Organizations Books

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to buy the book for my doctoral class.

It must have been a hard book to find. Once I finally received it it was in great condtion. I have no complaints. I took off one star because it took so long.

This book is great! The authors did a fantastic job. I'm going to be buying a few more...

There have been a lot of books published concerning teams and how to form them over the past decade, but this book, Leading Organizations from the Inside Out, goes a few steps further by providing specific tools and processes on how to create and utilize Action-Learning Teams (ALTs). These ALTs (as the book calls them) are teams formed to address important persistent problems or organizational challenges that a company may face. ALTs are based on "learning characterized by reflection in action"; or simply stated, they are internal teams chartered to focus and hone down a specific problem or process gap and then fix it. ALTs can do what most of us rarely do in our day-to-day efforts at work. They can helicopter above the canopy of the company's forest and get a clear picture by looking from the outside in as to what's wrong and what corrective actions will work. Whereas management may have a hunch as to the problem, the ALT deftly puts a finger on it. In our, quick time-to-market, immediate gratification world the ALT capability is a potent tool.

The book starts off slow so you have to be patient, but once you get past Chapter One, this book contains a great nest of resources. It has several effective tools (with some bonus tools in the Supplement) which any manager or team leader can use, and it connects the reader to further research and information. It has the right amount of effective information to create and run an Action-Learning Team. And good news! The Clue Train Manifesto stopped here since later chapters include how to execute an ALT from cyberspace and how to further knowledge worker development.

From my 19 years of personal experience in the corporate world participating on ALT-like teams, sponsoring ALT-like teams, and just being in the company population receiving the benefits of an ALT-like team, I can tell you that they are by far the fastest and most effective way to achieving a "break through" on difficult, persistent problems which a company may face. Especially in a marketplace where world competition is becoming exceedingly tough........ Action-Learning Teams might just make a difference between success and failure.

LaRue, Childs, and Larson provide an easy to read, less than 200 page book, that skillfully weaves Action Learning Teams (ALT) into knowledge management, creating knowledge based action learning teams. This is truly a hands-on guidebook with real world examples that clearly describe the stages and processes of implementing organizational change using ALTs. ALTs can shorten the time needed to effectively implement change initiatives in an organization by helping the practitioner understand both the behavioral and operational aspects of organizational change. ALTs will help ensure that the knowledge of the team is translated into action that makes a real difference for an organization.

The forward by Marshall Goldsmith prepares the reader for what is in store by asking the question; "Who are knowledge workers", and how does one tell them what to do when they may know more than their manager does. The process of Action Learning Teams taps into that knowledge to take the organization to the next level. This book has been adopted as part of the curriculum at the University of Phoenix in their Doctorate of Management second year leadership class. Don't let that concern you though if you don't think that is the level you are looking for, as the book is easy to read and follow. Major General Robert Ivany, recently retired President of the U.S. Army War College also provides a chapter that describes how Action Learning Teams played a vital role in fundamentally transforming the U.S. Army. Experiences from other organizations provide real world examples that can be immediately put to use.

The book integrates both behavioral and operational dimensions of team development within four key phases of the change process: Awareness, Design, Deployment, and Integration. I have already used many of these concepts in my work on a Change Management team government organization. I even gave a copy of the book to my boss.

My name is Chris Gibbs (Chairman/CEO) of Diversified Investments & Development, LLC. of Knoxville, Tennessee. I consider myself a lifelong learner, as I am currently finishing a dissertation in relation to requirements for a Doctorate in Leadership from the University of Phoenix. I hold degrees in Finance, Masters of Business Administration, Masters in Banking, and Doctoral work in Economics from Lincoln Memorial University, East Tennessee State University, Louisiana State University, and Middle Tennessee State University, respectively.

My organization is involved in the food, lodging, and land development businesses. We had certain re-structuring goals to limit our involvement in day to day operations in the food and lodging businesses by using outside management and increase our land development inventory. Within only months of completing training with Bruce LaRue (one of the books Authors) and Richard Schuttler (Executive Coach and Consultant www.orgtroubleshooter.org) certain key organizational goals were reached early. With the material from this book and organizational training programs, my organization is thriving at a new profitability level, as well as employee and organizational value added systems continue to improve for all stakeholders.

Specific book comments:

1. How did you find out about the book? Through research in the area of Leading Organizations, I was attracted to this books content. Bruce LaRue, PhD is a colleague of Richard Schuttler, PhD, which is a professional Executive Coach that has consulted with me over the past couple of years. When I mentioned the book to Rich, he immediately reached out to Bruce and we entered into an agreement to utilize this book along with extensive works of Rich to transform my organization into a model of success that utilized its existing team and strengths. I will never forget the comment Rich made to me one day about the well known "corporate box," if you are thinking about thinking outside the box, you are still in the box. Therefore this book and training programs like Rich and Bruce present will allow the "Leader of the Future" to not confine their thought process to any box or obstacle."

2. The initial reading of the book presents the four basics to ALT (Action Learning Teams) and allows one to understand in the early reading of where their organization is today and what it will take to advance to a higher level of effectiveness and performance in the future.

3. A great suggestion is for the leader to play the role as coach and not BOSS. This is where Rich and Bruce developed the BUCKET concept that allowed everyone to assume responsibilities and each other member know who is responsible for what task within the organization. This supports the concept in the book on encouraging team members to focus on self improvement as they are accountable to the other team members in making sure their individual bucket is managed properly to benefit the overall organization. "This is like an old fire line where everyone is passing the buckets of water to put out a fire. If one person drops their bucket the fire can spread out of control. Therefore, proper management of the individual buckets maintains proper fire management without a fire ever arising, "Proactive Management." ALT's will make a difference if you understand how to make them work effectively.

4. An organizational leader and ALT "Coach" must truly commit to the Belief Model presented within the book. The advantage I had from the book material was the actual training program developed by Rich and Bruce, where I had to commit to making this reality before I could ever expect positive results. If the Coach cannot commit to taking a Belief to Potential to Action to Results than I question this leader's ability to be the Coach required for an effective ALT. I actually included all internal and external affiliate team leaders in the training process to make sure all areas and entities that affect my businesses were well informed of my organizations strategic plan and goals.

5. The PIP was completed at the end of the training and we found by our proactive implementation of this text material and consulting program that we were well on our way to achieving an organizational structure and performance level 1 year ahead of schedule.

6. Chapter 4 on Deployment should be arranged on a Cork Board in the Coaches office to read each morning, as a "Daily Devotional." Coaches/Leaders to often forget that by keeping there own skills focused and sharp, spill over to the actions and result of the ALT members.

7. The "Value Network" concept truly supported my personal philosophy of not deleting the most important life source of all organizations "PROFIT." An excellent Coach/Leader will be more effective with ALT teams and the process of strategic planning by honestly admitting we must make a profit, therefore their actions that support the material within this text will be more reality driven and not viewed as corporate fluff to keep morale at a moderate level of acceptance. Honesty is the first step in leading a successful organization.

8. Closing Comments: As we know and the book points out in Table format, today's business "Demands" are different from years past. This book is an excellent training tool for organizations at various levels including infancy, transitional businesses experiencing sales growth that could lead to dysfunctional performance without proper planning, and successful businesses that need to maintain and deal with everyday tumultuous situations. "A must read book for the true lifelong learner and concerned leader of the future." Also, follow-up with training to really experience the change and improvements you can experience through ALT implementation.

Don't let the title scare you mothers away. "Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers" brings the reader through the Rule of Saint Benedict, (RSB), by way of a brief daily reading that explains each section as it would be applicable in any parent's life today. The entire RSB is read within one year's time.

It is often said that child birth comes without any instruction manual. "Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers" can be that manual.

This would make an excellent gift for a new parent.

Dr. Longenecker's meditations on the rule of St. Benedict are both inpirational and pragmatic. This book offer a useful re-tooling and reapplication of these essentially monastic directives for use in family life. It makes me want to work more dilligently at being a better father and person.

My mother gave this book to all her sons (including me) for Christmas a year ago. This was my first exposure to Saint Benedict and his Rule. At that time I had very little exposure to the monastic life. As I read this book I could really begin to appreciate the devout nature of Benedict and his followers. It is clear that these men who give up their lives for Christ, these monks, truely have a calling to this vocation.

I really liked the interpretation that went along after each rule by Dr. Longenecker. This was especially valuable as I had not been experienced these teachings before. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the contemplative life.

As a mother, I was intrigued by the title of this book, and now wish that I had read it long ago, when my children were younger. The advice is age-old and not just for fathers, rather, it is inspiring for all adults, but especially parents trying to keep a family together in these chaotic days.

As any who have read an ancient work in translation will tell you, any commentary that is included can be a blinding distraction, or the most illuminating aspect of the literature. In this case, Longenecker's accompanying prose is surely the latter. Benedict's Rule is related to the work of a father with practiced ease and grace. The work is profoundly instructive.
In fact, my only gripe is with the slightly unwieldy, slightly overlong introduction. Though it should by no means be skipped, I remember feeling a little anxious to get on to St. Benedict. Very high marks though, I thoroughly recommend this book to any father, or mother for that matter.

Too rarely is a book on the education of children written by a person who has been an effective teacher, a highly successful school administrator, and a scholar. Dr. Lawrence combines all three qualities.

As a former public school teacher, principal, supervisor, professor of educational evaluation and a Fulbright lecturer, I can highly recommend this book to those teachers, principals, and school supervisors (and parents) who wish to learn how to cut through much of the red tape and bureaucracy that, sadly, characterizes too much of public education.

Dr. Lawerence provides specific cases of being confronted with and coping effectively with children whose instructional level is misclassified, the difficulties of unsuitable tests, rigid grading systems, teachers who are in dire need of help and many other areas of concern.

For your information, in retirement, Dr. Lawerence continues to volunteer her time working with children prone to being written off as failures.

William D. Hedges, (...)

I'd like to thank Dr. Lawrence for sharing her experience and wisdom with us through her book. Having insight to the internal workings of the public school system has better prepared me to make sure my child is not "left behind." Dr. Lawrence's emphasis on reading readiness in the early grades, has helped define my goals as a parent.
Thank you so much,
T.F.Ambrosio

It was a pleasure and surprise to see the inside commentary of a modern school principal. I do not think a parent can get a better picture of school administration problems and details. I thought "Boston Public" was a little too violent. My experience with school boards is deciding on how to pay for new water fountain. This book gives a parent a great insight to school problems and solutions.

Dr. Lawrence writes an honest inside view about the nuts and bolts of running an elementary school with the principal as a strong curriculum leader. She recognized reading as the elementary school's primary concern.
This anecdotal, informative and entertaining book explains the significance of identifying correct student instructional levels to effectively impact reading gains. Her ability to recognize the school as a function of its community is a critical factor in a successful education system. Poverty is a serious subject, a powerful distracter, but Dr. Lawrence guides us with humor, and the down and dirty understanding of identifying vital academic needs. She shows how to remain focused throughout the day-to-day crisises of running a school while making positive impacts on the children's academic and social growth.
As someone considering a career in educational leadership, I would recommend reading this valid, often humorous reflection of a principal's journey.

Dr. Lawrence has a simple solution for the education of children. Teach them at their level so that they can achieve success. In the days of over emphasis on test results, children are not only left behind, but they are also taught to fail. This book takes a humane view of the tender loving care that children need. By teaching them at their level, they do achieve success, thus beginning a real education. The gift is in their joy of learning.

This first volume in the set of 6 (I sincerely hope that there will be more to come) is, in my opinion, essential reading for every Christian.

We in the USA need to unlearn everything that we were told about "the big, bad, Red Russians"... This set is a good start in introducing westerners to the amazing and profound depth of Russian spiritualism!

Just read it, you have to, no description can give it justice. All I can say is this, it's comparable to Issac of Nineveh's "On Ascetical Life" in its beauty, depth, and penetrating words of love, peace, and prayer. Just read it, this book will change you forever.

While preparing a lecture on Surat Shabd Yoga, I came across the Philokalia and thought it might be useful in my talk. "Surat" is a Sanskrit word for "Soul", "Shabd" is the Sanskrit word for "Holy Spirit". "Yoga" simply means "To Yoke". Hence, Surat Shabd Yoga is the process of connecting the soul to the Holy Spirit. In the "Little Russian Philokalia", Saint Seraphim of Sarov taught that the main aim of Christian life is to acquire for oneself the Spirit of God. His amazing and supernatural conversation with N.A. Motovilov on "The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit" is included in this volume.

Simple, elegant, uplifting, and profound.

I am glad to see that we now have a Russian companion volume to the traditional Philokalia.

I found that the pictures of St. Seraphim spoke to me too.

I've been really enjoying the Russian Philokalia series, more so, even, than the original Philokalia and the sayings of the Desert Fathers.

From an evangelical perspective the Desert Fathers can often come across as legalists whose religion has less to do with a Christ centered faith, than it does with trying to outdo each other in their rules of piety (ie: the argument about whether a true monk would (a) never lay eyes on a woman or (b) be able to look at a woman and not even recognize her as being of the opposite gender).

The original Philokalia, on the other hand, reads more like a text on Hindu meditation: weird mystical concept and breathing techniques mixed with Christian references and other rules for achieving enlightenment (or seeing the uncreated light of God).

The Russian Philokalia series, on the other hand, especially this volume of the writings of St. Seraphim, are far more "down to earth" or at least more familiar. Seraphim's sayings, for example, are generally rooted in a Spirit-centered faith, and hence, more accessible to evangelicals and others looking at Orthodoxy for the first time. I don't know what makes them more accessible. Perhaps its because these men lived closer to our own time; perhaps its because the Orthodox church in their day had been influenced by Western thinking; or perhaps its because they were simple Russian peasants. In any case, I really enjoyed this series of books and would readily reccommend them to interested readers.

Reading Dr Guillory's book, I found myself looking at a totally new arena in the workplace. Many concepts and thoughts that can improve employees relations at any level in an organization. Much, much more then the trendy books recommended by most of corporate America today. A "must read" book for those looking for the missing connection.

In THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS, Thomas Kuhn suggested that the evolution of science was marked more by epistemological shifts than linear developments over time that reflected unchanging truths and practices. After Kuhn's analysis, scientists would never again be able to do "business as usual." William Guillory's work represents a similar epistemological shift, and like Kuhn's REVOLUTIONS has the potential to change the way that business is envisioned and actualized, literally challenging the business of "business and usual," and introducing an element that has yet to be fully explored in the numerous works that articulate transformative business practices. The future of business, for Guillory, is defined by one idea/practice: spirituality. SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE: A GUIDE FOR ADAPTING TO THE CHAOTICALLY CHANGING WORKPLACE is William Guillory's contribution to the emerging conversation of how to effectively transform business and implement practices that will be responsive to, and inclusive of, empowerment, diversity, and organizational coherence. Guillory challenges some of our most sacred beliefs about difference and division: self and other, individuality and collectivism, and of course, spirituality and materialism. It is a book that offers a new vision of leadership, one that values intuition as much as observation, and the spiritual as much as the material. William Guillory's vision is, indeed, integrative, and reflects his own personal challenges and transformations. Guillory is the CEO and founder of Innovations Consulting International, and a highly sought after authority on facilitating organizational transformation, managing diversity, and creating contexts for individual empowerment. His work with organizational change and diversity led naturally to his own transformative self-reflections, reflections that moved him beyond the material concerns of a career to the spiritual possibilities of exploring his own deeply embedded life interests. He writes in the prologue of SPIRITUALITY of an experience in October of 1985 that changed both his life and his mind. "Words flowed through me at a rate with which I cold hardly keep pace. There were phrases and concepts I had never heard before, pouring into my consciousness." Those words and phrases, he relates, challenged one of our culture's most sacred division, the separation of the spiritual and the material. Guillory believes that this division needs to be understood, addressed, and ultimately healed if organizations are going to be able to adapt to accelerated change and potential crises. The multiple ways of addressing this division are revealed throughout the book, in both the titles and the contents of each chapter. Chapter one discusses "The Living Organization," and offers a biological metaphor for understanding organizational evolution. Chapter two "Spirituality as a source of wisdom," addresses directly the main focus of the book and offers both definitions of spirituality and examples of how it is reflected in specific business practices. Chapter three, "People--The Only Sustainable Competitive Advantage," discusses the difficulties of personal transformation within organizational contexts that privilege material over human resources, and illustrates how individuals can successfully empower themselves to become agents of change. Chapter four, "Service--An Unconditional Commitment to Others," points to the value of challenging and redefining our conception of ourselves in relation to others, and the potential that committing one's self to service can have for both individual and organizational transformation. Chapter five, "Organizational Self-Awareness--Know Thyself," explores the critical connection between communication and culture that defines the problems and possibilities of organizational change and development in an increasingly diverse and global business economy. Chapter six, Wisdom--Your Soul Connection," illustrates the importance intuition and personal self-reflection for overcoming limiting conditions and actualizing performance potential. Chapter seven, "The New Leadership--Spirituality," explores the critical need for visionary, transformative, and spiritual leadership, and how these approaches reflect both normative principles and practical outcomes. In the final chapter, "The Future--A Call for Action," Guillory challenges us to rethink the world of work and our place in it, and the impact of our personal and professional works on the world in which we live. Guillory paradigmatic shift invites us to consider what David Bohm described as the "implicate order" or reality, the many diverse and seemingly divergent principles and practices that implicate us in each other's lives and, ultimately, in the planet itself. Although the titles of Guillory's chapters suggest at first glance an exploration into the realm of the esoteric and the transcendent, the chapters themselves reveal concrete and down to earth discussions and examples of spirituality at work in the work place. The book is very accessibly written, and does an excellent job touching on many of the emerging theoretical discussions of organizational change and development without being "theory laden." The use of personal experiences and narratives also serve to make the book extremely practical in terms of presenting concrete examples of spiritual practices. Each of the chapters also offers exercises and measurement instruments for facilitating self-reflexive explorations of spirituality in the workplace and in our lives. While at first glance this may seem like a strange mixture of science and metaphysics, a kind of "lichert scale spirituality," the exercises if take seriously serve as provocative catalysts for further understanding, and recognizing the necessity of a paradigmatic shift toward the spiritual. Guillory suggests that the economics of self-interest and personal gain have placed the planet in a tenuous position, one requiring radical change and personal transformation. SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE offers an alternative paradigm for re-conceptualizing and re-creating the way we do business with each other, with the planet, and with ourselves. The articulation of a new paradigm is perhaps the most important contribution that this book makes to the literature on organization change and development. Unlike many of the texts in this genre, however, SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE forces us to delve deeper into the mechanisms of culture and consciousness that undergird our business organizations and economic institutions. This is an important and provocative book that will makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how organizational change and personal transformation will be the keys to business competitiveness and development in the 21st century.

William Guillory has hit the nail squarely on the head. It is about time that someone has been able to give solid thoughts as to how one can adapt to the ever changing workplace, while maintaining and enhancing spiritual values.

With consolidation being the main focus of companies across North America, the pressures and anxiety are at extreme levels. William Guillory gives employees and executives a fresh insight into dealing with these changes.

This is a must read for anyone who is experiencing change or chaos in the workplace. It is a must read for everyone!

Spirituality in the Workplace is a truly inspirational book that encourages individuals and organizations to incorporate their values and spirituality into their work endeavers. The powerful ideas inside this book show how we can align the spiritual, mental and physical components of our lives to become more fully functional in the workplace. Although the focus is on values and individual development, Bill also makes a strong business case for using these principles to create excellence within an organization. His real life examples and creative insights make this a interesting and motivating read.

With the increasing trend to introspection in Western society and inquiry into sources of personal meaning in all areas of one's life, it is not surprising that the place of spirituality in the workplace is also being examined. The past 5 years have seen a number of books appear on the subject; many of them fall into a couple of categories: they are broad and fuzzy surveys of the topic, or they try to define what spirituality SHOULD look like. This is inherently flawed because spirituality is a manifestation of personal belief and a reflection of corporate culture. Dr. Guillory's book is one of the very few I have seen to take a different, and I feel proper, approach. First, Dr. Guillory is by training a chemist and yet he tackles a nebulous topic like spirituality with ease and familiarity. He effectively applies a scientific rigor to treatment of the subject but never becomes preachy or inaccessable. The volume is clearly written, well organized, and has a VERY strong take-away for the reader, who can complete exercises in the book to the formation and manifestation of a personal belief system and apply that to a work setting. Throughout the process, Dr. Guillory seems to accompany and guide the reader through the exercises. It is as if he is writing from within a spiritual context, rather than standing on the outside looking in. This volume has a wonderful mix of information and applications, as well as illustration of schematic and thought-models, that serve as a springboard for further inquiry. I found this book stayed in my head long after I had closed the cover. The examples of how corporate leaders had developed their own corporate spirituality were inspiring and believable. In conclusion, I loved this book because it was practical, direct, entertaining, and enlightening. It is a roadmap and guidebook that others can use to navigate through a murky topic with ease.

As a Christian, I am constantly pleasantly surpised that the truth can be found in all places and times. This book is a wonderful and refreshing reiteration of basic yet exceedingly profound truths. I am so thankful that I was drawn to it. I give it my highest recommendation. It sits on my self next to my Bible, Dhammapada, Tao Teh Ching, Analects, I Ching, and Bhagavad-Gita. The message trancends time and space: Love, Nurture, and Forgive!

A wonderful book! The three words, Love, Nurture and Forgive, provides the basis to our lives. It is truly fascinating to discover that 'love' contains many different levels to be practiced. And that our relationships with others allows us the opportunities to deeply understand and develop the means to love, nurture and forgive one another.

As a Christian, I suspect that this is the book that Jesus would have written had he been able to find a publisher at the time. The title says it all. Although an essentially Buddhist philosophy, the ideas contained in the book could have been written with the Christian reader in mind. What could be more Christian than living for the sake of others (LOVE), looking after and helping others develop (NURTURE) and recognising that we are all children of Buddha/God no matter what our transgressions (FORGIVE)

As with all his books that I have read, Okawa continues in his unpretentious style, and is therefore very easy to read.

As a Christian, I suspect that this is the book that Jesus would have written had he been able to find a publisher at the time. The title says it all. Although an essentially Buddhist philosophy, the ideas contained in the book could have been written with the Christian reader in mind. What could be more Christian than living for the sake of others (LOVE), looking after and helping others develop (NURTURE) and recognising that we are all children of Buddha/God no matter what our transgressions (FORGIVE)

As with all his books that I have read, Okawa continues in his unpretentious style, and is therefore very easy to read.

This is a shining honest account of the experiences of a true masters' awakening. And lays out a clear description of the starting point to understanding his broad and profound teachings. This is a big step foward for religious thought!

Straight to the piont: This book answers all our questions and much more. I have given it a shot never knowing that its information are so smoothly spread out and are so rich with essential tips.

If anyone plans on a first approach towards sponsors, this book will let these people avoid some unnecessary and costly steps.

Bravo!

Very helpful. I have used the templates already, and the amount of detail provided makes it easy to actually act on the advice. The author is generous with her information on how sponsor's make decisions. I have no background in sponsorship marketing, so it was good to know how deals really get done!
Our annual Harvest Fest has been angling for sponsors for years. This year, we are fully-armed thanks to Made Possible By: Succeeding With Sponsorship.
If I have any beef, I wanted more. There are plenty of practical tips, examples and worksheets that are really useful. But never having gotten a sponsor, I wanted even more.

Cheers for a book that actually tells me what to say, do, even think about in order to get a sponsor. For anyone who is serious about getting into sponsorship, where you will actually talk to sponsors and make deals, I recommend this book. I have already put to use the advice on cold-calling and proposal writing.

This book didn't leave anything out. Before reading it, I had questions about how to put together sponsorship packages. Patricia Martin answered all of my questions in her very thorough book... including the questions I didn't even know I should be asking! Her writing style is direct and complete. It is refreshing to read a "how to" book that actually tells you "how to!"

She uses examples that clearly illustrate the things to do, and not do, during various stages of the sponsorship process. She includes worksheets that take all the guess work out of the process. She doesn't hold anything back. Everything you need to organize effective sponsorship packages and partnerships is in this book.

I was very excited to read this book because it really is an essential tool to help plan a sponsorship strategy, prepare a proposal, get a meeting, gain committment and ultimately bring in dollars. It is laid out in a very easy step-by-step process that everyone can follow and helps you realize the value your organization can give to potential sponsors. Most importantly, it takes the fear out of selling and demonstrates the correct way to speak to and work with potential sponsors for maximum benefit.

I refer to this book constantly during my sponsorship work with the California Pacific Medical Center Foundation and the Junior League in San Francisco and can say that it has significantly helped me achieve my fundraising goals and advance my career.

There are a lot of books on change. It takes a lot for a book about change to stand out from the growing crowd of books on this increasingly important topic. Making Change Irresistible by Ken Hultman stands tall. The book starts right off by focusing on the primary reason why leaders have difficulty in making change happen in organizations-the failure to really understand human beings. He says that leaders who have crunched the numbers, laid out meticulous plans, and positioned organizational resources are often surprised by resistance and tend to see something malevolent or irrational in the resistance, rather than a natural human response that can be addressed in ways that do make change irresistible. My favorite chapter is the one on the practical ways of building trust-a pivotal topic that seems to be left out of most of the other books on change. I also appreciated the liberal sprinkling of self-assessment inventories and checklists because they made the book so specific and practical.

Ken Hultman has written a brilliant and very practical book on dealing with change. His work on motivation updates Maslow and concentrates on ones sense of worth. The change tests and exercises can be used directly and will assist any organization undergoing change. The work on values is also brilliant and gets to the heart of the matter instead of working around the edges.

This book explains in simple language why and how people get their needs met and how that affects change processes. This book is must reading for any organization that truly wants to change and needs to understand the process.

"Making Change Irresistible" is an engaging book with proactive tools and effective strategies that can help executives and managers alike through the murky waters of organizational transition. This book is the most comprehensive work available on the subject of organizational resistance to change. It led me to discover and rethink my assumptions about corporate change resistance. It presents a fresh perspective on a topic of concern to all of today's organizations, and is applicable to both academicians and practitioners. The Change Opinion Survey and The Psychological Need Fulfillment Inventory provide practical methods of preventing, diagnosing, and minimizing the impact of resistance to change in organizations. Both tools are essential for anyone in the process of managing change. Through an in-depth analysis of human behaviour and with techniques that promote personal growth, this book enables readers to become adept at diagnosing resistance to change. The book also helps readers to develop a more positive attitude toward change, while building a concrete plan of action to overcome resistance to change. In short, "Making Change Irresistible" is a must-read for those who study change, and for anyone whose job it is to lead others through the challenge of organizational change.

"This book is intended to serve as a strategic and tactical manual for battling resistance to organizational change." Covers the key concepts in understanding human behaviour and change and provides tools for diagnosing and overcoming resistance. First class. It uses a simple but powerful framework and offers several useful 'instruments' to diagnose core issues in gaining acceptance of change. The book is intended for anyone whose job it is to lead others through change. It is a useful, clear and well-organised resource and the instruments contained in it are also clear and well explained.

Ken's background includes: PhD in Counseling Psychology; staff and line manager; university professor; counselor for individuals, families and groups; and trainer and organizational development consultant to 100 Fortune 500 companies, including major effort with General Electric.

He provides the best analysis of the reasons change is so hard (for most humans), and a fairly good prescription of what can be done to "make change irresistible". The following are a few of the concepts from his book:

Unmet Needs table spans pages 24-27 Unmet Need for Mastery Unmet Need for a Sense of Meaning and Purpose Unmet Need for Acceptance Unmet Need for Respect Each unmet need is followed by 10-20 Symptoms, Consequence, and Potential Solutions

His unmet needs survey encourages a quick assessment of the group and individual attitudes toward change. 60 Statements are assigned a 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0: 4 = strongly disagree down to 0 = Strongly agree People in my organization: Expect too little from themselves Malign each other's character Judge each other on the basis of personal characteristics Disagree about goals/methods Lack opportunities to use their skills Withhold information from each other Discriminate against others Disagree with each other about priorities Lack the necessary knowledge or understanding Try to make each other look bad Subtly make others feel excluded Etc.

He states that there are 4 combinations of Willingness and Ability to Change (pg 97) 1 - Both willing and able to change = best 2 - Able but unwilling to change 3- Willing but unable to change 4 - Both unwilling and unable to change = worst

His strategies for overcoming resistance span pg 171-175 Establishing a positive climate Encourage and interest in improvement Show people how overcoming resistance to change can help them Help people increase their competence Involve people in decisions Cultivate value for teamwork Don't react emotionally Avoid inadvertent mistakes Concentrate on factors within your control

The explanation of his strategies span pages 181-4 15 Strategies aimed at Thinking 10 Strategies aimed at Feelings 12 Strategies aimed at Deciding 10 Strategies aimed at Doing

He has 5-10 strategies for each way of Overcoming the Common Causes of Resistance (pg 188) Which depend on the current their beliefs: They believe their needs are being met already They believe the change will make it harder for them to meet their needs They believe the costs outweigh the benefits They believe the change is unnecessary to avoid or escape a negative situation They believe the change process was handled improperly They believe the change will fail They believe the change is inconsistent with their values

Other books which I have reviewed on change include:

Approaches to Planned Change: orienting perspectives and micro-level interventions R Golembiewski 1993

Champions of Change 1997 Nadler Changing Organizations Raymon Bruce 1998

Competence and Organizational Change - a handbook Shirley Fletcher 1997

Creating Paths of Change - managing issues & resolving problems in organizations Will McWhinney 1997

Getting your Organization to Change - a guide for putting you strategy into action Dennis Jaffe 1999

Harvard Business Review on CHANGE 1998 Lean Transformation: how to change your business into a lean enterprise Bruce Henderson 1999

Leveraging People and Profit: the hard work of soft management Bernard Nagle 1998

Let's Work Smarter, Not Harder: how to engage your entire organization in the execution of change M Caravatta 1998

Managing Changes: exploring the state of the art E. More 1998

Navigating Change: how CEO's, top teams. and boards steer transformations 1998 Edited by Hambrick

Performance-Driven Organizational Change: an organizational portfolio Lex Donaldson 1999

Re-Creating the corporation: a design of organizations for the 21st century R. Ackoff 1999 - great book

Results Based Leadership, David Ulrich et al, 1999 Taking Charge of Change D. Smith

The Challenge of Organizational Change: How Companies Experience It and Leaders Guide It. August 1992

The Change Management Handbook: A roadmap to corporate transformation Lance Berger 1994

The Dance of Change, Senge et al, 1999 - follow up to the fifth discipline

The Leader's Change Handbook: essential guide for setting direction and taking action 1999 J. Conger

The husband and wife team has made another excellent book. I specially liked the way the authors moved the most important (from my viewpoint) topics first. I and probably hundreds of students here in Manila use their book and it's an outstanding source of information.

Used this book with a group of 18 managers on a management course. All acclaimed it as a very easy to understand book, very well written and comprehsive.

For business students this bok may give you an excellent updated view of Information Systems.

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How Information Use The Information System

This book gives quite a bit of history as far as religious orders in the U.S. and the kind of work that they have done over the years. I also enjoyed the photos because I feel that they helped me to understand the history better. And it's interesting to see how the nuns and sisters have dressed over the years.

This book was excellent in explaining the history of the many different religious orders of sisters that came to america to educate and heal. Many fine pictures of the different religious habits worn by the sisters. A complete list of colleges and hospitals, and the year they were founded here in the United States. It is the most complete history book representing a sample of the many different orders of sisters, and their good works.

This book was excellent in explaining the history of the many different religious orders of sisters that came to america to educate and heal. Many fine pictures of the different religious habits worn by the sisters. A complete list of colleges and hospitals, and the year they were founded here in the United States. It is the most complete history book representing a sample of the many different orders of sisters, and their good works.

This book has excellent pictures on the nuns in the full traditional habit thru out the book, with quick accounts of the various religious orders. In the back of the book is a dateline of all the religious orders of Sisters and the institutions they founded in the United States such as catholic hospitals, and colleges. Its an wonderful resource on any person researching the history and traditions of the Catholic Sisters (nuns) who have served our country as educators and health care professionals.

A few years ago I took a college course on the history of health care in the US. I noticed that there was a strange neglect to mention all the work that sisters have done in hospital/nursing. It is good to see a book that gives us a good description of this and other work. It is amazing to see these women working against such adversity, and achieving so much. Our usual image of 19th century women does not include administrators and CEOs, but that is what these women were. They served God and their fellow humans in remarkable ways. It made me nastalgic for the days of plentiful vocations.