Organizations Books

This book is an answer to the questions and rumors that circulate in today's world! It is an accurate history of Bob Jones University founded by Dr. Bob Jones in 1927. It explains its beginnings, struggles and unwavering Biblical stands that has made it what it is today.

There are several BJU histories on the market. Satnding Without Apology is by far the best. While written by an insider it gives a balanced and thorough history of the school. It does an excellent job of allowing the reader to understand the cultural and spiritual forces which lead to the establishment of this unique University and which molded the school. Further, it gives a real feel of the Personalities (Bob Jones Sr., Bob Jones Jr. and Bob Jones III) which have lead the school for almost 80 years. Unlike, some other histories on the market Standing Without Apology gives the information and allows the reader to draw their own conclusions.

For anyone interested in understanding the cultural phenomenom that is Bob Jones University, this book is a must. There is no substitute for this detailed, documented history of the school.

As a former student, I can better appreciate Bob Jones University after reading this excellent history book. I was not aware of all the struggles that this institution went through. BJU is still a working miracle.

As a trainer in the financial services industry, I often use stories to help me convey complex topics. I enjoyed reading Mr. Gargiulo's book as it supports my approach, but also triggers some thoughts on new/different ways to incorp & leverage the power of stories in my training and educational programs.

At last we have a definitive study by an original thinker who understands the difference between having something of value to say and having to say something. Terrance Gargiulo takes the reader by the hand and walks them through a garden of delightful stories told by real people in real businesses. Their powerful descriptions of what it's like to make critical decisions under pressure are crafted in story form, so that the reader is both enlightened and entranced. The final chapters of his book are are competency builders of first-rate quality, showing step-by-step how to improve your powers of observation and reflection so that you too can tell great stories.

As a corporate presenter and technology coach I often get asked to construct themes and prepare story spines for important presentations. For me, Gargiulo's work is a terrific guide in devising a beginning, middle and end structure to match any client's business aim, be it organizational, strategic, market driven or entirely different. Gargiulo has a knack for understanding how stories can enrich and empower communication of all kinds, but in the generally dry corporate environment, they can be an important catalyst for change and deeper communication. I particularly liked Gargiulo's nine basic story types and what they can help the reader accomplish. Book is highly recommended for anyone seeking to broaden their communication skills in the corporate or academic arenas.

We don't have to be so frenetically, and I think ineffectively, busy all the time." That's good advice from Terrence Gargiulo's latest foray into the world of communications behavior: good, bad and ugly. His first book, "Making Stories", opened our eyes to the power of story telling as the basis for getting our needs met. This current work carries through with the testaments of real people in real jobs. Their examples of what worked (and what didn't) are followed by a series of practical exercises that are, at once, so simple and so powerful that we have to do them. Watch closely, because as you do the exercises your life is going to change and others will notice. At that point, the book has paid for itself and that's just the beginning. Start reading it now and be prepared for an adventure that won't stop!

It was back in 1987. Our computer architecture teacher presented us with the second edition of this book (1984 ed.). The book opened a new understanding on systems technology and machine sequencing for me. I even designed in paper a version of Mic1 microarchitecture to solve a problem we had with a hand held device.

This book will provide you with a good and basic background on machine sequencing and multilevel models. Use this as a base for your TCP/IP or stack communication protocol study (see my review of TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2 - Implementation).

Highlights (fifth edition, 2006):

* Multilevel vision of machines (a very important basic topic), pages 2-7
* Principal metric (prefixes) units, page 46
* Bits, bytes, byte ordering on memory, pages 69-73
* Binary numbers on Apendix A and B
* Binary codes and Communication equipments, pages 117-130
* Basic transistor switching logic and logical design, chapter 3 complete
* Java virtual machine and interpreter design (beautiful description!), chapter 4 complete
* The DVD includes a graphic microarchitecture simulator and Java byte-code assembler (back in 1988 I started my own bipolar npn transistor/resistance/prototype board based Microarchitecture! but it was so large and I only complete a 4 bit ALU and 8 register data path). Now (2008) you can enjoy and program a Java version with the DVD material

In resume, this book as long as TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2 - Implementation, is a good (like a toy) self learning path in machine organization and interconnection.

Good book to understand the organization of computers. I used it in undergrad course. Will recommend it.

I'm only 1/3 through the book so far, but it's been good. There's even a few snippits of dry humor that make it a little more interesting. As far as breadth and depth of material goes, it starts out assuming you know very little about hardware/architecture, and takes you step by step from there. Assuming the book stays as interesting and downright wooty, I'll give it 5 stars. It's not very often that I find a computer book that I'm willing to read cover to cover.

Tanenbaum is one of the CS classical authors. Any CS student or instructor should own a copy of this updated edition of Structured Computer Organization.

The book structure remains the same, but there are many important updates, mainly in the examples and case studies. Tanenbaum's style is also the same: a bit arid and telegraphic, specially for newcomers, but his approach is much better for an introductory computer organization and architecture course than the books by Patterson/Hennessy (which are mandatory reading for any CS student/instructor as well).

I have basically one criticism to this book: it is very pricey! Particularly for an instructor whose wages are not paid in dollars...

I refer to this book on almost a daily basis. While it can be obscure, it the most thought-provoking and well-researched book I have found in the field of organizational psychology to date. The sections on the use of tacit knowledge to usurp existing knowledge or information systems bring theory headlong against existing practices and peer practics.

The process of generating knowedge is triggered off by the articulation of ambiguous, implicit insights into concepts, which are successively inscribed into more explicit and concrete forms of organizing. Such activities and practices have to do with "doing" as much as wth "knowing". Our activities are open-ended for they cannot be captured in rules, reciptives or normative models. Such insights are the forte of Philipe Baumard's book.

Philippe Baumard is seeking to stake out a distinctive domain - the use of tacit knowledge by top managers. Knowledge, especially tacit knowledge, provides sense-making frameworks within which top managers process information and make decisions. When sense-making frameworks prove ineffective - as they inevitably do in some situations - top managers misinterpret problems and they find themselves unable to generate successful actions.

I loved the book because I am currently struggling with a corporate program of "tacit knowledge management" and I have been looking for something precise for more than three years. Our corporation has more than 72.000 employees, and we needed very precise categories of what kind of tacit knowledge can be preserved in our organization. The book provides an amazingly precise framework, that we currently use in our company.

Much has been written about organizational change. The ability for an organization to successfully change and sustain the change is a key differentiator today's competitive world. I found this book was "manager friendly". I could quickly review the "Points to Remember" and "Common Trip Points" as listed in each task to ensure our team was focused on the right things. The Ten Tasks of Change is a ideal book to simplify every leader's most complex issue: change.
-- Don Langewisch, Performance Systems Manager, ChevronTexaco Corporation

I've just finished the Ten Tasks of Change and found it to be a practical guide to managing change. In my work in education, I find one of the most challenging hurdles is guiding people through change.

This book provides useful advice from the get-go, translating conceptual principles into plain language, as in "Swiss-cheesing the overwhelming.... poking a few holes in the task by getting on with what you can do now."

The authors also do an excellent job of synthesizing and building upon the work of others, as seen in their `Checklist for a Well-Designed Job'.

Lastly, I found it most useful that they not only stress what to ideally `do and attempt' when facilitating change, but also include advice on what to avoid doing, with a list of `Common Trip Points' at the end of each chapter.

Organizations are changing rapidly and unpredictably and such change has now become the norm for successful companies. Ten Tasks Of Change: Demystifying Changing Organizations provides managers and owners with a whole-systems approach to handling and modeling changes, using a basic foundation of planning and managing work to help changes take place smoothly. Chapters provide an easy, pragmatic approach to achieving the basics tasks of the framework presented by the authors.

Jeff Evans and Chuck Schaefer have created an excellent and multifaceted tool for anyone dealing with change - which reads like a road-guide but is not prescriptive - I am already using it to assisting the District of Columbia in creating a new State Level Department of Education, as well as a guide for developing "Requests for Proposals" for contractors helping the City reinvent/restructure its delivery of services.

As an organizational consultant working with local, state, and federal organizations for over 20 years, I have used and seen a variety of strategies/tactics to address a myriad of changes. This easy to use book is a unique approach that provides any user with a simple and effective methodology - that is clear and concrete - and at the same time avoids the danger of being "cookie cutter" in application.

The authors have done a remarkable job anchoring this approach in well researched and time tested theories, without overwhelming the user in the acedemics, and thus loosing site of the real purpose, the need for a powerful, practical tool that transcends the challenging paradox of change; it addresses the true comlexity and chaos found in most organizational contexts - i.e., it addresses the reality of the world we live and work in -in a wonderfully effective yet simple framework - Ten Tasks!

Thanks for capturing the approach that I have felt has been missing thoughout my 20 year career - the nexus of theory and application - in a clear and understandable form(I am glad someone finally wrote the book - and I wouldn't change a thing)!

Thanks, and Best Wishes

Bill Zybach

Business Process Manager, Office of the Chief of Technology Officer, Office of the Mayor, Washington, DC

Riane Eisler's new book is a stunning contribution to multicultural pedagogy. Using her macrohistorical theory of dominator/partnership swings, she offers a new framework, structure and content for education. This is one of the most important books to come around in a long time. I hope my children will grow up in a world that has realized the blue print for partnership education that she offers. Rigourously argued, detailed in documentation, this book offers and creates a new future for all.

Tomorrow's Children is an innovative and remarkable book for the contemporary educator. It provides an indepth understanding of the struggles of teaching and is an amazing resource for people looking to reform the educational framework of our country. This book needs to be in the hands of every parent, teacher and educator.

Eisler puts forth a formula for hope for a future that works for everyone. It does start with the children and every teacher AND parent should read this book...PLEASE!

Cudos to the author for putting forth a recipe for a more hopeful future for the world.

Riane Eisler's Tomorrow's Children is a thought provoker and conversation starter. So many education books are about getting the knowledge and skills to "fit in" to society's opportunities. Tomorrow's Children challenges the reader to expand their vision and expectations of education. This follow-up to the Chalice and the Blade offers practical and hopeful examples of how to access the "hidden curriculum" beyond textbooks and polemics. If you want to know how to find materials to encourage meaningful and relevant learning, this book is for you. If you want to know the specifics of making change in your local schools (concerning the content, process and structure of education) this book is for you. If you are interested in finding kindred spirits to promote practical examples of collaborative problem-solving, a peaceful response to adversity, gender equity,and environmental sensitivity this book is for you. If you appreciate thoughtful and thorough and careful writing free from jargon this book is for you. If you are interested in specific references of books, websites, curriculum packages and supportive organizations this book is for you. I am a Professor of Education. I am fussy about what I read in this field. I am drawn to clear and concise writing which honors the intelligence of the reader. Tomorrow's Children does not disappoint.

John W Kennedy does more for a simple and practical explanation of 'true' church history than any other author I have read! He contrasts the 'institutional' church (beginning in Jerusalem) with the 'primitive' church (beginning in Antioch). He shows how hard it is to change, no matter how much the truth is embraced. We would rather interpret truth according to our traditions than according to its source. Jerusalem struggled with the traditions of the past as the church grew. Antioch had little tradition to pass down and so more readily embraced what was happening at the time. This book develops the progress of the church largely unnoticed (primitive) by other historians, and at the same time the author brings in what was happening in the traditional church. What the author does not cover in church history does not take away from his purpose in helping us see what went on in the church that very few (if any) cover elsewhere. This is not just a 'history' book, but also a very practical guide for any serious thinker today who wants to know their 'roots' and desire meaning in what is going on! It also helps in knowing what to look for when seeking to obey God according to His Word, especially as it relates to fellowship among Christians. If I could only have one 'church history' book on my shelf, this would be it!

This is great book for anyone today who still has a pilgrim heart. Many have gone before us who honestly sought out the truth of God in their generation and this book connects the dots. I highly recommend this book as one that will deserve a prominent place both on your library shelf and in your heart!

This book gives a god review, not of organizational Christian history so much, but rather moves of the spirit centering on the word of God. One of the best truths that this book presents is the fact that Christians today (often referred to as evangelicals) are not a new breed. Bible centered, outreach oriented, non-ecclesiastical fellowships have existed since the beginning.
The book seeks not just to convey knowledge, but to help us learn lessons from past successes and failures of the church in a way which we can apply to our lives today. In this, the book has some deep insights. He describes the processes by which moves of the spirit are institutionalized; the pit falls to look out for while combating heresy, an interesting comparison on the life of Peter Waldo with St. Francis and the proper place of creeds and doctrine within the church.
Kennedy takes us all the way up to but not into the 20th century and, as it is only 250 pages, it obviously cannot cover everything. However, I felt it left some significant 17th-19th century things out. Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, Charles Finney and late 19th century Holiness movements (to say nothing of the rise of Pentecostalism) gets no mention. The author seems especially to focus in on "brethren" type groups which had no ecclesiastical structure and hierarchy. In interpreting some events he gives away his opinions on some doctrinal issues such as the cessation of apostles and prophets, the need for a prolonged period before baptism and he seems to think there is no longer any special role for Israel in God's purposes, though I may be just be making assumptions on that point.
All in all, it's a good book. It gives good insights into our spiritual heritage which often are neglected.

Kennedy's succinct overview of the sweep of church history is enlightening to anyone, be they ignorant or knowledgeable of this subject. It is one of the best books I've read on this subject, and really stands out on it's own since the author comments profoundly at every stage of the developing events.

His comments make each page exciting, full of great meaning, and applicable to the present, rather than some books on history which are merely recitations of a boring string of facts. Kennedy brings out the fact of a repeating pattern of resistance against spiritual life, the fresh moves of God's Spirit throughout time----showing how man's attempts to corral this unstoppable force has caused misery, error, and great sin. The illustration of this reality is a great encouragement and source of strength to those persons at present who are being touched by the Living God with a new and vibrant experience---yet are being persecuted, ostracized and mocked by the established order wherever they may be.

Anyone who wants to have a knowledgeable overview of mankind's tendency to be spiritually arrogant or lazy at the expense of continuing maturity/Truth, needs to read this book. None other I have found approaches this topic with the same eloquence and deep insight.

This is the best book that I have read on the subject of leading a church through transformation. Ford's insights and practical applications are fresh and relevent. I would highly recommend it to any pastor or lay leader.

This is a great book! I wouldn't hesitate to encourage anyone who loves Christ and the church to thoroughly work through it. When I read Transforming Church, many of the events and circumstances of my more than twenty years of ministry began to make sense. Based on solid research and practice, Kevin Ford addresses the struggles churches and church leaders face in our culture. The stories of real congregations strained by personalized conflict, conflicting values and resistance to change made this not only accessible for me, but for the more than 30 staff and lay leaders in my church that have read it. That Kevin doesn't offer quick fixes and fast answers gave me confidence that this is the real deal. Like many church leaders I have been seduced by "successful" church models. Instead of throwing models at you, Transforming Church offers a systemic view of health and encouragement to do the work of transformation.

I love this book. For every 25 dollar book that comes out, there is generaly about 2 dollars in new material. Not in "Tranforming Church"
Thus far I've got about 12 dollars of new stuff. The author does state some obvious things, but no one is perfect. Good book!

This is a book I'm really excited about! I'm always asked by people at established churches how they can bring health and transformation to their churches. This is the first book I'll recommend. This book is also good for church planters because it's describing what the church should look like. It provides a way to gage your church as well as ways to develop your church. Way to go Kevin - this is a home run. Bob Roberts, Author of Transformation & Glocalization.Transformation: How Glocal Churches Transform Lives and the World

Michael Allen has a unique way of capturing the experience of teaching in an urban district with both humor and poignancy. His book is instructive to new teachers and verifying to veteran teachers. I would recommend it to any teacher or prospective teacher. It is destined to become a classic in education.

This has got to be one the truest accounts of what it means to be an educator in today's society. We are no longer teachers . . . as Mr. Allen so eloquently points out we have become surrogate parents, role models, friends, confidants, and finally teachers. Mr. Allen relates real life events that hint of humor because they appear so far fetched; unfortunately you just can't make this stuff up!!! Mr. Allen is, himself, a tribute to all the dedicated teachers and educators who return each and every day to parent, teach, embrace, nurture, raise, and love the most vulnerable of our society -- our children. Read this book if you have anything at all to do with education, whether a teacher, administrator, cafeteria worker, custodian, student or parent this book will touch one and all.

Michael Allen has written a hard-hitting, realistic book (with a realistic view) about education as it occurs outside the textbook. Its funny...startling...constructive viewpoint of education on Boston's cutting edge-the real-life classroom-rings with poignant distillations of days in the lives of Boston's finest: teachers, students and administrators.

Told as a series of vignettes, this book bites in places it shouldn't; yet, it soothes the soul knowing that in the hands of leadership which are as capable as are Michael Allen's , solutions to the many problems and encounters this book presents, are simply a matter of course...and flow...

If you are a professor, teaching case studies about any aspect of education; a curious reader, wondering what does go on in the Boston Public Schools, anyway; an aspiring teacher, curious about what you might be getting into; then, this is a must read, for you. These stories are written with the reader in mind. They are short, vibrant and tasteful bites from a slice of life in Urban Education.

I recommend it, highly!

Michael Allen has offered us a window into our urban schools. With integrity, dedication, compassion, humor and hope he has described what it takes to be "on the front lines" in educating our youth. This book is for anyone who wishes to be informed about some of the realities of today's educational system. Don't be surprised if you feel inspired by the challenge of teaching!

I found this book to accurately depict the changing landscape of the church in America. We need to raise the bar and create "high expectation" environments in the church that challenge people to high performance. We need "vision leaders" that inspire us to "do the impossible".. Great Book..

If it is a book by Lyle Schaller, then it is a book you ought to buy! No one in church assessment, analysis, consulting, and speaking can compare to what Lyle has to offer. He is the Cal Ripken and Energizer Bunny of church and denominational prognostication. Steal enough time from your busy schedule to thoroughly read this book.

When you take the time to read this book you will discover the details concerning three crucial issues surrounding congregations that have more than 800 in average weekly attendance: 1. We need more of them to reach the generations born after 1965. 2. A new rule book is needed to understand the congregation of more than 800 in attendance. The old rules do not apply. 3. Consumerism has changed the congregational game plan, and big congregations are a must during the third millennium.

Very large congregations have a can do attitude about new spiritual and strategic opportunities they believe are presented to them by God. They seemingly have no limits to the resources they have faith that God will provide through them.

This book is an excellent follow-up to earlier books by Schaller where he heralds the full-service, seven-days-per-week, family-focused congregation. One such book, published by Abingdon Press in 1992, is The Seven-Day-A-Week Church.

Lyle Schaller is a keen observer of churches, large and small. In this volume, he provides a contemporary update on the very large church.

As senior pastor a very large church, I have found this latest work to be an invaluable resource to help lay leaders and new staff understand. Schaller is able to bring the reader "inside" the day to day life of the very large church.

This book would be very helpful for anyone interested in helping his/her church grow. Also gives solid reasons why many churches are dying.

Illustrates trends in church with trends in the business world...i.e. large offers more choice for the consumer.

User friendly format makes for easy, quick reading.