Human Resources Books

I own my own business and was encouraged by one of our bankers to read Barton's book. The work is easy to read, well organized and pretty amazingly accurate. In my nine years of running a fairly large company, I've dealt with irate customers, earthquakes, contractors who filed for bankruptcy (mid project!), two serious cases of workplace violence, and assorted other not-so-mild incidents. This book spells out not only what could happen to your company, but what i REALLY loved was reading how other owners and CEO's got their companies out of trouble...and sometimes, how their mistakes made them considerably worse. Barton uses humor, fact, and practical insight to drive home the case for preparedness. I wish there were more photos in the book- those would have made the reading more enjoyable. Yet the case studies and interviews spice the work up very well, and this may be one of the single best books on management I've ever read.

When I saw the author on The Today Show a decade ago, I rushed to buy his book, and I've referred to it dozens of times each year at my job in Los Angeles, CA. To my delight, Dr. Barton has completely updated this book, and it's a joy to read. He examines why corporations in various industries face serious crises more than others, and then supports his arguments with credible, well written analysis. I learned much from the lessons of Coca-Cola's recall last year in Europe; even great brands can misjudge public opinion- and lose hundreds of millions of dollars as a result. I would say the best features of Barton's book are those that reflect on "best practices" in leading companies worldwide. And his new chapters on workplace violence, natural disasters and how to write a crisis management and communication plan all easy to apply, whether you work in public relations, security, human resources or in any position where you supervise people. Since Barton's first edition, he served as Vice President of Communication for Motorola, and I must say that his experience there boosts the practical value of this edition immensely. It's less theory this time, and more "here's the way it is" in writing: I valued his candor about managing downsizing, environmental spills and other serious incidents in the workplace. Barton's bibliography is thinner this time, as he has placed those resources on his web site. But that's a small point. Overall, this remains the single best book on crisis management I've read in a 30 year career spanning the industry. It's a must-read if you are interested in why companies get into serious trouble with the media, stockholders, employees and the public. His book is simply an outstanding read.

Saint Francis most spoke and lived, based on the Gospel mandates, in intimate connection with Nature and with the poor. Through close and systematic reflection on his Franciscan spirituality, this holy and internationally influential Franciscan Friar, Father Leonardo Boff, here draws these threads together, teaching us how the suffering of the earth is also the suffering of the poor and the suffering of each one of us.

Through hearing the earth cry we are liberated to a new appreciation of our Faith, and of our call to action, in this case on behalf of the poor and the indigeous people who are further dispossessed through the destruction of the Amazonian environment.

In fact, near the end of his exhortation The Sacrament of Charity: Sacramentum Caritatis, Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI cries out for us to follow our Euicharistic compulsion to alter those economic structures which leave the poor dispossessed and the cosmic Creation destroyed.

This excellent ecological, economic and theological treatise first found publication by the great Catholic printing house Orbis Books in its Ecology and Justice Series ten years ago and now achieves its tenth printing. This indicates that the total number of volumes published by now reaches the six digits. Those volumes then fill seminary libraries, parish libraries, personal libraries and are resold through services such as amazon, bringing the total number of readers to a whole new magnitude. How many works of modern theology reach and inspire so many voluntary and eager readers?

The principles and applications developed here by the great Catholic Theologian Leonardo Boff do not age but only grow more urgent. Perhaps this book is best received within a Catholic college with a professor capable of guiding students to comprehension and action; alone the reader armed with only prior paradigms may grow as lost as I would in the former Brazilian rain forest.

Nevertheless this caveat should not discourage anyone from purchasing and studying very carefully this excellent and systematic study presented with Father Boff's consistent academic and compassionate style, speaking fomr both the large heart and keen intellect which God and the finest scholastic theological training gave him.

Please see the vast body of Father Boff's work, including recently his beautiful meditations on our basic prayers: Praying With Jesus And Mary: Our Father, Hail Mary and Lord Is My Shepherd: Divine Consolation in Times of Abandonment.

But please do not forget this profound and systematic work as well, now so readily available here upon the amazon. In fact it is most meaningful to purchase such a work which treats of the devastation of the Amazon basin here upon this very source!

Leonardo Boff, the brazilian priest who tried to change those old catholic dogmas describes how human is finishin animal and vegetal life all over the world in the name of welfare.

A book that will make us undeerstand how blind we all are.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, some 1.4 billion people live in farm families that are largely self-provisioning in terms of seeds. In recent years, the skill and knowledge applied to the management and improvement of farmer-varieties has become more fully appreciated. Farmers have been found to employ taxonomic systems, encourage introgression, use selection and breeding techniques, multiply seeds, field test, record data, and name their varieties. It was not so long ago that these farmer-varieties were referred to, in scientific literature, as "primitive" or even "Stone-Age" varieties. They are still referred to by the rather disembodied term, "landraces."

The concerted collection of these materials for conservation and use in modern plant breeding preceeded by some decades any efforts to conserve or use the knowledge farmers had about their materials. Virginia Nazarea's book is at once a warm and loving tribute to farmer-innovators, and a practical guide to the study of "indigenous" knowledge of farming systems and farmer-managed biodiversity. She connects plants to people in ways readers will find difficult to forget, and shows that the existence of diversity in crops is linked with the health and diversity of human cultures. In a sense, they have co-evolved with each other.

Nazarea's field research focused on how people farm sweet potatoes in Bukidnon, Phillipines. In the course of this research she was able to collect 89 sweet potato varieties. Her book offers a detailed account of these varieties and their management. One particularly interesting table provides a compendium of indigenous cultural management beliefs and practices, and comments on each by a plant pathologist, entomologist, agronomist, plant breeder and plant physiologist. The result is fascinating and revealing. In response to the observation that Holy water is mixed with some cuttings so God will watch over and protect the crop, the plant pathologist replies, "purely fanatic," while the plant breeder comments that "water will be good for the cuttings."

Most important, the field research was a test of methodology. This is where the book shines. Nazarea offers a well-conceived, practical, step-by-step guide to researchers who wish to examine the interaction between traditional farmers and their crops. Though Nazarea is an anthropologist by training, this guide, interestingly and uniquely, will be equally valuable to social scientists, ethnobiologists, and agricultural scientists (particularly plant collectors and breeders). Nazarea is clearly sensitive both to the local needs and feelings of farmers as well as to aspirations and needs of researchers. The result is highly useful. In one light volume, the researcher has a complete and rigourous methodology laid out, from the types of questions to ask, to how to ask them and to whom. With slight modification to suit particular circumstances, most researchers may need little else to undertake work in this particular field.

Nazarea's "big" thesis is that "preserving local knowledge pertaining to traditional varieties of crops is complementary, and in many respects indispensable, to the maintenance of the genetic diversity of these crops." Some may argue that she falls a little short in proving its indispensability. Nevertheless, she is on solid ground, genetically and socially, when she demonstrates the importance of on-farm management and what she calls "memory banking" of indigenous knowledge. Equally, she is convincing in arguing that ex situ (genebank) and in situ (on-farm) conservation and management of genetic resources are complementary strategies. Nazarea's contribution is to the latter, both by providing a methodology for research, and an engaging, delightfully-written case study of its application. This is a book without peers in its field.

Literature on indigenous knowledge tends to be long on trendiness and idealism, but short on solid method and results. Nazarea's book is a refreshing corrective by offering a distinct operational program. Nazarea lays out a program for conserving cultural knowledge, step-by-step, with practical examples from one who has been in the trenches. The staggering loss of biodiversity is not just a biological loss, but a loss of human and cultural proportions. Nazarea makes the critical link between nature and culture: when plants go extinct, so does cultural memory. Not only does the world lose an inventory of plant materials, but it also losses a storehouse of knowledge for growing and using plnats. The implication is that attempts to store genetic materials in seed banks is a sterile and half-hearted exercise, because the loss of the cultural, adaptive knowledte has grave consequences for the future of the human species. Nazarea goes to the people at the margins for answers, and in the process, she turns science on its head, proclaiming that "diversity is actually the natural state of things." In that regard Nazarea's work is destined to become an anthropological classic, pointing the direction for the discipline for the next century. Nazarea breaks new ground in decision-making theory by showing the pitfalls of microeconomic models that assume farmers make either-or choices when selecting a course to follow. Instead, farmers use multiple criteria in making cropping decisions in order to spread out the risk against uncertainties of the growing season. This is a sophisticated decision-making process that defies the neat formulations of formalized economic models. In the end, Nazarea documents that women are the best safeguards of indigenous knowledtge through comaraderie and sharing. An experimental in situ conservation program run by the male hierarchy collapsed, but spouses and female relatives took up the work to maintain the plots. If Nazaarea's book is a defense of fuzziness, as she puts it, then less-defined, less-formalized structures of women may also be the best hope for preserving indigenous knowledge.

This is a clear, concise, and complete guide to the use of the internet. The book is packed with information applicable to persons at various levels of skill. Following the logical presentation of information, novices should be working confidently on the internet within a short time. As a more advanced user, I was able to strengthen my knowledge of the internet in general. I also picked up many useful tips and the addresses of some useful web sites which I had not previously come across. The style of writing and the layout make "CyberAssistant" especially easy to read.

Business people and hobbyists alike have found the Internet to be a goldmine of a place for buying and selling, marketing and promoting, and for gathering and sharing information. There is much to search for online but not everyone has the time and resources available to conduct adequate research. D.A. Smith-Hemphill has written CyberAssistant: How to Use the Internet to Get More Done in Less Time to help other members of the online community to make the most effective use of the time and resources they do have.

The book focuses primarily upon getting set up with an online account and computer equipment, developing research methodology, and making use of the navigational tools people should be using for their searches. Smith-Hemphill discusses how to search for ISP services, setting up browsers and computer equipment, getting along with others, using search engines, making use of the newsgroups and discussion groups, tapping into specialized databases, and how we should go about looking for information.

Smith-Hemphill takes netiquette seriously and her treatment reflects a high standard of behavior still found lacking online. She points out that because we communicate online electronically, people we interact with know us only by how we communicate with them using a mouse and keyboard. Readers will learn how to make good impressions the first time and every time when replying to e-mail, participating in online discussions, following respectable acceptable use policies, correct spelling and use of grammar, our choice of words, and other proper key strokes.

Search engines play an important role in conducting online research. Smith-Hemphill discusses use of the major search engines that help us find the information we look for. Selection of key words, phrases, and other character strings are among the topics covered. A selection of other helpful Websites will assist readers to track down essential information online and help them develop solid research skills.

One fascinating aspect about this book is worth mentioning. Smith-Hemphill encourages her readers to learn from their online research experiences. The documenting of various research methods, procedures, and other helpful tricks and tips can go a long way to enhance our long-range effectiveness - and careers. This is an important process every member of the online community should learn to do!

The book reads easy and is highly informative. The average business owner, employee, researcher, student, and hobbyist will find it very helpful and easy to follow. This book would make a great addition to any business, classroom, and library environment with online connectivity. This is a great gift idea. Ideal for beginners!

What elements make up a terrific boss? M. David Dealy is VP of Transport for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and co-author Andrew R. Thomas serves on the international business faculty of the University of Akron, so they blend scholarly savvy with applied business experience to analyze the question of elements which make exceptional bosses. These elements, outlined deftly in Defining The Really Great Boss, include high ethical standards, an ability to learn from mistakes, and the ability to approach their own superiors with action plans rather than complaints. Every boss should read Defining The Really Great Boss for insights on their own advancement.

A colleague of mine recommended this book and I was pleasantly pleased to have read it. Unlike many of the pretentious, ivory tower books on leadership that seem to dominate the shelves, this one was written from the front lines. A super book for any boss, regardless of where they work or what title they hold.

Gratton asserts (and I wholly agree) that there are many compelling reasons for any organization -- regardless of size or nature -- to become and then remain what she characterizes as a "democratic enterprise." Here are five on which she focuses throughout this brilliant book:

1. Employees who experience democracy are more engaged.
2. Democratic enterprises create win-win situations.
3. Democratic enterprises are more just and fair.
4. Democratic enterprises are more agile.
5. Democratic enterprises are more able to integrate.

It is no coincidence that when Fortune magazine publishes its annual lists of the most admired, best to work for, and most profitable corporations, respectively, several names appear on all three and others appear on at least two. To varying degrees, all are (by Gratton's definition) democratic enterprises.

At this point, I feel obliged to reassure those who read my brief commentary that this book is mercifully free of esoteric theories, hypotheses, etc. which so frequently descend from various ivory towers like leaflets. She devotes all of the first chapter to what she calls "Citizens' Tales." She introduces her reader to three corporate executives -- Greg Grimshaw (BP), Nina Bhatia (McKinsey), and Stewart Kearney (BT) -- and carefully explains how why each is important to her/his company, what each has done to be the best he/she could be, and what her/his company has done to sup[port those efforts. Citing reasons such as those listed earlier is easy. Validating and verifying them in the careers of three people is infinitely more difficult and Gratton succeeds brilliantly.

Grimshaw, Bhatia, and Kearney are representative in that they "reflect the choices and dilemmas faced in day-to-day working lives...By observing them and the companies in which they work we are witnesses to the ebbs and flows of the contemporary enterprise...[They are] citizens rather than employees [because] they are adopting some of the conditions of citizenship and all are members of companies adopting some of the tenets of democracy." According to Gratton, it is in the best interests of institutions and organizations to serve the best interests of their "citizens." Why? First, by encouraging individuals to become autonomous and agile, they will themselves become more agile. Next, if they are committed and purposeful, their people will be committed and purposeful. Finally, the tenets of democracy (discussed in depth, pages 33-42) create an appropriate platform to integrate diverse business initiatives.

In Chapter Two, Gratton briefly examines various forms of democracy (classical, liberal, direct, competitive/elitist, and legal) and the aforementioned tenets of democracy. Then in the following chapters (Three through Eight), she discusses "The Democratic Study" (which explores the six tenets in greater depth), "The Drivers to Democracy" (e.g. shifts in individuals and in technology), "Building Individual Autonomy" (i.e. how both individuals and organizations can become autonomous), "Crafting Organizational Variety" (real-world examples provided by BP, McKinsey, SONY, Unisys, Goldman Sachs), AstraZeneca, and BT), "Shaping Shared Purpose" (i.e. dimensions of accountability, obligation, trust, and power), and "Leaders and Citizens at Work" (e.g. the roles of the leader as philosopher and visionary and the roles of the team leader as creator of space and goal setter). In a single volume, Gratton has achieved a stunning application of fundamental principles of democracy (most of which were formulated in ancient Greece) to business issues, challenges, and opportunities in the 21st century. Obviously, it remains for each reader to determine the nature and extent of relevance of the material to the needs of her or his own organization.

Those who share my high regard for Gratton's book are urged to check out Jim O'Toole's The Executive's Compass: Business and the Good Society and his most recent book, Creating the Good Life: Aristotle's Guide to Getting It Right, as well as David Maister's Practice What You Preach: What Managers Must Do to Create a High Achievement Culture and David Whyte's The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America.

I went through The Democratic Enterprise recently and my thoughts mid-way into the book were "here's a work that truly captures the essence of the organisation of today and tomorrow, where both individual and organisation have a shared responsibility to religiously connect on a mental plane for a greater purpose."

All chapters are relevant and intellectually stimulating especially chapters 5, 6 and 7 on "individual autonomy, organisational variety and shaping shared purpose," which form the heart and soul of this immensely thoughtful and inspirational work.

The capacity of the "individual-employees" to behave as "adults along with their capacity for self awareness" interlinked with the capability of the processes and practices within the organisation to enable employees exercise choices through "creation of variety" and the establishment of a shared common purpose through an environment of mutual trust and support was very well argued and presented. It clearly brings out the all important roles the individual and the organisation bring to the table and collaborate to create the "democratic enterprise."

The elements of the Human Capital Model made wonderful reading and further built on her landmark article co-authored with Professor Sumantra Ghoshal on "Personal Human Capital: New Ethos for the Volunteer Employee" (EMJ - Feb.'03).

This book should be required reading for all, be it the leader, the line manager, the HR professional, the young executive, all individuals who have a common stake in the organisation and have invested their "human capital" towards shaping a shared purpose.

A great followup on her previous inspirational work on Living Strategy.

I have never designed an e-learning program before and this book was a great resource to get me started, especially on the process that I should follow. Well written and easy to follow!

It's been difficult to find a clear and thorough guide to recommend to clients and students who are working to move their corporate training areas to e-learning. This is an outstanding step-by-step guide written in a clear and accessible style. Even if you have never approached an e-learning project, you will learn where to start, what to consider, and how to proceed from beginning to end. Start with this one! I highly recommend it to my clients and students.

Rare texts, and very useful for any psychologist. Bernstein should be taught in any psychological program, especially describing behavioural acts.

This book is an extraordinary combination of a piece of history with the state-of-the-art research in the field of motor control. It contains a translation of a popular-science book by the Russian physiologist Nicholai A. Bernstein, and then a few commentaries describing the current state of the research in the field of motor control. Bernstein is one of the pioneers in the research of motor control and his book describes in a simple language the main properties and problems that are to be solved in order to understand the amazing dexterity of human motor control. Dexterity is in finding a motor solution for any situation and in any conditions. Bernstein describes many nice tails and legend to illustrate this ability, such as the Bible legend about the giant Goliath and young David, who defeated the giant with dexterity. Then he describes the origin and construction of movement and the problem of the excess degrees of freedom, which is referred to in the scientific literature as the Bernstein problem. This problem is due to the biological system being redundant. Redundancy is by no mean redundant, it contributes to the flexibility and reliability of the system, therefor I prefer to relate to the redundancy as a virtue rather then a problem. Bernstein considers redundancy as the main distinction between the motor apparatus in man and the higher animals and artificial devices, and after half of a century this problem is still open and we keep trying to understand and imitate the great dexterity that nature developed in controlling redundant systems. This book is recommended for the general scientific oriented public, such as the readers of Scientific American and especially to students in engineering and in medicine that are interested in the field of motor control

For CEOs, human-resource staff members and anyone who influences the development of an organization's disciplinary system, this book is a must-read. Managers, supervisors and small-business owners also will benefit from Dick Grote's guidance on implementing a nonpunitive approach to improved performance. getAbstract appreciates the thoughtfulness and detail of his suggested disciplinary system, as well as his advice on incorporating this system into your daily management practices.

This is the second edition of a book which was initially published in 1995 and I have the same question now that I did then: How can any one strategy turn all "problem employees into superior performers"? That said, years ago Grote recognized sooner than many others did that the command-and-control management style was often the cause of serious discipline problems. He cites as an example what he once experienced as Frito-Lay's manager of training and development. He was directed to visit a plant at which 58 of its employees had been fired during the previous year for various breaches of discipline. Angry customers reported finding obscene messages written on potato chips, all of which had been produced at the plant at which the climate had become "toxic." What to do? Supervisors had been using the traditional "progressive-discipline" system for all violations of company policy, serious or trivial, and there had been no improvement in workers' behavior. If anything, as the recent "public relations nightmare" caused by the obscene messages indicated, the behavior had become even worse. What to do?

At this point, it may helpful to cite the differences between the "Traditional Approach to Discipline" and what Grote advocates:

Traditional Approach

Step 1: Oral Warning
Step 2: Written Warning
Step 3: Suspension Without Pay/Final Warning/Probation
Step 4: Termination

"Discipline without Punishment" (DWP) Approach

Informal Transactions

Positive Contacts (i.e. recognition of what is done well)
Performance Improvement Discussions

Formal Disciplinary Transactions

First: Reminder 1
Second: Reminder 2
Final: Decision Making Leave (a one-day suspension with pay)

Termination

According to Grote, there were (and are) significant benefits to the "Decision Making Leave" policy which was introduced at the Frito-Lay plant:

"It allows us to demonstrate good faith."
"It transforms anger into guilt."
"It eliminates the need to `save face.'"
"It makes it easier for the supervisor"
"It reduces hostility and the risk of workplace violence."
"It increases defensibility if the employee is later terminated."
"It removes money as an issue."
"It's consistent with our values."

As I understand it, the "Decision Making Leave" (please see pages 18-21) allows everyone involved to take a "Time Out" in order to calm down, re-examine the given issues, perhaps seek opinions from (preferably open-minded) third-parties, and thus be better prepared to resolve (if possible) the given issues.

In no sense does Grote question the importance of personal accountability. On the contrary, he vigorously and eloquently argues that DWP strengthens it. Think of it not as a policy or two but rather as a cohesive and comprehensive system by which to improve overall organizational performance. The best way to encourage such improvement is to provide a positive consequence - recognition -- whenever (a) an individual performs "above and beyond the call of duty" (what Napoleon Hill characterizes as "going the extra mile"), (b) an individual achieves significant improvement under direct supervision, after a disciplinary transaction such as a "Decision Making Leave," or (c) an individual has consistently met all of an organization's expectations over an extended period of time.

In the final paragraph, Grote observes "The final test of the effectiveness and success of Discipline Without Punishment is when it stops being a program...a project...a policy. Discipline Without Punishment is finally and fully implemented when it has been incorporated into the grain of organizational life that everyone considers it `just the way we do business here.'" Of course, Grote realizes that not all employees can become "superior performers," nor are all "problem employees" willing and/or able to produce acceptable (much less superior) performance, even within an organization in which DWP "has been incorporated into [its] grain." Nonetheless, these are worthy goals to seek.

To me, one of Grote's most important points is that the DWP approach to unacceptable performance and inappropriate behavior will succeed only if it is viewed, indeed embraced as an active and on-going partnership between a supervisor and each of those those for whom she or he is directly responsible. Expectations must be made crystal clear. Criteria for measurement of performance must be clearly understood and consistently applied. Presumably Grote agrees with me that recognition of outstanding performance must be immediately recognized, preferably within a public domain, and that constructive criticism should also be offered in a timely manner but only in private and it should be specific. Of course, mutual trust is the "glue" which holds any organization together and it must be earned.

This second edition takes into account most of the major changes which have occurred in the workplace during the past eleven years, notably the substantially greater emphasis on increasing and improving communication, cooperation, collaboration, between and among all areas within an organization's structure. My guess (only a guess) is that many of the same DWP principles can - and should - be effectively applied to an organization's external relationships, notably with its customers and, when appropriate, with its competitors. Each year, those companies which Fortune magazine identifies as the most profitable tend to be among those it also identifies as the most highly admired. A coincidence? I don't think so.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out two of Grote's other books, Forced Ranking and The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book, as well as Bruce Bodaken and Robert Fritz's The Managerial Moment of Truth, David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Frederick Reichheld's The Loyalty Effect and Loyalty Rules!, and Primal Leadership co-authored by Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee.

Stedman Graham is a master of leadership. His work on diversity is rich with insight. His concept of leaders not labels is brilliantly relevant to not only the US culture but eqally critical to optimize the benefits of this new "flat world" global economy. The richness of our differences is one of the keys to our competiveness and innovation both as organizations and individuals. This is a book every one should read if they want to improve thier quality of life and influence. Buy it, read it and live it.

Stedman Graham asks, "What do you do with your twenty-four hours?" I say give this book to everybody you know.

Mr Graham is very well grounded in his thinking and gives a fundamental and practical guideline for not only business people, but for all of us who believe that we can change the world one thought, one person at a time. This should be required reading from high school on into college.