Reviews Books

This is one in a series of several dozen volumes that comprise the "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series." Each offers direct, convenient, and inexpensive access to the best thinking on the given subject in articles originally published by the Harvard Business School Review. I strongly recommend all of the volumes in the series. The individual titles are listed at this Web site: www.hbsp.harvard.edu. The authors of various articles are among the world's most highly regarded experts on the given subject. Each volume has been carefully edited. Supplementary commentaries are also provided in most of the volumes, as is an "About the Contributors" section that usually includes suggestions of other sources that some readers may wish to explore.

In this volume, the reader is provided with eight articles whose authors provide a variety of perspectives on how to lead an organization through a process of significant change while minimizing fear, frustration, and resistance. All of the articles first appeared in the HBR over an extended period of time, from March-April, 1992, to October, 2005; some but remarkably little of the material is dated. Here are some of the important business issues to which four contributors direct their (and our) attention:


Which seem to be the most common mistakes made by executives? ("Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail," John P. Kotter)
Comment: Kotter identifies eight and suggests how to avoid or repair them.

How to focus only on what is most important? ("Tipping Point Leadership," W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne)
Comment: The co-authors of Blue Ocean Strategy explain how "tipping points" can result in fundamental changes when a sufficient number of people embrace and support a powerful idea. They examine how a newly appointed police commissioner, in less than two years, turned New York into the safest large city in the nation by following a four-step process to bring about rapid, dramatic, and lasting change with limited resources.

Why is follow-through "the DNA of decisive cultures"? ("Conquering a Culture of Indecision," Ram Charan)
Comment: In all of his various books and articles, Charan stresses the importance of making correct decision and then taking effective action to achieve desired results, whatever they may be. To change a culture of decision, he insists, leaders must ask hard questions such as "How robust and effective are our social operating mechanisms?" GE has forged a system of ten tightly linked operating mechanisms that, Charan suggests, comprise its "secret weapon."

Why are leaders sometimes "on" and other times Not? (""Moments of Greatness: Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership," Robert E. Quinn)
Comment: Quinn identifies four "awareness-raising questions" which leaders must ask and then answer honestly so that they can challenge themselves to have a positive impact on their own lives and on those around them. These questions "often lead to high-performance outcomes, and repetition of high-performance outcomes can eventually create a high-performance culture."

Which factors correlate with the success or failure of change initiatives? ("The Hard Side of Change Management," Harold L. Sirkin, Perry Keenan, and Alan Jackson)
Comment: Based on their research on change initiatives at 225 companies, the co-authors of this article concluded that it is possible to predict the probable results of such initiatives by considering what they characterize as four "DICE factors" within a diagnostic framework. Once the evaluation has been completed, the executives involved can then "shine a spotlight on the interventions that would improve their chances of success."

As I indicated earlier, at least some of the material in this volume is dated. However, the insights shared in these articles as well as in the other remain relevant. Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out the recently published Harvard Business Review on Making Smarter Decisions as well as other series titles in the Harvard Business Review Paperback Series such as those Effective Communication, the Innovative Enterprise, Leadership at the Top, and Measuring Corporate Performance.

Also Michael George's Authentic Leadership and True North, Jack Welch and Suzy Welch's Winning, Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, Ram Charan's Know-How, and Deborah Ancona and Henrik Bresman's X-Teams, Richard Ogle's Smart World, and James O'Toole's The Executive's Compass.

I picked this book up at an airport to have something to read on my flight, and I was not disappointed in the least. It provides excellent information and insight on leading organizations during times of change.

In Kotter's essay, "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail", he analyzes common errors of leading through change, and converts them into 8 steps for transforming an organization: (1) establishing a sense of urgency, (2) forming a powerful guiding coalition, (3) creating a vision, (4) communicating the vision, (5) empowering others to act on the vision, (6) planning for and creating short-term wins, (7) consolidating improvements and creating still more changes, and (8) institutionalizing new approaches. Kotter shows how these 8 principles can lead to either the downfall or the success of an organization.

I also found Ram Charan's essay, "Conquering a Culture of Indecision", to be extremely helpful. He outlines the steps for creating greater communication, turning that into action, and providing follow-through and feedback.

Also of great interest to me was Eric Abrahamson's "Change Without Pain". He defines the difference between "tinkering" and "kludging" (tinkering with a college education). He also offers helpful operating guidelines that make quite a bit of sense.

Different essays will be more relevant for different individuals, but all in all, this compilation of essays provides excellent insight, and should be required reading for executive teams in the midst of major periods of change.

I read this book when it was first published in 1999 and recently re-read it, curious to see how well it has held up during the past five years. I think it has done so to a remarkable extent, with my only regret being that Theodore Levitt's "Marketing Myopia" is not included among the selections. This is one in a series of several dozen volumes which comprise the "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series." Each offers direct, convenient, and inexpensive access to the best thinking on the given subject in articles originally published by the Harvard Business Review. I strongly recommend all of the volumes in the series. The individual titles are listed at this Web site: www.hbsp.harvard.edu. The authors of various articles are among the world's most highly regarded experts on the given subject. All of the volumes have been carefully edited. An Executive Summary introduces each selection. Supplementary commentaries are also provided in most of the volumes, as is an "About the Contributors" section which usually includes suggestions of other sources which some readers may wish to explore.

In this volume, we are provided with a variety of perspectives on marketing: Keller's on "the brand score card," Jackson's on bringing a dying brand back to life, Rao/Bergen/Davis' on how to fight a price war, Kenny and Marshall's on "contextual marketing" (i.e. "the real business of the Internet"), Aaker and Joachimsthaler's on the "lure" of global branding, Hatch and Schultz' on getting corporate strategy and branding in alignment, Brown's on "tormenting" customers, and Almquist and Wyner's on how to increase the ROI on marketing with experimental design. Quite true, some of the material is dated and inevitably so, given the elapsed time since the articles were published in the Harvard Business Review. However, in my opinion, the principles advocated and the core strategies recommended remain relevant to the contemporary marketplace.

For about the cost of breakfast in an upscale Manhattan restaurant, each volume in this series provides an intellectual feast. It remains for each reader to determine, of course, which of the volumes will be most nutritious to her or his appetite.

There are now over 20 books in this Harvard Business Review series. All the books are compilations of the best articles from the Harvard Business Review magazine. This book is one of the best books in the series for the quality, relevance, and usefulness of the articles selected for inclusion.

The eight articles selected for this book are 'The Brand Report Card', 'Bringing a Dying Brand Back to Life', 'How to Fight a Price War', 'Contextual Marketing: The Real Business of the Internet', 'The Lure of Global Marketing', 'Are the Strategic Stars Aligned for Your Corporate Brand', 'Torment Your Customers (They'll Love It), and 'Boost Your Marketing ROI with Experimental Design'.

My favorite article was the first one 'The Brand Report Card'. This article in just a few pages cuts to the core of how to evaluate the strength of your brand using a very logical approach.

The article on Contextual Marketing about the Internet is very interesting since it was written in late 2000 and makes predictions about how the Internet will change by the end of 2003 to 2005. But even the basic predictions haven't come true regarding how ubiquitous the authors predict the Internet will become. Yes, we have access to the Internet through wireless devices but they are not very profitable for businesses right now. Of course, the current economic conditions are influencing the predictions quite significantly.

Overall, this is indeed an excellent collection of articles relating to Marketing and the book is priced well since it is far more expensive to buy the same collection of articles directly from Harvard Business Review online (almost 5 times more expensive).

I have been reading several books on marketing over the last few years to apply in my small business and this book is one of the best I have read. It is less than 200 pages long and makes for a very quick yet powerful read. Enjoy reading and benefiting from the book!

This is another great book in the extraordinary Harvard Business Review (HBR) paperback series. It is one of the books I highly recommend.

This book begins with an outstanding article on communities of practice by Wenger & Snyder. If you can't read Wenger & Snyder's entire book, be sure to read this article/chapter.

There is a chapter by Pfeffer & Sutton on the knowing-doing gap that's very helpful. John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid offer a fascinating chapter on knowledge transfer through casual discussion.

Perhaps the most useful chapter in the book is Hansen, Nohria, & Tierney's article on managing knowledge. In this chapter, they discuss the critical distinction between codification and personalization knowledge management systems. This chapter alone is worth the cost of the book.

Add to these chapters the work of Argyris, Mintzberg, and others, and you have a resource every practitioner should own.

Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Learning"

The title of this review is borrowed from Derek Bok who, when president of Harvard, responded to parents who crticized a recent tuition increase. Now the review.

This is one in a series of several dozen volumes which comprise the "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series." Each offers direct, convenient, and inexpensive access to the best thinking on the given subject in articles originally published by the Harvard Business School Review. I strongly recommend all of the volumes in the series. The individual titles are listed at this Web site: www.hbsp.harvard.edu. The authors of various articles are among the world's most highly regarding experts on the given subject. Each volume has been carefully edited. Supplementary commentaries are also provided in most of the volumes, as is an "About the Contributors" section which usually includes suggestions of other sources which some readers may wish to explore.

In this volume, we are provided with eight separate but related articles in which their authors examine these subjects: "The Organizational Frontier" (Wenger and Snyder), "The Smart-Talk Trap" (Pfeffer and Sutton), "Balancing Act: How to Capture Information Without Killing It" (Brown and Duguid), "What Your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?" (Hansen, Nohria, and Tierney), "Good Communicating That Blocks Learning" (Argyris), "Coevolving: At Last a Way to Make Synergies Work" (Eisenhardt and Galunic). "Organigraphs: Drawing How Companies Really Work" (Mintzberg and Van der Heyden), and "Stop Fighting Fires" (Bohn). Here are a few brief excerpts:

"As communities of practice generate knowledge, they renew themselves. They give both the golden eggs and the goose that lays them." (Wenger and Snyder)

"People will try to sound smart not only by being critical but also by using trendy, pretentious language." (Pfeffer and Sutton)

"[Organizational defensive routines] consist of all the policies, practices, and actions that prevent human beings from having to experience embarrassment or threat and, at the same time, prevent them from examining the nature and causes of that embarrassment or threat." (Argyris)

"The most effective decision makers are those at the business-unit level, where strategic perspective meets operating savvy." (Eisenhardt and Galunic)

No brief commentary such as this can do full justice to the rigor and substance of the articles provided. It remains for each reader to examine the list to identify those subjects which are of greatest interest to her or him. My own opinion is that all of the articles are first-rate. For me, one of this volume's greatest benefits is derived from various charts and diagrams included such as "How Consulting Firms Manage Their Knowledge" (on page 68). Here Hansen, Nohria, and Tierney juxtapose Codification with Personalization in areas such as competitive strategy, economic model, knowledge management strategy, information technology, and human resources. Another valuable chart is found on page 168. Bohn lists a series of "Rules of Thumb" (rational rules which create irrational results) and suggests why each such "Rule" should be carefully re-considered. Great stuff.

Even those who already subscribe to the Harvard Business Review will greatly appreciate this series because each volume gathers together separate but related articles (previously published in the HBR) on the same general subject. The cost of each volume in the series is relatively modest; the value provided is substantial. Those who share my high regard for this one are urged to read various books written by Peter Senge as well as Working Knowledge (Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak), Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together: A Pioneering Approach to Communicating in Business and in Life (William Isaacs), If Only We Knew What We Know: The Transfer of Internal Knowledge and Best Practice (Carla S. O'Dell et al), and finally, The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict into Cooperation (Daniel Yankelovich).

Today when the word "innovation" becomes more or less a cliche, this book does breathe valuable substance (not sheerly vague concepts but practical advice) to aspired innovators supposedly to have the power to steer the course of an institution. Some readers might think that HBR publications are quality guaranteed. As a regular reader on my company's monthly HBR subscription, I assure you that's not the case. However, this book is really a big beautiful pearl. In particular, I like "the discipline of innovation by Peter Drucker" the most because of the author's emphasis on innovators' need to look for simple, focused solutions to real problems, that the greatest praise an innovation can receive is for people to say "That's so obvious!" and grandiose ideas designed to revolutionize an industry rarely work. Drucker also points out that if diligence, persistence, and committment are lacking, companies are unlikely to succeed at the business innovation. Other passages like "Creativity under the Gun by Amabile, Hadley and Kramer" and "Research that revinvents the corporation by John Brown" are also brilliant. Without exaggeration, it's a very useful and great read. Dont miss it.

In this volume, one in a series of anthologies of articles previously published in the Harbard Business Review, the reader is provided with eight brilliant analyses of how to establish and then nourish innovative thinking entreprise-wide. No brief commentary such as this can do full justice to the rigor and substance of these articles. It remains for each reader to examine the list to identify those subjects which are of greatest interest to her or him. My own opinion is that all of the articles are first-rate. One of this volume's greatest benefits is derived from sharing a variety of perspectives provided by a number of different authorities on the same general subject. In this instance, "the innovative enterprise." Readers will especially appreciate the provision of an executive summary which precedes each of the articles. Also of interest is the "About the Contributors" section which includes suggestions of other sources to consult.

These are some of the key questions to which the contributors respond:

Which "time pressure" situations yield creativity? Why? (Amabile, Hadley, and Kramer)

What are the most effective "tough-minded ways" to "get innovative"? (Pearson)

How to break out of - and stay out of -- the "innovation box"? (Wolpert)

What causes an R&D "machine" to "sputter" and how to repair it? (Peebles)

What does the "discipline of innovation" require of both individuals and organizations? (Drucker)

How can research help to "reinvent" an organization? (Brown)

If "creativity is not enough," what else is needed? (Levitt)

Those who share my high regard for this volumne are urged to check out other "Harvard Business Review on..." volumes such as those on Culture and Change, Effective Communication, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning. Also Thomas Kelley and Jonathan Littman's The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation, Teresa Amabile's Creativity in Context, Evan Schwartz' Juice, Jane Fulton Suri' Thoughtless Acts?, Michael Michalko's Cracking Creativity, and Making Innovation Work co-authored by Tony Davila, Marc J. Epstein, and Robert Shelton.

Daniel Goleman is co-chairman of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Piscataway, New Jersey, and author of 'Emotional Intelligence' (1995) and 'Working with Emotional Intelligence' (1998).

This 1998 Harvard Business Review article is based on research into effective leadership at 188 companies. According to the author IQ and technical skills are important, but emotional intelligence is the sine qua non (= ultimate requirement) of leadership. Chief characteristic of someone with a high EI is that he/she is aware of emotions and able to regulate them - and this awareness and regulation are directed both inward, to one's self, and outward, to others. The author describes in detail the five components of emotional intelligence at work, which are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. He explains how to recognize EI in potential leaders, how and why it leads to measurable business results, and, most importantly, how it can be learned ("It's important to emphasize that building one's emotional intelligence cannot - will not - happen without sincere desire and concerted effort.").

I did like this interesting article from Daniel Goleman. It is surprisingly clear in the explanation of emotional intelligence. On this subject, I recommend the 2001 Harvard Business Review article 'Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups' by Vanessa Urch Druskat and Steven Wolff, and the various books by David McClelland. (Please note that I have not (yet) read Daniel Goleman's books 'Emotional Intelligence' and 'Working with Emotional Intelligence'.) The article is written in understandable US-English.

Daniel Goleman is co-chairman of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, based at Rutgers University. He is the author of the bestsellers 'Emotional Intelligence' (1995) and 'Working with Emotional Intelligence' (1998). This article was published in the November-December 1998 issue of the Harvard Business Review.

"... most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence." Thankfully, according to the author, people can develop their emotional intelligence. In this article the author discusses the five components of emotional intelligence: (1) self-awareness, (2) self-regulation, (3) motivation, (4) empathy, and (5) social skill. Each of these components are discussed in detail and complemented with examples. In addition, the author complements this with a discussion on whether you can learn emotional intelligence: "It's important to emphasize that building one's emotional intelligence cannot - will not - happen without sincere desire and concerted effort."

Nice, clear article on the softer side of leadership. The author explains that leadership is not just built on IQ and technical ability, but needs a healthy proportion of emotional skills. Readers have the choice to continue with Daniel Goleman's books or his 2000-article 'Leadership that Gets Results'. The author has a understandable US-English writing style.

I owned the original, bought around 1962 or so.

I've always wondered what happened to it. No doubt it was ripped off by a friend who foresaw better than I that someday it would be revered as a classic.

At the time it seemed the precursor of a tide of similar publications, some of which, one hoped, would improve upon it with more discriminating content.

Nope. It was a one-shot, and this, perhaps as much as anything else aout it, escalated the literary stock of its often trashy writing.

My five-star review is a tribute to both its uniqueness and my nostalgia for the Beat sensibility it represented that was so formative to me.

They should have reissued it on newsprint.

This millennium edition of Leslie's One Shot Review is an excellent reprint returning a classic to new audiences. Originally published in 1960, this volume provides work by some of the finest 20th century authors from Allen Ginsberg and Kenneth Koch to Terry Southern. Also included: Fidel Castro's 1960 address to the U.N. This millennium edition contains a narrative poem by the author commenting on the origins of the original Hasty Papers. A keepsake literary work in an oversized presentation, packed with black and white photos and illustrations.

I have read many business books and my personal feeling is the vision is great yet the execution plan is more important, Dell is
a visionary and practioner, that's what differentiate this book from all the other visionaries...I would recommend this book for all managers in corporate America.

In this March-April 1998 Harvard Business Review article, editor-at-large Joan Magretta interviews Michael Dell, the Founder and Chairman of Dell Computer.

"How do you create a $12 billion company in just 13 years?" Michael Dell did this by introducing the direct business model in 1984. In this formula, he would sell personal computers directly to customers and build products to order. It bypasses the dealer channel, thereby eliminating reseller's markup and the costs and risks associated with carrying large inventories of finished goods. But according to Michael Dell, the direct model turns out to have other benefits. "You actually get to have a relationship with the customer and that creates valuable information, which, in turn, allows us to leverage our relationships with both suppliers and customers. Couple that information with techology; and you have the infrastructure to revolutionize the fundamental business models of major global companies." The article takes your through the development and amazing growth of Dell Computer, including its well-known customer segmentation and the unsuccessful initial entry into retail business.

This McKinsey Award winning article is great. Michael Dell gives great insights into Dell Computer's successful direct business model. He discusses how it works and explains the strengths and weaknesses. The article is written in simple US-English. Highly recommended!

Includes selections from Judith's seven previously published books, plus a `New Poems' section. Work from Heat Lightning has appeared in Poetry, FIELD, Southern Review, The Iowa Review, Seneca Review, Prairie Schooner, and many other journals.

I was blown away by the quality of imagery and the potency of content in Skillman's newest work. I've been a long-time reader of hers, and was overwhelmed by this collection. I use her words as a life model. She is a brilliant writer.

I have used this book as a refresher when helping my daughter with her homework. It has been a lifesaver in preserving my status as a knowledgeable resource. The book presents concepts and formulas in a straight-forward format. The book also contains numerous sample problems that can be used for test review or to verify understanding of a concept.

I was suggested this book by a friend of a mine, and I also suggest that you buy the entire series of the High School Math I, II, and III, all which are recommended. Thank you.

This book is an excerpt from a broader history and was written in the 19th century. It chronicles the struggles & persecutions of a European fundamentalist christian sect. It traces the Waldenses' roots back to the 11th century. If historical chronicling is tedious to you, I recommend James Byron Huggins' epic historical fiction work titled RORA. It is an easy read and might entice you into reading "The Waldenses".

The Waldenses were a people that lived in the Italian Alps and, despite living hundreds of years before the reformation, made the Bible their only rule of faith and rejected such papal innovations as the mass, the celibate priesthood, confession, purgatory, indulgences, and infant baptism. The Waldenses rejected the whole complex of pagan practices adopted by the Roman Church during the middle ages, and held that the Pope was anti-Christ.

This work is excerpted from a much longer one; it is a reprint of the Sixteenth Book of Wylie's "History of Protestantism." This is a obviously a protestant view of the Waldenses, and assumes the correctness of their religion vis-a-vis the Roman church. For a Roman Catholic perspective, read the article on the Waldenses in the Catholic Encyclopedia, or read the recent book by a Euan Cameron that is listed on Amazon.com.

Most Catholic and liberal protestant scholars have accepted the view that the Waldenses began with Peter Waldo, a rich man of Lyon, France, who, around 1160 AD, gave all his money to the poor and became an itinerant preacher. The Waldenses themselves, however, who might better be called Vaudois, traced their religion back to apostolic times. Wylie notes that even some Catholic researchers admitted that the Vaudois were "not a new sect in the ninth and tenth centuries . . ." Even if they only date to the 12th century, the Vaudois religion predates the reformation by 300 years.

The Vaudois translated the Scriptures into both Italian and French. From their mountain strongholds, the Vaudois sent out traveling salesmen whose real mission was to witness and give away copies of the Scripture in the people's language. These missionaries were liable to be imprisoned or burned at the stake if Papal authorities discovered their clandestine religious mission, but they were not typically molested in their homelands. Notable exceptions were in the years 1400 and 1488, in which unsuccessful attempts were made to suppress them.

Ironically, the most savage persecution of the Vaudois began only after the protestant reformation was well underway in northern Europe. A major campaign of extermination was mounted in 1561, but again met with only partial success. Finally, in 1655, the valiant Vaudois were very nearly wiped out. Wylie considers the atrocities committed against this simple and inoffensive people too grotesque to be described in detail. The 1655 massacre was so infamous and terrible, however, that the government of England, then under the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, lodged a protest with all of the governments concerned. John Milton was inspired to write the sonnet which begins:

"Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, who bones
Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold,
Even them who kept thy truth so pure of old
When all our fathers worshiped stocks and stones,
Forget not: in thy book record their groans
Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody piedmontese that rolled
Mother and infant down the rocks."

The one bright spot in the story of the 1655 massacre was the remarkable leadership of Joshua Gianavello, of the Village of Rora. Gianavello has become the subject of an historical novel "Rora," for sale on Amazon and glowingly reviewed by no less than Newt Gingrich.

The work of extermination begun in 1655 was nearly completed in 1686, when the remaining Vaudois were either killed, imprisoned, or exiled to Switzerland and Germany. Remarkably, Henri Arnaud led a few hundred of the Vaudois back to their mountain stronghold in 1690 and reclaimed by force their ancient patrimony. Thus, the Vaudois have continued on to the present time.

Interestingly, in 1893, a company of Vaudois migrated to the United States and founded the town of Valdeses, Burke County, North Carolina. At the time, a local newspaper wrote:

"All the little Waldensian children are taught to read and write at a very early age, and their knowledge of the scriptures would put to shame many of our church people of maturer years. They speak both French and Italian very fluently, and are all apparently very bright and intelligent and very anxious to learn the language of this new country."