Amazon.com

Disciplines like strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful business; actually getting things done never seems quite as glamorous. But as Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan demonstrate in Execution, the ultimate difference between a company and its competitor is, in fact, the ability to execute.

Execution is "the missing link between aspirations and results," and as such, making it happen is the business leader's most important job. While failure in today's business environment is often attributed to other causes, Bossidy and Charan argue that the biggest obstacle to success is the absence of execution. They point out that without execution, breakthrough thinking on managing change breaks down, and they emphasize the fact that execution is a discipline to learn, not merely the tactical side of business. Supporting this with stories of the "execution difference" being won (EDS) and lost (Xerox and Lucent), the authors describe the building blocks--leaders with the right behaviors, a culture that rewards execution, and a reliable system for having the right people in the right jobs--that need to be in place to manage the three core business processes of people, strategy, and operations. Both Bossidy, CEO of Honeywell International, Inc., and Charan, advisor to corporate executives and author of such books as What the CEO Wants You to Know and Boards That Work, present experience-tested insight into how the smooth linking of these three processes can differentiate one company from the rest. Developing the discipline of execution isn't made out to be simple, nor is this book a quick, easy read. Bossidy and Charan do, however, offer good advice on a neglected topic, making Execution a smart business leader's guide to enacting success rather than permitting demise. --S. Ketchum ... Read more

Reviews (126)

Execute optimally!
This book describe a necessary leadership behavior in the Execution paradigm -- Insist on realism. As thinking is the basis of action, this concept requires more exploration and explanation. Prior to the introduction of Optimal Thinking into the corporate world, the pervasive motto was Think Positive. Optimism promotes persistence, but it is a poor strategy when the cost of failure or probability of failure are high. With the current integration of Optimal Thinking into leading corporations, the transformation from AnyCorp (consisting of any thinkers) to Opticorp (consisting of Optimal Thinkers) empowers the corporate culture to practice optimal realism. Optimal Thinkers accept what is out of their control, and optimize what is within their control. Using Optimal Thinking to ask questions like, What is within my/our control here? What are my/our options here? What is the worst event scenario? What is our optimal contingency plan? What is in our best interest? What is our highest priority? What are the best actions we can take to achieve it? What is the best thing you/we can do under the circumstances? empowers us to set clear priorities, and take the most constructive actions to follow through -- essential for optimal leadership and optimized execution. Execution-driven leaders who thrive on accountability and reward performance, must select the right people for the right jobs. This is achieved with Optimal Thinking. Read these two books, get your key people to read them too, and you will OPTIMIZE productivity.

Leadership for the real world
Reading "Execution" and pondering its theses is a lot like listening to your mother telling you to eat your broccoli: There are other things you'd rather have, but in your heart you know it's the right thing. Much of "Execution" is plain old common sense; to move a business forward, everyone from the CEO downward needs to work to make things happen.

A refreshing departure from the fuzzy style of most leadership books, "Execution" is invaluable for up-and-coming business leaders of all stripes, though its focus is primarily senior management in very large organizations. Some readers will find that Bossidy and Charan spend a lot of time re-stating the obvious. For every "ah-ha!" moment this book presents, there are at least two "well, duh!" moments. But in light of many of the problems facing businesses today, the obvious bears repeating.

Others will find that "Execution" barely scratces the surface of a highly complex series of topics, and will want a greater diversity of business cases. Much time is spent fawning over Jack Welch at the expense of other, equally deserving business leaders. To that end, a sequel or a companion workbook would be helpful. But for getting managers thinking about their jobs in a new and beneficial light, "Execution" accomplishies its goal admirably. Much like broccoli!

The book that Jack should have written.
This is perhaps one of the best business books I have ever read. Unlike many books which use extensive academia and complex formulas which rarely see the light of day or work well outside of a controlled environment, this book is simple. That said this simplicity can be a bit deceiving. When I worked for GE, as did Bossidy and Jack Welch, the concepts which turned that business into a global leader in industry were remarkably simple. It wasn't the simplicity of the ideas, but rather the ability to get a hundred thousand people executing flawlessly on them that makes the difference.

In the book Bossidy describes how he personally would ensure execution occurs within his businesses. Start with the right people. Too many times we assume people are merely interchangeable cogs, but great business leaders who get results know differently. Chapter 5 discusses the responsibility and focus required to ensure the right people are in the right jobs. Even as a CEO he spent up to 40% of his time on developing and hiring the right people.

Another interesting aspect is the ability to speak directly and level set expectations and have a firm grasp on reality, regardless of how painful that reality may be at the time. Throughout the book is example after example that illustrates the value of direct conversation and clear feedback and communication. As you read the book, look for not only the content of what is discussed, but how it is discussed. Nearly always the method is to truly listen and engage people in a dialog which will set expectations, and ensure misunderstandings or mixed messages are limited. This allows people to focus on what needs to be done instead of being distracted with politics and other non value added issues.

While some may see the content as too simplistic, those same people are usually unable to deliver results in the same manner as Bossidy did at GE, or Honeywell. The value of this book is both in content and style.

The book itself is never dry, is easy to read, flows smoothly in conversational format, and is highly engaging. Highly recommended to anyone in a business situation who wants to improve execution and results.

Standard business consulting verbiage
I was hoping that this was a down-to-earth book with interesting and useful ideas like Built to Last or No Excuses Management. Alas, it's just a standard, boring, fluffy business book filled with many more words that are called for. It might be worth reading if you're stuck on an airplane with it.

A must for serious business officers
The principles of the book helped us move our stock from $1 to $6 in 2 years. I not only like the book, I now use it as a tool for my consulting business. It helps focusing on the essential and provides a template for structuring a business for success. I believe that it can be adapted to any venture.

I recommend it because of its simplicity and connection to reality. If you have managed operations, you will appreciate this down-to-earth layout of how to steadily drive your business or evaluate another business. Use that approach and you are above 99% of the business crowd out there. I am grateful. ... Read more

Book Description

Kreitner and Kinicki's Organizational Behavior, 6th Edition, continues its tradition of being up-to-date, relevant and user-driven.Kreitner and Kinicki's approach to organizational behavior is based on the authors' belief that reading a comprehensive textbook is hard work, but that the process should be interesting (and sometimes fun).Thus, they consistently attempt to find a way to make complex ideas understandable through explanations, contemporary examples, and/or learning exercises.

The cover again depicts the well known visual brand of Wolves.This remains a central theme because Kreitner and Kinicki see wolves as an instructive and inspiring metaphor for modern Organizational Behavior.Wolves are dedicated team players, great communicators, and adaptable.These are key success attributes in today's workplace. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Common sense in a bound volume
This book discusses a topic that is a grab bag of different disciplines and has nice illustrations but i dont know if it is worth close to $100. Anyone who has significant work history intuitively knows a bulk of the material in this book. The book could be condensed to include the hard data and scientific findings and leave out much of the intuitively obvious commentary. This book is no worse than scores of similar textbooks on 'soft'topics but with the way prices are going many students are captive buyers,forced to buy textbooks at the teacher's request for perhaps questions used in the book for grading purposes while the general info can readily be found in college libraries.

Scholar's choice
The book may be a good choice for a scholar of OB. If you are a graduate student like I am, you may find it difficult to follow and overloaded with scientific terms. To my mind, the simpler the better, which this book is not. ... Read more

Book Description

Leadership and Self-Deception is the first book to identify a single, underlying cause of every form of leadership failure. Through the story of Tom—a “shluck” in his manager’s words—readers discover that identifying and treating individual leadership problems as if they were separate and distinct is not enough to transform people into successful leaders. The authors suggest that the key to leadership lies not in what we do, but in how we "are." They explore this compelling secret: Self-deception is the central player and trap underlying all leadership failures, relationship issues, and performance problems in organizations. Leaders who live in the box of self-deception are trapped: they cannot lead, no matter how hard they try and no matter how many skills and techniques they employ. With convincing examples, the authors show clearly how self-deception operates and how to overcome it. While other books cover people skills, this one goes deeper, fully illuminating the secret to leadership success. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

In the box
I think the "Light on content" reviewer is in the box! The concepts in this book COULD perhaps be contained in a small pamphlet, but Terry Warner's book guides the reader through useful and practical applications. Most people, including me, cannot simply read a pamphlet and expect the concepts contained therein to immediately change us. This book takes the time to help the reader internalize potentially life-changing ideas.

Good Stuff--Not For the Timid
Don't read this book if you're not willing to confront yourself about how you see, feel about and treat others in your life--spouse, boss, children, co-workers, subordinates, the janitor. It's a short and simple book with a surprisingly simple message. You'll find yourself constantly stopping throughout the book to reflect upon some situation you could have, and should have, handled differently by thinking about those involved in a different manner. This is a truly fresh and human approach to leadership and performance. Read it!

Remarkable
So much of this kind of writing is common sense once you're done the book... but this kind of common sense needs to be reinforced over and over again.

Written in an easy to follow narrative you find yourself relating to the main character, coming up with the same questions he has, and feeling the same feelings as he finds the truth about what he is living, feeling & learning.

A quick read and a remarkable look into how you can live & work everday.

I suppose it could be useful ...
... but like most "leadership" books, it presents material that is more common sense than anything. However it may be the most obvious things that people overlook.

Nonetheless, the book can inadvertently create even more of "a box" between those who believe in the book's mantra and those who don't. The former will accuse the latter of "being in the box" while the latter may argue how the content oversimplifies things. In reality, like most philosophies, the answer is probably in the middle somewhere. The book recommends that we should evaluate our relationships as those between people, rather than objects, and that any problems we see may really be problems with ourselves. This ignores the fact that there are in reality (albeit hopefully uncommon) low performers, disrespectful, and dishonest people, and sometimes the problem really is with them.

Get Out of The BOX
This book is outstanding in helping with judgements and self-deception. The principles are taught and reflected in a business relationship enviorment. The new guy ends up learning how to deal more effectively with people at work and at home.

This book is not just for business people. Leadership of Self-Deception is about every relationship. The story and concepts in the book help to open the veil that covers our minds and hearts which cause difficulties with people.

The ideas within this book take you to the deepest levels of judging and dealing with people. You learn how to change your viewpoint to have healthy vibrant relationships with coworkers, family, friends, and anyone you meet. This book took me to a deeper level then Who Moved My Cheese and The One Minute Manger.

There are twelve inches which seperates are head and heart. This book helps to bridge the gap and open us to better relationships. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excessive examples, choppy writing, poor proofreading
The book provides useful diagnostic tools and challenging activities and case studies. However, the writing style of the author is poor and very choppy, making it difficult to follow the material. The author uses an excessive amount of real-world examples, but does little justice to covering and explaining the theory and concepts of the subject material.

I purchased a used 7th edition of this text book through Amazon.com. The pervious owner of my book (a student, I assume) noted several errors in the book. For example, in Chapter 3, "The Diverse Workforce:...", page 81, heading "INDIVIDUAL VALUES AND ATTITUDES", subheading "Values", paragraph 2, sentence 1, the published text states:

"Core values are more susceptible to change, and peripheral values are less susceptible (to change)."

However, the sentence in my text book was manually corrected by the previous owner (at the direction of an instructor at another educational institution, I assume) to read:

"Core values are less susceptible to change, and peripheral values are more susceptible (to change)."

When I first read the sentence, I could not agree with what the author had stated. So I did a search on Google.com and verified from other sources that the author had incorrectly stated this premise.

In Chapter 9, Activity 9-5 Behavior Description Questionnaire, page 319, the book provides a table for scoring a 30 statement behavior questionnaire. The activity requires one to select between an A or B statement which is characteristic of their own behavior. However, item number 6 in the scoring table shows two A answers, and item number 7 in the scoring table shows two B answers, making it impossible to obtain an accurate assessment of one's behavior pattern, unless one is able to clearly understand the subject material and correct the scoring table.

These are just a few of the errors noted in the 7th edition of this publication. It appears the author has not adequately proofread the final product.

Reads like a textbook
This book is required reading for a Masters level course, which is the only way it will ever get read. In a subject area bulging at the seams with real-life, practical hindsight, this book truely shows the difference between academia and those working stiffs who are just trying to make a living.
I will say one thing however - the teacher made the class enjoyable. I was sitting there in class one evening, enjoying the reparte between student and teacher, when I realized:
"Hey! I'm actually learning something here."

Old style type and graphics, writing doesn't flow.
It's not a book that makes you want to read it, I find myself just skimming through it. The author can barely go a page without mentioning "the dot-com global workplace", I find that very annoying. There are some interesting case studies but she doesn't give any suggested outcomes so the reader is left wondering what is the best course of action.

Wonderful
I uses this book on Master degree and is really what I'm waiting. One of the most indicated book for people that is taking Oranizational Behavior. ... Read more

Book Description

In this third edition of his classic book, Edgar Schein shows how to transform the abstract concept of culture into a practical tool that managers and students can use to understand the dynamics of organizations and change. Organizational pioneer Schein updates his influential understanding of culture--what it is, how it is created, how it evolves, and how it can be changed. Focusing on today's business realities, Schein draws on a wide range of contemporary research to redefine culture, offers new information on the topic of occupational cultures, and demonstrates the crucial role leaders play in successfully applying the principles of culture to achieve organizational goals. He also tackles the complex question of how an existing culture can be changed--one of the toughest challenges of leadership. The result is a vital resource for understanding and practicing organizational effectiveness. ... Read more

Book Description

This masterfully crafted introduction provides balanced coverage of all the key elements comprising the discipline of OB, in a style that readers will find both informative and interesting.This includes not only traditional topics such as personality, motivation, and leadership; but also cutting-edge issues such as emotions, trust, work-life balance, workplace spirituality, and knowledge management.People participating in any group or organizational activity. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Well written and solid intro to the field of Org Behavior
"Essentials in Organizational Behavior" is a solid text for a course surveying the field of Organizational Behavior. Its sixteen chapters are grouped into four parts. Part I introduces the field of organizational behavior, its goals and functions within an organization along with some challenges and opportunities.

Part II contains chapters two through six and focuses on how individuals function within an organization and the considerations managers need to have with values, personality, motivation, emotions, and how individuals make decisions.

Part III contains chapters seven through twelve and discusses groups in the organization. It begins discussion foundations of group behavior, some basics on work teams, communication, leadership & creating trust, power & politics, conflict & negotiation.

Part IV discusses the Organization System in chapters thirteen through sixteen. It begins with the foundations of organizational structure, culture, and then gets into the role of human resource policies and practices. The book concludes with Organizational Change and Development.

There is an epilogue to wrap things up, endnotes, and index and a glossary.

The book is clearly written. I like the way the author presents a variety of views and theories and never becomes dogmatic about a certain approach. Because it is concise it actually has a chance of being read (the usual 750 page textbook is largely left unread in most courses). However, to really become proficient in any of the many topics presented here the student will have to do much more study and practical work. I am confident that any teacher adopting the text for coursework would make the necessity for further study clear to the student. The endnotes do provide many fine sources for such study, but I would like to have seen some sources organized into a list of readings for study organized by topic. It would have added a few pages, but would not have overburdened this text.

In any case, this is a good introductory read for anyone who wants to a quick tour of the universe of Organizational Behavior.

Great broad overview of concepts and research
If you're interested in organizational behavior either professionally or as a student, this is a great book to pick up. It gives a great, concise survey of the topic as it relates to each of the major components of individual, team, and organizational factors. Not laden with research details and theoretical jargon, this book is a must read for managers and students alike because of its fast pace and great coverage.

One of the best intro to OB
I find Robbins's OB one of the best introductionary books for OB. Though it does not contain lots of case studies, to get started with concepts, the easy to read layout and the interesting activities that he presents makes it a very good book to get started. I personally started my OB with a much more detailed book, but after I found this one, I used this as the starting point, to get the ideas, and then used more high level books to explore further.
Why not 5 stars, well, coz as I said, I did need to look at other books to explore in detail!

For the budding manager
This is a great book to understand the fundamentals of organizational behaviour. It is simple to understand, and the excellent layout and graphics make it enjoyable and ignite your curiosity. I read it from cover to cover in a matter of days. However, I do agree that more relevant case studies and applications should have been included.

Decent overall review of OB theories.
Robbins discusses current OB theory in a brief, concise manner. He does not provide many examples of real-teime applications, however. This is a hinderance to the book's usefulness as it is sometimes difficult to conceptualize how many of the theories might be practically implemented. Overall, a decent reference book. ... Read more

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. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resourc
Used by over 1 million students worldwide, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the applied behavioural sciences, and focuses on fundamental ideas which have stood the test of years of application in different environments.

Goes where few texts dare to go: the real-world
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!
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! ...

Organized!
I was first introduced to Situational Leadership in the military quite a few years ago. This book did a great job of dusting off the cobwebs in the memory and proving that Situational Leadership is still a viable means of leading your people.

The book provides an overview of various management and human behavior theories, such as Maslow, Herzberg, Schein, Argyris, and McGregor. Then, fits them into a nice model deemed Situational Leadership. I must say that I've read the majority of the theories already and they do fit. Plus, if followed, the model is very effective in helping a leader in real world situations.

If you buy this book, you receive a host of valuable information. I think, besides involving you with the Situational Leadership model, the best attributes are the extensive lists of additional reading that are provided to you at the end of each chapter, and at the end of the book. If you're on a journey to better yourself as a manager and leader, the exhaustive list is well worth the price of the book. It saves you from buying the duds and "fadish" management/leadership books on-line without the ability to have them in your hands prior to purchase. Plus, the book gives you a good preview to the information contained in a book before you buy it.

All in all, if you're going to invest some time and money in a management/leadership book, definitely buy this book. You need to know this information and have it at your fingertips if you're going to survive in the organizational human behavior world as a leader.

How it is all linked
(!! This comment is based on the 7th edition !!)
If you know your way around organisational theory, and if you were surprised by the straightforwardness of 'The One Minute Manager', than this may be your next best buy.
The authors not only bring together several theories, but they also explore how they are linked, and what they mean in practice (after all, they are behaviorists).

If you are looking for a more theoretical underpinning of 'why the story of The One Minute Manager is so true!', you may find the answers in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Richard Daft's best-selling text, Organization Theory and Design, integrates the most recent thinking about organizations, classic ideas and theories, and real world practice, in a way that is interesting and enjoyable for learners. This edition includes many updates including a new chapter on international issues and revisions of other chapters to include the most recent ideas and events.While organization studies and real world examples are insightful for understanding organizations and solve real-world problems, Daft also integrates numerous features that give learners the opportunity to apply concepts and develop skills and insights. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Strong Guide in Organization Theory
This is a well-designed and comprehensive book in the area of organization theory. From introduction to the end, this book aims to teach the foundations of organization theory to readers.

There is a great awareness of new developments in the area of organization theory. The new developments such as team-based management models are integrated into the conventional wisdom wonderfully in the book. We are living in a world in which globalization and stiff competition dominates. We name this age as Information Age and corporations need new mentality and practices to adapt to challenging conditions this era brings about. This book presents some new approaches in global competition perspective to readers.

A Look Inside, Bookmark, In Practice, The New Paradigm and Case for Analysis are excellent peculiarities of the book.

Diagrams and other visual characterizations involved in the book give readers a big opportunity to digest topics recounted. Since this book is a detailed investigation of organization theory, you may miss some parts and feel confused. I can recommend another book, that is, Designing Organizations (Robey, D. and Sales, Carol A.), which is a summarized organization theory book with excellent cases.

If you want to understand organization theory with its basic foundations and details, this book is a must. You must exploit the rich knowledge of Professor Daft.

Strongly recommended.

Readable and great information
Daft out did himself in this edition of his text. He includes book reviews and company profiles throughout each chapter to illustrate the theories he's describing. I read this for an MA course and found it easy to learn from. I'm even putting the information into practice at work! Not all textbooks are that helpful. *grin*

team-based structure
Application of organization design about Team-Based Structures and The boundaryless Organization.

Gripping, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, watch out...
I'm using this text for my HRM course and it is, without a doubt, the most straightforward text I have ever read. Coming from a senior, whose read my share of textbooks, if you are teaching HRM, this book makes it conducive to learning the elementary ideas of HRM. This is one text I'll be keeping instead of selling back to the bookstore.

The most meaningful book I have ever read
As a student, I think this book is the most meaningful book I have read. it is easy to read, easy to grasp. If you are someone who wants to grap the most important ideas out of whatever you read, then this book is good one for you. If you like to dive in, and read in details, you also can do that. The way this book was written gave it this unique previlage. ... Read more

Book Description

Now revised to address the recent changes in the workplace, Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn’s Organizational Behavior, Ninth Edition sets organizational behavior within a framework of personal and organizational transformation, while retaining its solid base of theory and application. Prepare yourself for the changing workplace. The Ninth Edition features the theme of organizational behavior in changing times, anchored by a new Chapter 2 that introduces you to current issues in organizational behavior. Edition after edition, this text has established a reputation for its effective presentation of current theory and research in a student-centered context. The Ninth Edition further strengthens that tradition with new Research Insight boxes in each chapter that summarize relevant cutting-edge research reports. Changing times offer new insights from real-life change agents. Leaders on Leadership features for every chapter in the Ninth Edition bring you face-to-face with the experiences and perspectives of today’s change leaders––Rudy Giuliani, Carly Fiorina, Earl Graves, and others. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

There are much better books out there
· Very little focus on individual behavior in organizations - I know this is not a psychology text, but, Jex (2002), or one of the other psych authors (Osland, 2000) could have used for this course with much better coverage and not alter the course objectives to a great extent.
· For a 2003 edition of text, the citations were very much out of date. The chapter on leadership for example (Chapter 14, which had a total of 53 citations) had only seven references within the last five years; 1998 or greater.
· I am not of the opinion that this was a graduate text. The stories, pictures, essay and "effective manager" were not intellectual in their added information. In many cases the added material didn't correspond to the text (see chart on page 48 and subsequent text explanation). Another example would be on page 157 they ask the reader to refer to Figure 8.2 and then explain the chart with text that isn't even related to the major sections of this chart.
o Not one of the Effective Manager boxes has references; where did all this good advice come from?
· Typo's abounded in the text, they always do - but check out page 233 Chapter summary - it's not the right chapter; this appears agan with chapter 19. I really had the feeling that this was written by three people who did not do a line-by-line update of the 7th edition.
· Of very serious concern would be the author's inclusion of sources in their writing. This infuriated me to no end. Page 63 under Gender "However, women are reported to be more conforming and to have lower expectations of success than men do." That is a very serious statement and it contains no citation - what reports, who, where, when? Another example is on page 85 when discussion perceptual differences in managers and employees - not citations given, even when stating that the differences are significant.
o Just to show that I did not cull these examples only from the front of the book, Pg 274 "Recent work on the linkages among corporate culture and financial performance reaffirms the importance of an emphasis on helping employees adjust to environment." What recent work, by who, saying what? This is just poor scholarship in my humble student estimation.

Boring to death
This textbook is so boring that although I made an A in the class, I couldn't wait to finish it. It uses too many technical words, it makes reference to subjects that students with a few courses in Human Resources know already. It would be better if it offered some real life examples. If you are a teacher looking for a textbook, please keep looking! If you are a student whose teacher assigned you this book..... I am sorry for you!

Adjunct Professor Uses For All His Classes
This is an outstanding book.It is very easy reading, organized and it communicates information to the student.It is loaded with easy following diagrams which reinforce the material, and it is loaded with real world Corporate America and Military Organizational Behavior examples to support the text work.It has an OUTSTANDING CASE Section which again reinforces the material and makes the student apply the concepts learned in the chapters.Also, this text is complete with alot of Personal Assessment Exercises which make you think about the type of person you are, how to improve yourself in working with others.I've used in now for 3 different schools and the students enjoy it...Mainly for the Easy Reading and the way it introduces the concepts.Price is IRRELEVANT.You can go spend $40 on an Organizational Behavior text and you won't get anything out of it because it is poorly written, no cases and no assessments.Highly recommend for any instructor who wants his students to learn.Great reference book also.Don't sell it!!!

Excellent book
I'm reading this book only because it is required for my class, but inreading it, had I known about its quality, I would have purchased itanyhow.It's a very expensive book (and I do doubt whether it's worth$100--but then, I think books are overpriced nowadays)--but the content isvery good.Maybe the difference between the previous reviewer and me isthat I don't know much about organizational behaviour and haven't comparedit to other books in this field.

I hope you don't have to read this book.
The only reason you should buy and read this book is if it isrequired reading for a class. You are buying an advertisement for Fast Company Magazine. The writing is sketchy at best, and the examples are vague. Youget access to their Web site for online tests, but the site is poorly donewith typographical errors. There are other better texts on organizationalbehavior. ... Read more

Book Description

Organizational Behavior clearly illustrates how a sound understanding of organizational behavior can help students successfully navigate the complexities of today's organizations. The text itself is grounded in the theory of the field, cultivating an understanding of the scientific foundation of organization behavior. That foundation is then applied to the contemporary realities of today's business environment through in depth and insightful explorations of some of today's most compelling organizations. Throughout the text students are challenged to think critically about the material at hand and their own attitudes, refining the organization behavior tools that they will continually develop and employ throughout their careers. The prevailing theme of the text is change and the demands it places on people and organizations to grow and adjust while maintaining well being in an environment of constant and rapid change. Expertly written with a vibrant illustrations and design, Organizational Behavior, Fourth Edition is sure to engage your students. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Decent for learning
This book is very good. It is best suited for a student who is willing to put a good amount of time into his/her studying. The reason I say this is because it is very detailed, the diffenitions are very thorough and at times confusing, and there is a wide range of topics covered. It probably would not be good for a first year student unless they really want to learn the material which is a little dry at times. I thought that the opening cases in each chapter was a good way to tie the material to real life situations. Overall, this is a great tool for learning.

Organizational Behavior
We used this book as our textbook for Organizational Behavior this semester, and I found it to be extremely helpful.The writing is clear and concise, and the chapters are divided into four parts that make the distinction between individual and group study clear.There are plenty of graphs, tables, and diagrams, which illustrate the theories and statistics clearly.Most helpful, however, were the vocabulary definitions and the chapter summaries, which alleviated some of the pre-test stress.

Org. Beh. review from Kate Sirko in Harlaxton, ENGLAND
The book, Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Realities, and Challenges by Debra Nelson and James Quick is a good source for anyone interested in learning about the behavior in organizations.It involves everything from the general concepts of organizational behavior to the detailed structure and processes within an organization.The graphs and charts help the visual learners, such as myself to better understand important concepts and theories.After each chapter, the authors displays summaries for the learner to review important key terms and concepts before reading on to the next chapter.Unfortunately, the defintions of the majority of the terms throughout the book can be described in a simple, easy to understand way, but the authors fail to do so. On the other hand, various case studies fill the book for students to get involved in class discussions and debates.Overall, this book is a good source for professors and teachers to utilize in their classrooms.

Evan's Insight
This book provides a very clear, simple difinition of Organizational Behavior.The subheadings and bold words make it easy to understand what is necessary for comprehension.Also the current issues and up to date examples make it easy for the reader to engage in the material at hand.However, the books multiple use of models can be somewhat confusing.I also feel that the author uses over-detailed deffinitions of words that could be much easier defined.The chapters are somewhat lengthy and need to be more concise.The review sessions at the end of each chapter were very helpful and porvided good key's to what was neccessary for retention.If anyone doesn't know what Organizational Behavior is they should definaltely check out this book!

Evan's Insight
This book provides a very simple and clear layout of Organizational Behavior.The headings and bold words make it easy to understand what is important and necessary for comprehension.The current issues and real life examples also make this book user friendly.However, the multiple use of models in this book can be somewhat confusing.The chapters are somewhat lengthy packing a lot of informatin in.I also feel that this book gives over-detailed definitions of words that can be much simpler defined.Overall this book does a good job of engaging the reader in the material at hand.The review sessions at the end of each chapter were very helpful and a definate bonus to help the reader learn necessary information.If anyone is unclear of what organizational behavoir is then they sould deffinately check out this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Introduction read by the author
4 cassettes: 0-553-52595-6
6 Hours

Peter Senge's national bestseller, The Fifth Discipline, revolutionized the practice of management by introducing the theory of learning organizations.Now Dr. Senge moves from the philosophical to the practical by answering the first question all lovers of the learning organization ask: What do they do on Monday morning?

The Fieldbook is an intensely pragmatic guide.It shows how to create an organization of learners where memories are brought to life, where collaboration is the lifeblood of every endeavor, and where the tough questions are fearlessly asked. The stories here show that companies, businesses, schools, agencies, and even communities can undo their "learning disabilities" and achieve superior performance.If ever a work gave meaning to the phrase hands-on, this is it.Senge and his four co-authors cover it all including:

        Reinventing relationships
        Being loyal to the truth
        Building a shared vision
        Organizations as communities
        Designing an organization's governing ideas

The Fieldbook is designedto have you creating a learning organization right from the very beginning!Listen to it anywhere: in meetings, planning sessions, during reflections, or anytime a conflict or challenge arises. Listen to The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, take notes, and watch your own guide to mastering the disciplines of organizational learning evolve. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

A second dose of Inspiration...
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.

The Fifth Discipline
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
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'

Less than I expected!
Purchased this item used as it was recommended by a work colleague. The book arrived in an paper envelope with damage to the spine and a wrinkle on the paperback cover. Damage could have been avoided if seller had placed this heavy book into a padded envelope. Price was only slightly less than new purchase price. Beware when purchasing used items from 'vendors' stating "excellent condition"!

Absolute must for instructional designers
I do love this book. I constantly refer to it. I honestly can't imagine the world without Peter Senge's work. This book is very accessible. The format of the content is an excellent example of good instructional design. It is incredibly user-friendly. If you are involved in education, business, corporate training or anything remotely related and wonder how you can make a difference, read and use this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Over 2 million copies sold!Used by thousands of companies and hundreds of business schools!Required reading for anyone interested in the Theory of Constraints.This book, which introduces the Theory of Constraints, is changing how America does business.The Goal is a gripping, fast-paced business novel about overcoming the barriers to making money.You will learn the fundamentals of identifying and solving the problems created by constraints.From the moment you finish the book you will be able to start successfully addressing chronic productivity and quality problems. ... Read more

Reviews (189)

Informative and Entertaining
Told in first person in the form of an entertaining novel, Goldratt's "The Goal" is a popular book that explores ideas valuable to managing numerous business situations. We are placed into the life of plant manager Alex Rogo as he faces an immediate production crisis and the threat of plant closure. During a business trip, he has a chance encounter with manufacturing guru Jonah.

Rogo's dialogue with this teacher as he wrestles with his own plant and it's manufacturing problems serves up a rich body of material that requires no background in manufacturing or assembly line processes. It remains interesting even as inventory management, assembly throughput, and bottleneck analyses take place in his quest to keep his plant in business. The use of a hiking trip to discuss fluctuations and dependencies as a scout troop progresses through the woods is superb, making "Herbie" a recognized name among many manufacturers. The book also provides a valuable illustration of the importance and impact of "choosing what to measure," that is, which numbers (production data) one should track to determine the effectiveness of an operation.

Reading "The Goal" is well worth the time for anyone managing a business. Its principles are far-reaching and applicable in a wide variety of situations. Given its popularity, you can pretty much bet that your competitors have read it.

The Goal: Book of Plenty or Plenty of Book?
The main objective of the text is to present Goldratt's theory of constraints. The story is meant to present what would otherwise be a boring and dry text in an easy to read, interesting format. As stated in "Here today, wrong tomorrow" by Daniel Butler, many of these types of books are not even opened, much less read. Goldratt actually adds a compelling story, making the book much more palatable, and also better showcasing the natural flow of the theory of constraints. The story is also inspirational, as it details a man who saves his factory and his marriage at once, as well as the moment when he took a six-pack on the hill to overlook his town trying to sort his thoughts. Those real details make Alex much easier to identify with, and make the book a much more interesting read. The inter-office politics and the scout trip are also two really good areas of the book just for the entertainment value. The late night escapades with co-workers are also mildly fun to read, but I especially liked the way that Goldratt hinted at Alex developing feelings for a co-worker before getting back with his wife. A plot twist like that is far more than I expected from the book by simply looking it. I would recommend this book to any students interested in learning about the fundamentals of the theory of constraints or managerial accounting in general. The fluidity of the book (I read it in about 2 days, a shockingly fast rate of page turns for an assigned book) and the general principles behind the book make it a good choice for an introduction to accounting, or at least far better than a textbook. I would also recommend this book to a manager just because knowledge is power. The theories prescribed in this book may or may not work for an individual corporation, but it is at least worth a read because the said manager's company could really benefit from implementing such a system. If the company would not benefit from it, the manager still read a pretty good book.

I stopped ready after 33 pgs. & found reviews and summaries
The concept is good. But the marriage details that surround it were TOO MUCH. The points could have been given in overview format and much more concisely stated.

I got tired of this fast, because I don't have time to read it all. I read about 2 books a weeks, but not when I have to sit through a bunch of boring details.

Intead, I like the setup of "Mastering the Rockefeller Habits." The first chapter was designed for executives who won't spend the time reading the whole thing, but instead want an overview to quickly grasp the point of the book. These busy readers are then instructed to find the chapters that they are interested in and read up as needed. I recommend reading the whole book, "Mastering the Rockefeller Habits" but I like the option to read or just review!

Unfortunately, I didn't have this option with "The Goal."

Easy read, but tends to drag at end
Straight forward & easy to follow reading. The Theory Of Constraints portion was a bit dumbed down and a the romance thread was a little tiresome, but all in all it was a decent read. The last 50 pages are a complete bore...just kept dragging along so I suggest you close the book once you think the hero has saved the town - you won't miss a thing.

The Best Introduction to Operation Management
"Common sense is not so common." -- Voltaire

The beauty of this work is that it is able to distill complex but dry operational management issues and transform them into easy to follow conceptual framework that is both enlightening and entertaining. The solutions to the problems are stated in plain language that appear almost like common sense, but "common sense is not so common."

This book is a must-read for operation consultants, VCs, and restructuring artists. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Worth the time
This book is an excellenct introduction for those who just need to 'catch up' with eveyone else talking Six Sigma. It is an easy-read, well-written synopsis of Six Sigma and Six Sigma implementation. It is not an indepth look at statisitcs, SPC or implementation--there are plenty of books out there for that, several by the same author, but it is a very helpful book that I will keep in my library and have already worn the cover by lending it to colleagues.

Six Sigma Overview
If you are looking for a book to take you from no knowledge of Six Sigma to a very elementary level of knowledge, this could be useful. I found myself feeling like I was reading a company brochure for Six Sigma that was too long. The book falls into a middle ground of not having enough information to be useful in implementing Six Sigma yet might have too much for the average person.
I originally thought this would be a great book to give to people that congratulate me on being a Six Sigma Black Belt, that they once took Karate but never got that far, to understand Six Sigma. After thinking about the level of knowledge of many people regarding basic statistics I think as simple as this book is it may be over the general person's comfort level. I'm afraid it might cause people to shut down from feeling overwhelmed. If they have basic statistical skills, they should have no problem understanding this though.
Maybe the book is perfect for people being asked to participate in Six Sigma initiatives or working with a company that is implementing Six Sigma. I would be uncomfortable giving this to somebody with no Six Sigma knowledge and not being available to discuss it with them, hold their hand through it. If you have a real interest in Six Sigma, pick up one of the "heavier" books, including The Six Sigma Way by the same author. You can skim through it and get this same information. If you want more information it will be there, no need to buy another book.

Interesting, But Apparently Not Sufficiently Persuasive
This book circulated at my company while decisions were being made as to what management consultant vehicle to pursue. I thought it was quite interesting, and was ready to seek the training, become a black belt and so forth -- but our firm decided to go with Three Rho, because it's twice as efficient for half the price. Such is life. Rho Rho Rho.

All The 6 Sigma Basics and Just the Basics
Of the Six Sigma books I've read, this is the one I'd recommend most highly. It will give you the basic "tools" of Six Sigma in a compact, useable form. I feel that this would be an excellent text for corporate training on Six Sigma, certainly for an introductory course.

A quick read of the reviews on Amazon will give you a feel for why people are skeptical of 6 Sigma: the feel-good tone of most writing on 6 Sigma and the insistence that it "is not a flavor-of-the-month management trend" make many of us suspect that 6 Sigma is not much more than hollow jargon and acronyms.

Lets accept that these criticisms are valid and further that many "practitioners" are just self-aggrandizing or worse. But that still leaves us with the essential difficulties of positive change in any organization: you need to overcome assumptions that your organization's subculture may not even realize it has. What a corporation does by accepting Six Sigma is that it empowers people to gather data to challenge what "everybody knows". Most importantly, it sets a very high quality standard, which reinforces the sanctioning of data-driven change.

The authors of "What is Six Sigma" put it very well early on: "proactive management means making habits out of what are, too often, neglected business practices: defining ambitious goals and reviewing them frequently, setting clear priorities, focusing on problem prevention rather than firefighting, and questioning why we do things instead of blindly defending them."

I feel that the greatest flaw in Six Sigma is that many practitioners and even the books permit the basics to be lost in the shuffle. If one listens to people talk about Six Sigma, its easy to forget that a critical part of Six Sigma is that the data comes first, not the solution. I often hear co-workers say "we need to finish this project to improve our six sigmas" or "if we could get rid of this server we'll all get our green belts".

The term Six Sigma is derived from statistics and many books gloss over the statistics and move right on to basic project management techniques or how to overcome objections to Six Sigma. This book gives a clear and brief explanation of how to calculate standard deviations and includes a handy table to help with determine "sigma levels". Every Six Sigma book should respond to the challenge raised by this book and also include this information in the first 10 pages.

Finally, I recommend this book because it is concise and to-the-point. I feel that the fluff and/or Machiavellian advice in many of the other books just feed into people's healthy skepticism and distract people from the beauty of Six Sigma: the challenge to strive for near-perfect quality and the sanction to use statistics to cut through the inertia in our work lives.

I would also recommend Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" (ISBN 0393057658) as a companion book. Lewis (author of "Liar's Poker") uses Wall Street trading as an analogy to explain why the Oakland As baseball team is one of the successful teams with much less money than most. But I also see an analogy relevant to the topic of Six Sigma. "Moneyball" shows how one can achieve superior results by testing what everyone thinks they know with fact gathering and rigorous analyses. Moneyball and "What is Six Sigma" may prove to be an inspiring combination.

Perfect Company Primer
This short but insightful guide is the perfect reading assignment prior to a Six Sigma implementation. The book provides a brief overview of what Six Sigma is, who does what and how the most successful companies have implemented Six Sigma using the DMAIC process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Input, and Control)
If you are thinking of implementing Six Sigma. Keep this little book on your desk or in your back pocket for immediate reference. We use a copy at my office to gain an organizational understanding of Six Sigma. In the future we will implement Six Sigma, using some of the basic principles outlined here. ... Read more

Book Description

Organizational Behavior places core concepts of human behavior and industrial psychology in a real-world context. The text's applied approach and succinct coverage of topical issues helps prepare students to meet practical, day-to-day challenges. Strong end-of-chapter exercises, activities, plus an optional case and exercise book make this flexible text suitable for students at the undergraduate level. Likewise, the authors' emphasis on the latest organizational behavior research continues to attract graduate students.

In keeping with the emphasis on current content, the Seventh Edition includes an ongoing case featuring Enron that encourages students to consider how all OB topics tie together and practice applying key concepts by systematically working through the case and answering the accompanying questions. All boxes have been replaced or significantly updated to reflect recent changes in business—including Talking Technology, Mastering Change, The Business of Ethics, Working with Diversity, and World View features. Call-out quotes from managers appear at appropriate points throughout the text to highlight relevant, real-world examples. In addition, each chapter includes one cartoon with a content-based caption that highlights an interesting, and often humorous, aspect of organizational behavior.

• New! Building Managerial Skills exercises require students to consider different workplace situations from a manager's standpoint and determine a suitable course of action for each scenario.
• New! OB Online exercises, previously known as Developing OB Internet Skills, ask students to gather information from the Web and use it to answer critical-thinking questions.
• New! Self-Assessment exercises, previously known as Building OB Skills, give students the opportunity to complete brief self-assessment and diagnostic activities.
• Experiencing Organizational Behavior exercises reinforce the real-world application of chapter concepts and ask students to work through the activities together.

Reviews (3)

Well Nice bookie
Nice treatment of management. I learned a lot from this book.

Most helpful and insightful
The book is fairly comprehensive in terms of its scope. We are currently using the book at our Organizational Behavior class, and it's proved to be an excellent reference. The way it is structured (for the reader) makes in-depth reading or skimming through it (let's face it: this is the reality for most working MBA students!) equally effective. It has clearly distinguishable definitions on the margins, which can serve as a cue for the topic, along with the summaries at the end of every chapter. The intro and closing "cases" provided around the topic of the chapter are VERY insightful and on every other page or so, there are examples about the matter being discussed, which help with the understanding (I know that I, as an Engineer, appreciate examples to illustrate a point). Finally, the illustrations (graphs and charts) are one of the best things the book has! Remember that phrase that used to say "a picture is worth a thousand words"? Well, the authors epithomize it. The charts in the book do a great job at conveying entire pages of information at a time in a very efficient way. All in all, I like the book a lot, and it's been very helpful in complementing our in-class discussions about cases and topics of Organizational Behavior.

But this book ONLY if it is required!
I had to buy this book for a college management class. The material is painfully obvious. However, if you've lived you're entire life living in a dark, dank room eating Cheetos and watching MTV, then this book will be a watershed for you. If, on the otherhand, you are looking for some solid management theory, this book is not for you. If you have to buy this book for a course like I did, remember, you can always sell it to someone who hasn't read it yet. ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Management Info you Need
If you're a software manager, and you haven't read "Peopleware," stop reading this, and go read that instead. It's that's good. If you're a developer or engineer on a team that's not getting anything done, read it. This book is filled with practical advice on teams, team building, and getting work done.

"Peopleware" doesn't go in for theory. It puts into words what any contemplative manager already knows intuitively. The benefit of this book, however, is that it provides concise, powerful evidence to support each of its statements on team building and managing creative people. "Peopleware" covers it all -- why you have high turnover, why you have low productivity, and how to get your team to "jell."

The design of the book is excellent. There are 34 chapters in 226 pages. The cover struck me as funny on such a thin book: "Eight all new chapters." How did they fit all that into such a thin book? Simple: each chapter is very focused and short -- an entire chapter on a concept can be read in a single sitting -- even by the busiest manager. I recommend you read a chapter first thing in the morning, keep the ideas in your mind all day, and then read that chapter again in the evening. It will help you get the most out of what the book has to offer.

Part one focuses on managing people. It describes how development is different from manufacturing, what motivates people, and some of the pitfalls. It also focuses on you, the manager, and your role in the success of your project. Part 2 zeros in on environment. DeMarco and Lister single out environment as one of the biggest sources of problems in development. As such, they devote mor