have desk reference for legal secretaries.
This handbook is outstanding, and we use it as a reference for our specialty certification examinations. It should be in every legal secretary's library. Carol Ann Wilson, Founder, Legal Secretaries International Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Process Consultation Volume II Review
In this second volume, Schein builds on Volume I by dissecting the nature of process and change in lieu of the specific group processes that make or break effective group work. Likewise, in this volume, he brings the concept of process consultation home, so to speak, to help managers and leaders understand themselves and their organizations as a consultant might understand them.

Given that process consultation assumes that organizational leaders know their organizations best and are the most appropriate and capable managers of change, it makes sense that organizational leaders understand group processes. Schein emphasizes that diagnosing an organization's problems is intervening to fix them. He provides explanations of the circumstances when process consultation is most necessary. He advises leaders that more time must be spent intervening on how things get done than on what actually needs to get done. "An effective manager must be able to create situations that will ensure that good decisions are made, without making those decisions himself and without even knowing ahead of time what he might do if he had to make the decision alone." (p.39)

Schein provides a useful model for differentiating between the content, process, and structure of organizational challenges and the task and interpersonal aspects of those challenges. He advises that process should always be favored over content; that task aspects should always be favored over the interpersonal; and that structure, while potentially the most transformative element of change, is the most difficult area to address, because people will resist tampering with the comfort structure provides. He also provides explanations on the essential challenges relevant to content and process that every group must face. The lesson he offers for leaders and consultants is that whatever is done to solve a problem must begin with a clarification of the primary task of the group.

Schein devotes considerable space to explaining the ORJI model of intrapsychic processes. (We observe, we react - emotionally, we judge based on our observations and feelings, and we intervene to make something happen.) "The most important thing for managers or consultants to understand is what goes on inside their own heads." (p.63) The trap of ORJI is MIRI, i.e., that we misperceive, inappropriately react, react rationally based on bad data, and intervene incorrectly. To avoid the MIRI trap, we must check our cultural assumptions, our personal filters (see volume I), and our situational expectations based on previous experiences. Schein also provides a clear synthesis of the unfreezing, changing, refreezing model of change and improvement. In unfreezing, the motivation and readiness for change are developed; in changing, new points of view are adopted; and in refreezing, new points of view are integrated to affect changes in the process approaches to tasks.

Schein devotes most of the latter half of his book to explanations and analyses of intervention processes. He discusses the "exploratory", "diagnostic", "action alternative", and "confrontive" models of intervening, how they might initiated and when one might use each. "...The tactics of intervention should focus initially on exploration, inquiry, and diagnosis. Only when the consultant feels that the client is ready to think about alternative next steps is it appropriate to move to action alternatives and confrontive interventions." (p.157) Schein also provides specific kinds of interventions which might fall into any one of these four basic categories of intervention.

This volume, taken with the first, provide not only a clear theoretical framework for understanding organizational change, but also useful tools and approaches for pre-empting organizational roadblocks and addressing organizational dilemmas once they've appeared. These books are essential reading for any leader or consultant.

Process Consultation
This volume and its follow-up, Volume II, are essential reading for consultants and anyone interesting in taking a leadership role in improving an organization. Schein devotes entire chapters to the key human processes in organizations: communication, roles, group problem-solving, group decision-making, leadership and authority, intergroup processes, and interventions. In each one, he not only explains what he has learned through years of study and experience, but also the most salient aspects of organizational theory relevant to each area.

Schein differentiates process consultation from other forms of consultation by first making clear the role of the process consultant, who is not an expert providing information or advice, but rather a coach who seeks to help a client understand and act on events, which happen in the client's organization. Consulting is helping the client to understand problems and to decide how to solve them. The consultant's role is to teach diagnostic and problem-solving skills, not to work on the actual problems.

Communication is a central group process critical for effective functioning of groups and organizations. The process-consultant can help a client understand the communication patterns in a group by assessing who talks whom and how much. Interruptions, who interrupts whom, how much and when can be useful information when attempting to diagnose an organization's shortcomings. Schein includes in this chapter an explanation of the filters, which inhibit or enhance an individual's capacity to communicate effectively. They are: self-image, the image of other people, the definition of the situation, motives, feelings, intentions, attitudes, and expectations. When groups come together to accomplish a goal, certain predictable tensions may undermine the groups ability to solve problems. Individuals in the group may be concerned with their own role in the group, their ability or expectation to influence the group, the need to have the group's goals connect with their own goals, or whether they will be accepted and respected in the group. Sometimes groups need assistance in identifying and processing these tensions before they can concern themselves with the necessary task and maintenance functions required to accomplish their task.

For groups to solve problems they must become good at problem formulation, evaluating solutions, forecasting consequences and testing proposals, action planning, implementing action steps, and evaluating outcomes. Schein offers sage advice for groups wishing to develop their capacity to improve: (1) Don't confuse the symptom with the problem itself (2) Don't evaluate courses of action prematurely - remain open (3) Test proposals using multiple sources and methods, and (4) Plan for action carefully and methodically. Schein offers clear explanations of various decision-making models, which are helpful for a consultant or leader to understand. Groups will function most effectively when the decision-making model is clear and understood. Often models are employed by default, which can alienate and undermine group members and subvert effective improvement efforts. A central failure of leadership is often the gap between what leaders say and how they behave. An effective leaders and process consultants need to become experts in this problem and its potential effects. Awareness of group processes will not only help the leader avoid interpersonal or intergroup problems, but it will also help solve them should they arise. Schein includes useful sets of Likert scales to rate group effectiveness and mature group processes; a model of the stages of group problem-solving; and a continuum of leadership behavior.

Schein's view of the process consultant as a capacity builder parallels his implicit view that organizational leaders need to understand and seek patterns of behavior that downplay coercion and expertise and emphasize participation and differentiated responsibility. This volume and its partner, despite their ages, are still relevant and useful to the leader or consultant.

Not your regular Consultant type
If you are interested in this high challenging and highly satisfying skill of becoming a process consultant, read this book, by one of the biggest names in the PC universe...Edgar Schien. This book is a classic and all OD consultants should read it !

Process Consulting is not the typical consulting intervention where 20 somethings come into your organization, do a survey and hand over a thick report after collecting $ per hour !!

Process Consulting is both an art and craft performed by people who intervene in organization systems that are seen as 'human systems' and are sensitive in not inducing 'dependency' of the client. The delicate art is to intervene at the process level rather than the content level and extricate without creating much ripples. Most known consulting deals with 'content' consulting and therefore has more measurale outcomes than the supposedly soft process consulting.

Process consulting is truly empowering and the consultant is a traveller in the process of discovery with the client, constantly asking questions.

Process Consultation: Its Role in Organization Development
Schein sees the vital importance balancing the clients tasks and relationships in the work place. Helping clients see the vital importance of thier teams interpersonal relationships can leads to efficient task performance. And Schein in Process Consultation offers priceless insight into consulting clients so effective performance results through the unitied efforts of people and teams. The charts on problem solving and rating group effectiveness are worth the price alone. A must have for leaders and consultants. ... Read more

Book Description

Year after year, consultants, trainers, and human resource professionals have come to rely on the Annuals to provide them with the most current and quality tools on a wide variety of topics. In this book, editor Elaine Biech and contributors to the Annuals have honed in on the important theme of team building to create the first topic-specific book in the Annuals series. The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Team-Building Tools includes an innovative ten-block model for building a high-performance team and draws on the best-on-the-topic articles from thirty-five years of Annuals volumes.

Open the pages of The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Team-Building Tools and you will find:

Book Description

Aldag and Kuzuhara combine key management and organizational behavior concepts with intense application of critical managerial tools and techniques. In each chapter, the learner is presented with a short discussion of relevant theory and concepts and then actively participates in the application of these concepts through experiential exercises, self-assessment tools, and case studies. Throughout the text are examples and interviews with practitioners, emphasizing to the learner the importance of the topic at hand. Internet links and activities provide guidance on how to use the Internet as a management tool and to explore management in today's organizations. ... Read more

Book Description

This handy, inexpensive pocket guide provides each person on a team with the information they need to effectively work together to accomplish goals. It is designed to help teams develop a clear purpose, identify stakeholders and team roles, gather proper data, and create and execute focused work plans. The guide supports organization-wide consistency and participation in creating organizational breakthroughs and improvements. It measures 3.5" x 5.5". ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Team Memory Jogger is an excellent resource
I have found the Team Memory Jogger to be very valuable to me. If your organization has many meetings that tend to get very little done, this is a great tool to help your team make the most of their time. The Team Memory Jogger is packed with usefull and helpful tools to help meeting facilitators, team leaders and participants get organized, stay focused and achieve real results.

An Excellent Reminder of Do's and Don'ts in a Team
This pocket-size book is an excellent reference book to be kept under hand for those who need being reminded when working in a team. Since we are a part of a team everywhere (at the university, at work, at professional projects, in our daily lives), this book appeals to merely everyone. The book does not only focus on teamworking at workplace, but gives tips one may need for any productive teamwork. Five major topics of the book comprises tips, each of which is illustrated, and supported by real-life examples. Every topic commences with Start-up Checklist, which addresses the common mistakes of team workers, and helps to highlight the reader's pitfalls. The book does not have a didactic nature, but sounds just like as if a friend is talking to the reader giving suggestions from hi previous experience. By the end, whether one reads it word by word or just gives a quick look, the book gives something valuable to the reader. ... Read more

Book Description

Thinking Like An Entrepreneur is a yes-you-too-can-achieve-your-dream-power-of-positive-thinking self-help motivational book coupled with some very serious business analysis. While some people dream of coming up with a hot idea and taking the next great Internet company public, this book focuses on building a real business with real profits. Such businesses can make the founder worth millions of dollars in only a few short years without the company ever becoming public. This book is written for entrepreneurs who want to make their company profitable ASAP.

But to build such a business demands an understanding of simple financial and business decision making. Thinking Like An Entrepreneur teaches you to understand the fundamentals that underlie intelligent decision making for your small company.

The book covers many important topics (cash flow, profit margins, and the time value of money, etc.) and will help get a new entrepreneur started. Whether or not you wish to grow your company to a substantial size, this book will help you succeed in business by teaching you to think more like successful entrepreneurs--to make fundamentally sound decisions. Some of the book's highlights:

If you choose not to grow your business, but just to do "your own thing," Chapter 23 covers becoming a consultant in some depth. This is a viable avenue for computer programmers, graphic artists, videographers, and, of course, web page designers today. The chapter is a short primer for deciding if you want to become a consultant and is an introduction to some of the basic issues consultants face. The new area of online consulting is briefly discussed.

If you choose not to start from scratch, but rather, buy an existing business, Chapter 26 goes into detail into buying a business. You will learn how to value a smaller company, including valuing intellectual capital. A rather lengthy chapter you might choose to skip unless you really are going to seek a business to buy.

Chapter 17 shows you why it is important to incorporate your company and discusses the option of creating an S-corporation. Issues of taxation and liability are discussed. The chapter helps you understand how to minimize your overall tax bite and get the best liability protection possible.

Chapter 9 discusses the role of personality type in building a company. It is important that you start a business that is suited to who you are as a person. A great market opportunity is not a great personal opportunity if you won't enjoy the business. This chapter is written to help you find a business suited to you.

Chapter 4 and 5 go into detail explaining how thriving businesses bootstrap themselves to financial success. You are introduced to the concept of compounding intervals and rates of return (which are further developed on Chapter 16 which is dedicated to the nature of compounding money within a business). Proprietary products are discussed. This tread of thought is continued in Chapter 12 which deals with cash flow and how cash flow issues can affect your company's growth rate. A hypothetical game company making "Lifers" is considered. These chapters alone probably make the book worth reading.

Chapter 7 discusses the author's personal views on how the Internet is changing business today and what the Internet means for Microsoft and other established companies. An easy-to-read chapter, but with no hands-on advice on how to create your site.

Chapter 13 is a comparison of the fields of computer programming and computer-based training (CBT). The goal is to get the reader to see where value is created within the type of business he or she will start.

Chapter 15 discusses the role of luck in business and explains why Bill Gates is the richest man alive today. You will learn how to play the "game" of business appropriately allowing for the role of luck.

The book is written in an irreverent fashion, and might be subtitled, "Entrepreneurship Lessons From The Movies" as the author refers to several films to make his points. Although light-hearted in fashion, the book gets a bit mathematical in a few chapters. But those chapters are well worth the read to anyone serious about building a company. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A must read for existing and future biz owners
Finally a book written on entrepreneurship that has so much to offer! A guide for fledgling IT entrepreneurs as well as a resource for those faced with the myriad problems of the modern business environment. It is also an introduction to computer consulting and building a multimedia company. Readable, concise, precise, and pragmatic. The in-depth coverage and sound counsel make this a book that should be in every business person's library. I've read my copy twice. It's twenty-seven chapters of very good, easy-to-read inspirational reading. A must read for anyone thinking about starting or expanding their existing business. Highly recommended!

Entrepreneur Highly Informative
This book's got a lot of good stuff in it--those critical factors that help contribute to making good business decisions. I've already seen some improvement in business growth. In fact, the usefulness of Entrepreneur's information is a lot like Guerilla PR: Wired: both have tons of really useful info to entrepreneurs on how to build their business.

Great for [inexperienced] and veteran entrepreneurs
Peter Hupalo has written a unique book for Entrepreneurs. I've read a lot of books about business and entrepreneurship, but this one is different. It speaks to people just thinking about starting a business and yet it has a lot to offer to the veteran entrepreneur.

If you're thinking about starting a business, the first few chapters will do a great job of helping you think about the risks in quitting a "safe" job and starting your own company. It's not as risky as you might think. This isn't the book to read about business licenses or accounting systems - it is much more important than that! It really is as the title suggests a book about thinking like an entrepreneur.

I've been in business for more than 10 years, but I'm still making mistakes and trying to learn new things. A mark of a good book for me is the number of pages that I dog-ear to mark interesting ideas. My copy of Thinking Like an Entrepreneur has at least 20 pages marked, and I've referred back to it many times since I finished reading it. It will definitely go on my favorites shelf of business books. I've already recommended it to my entrepreneur friends.

The author's style is to mix stories about experiences from actual entrepreneurs with good step-by-step walkthroughs of "thinking like an entrepreneur". It is 272 pages with 27 chapters. Each chapter can stand alone, making it easy to focus on the areas you're really interested in while skimming the ones that don't apply so much to your business. Peter seems to have a technology background, but I think any businessperson will find a lot to learn in this book.

My favorite chapters include:

* Don't Get Bournouillied - an interesting discussion of risk

* Men are cheaper than guns

* The importance of margins - Most books don't cover this VERY important topic

* Expectation Values and Decision Making

* Personality and Business Choice

* You Know Enough, But Keep Learning Anyway

* The Role of Luck in Business

* An introduction to the Nature of Compounding and the Time Value of Money

* Relationship Marketing - The cost of losing clients

* The Value of Time

This is a very readable book. It is entertaining while having good solid information on important topics that you'll find yourself rereading several times. Highly recommended!

GREAT BOOK - BUT A SOMEWHAT INACCURATE TITLE!
With thirty years experience in business management and psychology, both in teaching and counselling, I have great respect for this author's way of thinking and his apparent ability. He definitely knows entreprenrship inside out. So, the editing in the book is not perfect, but the valuable material contained here far outways the lack of editing skills, and the book is still deserving of a five star rating for the valuable information it contains.

However, with all due respect, the title did not seem quite fitting or appropriate, although the message was clear. No one can make you "think" like an entrepreneur or like anything else for that matter. Many successful entrepreneurs "think" in many different ways. The thought process in each human being is unique and individual as we are. We may have similar thoughts that we agree, or disagee, upon, but the thinking process, itself, still remains unique. What most successful entrepreneurs do have in common is the ability to follow basic business principles which ultimately lead to viable, long-term business. Entrepreneurs who know how to make a business grow to its full potential, guarantee customer satisfaction, invest in their employees and treat them with respect and dignity, keep expenses in line with sales and achieve maximum profits, have learned how to make sound business decisions. I thoroughly enjoyed this author's book and highly recommend it to anyone contemplating their own busines start up.

The When, the Why, and the How
Initially I was a little skeptical about this book, because I could not find anything about what the author actually does for a living. I was expecting another "let me show you how to write the best business plan" kind of book. Instead, I found a very enjoyable and practical book that should be a must-read for every aspiring entrepreneur, regardless of which industry this aspiration may lie in.

The 266-page book is divided into 27 chapters, each covering a specific topic. That makes about 10 pages per chapter, which translates into material that's easily understandable and digestable. Topics covered range from risk assessment to basic accounting (very basic indeed, but an excellent way to start especially becuase many of us find accounting unbearably boring) to managing resources to, yes, writing a business plan. The author mixes his philosophical musings along with anecdotes and hard business lessons (like calculating NPV and profits). His constant humor and approachable style make the book very easy and fun to read.

The emphasis of the book is on how an entrepreneur should *think*. Of course, thinking often is not enough; action is also paramount. But starting with the right mindset increases the chance of success -- and also helps one live more happily. The author points out very early on that we all fear failure, and this fear holds most of us back from starting our own businesses. He then delves into how we can overcome this fear partially by analyzing the risks associated with an adventure. This approach makes the subject much less boring than one otherwise expects and also makes the material easier to absorb. As Zhuangzi, the ancient Chinese philosopher, once said, "Starting with the right mind set increases your chance of success tenfold." The constant mind coaching from this book is what I appreciate the most.

The author writes as he speaks, so there are a few grammatical and punctuation errors, but overall this book is highly readable and you may be like me and not want to stop in the middle of a chapter. Each ch