Reviews (10)

Excellent book for implementing 5S
Very easy reading within a few hours. It covers all the 5S in a simple practical way with excellent examples. Shows a lot of pictures that help visualizing work area before and after 5S. I recommend strongly this book. Eleven plants in the comapny i work for are using it now.

Excellent for floor level
This book is written at the perfect level for floor implmentation.It is a no bones, to the point, with wonderful examples.Very easy reading within a few hours.I will be taking it to my Plant Manager to help convince him of the advantages of 5S.

A great start to 5S
This book is a great informational tool to get the ideas of the Five S concept into your employees.It is an easy read and doesn't heavily focus on how to implement these ideas but rather what to look for to help you implement Five S. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Factory management    5. General    6. Management - General    7. Office Automation And Management    8. Office management    9. Organizational Behavior    10. Production Engineering    11. Operational research   

Reviews (2)

Timely Executive Book for 2002
With all of the recent turmoil in US companies caused by some high profile CEOs and boad of directors not maintaining the highest level of accountability and integrity, I pulled this book back off of the shelf for a re-read. Sound advice on good governance
This book shows top executives how to use the knowledge of, and open up communication channels with, board members. It details practices of several major corporations. The author highlights all key points increasing thevalue of this work. Several helpful self-evaluation instruments areincluded. This work offers sound advice on good governance. Recommended toexecutives and directors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Competition    5. Corporations    6. Development - Business Development    7. Directors of corporations    8. Entrepreneurship    9. Executive Management    10. Leadership    11. Management - General    12. Business & Economics / General    13. Organizational theory & behaviour   

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

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

Reviews (5)

"Search within the book" would have helped
As a former colleague of Dr. Gordon's, I used the third and fourth editions of the book.Today I'm working with an executive doctoral student on a work-family question, which Dr. Gordon has published research on in 2000, and hoped to see if there were a few pages devoted to this topic in this book.Unfortunately, now I'm stuck because the publishers have not activated the "Search within the Book" function.How in 2006 can the publishers not have signed up for that function in Amazon?So I'm sure the book is solidly researched, but I guess I won't get to see it for a few weeks, by which time I will have moved on to other topics.

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. 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.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Management - General    7. Organizational Behavior    8. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    9. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (2)

Long winded but not unbearably so
This book was used as part of a Business Management program I'm doing and because of the length of chapters we did not get to cover much of the book.I think that the chapters could have been shortened a great deal and more emphasis placed on important issues.The book itself (quality) is extremely poor.Every student in the class found that despite its having a hard cover the pages were falling out and the binding didn't hold.

Ironically, this books needs some ORGANIZATION
Maybe, it is just me but I personally think that the book is poorly written and structured.I dislike the style that the author uses writing this book by constantly mentioning the names of scientists who developed some of the theories. This made it extremely difficult to follow due to the overflow of people's names. An example of my own "I wrote this review because John made an experient with Dave Smith that shows Amazon.com Customers will read it and not purchase the book.Dave Smith with Mark Davidson and Howard James conclude that reviews are good and reviews have become a part of good books".This sentence clearly did not have any great purpose, all it did was take up 'word counts'.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Management - General    7. Organizational Behavior    8. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    9. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (2)

Alright
I used this book at Cornell's school of Industrial and Labor Relations in an OB course. It was ok, but I have seen better. The examples are mostly revelant, but sometimes it strays from the covered material. A good book touse to review for the final exam, but if your teacher draws tests fromtheir own lectures, make sureyou utilize the index in the back!

Poor theory, good applications
This text was used at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for an honors OB course.It served the class well by providing relevant and often humorous applications of theory.However, the descriptions of the actual theoriesthemselves were weak and vague often referring to other concepts not yetlearned. ... Read more

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. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    9. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (3)

Excellent textbook.
I was required to purchase this book for a project management course and it's one of the better texts I've read on the topic.Well organized and easily referenced, one of the main strengths of the book is it's analysis of real world examples.Very good text overall.

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

Making the Team Makes the Grade!
Whether you work in teams, design them, or study them, you will find much of value in this book.Drawing on a wealth of social and behavioral science findings, Leigh Thompson shows the advantages, and the pitfalls, ofgetting things done through teamwork.Clearly written, with many caseexamples, Thompson builds on her research and consulting experiences tocreate a complex picture of what makes groups tick. I particularly likedher explanation of how to foster creativity in teams, as well as how todeal with the inevitable conflicts that arise. She notes that teams are nota panacea. However, under the right conditions, properly organized teamscontribute substantially to their organizations. If you're dissatisfiedwith the way things are going in your organization, this book would make agreat (anonymous?) gift for your boss! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Employee Participation In Management    5. Leadership    6. Leadership In Business    7. Management - General    8. Organizational effectiveness    9. Performance    10. Skills    11. Teams in the workplace    12. Business & Economics / Skills    13. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (14)

Classic
This book will survive the trends, since most of the trends are based on the principles in this book.The names will change (Quality Circles, Just In Time, TQM, Re-engineering, Six Sigma, ...), but these principles and how well they are implemented will determine a companies' efficiency and quality.

Simply the best of "Best Practices" - Invaluable
As a business process and systems analyst, I have used the techniques in this book extensively to document existing and proposed processes and systems.
Best companion for process improvement
This is by far the first book that dealt with process improvement and change from all angles.This book provides examples that will help the novice in preparing and implementing change.Packed with examples and worksheets to guide the reader thru the whole process.However, since it was written in 1995, this book does not cover prevailing technologies but is still useful in understanding the foundations for change.If you are looking to implement business process change/improvement, read this book in conjunction with a more recent book by Paul Harmon "Business Process Change" who happens to be a student of Mr. Rummler.Paul Harmon's book cover such topics as CMM and Six Sigma when implementing process change. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Entrepreneurship    3. Industrial productivity    4. Leadership    5. Management - General    6. Organization Development    7. Organizational effectiveness    8. Performance    9. Personal & Practical Guides    10. Reference    11. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    12. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (2)

Highly Recommended!
Richard J. Schonberger, author of the critically acclaimed book, Japanese Manufacturing Techniques, which revolutionized American manufacturing theory and practices, now examines how world-class manufacturing techniques can be implemented by American corporations. This 1986 classic remains valuable, since manufacturing changes do not happen overnight, and plenty of companies are far from world-class in their approach to efficiency and productivity. Schonberger writes clearly, authoritatively and often amusingly, covering every element of world-class manufacturing in detail. We at getAbstract recommend this book for everyone involved in the manufacturing process, not just mangers and executives, but all employees who seek a context and a future for their work.

If you want to manufacture better-- here you go.
I must say that I first read this because I had to, but onceI did it (really, now) changed my outlook on production. The author details not only the whys of good manufacturing practice, but also the hows and then goes into many case studies to demonstrate that he's not just blowing smoke from his ivory tower.Even better, the stuff works!One division of my company got hooked on the "World Class"bandwagon before it came into vogue.I went to tour their facility and I swore I had walked into Schonberger's book. Anyway, applied correctly, this book can turn your systems upside down and make you more profitable than you can almost imagine (inventory turns over 100? Believe it!).The best thing is that all this happens by developing employees and truly giving the line responsibility for production to the individual line workers.Tough stuff for mostcompanies to even consider, and perhaps my only criticism of the book is that the author doesn't give an accuratepicture of how long a transition from "traditional"management to World Class Mfg can require.Our facilityworked for six years to get it right, which is actually very good for this transition (he says allow for a 10 year plan in his 1996 sequel, also excellent).Anyway, I'm putting theory into practice in my own mfg line, and thankfully I have this book to guide me.I'm buying copies for everyone in my production team and we'll "goback to school," so to speak.Wish me luck. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Industrial management    4. Management - General    5. Manufacturing    6. Manufacturing processes    7. Operations Management    8. Operations Research    9. Production management    10. Business & Economics / Industrial Management    11. Manufacturing industries    12. Organizational theory & behaviour    13. Production & quality control management    14. USA   

Reviews (15)

A 'must' for any in HR - and for employees.
SNAKES IN SUITS: WHEN PSYCHOPATHS GO TO WORK is creepy: it tells of psychopaths in the workplace and how to spot them by their destructive behavior patterns. An industrial-organizational psychologist's expertise lends authority to this survey which comes from two authors who are experts on the psychopathic personality. Their focus on how such individuals operate in the corporate world shows that the flexible, more open environment actually attracts psychopaths - and tells how they manipulate the hiring process, how they may be identified, and how they function. A 'must' for any in HR - and for employees.
Best read with a high degree of skepticism...
...Hare has become a one-man cottage industry of "psychopathy"...he has written a half dozen or more mostly redundant books preaching the pyschopath gospel; he gives lectures, seminars, training courses; and -- surprise, surprise -- he even sells the tests used to diagnose psychopathy...a question that seems to fall through the cracks is whether the diagnosis actually has any scientific basis...more important practically are whether the tests he sells have any predictive value -- important because the tests are actually being used as a basis for committment in some places...interestingly, on his website he disclaims responsibility for how the tests are used -- he makes the gun but it's not his fault if someone else commits a crime with it...now he presents a book warning us that psychopaths can function perfectly normally in society...why, you might even be working with some...that's right, that guy with the "beady" eyes next to you at work might be planning to stab you in the back any minute now...DON'T let his "charm" fool you -- psychopaths are really good actors -- maybe you better get one of Hare's tests to help you...I'm sorry, although as originally conceived his concept had some value for profiling in criminal investigations he gets increasingly "goofy" as he tries to extend the concept to other areas ...at the rate he's going in a few more books you won't be able to get out of bed without stepping on a psychopath -- now you do know you might be living with one, don't you?..nah, this is "pop" psychology at its lowest and belongs in the rack at the grocery checkout waiting for "people who want to know" and not on anyone's bookshelf.

A very useful book - especially when dealing with organizations
I read Without Conscience first, and then this book, and consider them to be useful complements to each other. Contrary to what another reviewer remarked - the first book is essentially a primer, and Snakes in Suits is a more advanced text dealing with the organizational environment.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Antisocial personality disorders    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Industrial & Organizational Psychology    7. Organizational Behavior    8. Psychology, Industrial    9. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    10. Psychology   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Management    4. Management - General    5. Organization    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Structural Adjustment    8. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (1)

Very elementary in nature.
Best suited for supervisory personnel with limited experience and limited education.Not helpful to experienced managers with some exposure to management theory and interpersonal dynamics.Too much of a"recipe" book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Career development    5. Employees    6. Entrepreneurship    7. Executive Management    8. Human Resources & Personnel Management    9. Management - General    10. Personnel management    11. Training of    12. Computers / General    13. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Subjects:  1. Administration - General    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Educational Administration    5. Leadership    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational Behavior In Business    8. School management and organization    9. United States    10. Education / Leadership    11. Organization & management of education   

Reviews (1)

Great practical book - Good job Vijay !
This is a very interesting book with tons of practical examples and situations from the four companies the author studied. It's a great book about the organizational culture, strategies and personalities that encourage corporate entrepreneurship. It could be a valuable tool to any company engaged in new business / new product development. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Creative ability in business    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Executive ability    7. Management - General    8. Structural Adjustment    9. Business & Economics / Management    10. Labour economics    11. Organizational theory & behaviour    12. Social, group or collective psychology   

Reviews (2)

west's paralegal
The book is very informative and easy to read although the authors describe old laws/rules in great detail, only to find out that the law has changed and everything that you read is void.Of course they describe the revisions but I found the old information a waste of my time and also annoying.

West's Paralegal Today
Have no review.It was a required book for school.Amazon had the best price for book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Law    3. Legal Profession    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Legal assistants    6. Paralegals & Paralegalism    7. United States    8. Business & Economics / General    9. Legal skills & practice    10. Organizational theory & behaviour    11. USA   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Industrial management    5. Leadership    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    8. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (6)

Great
This book is very scientific, deep and practical.Simply great.I'm a Psychologist, Business Consultant for Multinational Corporations and is absolutely useful

Good overview, nicely written
Nancy Adler presents a good overview on the topics in internationalHR Management. It is great as a textbook for class and a perfect starting point for novices who want to get into inter. HRM. The book is not overwhelmingly deep, but it is concise and has an efficient way of conveying the main concepts of culture and communication, synergy, teams, leadership, negotiations. Adler writes well making it easy to understand what she means and a fast read. She uses small cases to illustrate each problem she addresses, which are sometimes a little bit too simplistic for non-students. For me, a great advantage of the book is the comprehensive lists of references per chapter. This makes it easy to go further in topics I am especially interested in. The critique a have with almost all "international version" textbooks is, that it explicitly addresses Americans.

Great Textbook About International Management
I have had the pleasure of using Adler's book for several years now.Simply put, it is far more enjoyable to read than the average textbook and is packed with useful information for those wanting to learn.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Cross-cultural studies    5. International Business    6. Management - General    7. Organizational Behavior    8. Organizational Behavior In Business    9. Business & Economics / International    10. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Editorial Review

Read more

Reviews (4)

Set-up-to-fail behavioral anti-pattern is more frequent than one can think...
I find this book extremely interesting and definitely worth of reading. It sheds lights on the well known situation when trying to help a person a manager can actually make things even worse.
Common Wisdom: Insidious & Pernicious
This work deftly weaves those seemingly abstract and academic studies Psychology 101 students have been reading about for 40 years into the fabric of everyday work experience.The authors are able to put the subtle pattern into high resolution, which at first appears shocking, then depressing, and finally, hopeful. Good Analysis But Bad Prescription
Being one authored by INSEAD experts, I bought the book with high expectations, believing that FINALLY the truth can be out!!! I read the first few chapters of the book so religiously (almost treating it like my Bible), taking down key points that are so wonderfully said about the self-fulfilling prophecy that many managers have set themselves up to, i.e. to fail. What's disappointing as I come to the middle portion of the book is that authors suggestion on how managers can avoid the SUTF syndrome by taking the first step (not to mention swallowing all their ego and pride) and start initiating a de-SUTF relationship with his/her subordinate even if it means this person might eventually have a chance of not improving at all (due to job mis-fit)??? I returned the book and bought and digested "First Break All Rules" instead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Problem employees    7. Supervision of employees    8. Organizational theory & behaviour    9. Personnel & human resources management   

Editorial Review

Scary fact: Business information doubles about every three years. In other words, if your job is complex now, in three years you'll have twice as much noise to sift through just to get your work done. Bill Jensen makes no bones about it: Making a job simpler is very hard work, and it's getting harder all the time. But he believes it's possible, and in Read more

Reviews (77)

Simplicity is Complex
This book offers a five-step process for communicating change:
In response to Mr. Jensen (Author of this book).
This is not a discussion forum. This is a opinion board and it's posts are by readers, for readers. If the book is the sacred space for the author to express his opinions and worldviews, this boards are or at least should be the sacred space for the readers. Sacred.
My $.02
I saw this book at my company's library and was drawn by it's title. The description on the back and the introduction to the book gave me hopes of a refreshing read -- one written with distinct style and offering insight.
Read more

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

Reviews (1)

An Excellent Book!
An Excellent Book For All The Managers In Every Organisation....... A Must Read ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. General    3. Organizational Behavior    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Organizational theory & behaviour    7. Political Science / General    8. Politics & government