Organizations Books

This book is built on the premise that a lot of companies have, metaphorically speaking, the head of a dead elephant sitting in their boardrooms. The dead elephant's head represents conflict, disagreement and rivalry between the executives themselves. No one wants to talk about the dead elephant's head, because no one wants to admit that it's there. Unfortunately, it's a big, ugly reality that must be addressed sooner or later, and everyone knows it. Author and consultant Howard M. Guttman maps out a process companies can use to deal more openly and honestly with internal conflicts. He begins with the premise that conflict isn't inherently bad and can even serve a productive purpose, if it's properly managed and conducted according to the rules. We strongly recommend this book to corporate executives - and to the worker bees who have to duck when those Goliaths in the corner offices start slinging rocks.

When Goliaths Clash is full of great advice for managing confilict at the most senior levels of an organization. Since conflict is abundant at all levels in today's organization the same ideas can be applied to manage conflict at all levels. Gutman's advice to confront conflict, not avoid it, is valuable for all managers who want to move their organizations forward.

Great book! A structured insight into human behavior, different management styles and interactions in organizations. Describes real life situations and - more importantly - how to deal with them. Some very thought-full suggestions on how to interact with others at work as well as privately. A practical guide on organizational development and it's role to become more successful. Is easy to read and digest.

I'll certainly keep it close for reference when "Goliats clashes" in my company.

When Goliaths Clash was a practical and grounded guide to addressing issues prevalent in most leadership teams. Unlike other books of this nature, it was not academic or theoretical, but provided common sense advise on how leaders can identify and resolve problems that could be derailing their organization and preventing them from maximizing their effectiveness. I particularly liked the chapter on e mail; a new area of communication landmines and one that has actually exagerated the issues described in the book.

This book provides insight and understanding into the powerful dynamics of executive teams. The methodology, frameworks and practical tools are highly useful in creating a higher level of functioning for teams, starting at the top of the organization. Specific examples and case scenarios illustrate how these techniques have contributed to more fulfilling and productive work dynamics in several reknowned organizations. Focusing on the core skills of influencing and conflict resolution, as well as situational leadership, the book outlines a 'road map' for improving the effectiveness of senior teams and their individual players.

"Whole Scale Change: Unleashing the Magic in Organizations" and "Whole Scale Change Toolkit" introduce straightforward, systematic, and applicable approaches to successfully achieving effective change in human organizations. While most people acknowledge that changes are necessary and also recognize that changes are often resisted, based on the low success rate of effective change, few people appear to understand the dynamics of achieving progressive change. In the context of human organizations as functioning systems, Dannemiller Tyson Associates: define the dynamics of organization al change, acknowledge to forces for and against change, recommend constitutes whose collaboration and support must be earned, and describe practical processes for planning, executing, and institutionalizing organizational changes. To earn the reader's confidence, the authors use real world examples that demonstrate how "whole scale change" has worked in everyday organizations.
I highly recommended "Whole Scale Change: Unleashing the Magic in Organizations" and "Whole Scale Change Toolkit" for everyone working to achieve change in their organizations.

This is an excellent book! It pulls it all together. Answers many questions people often ask when involved with "Whole Scale Change" and thereby helps put our fears aside. Easy to read and well thought out. Bubbles with practical processes all can use. Shows why change can be very difficult if not done "Whole Scale". I really liked the phrase "Unleashing The Magic..." - it is so true. This book is definitely on my "A" list!

Lean Business Development Consultant

How can you think positively, involve (litterally) everybody, and make sure that the process is well managed? This book shows the way! I met Kathleen Dannemiller at the first World Congres on Systemic Thinking (May 1-6 2001, Vienna), and I really apreciated the message she had for the public. Probing further, I discovered that the method has generated impressive results as well! One of the examples has been a Whole-Scae process with the people involved in making the Mustang IV a success. At the moment Dannemiller was called in (around 1991), Ford was thinking about dropping the Mustang. In stead of asking what the problems where, people from throughout the organization were asked to dream about the "new" Mustang and how to make this dream come true. that car was developped in about 2 year's time, costed 22% less to build than a Mustang III and had limited problems at introduction. Some people at Ford even quote this car's introduction as "scary", because everything went almost as planned. One would wonder why Murphy's law didn't apply. The answer is simple: all people felt involved and they felt had to make this car a success. If you ask me what's missing? Well, dannemillers knowledge op people skills is "unconcious": her techniques do not cover the emotiunal intelligence one needs to make all this work. But that's where a book such as "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence" will give you the answers.

If ever there was a book that sounded like it was written by a bunch of consultants it's this one. And - surprise - a look at the cover reveals that the author is none other than Dannemiller Tyson Associates, with about 15 people connected with the firm credited as contributors. With origins like these, it's no wonder that the book is chock full of phrases like, "If you facilitate a paradigm shift among enough microcosms, the entire organization will share the experience." But don't let the lame language scare you off. If you want to learn change management strategies, sooner or later you're going to have to pick up consultant-ese. Once you do, you'll be intrigued by the concepts set down in this book about whole-scale change and the use of microcosms in bringing about organizational change. In fact, we [...] strongly recommend this book for its innovative ideas, in spite of its tortured prose.

Relevant to my review is the fact that I was fortunate enough to intern with the late Kathie Dannemiller 20 years ago, when she was developing and applying her processes to improving student services at the University of Michigan. With this perspective, I can really appreciate the value of Whole-Scale Change, and attest to the reader about its worth, as I have personally experienced it.

The book is full of the authors' collective wisdom, and rich material that walks the reader through their model for changing the whole organization. Their concept of "One Mind, One Heart" is a great metaphor for getting everyone in an organization aligned with Purpose, and is really the "magic" behind Whole Scale Change. When everyone is aligned, the entire organization pulls together in support of each other to achieve its purpose.

Another huge benefit of Whole Scale Change is that the organization automatically achieves team building at the same time it is re-creating itself.

Organizational development practitioners and human resources professionals should be very interested in this book. Add to that any management consultants who are trying to effect a "culture change."

For those who would like to apply this process -- your own personal style & integrity are so fundamental to success that unless you can "walk the talk," don't even try it. Loving the work more than the money is a fundamental concept that a practitioner would have to have. Kathie Dannemiller especially was so real with clients that it helped them overcome barriers to openness, and enabled the magic to happen.

A few other key concepts that resonate throughout the book:
"Action Learning" is another way of saying you have to "trust the process" to get the right results, even though the steps to get there might change along the way. Life is like that.

Remember that in large-scale organization change, none of this has been done with these people, under these conditions, which means you will have to also make adjustments in real-time (also known as "improvisation") to deal with realities and learnings from the group events. Whole Scale Change does an excellent job by allowing for this, and cites many examples to show what it looks like. Also, "Everyone's truth is the truth" - to believe this you have to have a sincere & abiding respect for people - that may not be possible for every organization's leaders, which will limit the results.

The book includes excellent references for further reading, and also great discussions on how Whole Scale was influenced by other practitioners (a thinking bibliography) that were very valuable.

I read this book after reading Thomas Ricks' "Making the Corps" so compared to that book, I was a bit disappointed.
The book had some useful information, but didn't tell you that much about boot camp. In addition, there are billions of sections. Almost every two paragraphs is sectioned under a new heading, which annoyed me.
Though it didn't give me quite what I wanted, I did learn some useful information about preparing for boot camp, and the appendix is wonderful! With the phonetic military alphabet, army ranks, workouts, PFT info, useful charts, and much more!

Pretty useful for someone who wants to learn about preparing, but I recommend "Making the Corps"... read about it at: http://www.aaronsinfo.com/makingcorpsreview.html and there's product link to it's amazon page to look at reviews or purchase it.

As someone who aspires to join the military one day and has read many BCT survival guides, I can proudly say there is no better book on the market than 63 Days and a Wake-up!!! It is intuitive, astounding, and to the point. Specialist Herbert did a remarkable job writing this must have book. It's as if you're already at BCT and know what to expect. Like Don says, he won't give you a 300 page book that contains 40 pages of substance. Every page is of helpful material to get you ready for RECBN/BCT or so you can just have a better understanding of what it's like. Starting with the recruitment process and ending with life at BCT, every single aspect is covered and explained. What I look for in an Army BCT survival guide and have not found in the many I have read are the helpful hints and tips found in this book for while you are in training or in the preparation process. It's easy to see that the Specialist wrote much of this while at BCT. Even if you're not interested in joining the Army, I would recommend this to anyone to better understand the "Army Strong Process" and for anyone seriously considering it, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK!!!

After reading this book, I immediately e-mailed Specialist Herbert and complimented on it. I also asked him if it would be okay if I could talk to him sometime with questions about the Army I had. He responded the very next day and gave me his phone number. I called him with the questions I had and not only did he answer all of them but he couldn't have been any nicer and insightful with the information he gave me. He is a truly outstanding guy and the best warrior America has to offer. I can't wait and look forward to the sequel to this book coming out soon!!!

I am SO glad I found this book before I left for BCT this Winter! It had the perfect combination of brevity, subject knowledge, and personal experience. The book contains exactly what you need to know and why you need to know it. He starts out with Recruitment, moves through the entire enlistment process, and then breaks down the current Army BCT experience. I enjoyed reading it, but was only able to truly appreciate the knowledge when I was going through the training. I felt like I had already experienced much of it through the book, and felt much more confident in my ability to handle the change from civilian to soldier.

Since my MOS is the same as his, I sent him an email when I was at AIT. Not only did he respond, but we talked several times over the phone about the combat medic training, and he was able to refer me to some more excellent reference material that made the training much more understandable. He also talked to my younger brother over the phone about BCT (he leaves in June), and reiterated some of the things he talked about in his book. It's nice to have someone put their money where their mouth is.

This book isn't just nice to have; it's a necessity!

I wasn't disappointed at all. I was going on what the other reviewers wrote - which has bitten me in the a__ before, but not this time. I liked the fact that I could read it in one evening, over just a few hours. I have the attention span on a flea, and it kept my attention all the way through. Now I've got the upper hand when I deal with my recruiter. Don't talk to a recruiter, or sign your contract without reading this book!!!

As an Army Recruiter I cannot stress enough the importance of being ready, not only prior to training - but before you make the decision to serve. I am going to recommend this book to every potential soldier who walks through my door. It is the best source of information on the "New Army" BCT out there (it's even better than the Army literature). I have shown it to 2 of my Soldiers who just returned from training and they both said the book was right-on. The best way to describe the book is "the kind of information you can't appreciate until you go without it". With just a few pages assigned to each different, but important phase of enlistment (Recruitment, MEPS, Travel, Personal Business, etc..) Herbert does a better job of describing the processes than the Army ever has done - and we own the business!!!
I have been using the book as a tool to help future Soldiers understand what they can expect. I loaned it out to one of my warriors who wanted to know more about BCT before they committed to sign, and he brought it back the next day and was ready to sign-up. The book answered his questions and made him more comfortable in the decision - which is very important!
You should be comfortable with your decision to join the military, and this book will help you make the decision - one way or the other - with confidence.

Ever hear of the ancient mystery religions from the ancient mediterranean world that supposedly influenced the new testament? This is just about the best book to actually read up on what the mystery religions consisted of. A good tool to check out for yourself if there are or are not any parallels between the mystery religions and new testament content.

The book is informative and well presented. It was required reading for a Masters Class, and it augmented the other required reading, as well as the classroom information. The author writes commentary on the background of the mystery, and then the sacred text.

As Marvin M. Meyer explains in his excellent introduction, the Mysteries (from the Greek myein = to close) were associations of individuals: 'The Mysteries were secret religious groups composed of individuals who decided, through personal choice, to be initiated into the profound realities of one deity or another. They joined an association of people united in their quest for personal salvation.'

Unlike the Catholic Church or State religions, the Mysteries had no power base and no organized structure. They were an easy target for those who considered them as enemies or serious rivals in their power search. The Catholic Church attacked them fanatically in speech, picture and scripture. After becoming the official religion under Constantine the Great, the Roman Church convinced emperor Theodosius the Great to commit one of the most savage crimes against humanity: he ordered in A.D. 391 the abolition of all pagan mysteries and the destruction of their sanctuaries, giving at the same time a religious monopoly to the Pope.

This book contains excerpts of very well known works like 'Bakchai' by Euripides or 'The Golden Ass' by Apulejus, but also texts which are difficult to find.
The editor wrote a small introduction for each of the mysteries considered together with excellent bibliographies.

Not to be missed by all those interested in Ancient history.

Marvin W. Meyer's "The Ancient Mysteries: A sourcebook of Sacred Texts" is a splendid resource for original texts pertaining to the ancient Greco-Roman mystery cults. Meyer covers the full range of mystery cults, from the mysteries of Demeter and Persephone, through the mysteries of Dionysos, the Great Mother, Isis, Osiris, and Mithras, finishing with the mysteries within Judaism and Christianity. The texts span a wide spectrum of viewpoints and sources, from relatively objective accounts by period historians, to manuals from within the cults governing discipline and worship, to actual hymns and stories by initiates such as Apuleius's "The Golden Ass." My favorite selection was his excerpts from the Orphic Hymns, reproduced from the incomparable translation by Apostolos Athanassakis, which inspired me to obtain and read the entire book.

Meyer provides a brief introduction to each form of the mysteries that he discusses, along with brief introductions to the excerpts he provides. This book is an excellent introduction to what the mysteries were, and how they were seen and experienced by initiates, dramatists and historians during the period when they flourished.

A very useful source book, I use it often. The division of the book into specific religions/cults makes it easy to use.

The only thing lacking are images/diagrams to supplement the texts.

The chapters on Isis, Osiris and Mithras are excellent.

A very clear and practical view of the Balanced Scorecard tool. The text has the right amount of theoretical background and gives very enlightening exemples and advice to those interested in this field. However most of the exemples comes from private sector and non-profit organizations. Little from government and armed-forces.
But in general terms this is an excelent book. I recommend it.

This book is informative and keeps your interest. Lots of case studies and examples. The author keeps the focus on why scorecards should be used and places emphasis on how to keep them useful.

Niven is one of the best authors on BSC. If this administration and communications tool has been hailed as one the best new concepts in the business world, in nonprofit and government administration it can have even more impact. It is a great general introduction, but even seasoned experts will find enlightenment and a great very updated bibliography. Works very well as a textbook for nonprofit management with HBS cases.

Balanced Scorecards make lots of sense for the For-Profit world for which they were originally developed. What makes this book so good is that they have concentrated on what makes Non-Profits different and how to conceptualize how the BC works in that arena. The book is well written and easy to understand. It is a must for all non-profit execs.

Very helpful approach in developing a measuring tool for monitoring ministry growth and tracking to Vision.

An excellent review of the period of the Act of the Apostles, immediately following Christ's ascension, with a particular view to responding to the radical criticism of the Jesus Seminar. A very helpful book for any church library

I wanted to know what happened immediately post-crucifixion with those disciples and followers of Jesus. What took those earliest followers of Jesus, immediately following the resurrection, and put them on the path that produced the Christian church we see today. What did they do, how'd they do it, and where did they do it?

Unfortunately, I read Crossan's book first. It was a terribly long disappointment. Crossan never got to the point and buried the topic and me in minutiae. He never gave me any firm answers or clear and concise pictures of historical events.

Barnett, on the far other hand, writes concisely, logically, and provides connections and documentation to support his findings. Best of all, Barnett's book allowed me to lift above the details and see the story in a completely understandable light.

Amazingly, a shorter book by Barnett hits the bull's eye and gives me the information I'm seeking while a rolling explosion of methodology and diversion by Crossan never seemed to find the target.

What do you think? Did Barnett title his book "The Birth of Christianity" because Crossan had already published a book under the same title? Yeah, that's what I think, too. Barnett deliberately picked the title as a rebuke and a response to Crossan.

After leaving the priesthood, Crossan has spent his life doing what he can to destroy Christianity. And yes, he is the one who helped found the Jesus Seminar. In his book he argues that Jesus was a hippie-Cynic with no intention of founding a religion.

Barnett pokes holes--lots of holes--in this thesis by investigating what can be gleaned about earliest Christianity.

The problem for Crossan is that the time between the death of Jesus, most likely in 33 AD, and the first Christian documents is a scant 20 years. That's not a lot of time for myths to form. Furthermore, huge numbers of people who knew Jesus would still be alive. Facts could still be easily checked.

Most scholars agree that Thessalonians is the earliest Christian text available, written about 50 AD.

Barnett points out that "In no other letter does Paul so often appeal to what the readers already know" (P 47). Paul reminds his readers of the traditions the apostles passed on. So by 50 AD, therefore, "There is an existent, clearly formulated theology" that was agreed upon by the Christians. It is so well known that Paul can call upon this knowledge.

And what were the common points the earliest Christians believed in? Paul calls Jesus the "Son of God" and "Lord" and "Christ" in Thessalonians. It is, furthermore, the same language he uses throughbout the span of time he wrote his letters.

The conclusion is unmistakable. Paul's "Christology must have been resolved by the late 40s before he commenced writing" (P 67). For one thing, Paul claims to have "received" his beliefs from other people. This indicates a common pool of knowledge. Knowledge which he also gleaned from a first source, since he is known to have visited Peter. It is to this "tradition" which Paul "received" that he refers to again and again in his letters.

Barnett goes into some depth with Galatians, Mark, and John. With John, he notes the many pointers to a pre-70 dating. Barnett mentions the primitive feel to the gospel and the "extensive and intricate details....The war of 66-70 cut a broad swathe through the cultural landscape so that life post-70 became less and less recognizable in contrast to life...before" (P 172).

This is a relatively short book, especially when compared to Crossan's. Yet it's clear, well written, and right on target.

Barnett makes a strong case for the "conservative" position that the essentials of the Christian message as we have come to know it were there from the very beginning, as against the "liberal" position that Christology developed over time. His book is succinct, well-written, and tightly argued; a necessary correction to the other books on the topic of very early Christianity.

I do have some reservations about his arguments, though. Not only does he rely on the Acts of the Apostles as containing eyewitness reports, he takes specific passages such as the speeches of Peter as being an accurate account of what Peter said. It seems more likely to me that the author of Acts shaped such passages according to his understanding of the gospel, which may have evolved since the time of Peter.

On another point, while it is true that Paul says he is transmitting the gospel he received, it is also true that Paul had serious conflicts with the leaders of the church based in Jerusalem. The issue seems to me not a black-and-white one, that either Paul made up his Christology or he is passing along exactly what was first preached by the apostles, but a grey area--how much did Paul adapt the gospel to the Hellenist culture?

Overall, a very good book though.

--Alan Zundel, the HeartAwake Center

Paul Barnett has written a lucid, meticulous account of the first 20 years after Jesus died, demolishing a few treasured myths about how much we know about those early years. With wide-ranging scholarship and relatively few (and uncontroversial) historical assumptions, Barnett scours the New Testament for clues on what the apostles and followers believed after Jesus' death and why they believed it. By paying attention to details often overlooked by skeptical scholars, Barnett establishes the following: 1) the Christian movement had a very 'high' Christology almost immediately after Jesus death, 2)contrary to what many scholars assume, the writings of Paul are studded with the teachings of Jesus as found in Q and contain too much information about Jesus' earthly life to support the theory that Paul invented a Cosmic Christ out of mid-air, 3)the Gospel of John was likely written before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 because it refers in the present tense to structures and buildings which no longer existed after that date (and for other reasons), 4)Peter did not usurp the authority of James the Just, who did not preserve the 'real message' of an earthly Jewish rabbi but was fully orthodox about the identity of his brother, which seems to have come about as a result of seeing the risen Lord face to face, and 5) Acts is far from a piece of theological propaganda; it contains numerous historical and archeological details which have been impressively corroborated by secular historians of the time. By performing impressive mental gymnastics skeptics can always find a way to dismiss the most reasoned arguments, and in the case of the New Testament we find a movement which revered its Founder as Lord and Savior immediately after His death, spread the good news with fervor and turned the world upside-down. By far the best explanation of this stunning fact is the Resurrection of the Son of God.

Breakaway Management articulates what's true about workplace behaviors: all people have them and they are less than ideal. People bring along their less than ideal histories (Managers are people too!) and create barriers to change that keep organizations or work groups stuck. The dysfunctional patterns can be identified and named, openly dealt with, and constructively managed. The tools provided in this book help to talk about what's real in the workplace and that's a common sense approach that experience teaches works well

Finally, the fix-it for dealing with those "people problems" that ultimately cause organizational ineffectiveness and failure! Dr. Jones spends just enough time outlining the origins of dysfunction and the widespread impact of dysfunction to convince any business person that it is this dysfunction we must focus on first in our organizations--and not our structures or policies or procedures. Throughout his book, Dr.Jones develops the pathway for any manager to deal respectfully and responsibly with dysfunctional behaviors. No matter how rampant the dysfunction in your workplace, Dr. Jones has beautifully and practically developed the "way out" for managers so they can implement and foster the "way back" into functional behaviors which, ultimately, creates the "way to" organizational success.

Very insightful;full of useful strategies and information. Dr. Jones style is humorous and very down-to-Earth. Chapter 5 was a real eye-opener. I now have a better sense of how to approach discussion of the issues we've been avoiding for so long. Our Thursday morning staff meetings will never be the same. If you supervise 1 or 1,000 people, this book is for you!! John A. Wilson, Area Group Manager, DMS. Inc., California

Truly explains the the reasons behind the time, treasure and pain that Corporate America has endured through the misdirected and failed implementations of Total Quality Mangement, Teamwork, Re-engineering, Downsizing and Right-sizing that has prevailed through the 80's and 90's. This text offers the reader a practical, no-nonsense approach to many of the obstacles that prevent the successful implementation of continious improvement efforts in terms of viewing the organizaiton from the perspective of Dr. Tom Jones who has laced the pages with no-nonsense advice for understanding and improving your organization's effectiveness. If you're in a position to lead people and "been there and done that," I suggest that you re-assess your organization through the "hands on "experience and techniques conveyed by Dr. Jones...You'll find it as impacting and insightful as "The Goal" (Eli Goldratt) and potentially more effective than the scores of business books offering "silver bullet" solutions to the complexities of organizational life in the 90's

Many managers go home each night feeling sick, frustrated and demoralized from facing a daily struggle to reach goals and improve performance in a dysfunctional workplace. The practices they have used effectively in the past are not working, their people seem confused and hostile, and the job is suffering. This book is written for them. It is packed with ideas and techniques for overcoming the barriers to productivity that these managers face. Identifying the symptoms of dysfunction and specifically outlining steps to overcoming them will give managers increased options and tools that can bring the whole workplace team to a new level of productivity

The book is a concise compilation of case studies that encompass a myriad of experiences faced by companies and cultures in their pursuit of reaping the benefits of e-commerce. The cases provide a global focus on cultural challenges both geographic and organizational, a sampling of various information technology considerations, and customer interface and acceptance factors.
Two of the cases explore cultural issues in Latin and Asian societies. Their explosive demand for IT outpaced the substantial infrastructure shortfalls. Reliability of telecommunications systems, the lack of electronic payment methods, and weak processing infrastructures are just a few of the areas discussed.
The study of the Texas Instrument implementation and management of an e-commerce enabled enterprise information system clearly describes the paramount concern for the development of a strategic focus within the organization, the need for top management support, and most importantly the development of sound business processes. The significance of business process development is explored often throughout the cases starting with the first chapter where a description of the dynamic evolution of an e-commerce entity is taken from the concept stage all the way through implementation.
Finally, throughout all the cases it is clear that customer focus and direct customer interface during the development and implementation are key success factors in reaping the benefits of an e-commerce endeavor.
The variety of cases maintain your interest and offer a comprehensive collection of experiences that are sure to alleviate most start up and operational issues.

The big boom being over, many are apparently of the opinion that the Internet does not matter--at least on a global level. Cases on Worldwide E-Commerce gives many examples to the contrary. It shows interesting and instructive examples of how organizations are making use of the Internet and networking technologies to help them carve away at markets and improve operations.

"Cases on Worldwide E-Commerce: Theory in Action" is a great read for both practitioners and scholars. Because of the book's unique perspective on this timely topic, my students will find that it is required reading in my next E-Commerce class.

"Cases on Worldwide Electronic Commerce: Theory in Action" is a good read. It is very useful for both scholars and practitioners. I intend to use this book in my next Electronic Commerce class because it gives the latest perspectives on this dynamic topic.

This is a very worthy book that amply describes best practices for achieving a competitive edge in eCommerce. Dr. Raisinghani's book illustrates the methods used by industry to transform strategic plans for eCommerce into viable business operations. While written as an academic text, the book none-the-less offers insight into the practical nature of how different organizations went about leveraging their respective IT investments in order to provide superior customer value, cycle time reductions, and expansion of their operations to a global market. This book is highly beneficial in both the academic and business sectors...very useful and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the growth (or study) of eCommerce.

This book clearly articulates a strategically important concept. As the Chief Strategy Officer of a company in an industry that seldom dares to be strange, I hope that no one else in my industry reads this book. Implementing the ideas in this book will become my competitive advantage.

The correct platitude often offered up by a company is that their people are their most important asset and competitive advantage. But in reality, most staff is like electricity... you can't run your company without them, and it's the entry level cost of doing business. In Change To Strange: Create a Great Organization by Building a Strange Workforce, Daniel M. Cable examines how to create a "strange" workforce that actually *is* a competitive advantage over your rivals. It all comes down to your definition of "strange"...

Contents:
Preface; Be Strange. Be Very Strange.; Shine a Flashlight into the Black Box That Exists Between Your Workforce and Beating Your Competition; Organizational Outcomes - How Do I Know I Am Winning in the Way I Want to Win?; Performance Drivers - What Must Customers Notice About Us So That We Win?; Strange Workforce Deliverables - What Our Workforce Does to Make Customers Notice and Love Us; Job Specific Strangeness - Different Deliverables from Different Jobs; Strange Workforce Architecture - What Systems Will Produce the Deliverables I Need From My Workforce?; Strange Workforce Architecture - Breaking Out From the Pack; Strange Workforce Architecture - Taking the Next Step; The Magic of Metrics - Creating and Implementing Measurement Systems;Conclusion; Index

The "strange" that Cable talks about here is a workforce that obsesses about one or two key items that make a difference to the customer. For example, Whole Foods has a workforce that is obsessive about their product and presentation. These people can tell you just about anything you want to know about what they sell, because they believe in it completely. Their hiring systems are geared around making sure that new people coming into the system share that same obsessiveness, and the group is rewarded based on how well each person does. If you're not pulling your weight or if you're not obsessed like everyone else, you'll wash out. It doesn't mean you're not a hard worker or aren't cut out for working in food retail. It just means that you're not "strange" in the way you need to be to work at Whole Foods. This differentiator often is considered crazy or uncopyable by the competition. But since the customer loves it, Whole Foods has a niche all to themselves. And their people truly *are* a competitive advantage for them.

The other issue that makes this difficult is the measuring and metrics. Getting information from your customers about the few things you want to be strange about is hard work. The numbers often aren't easily obtainable without putting some effort into it. Which is another reason competitors don't want to follow that direction, and why changing your workforce to a strange workforce isn't easy. But if you want your company to stand out and be different/strange, it's a requirement to be able to track those factors and measure your people against them. Otherwise you may end up with good solid people, but just not ones that are strange in the areas in which you want to be viewed as unique.

This book also struck me as something you can do for yourself and your skills. Perhaps you want to be known as someone with an obsessive attention to deadlines, design, or quality. You could use this same technique to find your own strange quality/qualities, figure out how to measure it, and them shape yourself into a competitive advantage over others...

While I don't expect an overwhelming majority of companies to run right out and change their HR departments to match this model, reading Change To Strange will at least open up that small window of doubt about whether you really are hiring people who are a competitive advantage for you and your company.

Companies often give a lot of lip service to the value of their employees but then go about treating and using everyone just about like every company treats and uses its employees. That is, with indifference and standardized "best" practices. Unsurprisingly, when an organization treats its people just about the same as every other company treats its employees (as inputs to be standardized and minimized), its dreams of having the company be something special, valuable, and unique are seldom to never realized.

Daniel M. Cable tells us that only a strange workforce, that is one that doesn't do things like everyone else, one that knows and has confidence in its uniqueness and specialness and in its goals and methods, can create something that is special, unique, valuable, and with a sustainable (ongoing - but adapting) advantage in the marketplace. Cable explains how and why your workforce can become something valuable and a driving force behind your success.

He starts off the book showing us how we too often treat our employees and the whole HR process as a kind of black box that just happens. We assume that if we are following the laws and standardized HR processes and avoiding being sued we are doing a good job. When we turn things around and start to view this whole concept the way the author frames it we can see that this kind of idea is indeed absurd. It is like building a process to build standardized widgets that claim no special qualities in the marketplace and then later wondering why, despite our fine leadership, those widgets fail to gain special attention in the market place or market dominance.

What I like about this book is the way Cable plays with our perceptions along the way. This is not your standard business book. He asks us questions that seem odd at first, and then we realize that is the point. Have you ever looked at the back of your hand and for some reason your perception changes and it looks a different size to you and in some ways quite different than it ever had before? That is what this book will help you achieve with your workforce. The author admits that building a "strange" workforce takes a great deal of effort and probably will take some time to achieve, but if you want to be regarded as special by your customers you have to be special. And to be strange (not normal - not typical - not ordinary) you have to have strange people working for you who have a strange sense of mission. This requires you to hire strangely, train strangely, measure performance strangely, and provide strange products and services (that is, surprisingly good and surprisingly desired products and services).

Cable provides a simple framework for this complex process and shows us how achieving this strangeness will get us noticed in the marketplace, allow us to satisfy our customers, and avoid the stagnation that often comes with initial success. The old tragic story of sticking with what works until it kills you has to go.

One of the great complaints among employees today is that they don't matter to management. Employees see through the rhetoric and that is why most companies are not only boring to work for, they are boring in the marketplace. Here is a way to turn that around and energize your company by unleashing the real power in your workforce. Of course, once you head down this path, not all your employees will go with you and there will be some significant turnover. Even good "ordinary" employees have to go. Because they provide inertia against becoming successfully strange.

So, get strange.

In this book, Cable puts forward a very interesting idea that more managers should have the courage to take seriously and perhaps even execute. The point is that managers should make a concerted effort to hire people that are "strange" rather than those that are similar to all other potential hires. His point is that conventional thinking and execution is inherently limited in the level of success that it can achieve. By strange, he does not mean "weird" or disturbed, the term is used in the sense of being capable of doing constructive and successful thinking outside the box.
Several examples of companies that have adopted such methods and are very successful are presented. One of the best is an explanation of the career of major league baseball general manager Billy Beane. Beane's position is that the standard criteria used to evaluate baseball talent are simplistic and incorrect. Since he rose to the position of general manager of the Oakland Athletics, Beane has fielded a team that ranks at the bottom in terms of salary and near the top in terms of wins. Much of his emphasis is on the "quality at-bat" where a player forces the pitcher to make extra pitches and is willing to accept a base-on-balls, even when there are runners on base.
Since this is a skill undervalued by all other teams, this has allowed Beane to acquire players for much less than other teams are willing to pay them. By molding the team in that image, he has developed a very successful team, although the Athletics have had a difficult time winning games in the playoffs. Given the current financial inequities that exist in major league baseball, this is truly a major success story that others should pay attention to.
Another example is the policy of Home Depot to hire contractors to work in the appropriate sections of the store. Therefore, when the do-it-yourself customer comes in, the person helping them is very knowledgeable and can provide the highest level of customer service. This service translates into an enormous competitive advantage over other stores and can increase sales several orders of magnitude over the extra salary expenses.
To his additional credit, Cable also is clear in stating that hiring "strange" employees is not for everyone. It requires courage to be willing to adopt a novel business or a non-traditional approach to an old one. In nearly all cases, the initial expenses are higher than in other areas and exterior observers are generally very skeptical of the new and novel ways of doing business.
I once participated in a faculty development seminar entitled, "A Whack on the Side of the Head." The purpose was to try to get us to think of new and novel ways to present our material. This book reminded me of that seminar, demonstrating that while going down a different path can be extremely challenging, it can also be very rewarding. From personal experience, those rewards are more than monetary; there is a form of satisfaction in being successfully different that is like no other. Perhaps the key to your success can be found in this book.

In less than 175 pages, Dr. Daniel Cable delivers something "strange"; a 'how-to' book that nails the organizational performance connection between strategy and people! Written in a direct, talking style, by a Professor whose writing implies he is fun to learn from and with; this book argues the benefits of strategic differentiation and then explains in practical terms how to link effective strategic performance drivers to the people who must deliver that differentiating strategy. Using the term "strange" to emphasis the differentiation element of a successful strategy, the professor uses his 'strange workforce value chain' to show the steps from strategic theory to customer value creation.

1. Organizational Outcomes - three year out lagging indicators of strategic success.
2. Performance Drivers - what customers need to notice for the strategy to win.
3. Strange Workforce Deliverables - ways your people must be `strange' to make the performance drivers happen.
4. Strange Workforce Architecture - design and construct of your people management systems cause your workforce to be `strange'.

An obvious fanatic on measurement as the way to speak strategy with an organization, Dr. Cable noticeably understands the difficulties, time and hard work involved (as well as the many nuances) with creating and maintaining an organization's connection with its strategy. In fact, he is so concerned about the need for an understanding of the specifics, that he holds his favorite chapter, "The Magic of Metrics", for the final chapter of the book. In the meantime he covers "Job-Specific Strangeness" where he distinguishes the strategic leverage of jobs (not leadership positions); sorting them into executor (direct deliverers of 'strange'), operator (essential players in creating value), and outsourcer (cannot be linked to `strange' performance drivers) positions. In subsequent chapters he explains his "Strange Workforce Architecture", supplementing the specifics with numerous examples of 'strangeness' in action.

From uncovering the 'strange' performance drivers of a 'strange' strategy, to hiring and managing the `strange' people who fit with a 'strange' strategy's delivery, the professor conveys a compelling and instructive narrative. This book is recommended for anyone who has used or considered the balanced scorecard; it will put you on a 'strange' and better path.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

John Merrow's book is a thoughtful and well-informed guide to finding excellence in public education. It is both an insightful look at what constitutes excellence and a great "how to" book for parents who are trying to choose schools for their kids (I especially like "questions to ask" at the end of each chapter). Best of all, while critical throughout, Merrow remains hopeful that public education can be excellent and offers real solutions for some of the most pressing problems in education today.

This book is entertaining and remarkably thoughtful. It is filled with the wisdom and insights we have come to expect from John Merrow, whose work many of us have followed on NPR and PBS. If you care about our future, read this book. He is critical where criticism is warranted but every chapter contains many useful suggestions for improvement. Every chapter includes the questions we need to ask of our educators and of ourselves.

How do you choose a good school? John Merrow gives you guidelines to follow and questions to ask in your search. This book is a "must" for all parents. The questions at the end of each chapter are especially helpful.

This is a book that every parent will want to read. It's full of useful information, it's easy to understand, and it's positive in nature. The pathway to better schooling, and to a better experience for children, leads through this brilliant book. Buy it, or borrow it from your library, TODAY!

This is an immensely useful, irreverent look at public schools. The author is a former teacher and an award-winning journalist who has worked for National Public Radio and PBS. He is creative and extremely insightful. He says, don't use just one way to judge schools. Do most teachers leave right after the students? What do schools do if there is a bully? Is the school orderly without being rigid? Is excellent student work displayed? Is it creative, or does it all look alike? These are only a few of the excellent, unusual questions Merrow asks.
He also urges families not to make assumptions about a school - whether it's a charter, magnet or neighborhood school - it's location and classification just don't tell you enough.
This is a great book for families to read, even if they are not actively selecting a new school. Merrow describes wonderful - and awful things he's seen in schools all over the world. He is funny, creative,and immensely useful.
Joe N - St. Paul, Minnesota