Editorial Review

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 Read more

Reviews (184)

Rudimentary
Do not expect much of an wisdom here. The book has enough material for maybe a one page pamphlet. The rest is war stories without beginnings or endings.
The authors didn't execute.
Funny that a book about execution doesn't get it accomplish. The authors have a lot of experience and I am sure are good at leading and executing. However, the book does not get to the point. The authors ramble about their managing experience and almost 300 pages to transmit few ideas.

Corporate burocrasy uncovered
I must say for the fairness of this review that my expetations were founded into practical personal advice on how to execute one you had your objective in mind.
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Subjects:  1. Achievement motivation    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Executive Management    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Motivation (Psychology)    9. Operations Research    10. Organizational Behavior    11. Performance    12. Business & Economics / Management    13. Business & Management   

Editorial Review

Using the story/parable format so popular these days, Read more

Reviews (123)

Helpful Insight
I've been on a leadership book kick lately, and this is one of my all-time favorites. It's short, easy to read, and is one of the best explanations of cognitive dissonance for the layman I've ever seen. It doesn't work for everybody though - some people are turned off by the "fable" format and simple writing style. I still find it very helpful, and it's the kind of book that can have a dramatic impact on some of its readers. It certainly does a good job of making the point that by focusing on our own behavior we can make any situation better.

Not About Leadership
This book is not really about leadership.It is about being nice to people.And remember, any problem you have with another person in life is your fault.So, apologize, start over, and be nice.

Leadership and Self-Deception
This is an excellent resource on dealing with conflict, in the business world or in family life.The authors present their ideas in a story format that is very easy to read.I would recomment this book to anyone, we all need the lessons taught in this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Careers - General    5. Economics - General    6. Leadership    7. Organizational Behavior    8. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Leadership   

Reviews (58)

Highly readable, useful, and even inspiring
What happens when an organization needs to change (if it hopes to be successful in the future) but hasn't put much thought into what the process of change itself looks like?More than likely: failure.
Read it too late
This book is excellent for anyone going through or planning to make changes in any organization. The material is straight forward, concise, and right on target. I only wish I had read this book last year before attempting to make major changes in our organization

Very Helpful
I would recommend this book to any manager who is currently leading an organizational change effort. It's very practical. Kotter's Eight Steps are easy to follow. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Industrial organization    6. Leadership    7. Leadership In Business    8. Organization Development    9. Organizational change    10. Strategic planning    11. Structural Adjustment    12. Business strategy    13. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (6)

A 'must have' for all leaders.
If you take your job as a business leader seriously, this book is a 'must have'. As a business coach I use it in my practice with great success. For leaders (and managers who think they are leaders) and their teams it's an eye-opener. It gives insight in what it takes to turn a good team into a great team, and what great leadership is all about. If you want to be more effective as a leader and take your team to the highest level of readiness, read this book. It will change your life....and of those you lead.

Management of Organizational Behavior
Not too bad as these books go but a tremendous amount of verbiage explaining the obvious. Excellent example of turning simple concepts in complex charts and definitions. I would imagine that people in the field love this hyperbole but it's BS to me and pretty much a waste of time to drudge though all of it.

Goes where few texts dare to go: the real-world
I recommend this to managers as much as students.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. General    6. Human Relations In Business    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Leadership    9. Management    10. Organizational Behavior    11. Business & Economics / Leadership    12. Organizational theory & behaviour    13. Personnel & human resources management   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (22)

Just what we needed!
This book hits the "heart" of what many managers miss in planning change initiatives.This helps us remember that change isn't all number and business decisions.It's the people.I was able to immediately apply some of the ideas and resteered a change initiative successfully. Now all of my supervisors are reading and learning.

Fundamentals for helping an organization undergo change successfully
This book is the textbook for how an organization can successfully lead with change.I have used the 8-step method with various organizations and successfully 'seen-felt-changed' for the better.

Best Change Management Book I've Read to Date
I'm now in a "Change Management" role with my work, and decided to read some texts on the subject to further my understanding of the topic.Of those books that I've read, this one has clearly been the most helpful.Kotter articulates the steps of change in a way that connected with me, and made it real with a number of relevant examples.It's not onerous to read (<200 pages) but equally isn't "lightweight."While I would never recommend reading only a single book on the topic,I would definitely recommend that this be one of the books you read!
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Leadership    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational change    8. Structural Adjustment    9. Management & management techniques   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (59)

For making managers remember what really matters
This book is full of information of things that current managers have forgotten. Every new project is wanted done with less money, less time and with higher quality than old projects, putting a lot of pressure to the project team. Managers do things that they believe is good for the project but actually damages the project (and the company) at long term. I have seen many co-workers leave my company for issues like the ones described in this book. Managers and company owners: Please read it!!!

A solid look at the role of people in a company
This book takes a look at the role people, specifically creative people, play in a company.It offers various insights into management, the environment, and team "building".The second edition also adds a final section with eight new chapters with later insights.
Peopleware + Software = Qualityware
First of all let me thank people responsible for making this book.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Organizational Behavior    9. Organizational effectiveness    10. Project management    11. Management & management techniques    12. Software engineering    13. Computer software   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Organizational Behavior    6. Strategic Planning    7. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    8. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (8)

Very confused, unnecessarily complicated, and above all - dull.
If you're made to buy this book you have every right to hate the professor that makes you do so. This book is a punishment! Not only is it very expensive, but it also offers information that it is not relevant to the real world at all.
horrible service
i never even got this book because apparently its not a book yet amazons web site said it was. it took me 4 phone calls with 4 different customer service reps for some one to figure that out. all they gave me for the inconvenance was a 15 dollar amazon gift card which i tryed to use and doesn't work. i still don't have the book i needed and it is 4 weeks into the semester. i have baought other things from amazon and gotten them but this expeirance makes me never want to use amazon again. i would like to give you a review of the actual book but i never recieved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extraordinarily boring and difficult to read
This is required text for a graduate course I am taking, and I want to pull my hair out while being forced to read it. The political correctness in this book is overdone. One serious problem I had with this textbook was the way in which it seemed to start off on page 100 instead of page 1, because there is no introduction to Organizational Behavior. I don't know what to make of chapter 1...an HR manager's guide to political correctness on the job? The need to promote for diversity rather than for work performance? That is certainly what I got out of it. (Down with all white male CEOs!). It certainly doesn't introduce the diligent student to this subject. Sentences are long, drawn out, wordy. Concept paragraphs take a long time to come to the point.I find myself daydreaming by the time I've read half a page and have to start over, and part of this problem is that every page includes at least one sidebar. On page 40 of this text, the author talks about Feng Shui and it's three C's of design: clean, clear, and comfort, followed by this question: "What about the chi in your work and personal spaces--are you taking best advantage of "good" chi?" I do not recommend this book either for personal growth or for use as a textbook. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Management    5. Organizational Behavior    6. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (24)

Silos Politics & Turf Wars
This book was well-written and lays out the problem very clearly. For those interested in finding a solution to the age-old problem of conflicts of interest caused by function-based departments, you may want to check out a book called "Pyramids are Tombs" that details how to design a professional service company to eliminate conflicts of interest and align people towards a common cause.

Huge disappointment and overly simplistic
I was really looking forward to this book as a fan of some of his earlier books, especially five dysfunctions of a team, which is one of the most elegant frameworks i've seen on team dynamics.
Disappointment
I am not sure why the author thought he had something to offer on this subject.There was no original thought or useful lessons on the topic that was promised by the title.I read this book because it was the subject of an on-line book club for public health leaders but will be much more discriminating in the future regarding the purchase of books that are recommended by this group. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Leadership    5. Leadership In Business    6. Management - General    7. Organizational Behavior    8. Business & Economics / Management    9. Business & Management   

Reviews (6)

A handbook for world changers
No matter how you identify yourself in the human ecosystem -- worker bee, sheriff, manager, capitalist, entrepreneur, politician, healer, parent, activist or consultant -- this book is going to turn on lights in your brain. It's that multi-layered. It's also that packed with the kind of simply brilliant insights that are totally familiar, and you wonder why you didn't remember that you knew that.
The Starfish and the Spider ... Yes!
I have a childhood memory of building a go-cart. Every kid in the neighborhood was involved. Who was in charge? Whoever had the right answer in the moment of the next right thing to do. Hands, hearts, minds worked together, one idea building on another. It was an emergent experience in every sense of the word. The go-cart was more beautiful and functional than any one of us could have built alone.
Logical Flaw
I must preface by saying I know nothing about starfish, and I have not read this book.I have read several positive reviews of it.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Sustainable Development    5. Organization Of Industrial Production    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational Behavior In Business    8. Workplace Culture    9. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    10. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (6)

Good OB text.
I Used this book for the Organizational Theory and Behavior class at Columbia Southern University. Easy to read through, and more valuable information in this book than in my last 6 management texts put together. I haven't read any other OB texts though, so I don't know how this one compares with others.

Overall great book covering all the concepts.....
This book is a very easy read.Used it for a CTUonline.edu master's class on organizational behavior.I think almost all organizational behavior-related books cover mostly the same topics.I mean you either know your people or you don't.It's applied psychology.What made this book somewhat unique is that it often cited real life case studies of companies.It also offered various arguments and counterarguments of the different topics that the book covered, such as "does flextime lead to increased productivity?" and "can you teach leadership?"

Good content, but unprofessional publishing
I can disagree about the ease of understanding and the knowledge of Stephen Robbins, but Prentice Hall, the publisher of this book, has blown it. This book is filled with typos and misspellings.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Management - General    6. Management Science    7. Organizational behavior    8. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (242)

The original theory of constraints story
A particularly easy, menorable read -- I still refer to it in my engineering discussions in the business place.A must read whose applicability goes beyond manufacturing engineering.
A Classic!!!
I was required to read this book as apart of my MBA program.Boy am I glad I was!!!This is an excellent book that uses the favorable fable approach to get points across.There are excellent principles that are presented in a way that seems more like reading a NY times best seller.Very easy read!!!

Still effective after all these years.
Even though the first edition of this book was 1984, the message is still applicable.The Goal of the business is to make money, and Goldratt tells us how in a very entertaining read.Subsequent books by several authors still mimic his theme of continual process improvement through the reduction of bottlenecks which uncovers still more areas for improvement.This is one book I always buy for new managers when they start their corporate journey.I bought this one for a new CEO friend of mine.He thought it was great! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Didactic fiction    4. Fiction    5. General    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Production & Operations Management    8. Structural Adjustment   

Reviews (1)

No Chapter on Offshoring...
To be fair, though, the book does have chapters on office politics.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Management - General    6. Organizational behavior    7. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (1)

Good Stuff
I am using this textbook for an MBA course. I had already started the class when I ordered the book, but I received my book in enough time where I was not left behind. I appreciate the prompt service. Thanks:-) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Organizational Behavior    6. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (7)

The learning book
"Organization Theory and Design" is a book every corporate member that has aspirations to better understand and contribute to his organization should own.
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. 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* ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Case studies    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Management - General    7. Organization    8. Organizational Behavior    9. Organizational sociology    10. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    11. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (4)

Organizational Behavior
This text book does an adequate job of looking at the topic of Organizational Behavior. For someone that has been in business for several years, there is not a lot of new information, good review and some common sense stuff.

Must read book
For me this book had a great value. I used it on a college course after having faced the experience of being working on an IT company for 8 months. Actually I would say this book doesn't say anything anyone could not come up with; but I think that's as phylosofy is, common things we are used to, but that hardly we note to be able to do something about. I think this book is being very useful for me even after almost 3 years of be working, I think it helps you understand most of those frustrating situations we have to face daily on a company, allowing us to feel better on our work enviroment, be better partners on work, and make our work a little more productive. Definitly I recommend this book.

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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Career/Job    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational Behavior In Business    8. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    9. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (13)

Great Conflict Resolution Lessons
In particular, the lessons you can learn about identifying and resolving conflicts are absolutely priceless.This and Corporate Canaries are MUST buys if you are a manager in any sort of capacity!

The story is everything
For books like this to work, they have to have both an engaging storyline and real-world characters.This book has both, and I found myself re-learning a lot about dealing with change, managing difficult people, and understanding how different types of people have different styles of working.The group discussion questions in the back are particularly useful.I will probably suggest that my whole department get copies and read it together.There are some on my team who need a little coaching, and this is a very non-threatening way to deal with difficult issues.Great job!

Lessons from the Hive
Charles Decker is vice president of an electronic publishing company, does work with business publishing initiatives, and has coauthored Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad.Lessons from the Hive is about a fictionalized organization that is reinventing itself and was created to teach positive ways of viewing changes in an organization, how to deal with fears of the unknown, the importance of trust, and how to deal with conflicting interpersonal relationships. It is of the business-fable genre that uses a week-in the-life approach for five players in an organization including a recently installed CEO, a newly hired employee, and a seasoned director of marketing with personal struggles at home and at work. The junior change agent uses mantras many people call clich�s such as Happiness is a choice; Inspire yourself, others will follow; Vanity is not a team sport; Enthusiasm will take you 90 percent of the way; and Change your thinking, change your life. This book can be used in classrooms and in businesses. Many people learn better by stories and examples than by other methods. This is a brief but powerful message. There are questions at the back of the book to assist reflection about each chapter. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Consolidation and merger of co    5. Consolidation and merger of corporations    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Mergers & Acquisitions    9. Organizational Behavior    10. Organizational change    11. Business & Economics / Management    12. Business & Management   

Reviews (17)

Tools for creating a Learning Culture
Peter M Serge, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
enlightening concepts about leadership
It seems to me that The Fifth Discipline (the previous publication of the series) is more attacting to me. The second book can be more precise and concise in content. Generally speaking I still like these two books as a foreign reader.

The Fifth Discipline
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. Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Fifth discipline    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Human Resources & Personnel Management    7. Leadership    8. Management    9. Organization Development    10. Organizational Behavior    11. Organizational effectiveness    12. Senge, Peter M    13. Teams in the workplace    14. Training    15. Business & Economics / Leadership    16. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Editorial Review

In their previous book, Read more

Reviews (21)

Overview, technique and implementation
An outstandingly well written book that decribes the balanced scorecard and provides excellent examples. An effective, practical guide for C-level executives and mid-level managers for implementing strategic scorcarding. I recommned this book for the breadth and depth of the explanation of the subject matter and concise implmentation examples.

If you can measure it, you can manage it
The Balanced Scorecard was initially designed as a financial and non-financial corporate performance measurement tool.Organizations focused on strategy have taken the Balanced Scorecard and transformed it into a strategic tool for measurement.These 5 key principles transform the Balanced Scorecard:
Highly Recommended!
The fact that executives keep trying new strategic initiatives despite their abysmal rate of failure is, like second marriages, a triumph of hope over experience. Or, it may indicate just how much pressure top managers face to improve their profits. By one estimate, nine out of ten companies fail to execute their strategic visions. Yet, CEOs - who witness a world in constant flux - continue to introduce change initiatives. Are they trapped in the operational definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Or, are they just ready for this book? Authors Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton offer wise counsel to help executives break the cycle of strategic flops. They advise executives to transform their companies into "Strategy-Focused Organizations" using the "Balanced Scorecard" and "strategic mapping" tools. With these initiatives, CEOs can ensure that every employee pays attention to strategy implementation. Kaplan and Norton, the all-star co-author team who wrote "The Balanced Scorecard" and "Strategy Maps", have done it again, in this well-organized but somewhat dry volume. We strongly recommend this book to any manager who is responsible for designing or implementing a strategic change initiative. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate Planning    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Executive Management    7. Forecasting    8. Leadership    9. Management - General    10. Strategic Planning    11. Business strategy    12. Organizational theory & behaviour    13. Performance Measurement   

Reviews (4)

Best place for on line purchases
As always, very happy with the service received by Amazon. Pront delivery and in perfect condition.

Overall a very good book
This is a very well written book. I used this book as part of my MBA program. No frills or fluff - just goes right to the point and explains it well in relatively fewer words. Also helped me tremendously in my job and the knowledge gained from this book does helps me in doing a better job. A must read for all managers.

Easy to understand
This book gets right to the point. Even though it is direct it also offers excellent examples to help you understand the information quickly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - General    4. Business/Economics    5. Management Science    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational Behavior In Business    8. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    9. Organizational theory & behaviour