Organizations Books

Picking up Fastrack Business Management is like making a phone call to a wise old friend. Fastrack offers understanding of a wide range of business dilemmas and offers a sage suggestion or two for resolving each of them. You won't find (irritating) chapter and verse here; you WILL find valuable advice for a host of today's thorniest business issues.

The BEST business book to come along - superior value and information for the business professional on the move. "Fastrack is extremely relevant to the critical issues facing today's leaders. It cuts through the typical business jargon with refreshing clarity and directness and is a timeless practical guide to making better decisions and improving the way you manage.

Fastrack Business Management is an interesting and enjoyable read. It is extremely substantive, with a wealth of helpful insights on subjects of interest to top and middle managers today. I would recommend it to anyone.

The BEST business book for the Millennium - superior value and information for the business professional who wants answers, fast. "Fastrack" is extremely relevant to the critical issues facing business today and cuts through the typical buzzwords with refreshing clarity and directness. It is a timeless practical guide to making better decisions and improving the way you manage. You will find the "Key Points" (at the end of each chapter) most valuable. Each lists a succinct summary of the author's important business tips you will refer to time and time again.

Fastrack is a great tool for managing your business. The book provides clear, cogent answers to the "big picture" questions that are difficult to grasp. The chapter on Globalization was especially helpful to AHN, which deployed several strategies with great success. A great read, jam packed with nuggets of wisdom from a guy who clearly knows what he's talking about.

Glass's "Fertilizers, Pills, and Magnet Strips" is a must read for anyone interested in public education and its place within American culture. Glass uncovers how technological advances have shaped our way of life and way of thinking--a way of thinking that may explain why education reform efforts continue to flounder. As an educational policy researcher, I constantly grapple with why it is so difficult for policymakers to understand education. Glass adeptly and meticulously describes how the evolution of business practices, technological advances, and cultural fads have intersected and led to a narrow view of public education. His book has clarified for me why so many people have unrealistic expectations from public schooling.

Glass's writing is accessible, authoritative, and interesting. But, that is just the start. The real punch in this book comes from his creativity and innovation in weaving together the ways in which cultural processes have impacted how we see public education.

if you care about public education at all, you must read this book.

I am a teacher in the Texas public schools, and I can tell you from my own experience that what this book says about Texas is absolutely true.

I read this book in a few days which is fast for me. What is intriguing about the book is the "in your face" assertions about controversial topics in education. I found Glass' style refreshing in comparison to overly politically correct styles found in so many books on education.

My intent would be to use this book in a graduate seminar course and have students produce evidence that either challenges or supports many of the book's claims. The reader who is familiar with these topics may question the accuracy of some claims but in the end, the book does what it is supposed to do - it leaves the reader thinking about and wanting to discuss the book with others.

Glass's "Fertilizers, Pills and Magnetic Strips" is an extremely well conceived publication. The situation of education in the United States has been carefully analyzed and documented, as well as carefully argued with both data and personal opinion. It is a book that every parent, teacher, and education professor should be reading, studying, and acting on. I will be recommending it to all of my former graduate students, education colleagues, and personal friends.

~ Dale Lange
Professor Emeritus
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

The analyses and projections Glass presents are spot on in my view. That the US will become older and browner is evident from US Census data. But Occam's razor could well be applied to "fertilizers, pills, and magnetic strips." These are metonyms for technologies that have indeed had wide-ranging consequences, but they are very distal determinants of the present status or likely future of US pre-collegiate education.

The sub-title is also problematic. The book deals with the politics and economics of education in the US. Accepting the five projections in Chapter 10 in no way defines the 'fate' of public education in the US. That will be what 'we' make it. Glass' analyses of current belief systems regarding education are scathing. But belief systems can be changed (per George Lakoff's work). And overriding beliefs is Boulding's wisdom: "We make our tools and then they shape us." Combine this with the wisdom of Josiah Royce, emblazoned over the stage at Royce Hall, UCLA, (when I was a student. They remodeled the building and I don't know what's there now): "Education is learning to use the tools humanity (Royce said 'the race' but 'humanity' would be the term used today) has found indispensable" and you have a pretty good two-sentence guide.

Ironically, in the end Glass goes soft-headed, " The only reform [sic] that stands any chance of making our public schools better is the investment on teachers--to aide them in their quest to understand, to learn. Go become more compassionate, caring, and competent persons." (p. 249) That's a fool's errand--well-intentioned, but foolish in the sense that it hasn't had the intended consequences in the past and offers little for the future. If Ray Kurzweil's projections in "Singularity" are even half-right, it's going to be a different future for instruction.

My story of how US schooling got to where it is currently is simpler than Glass' story. As Glass states, prior to the mid-50s the aspiration was to enroll all kids in high school. Prior to that time, schools handled instructional failures by tossing kids out or counseling them out. With "full access," weaknesses started to show.

Historically, all media information regarding schooling was local, focusing on athletics and 'human interest' anecdotes. Even today, only a handful of newspapers cover schooling nationally. That gain is an important consequence of NCLB, but even there the accounts largely swallow whole governmental news releases.

The move that began in 1965 to make schooling a matter of national interest was important. The subsequent history could be titled "Bureaucrats, academics, and publishers." The small number of individuals who constituted the Beltway Consensus bought, and still buy, Jim Coleman's contention (based on shoddy "research") that "families matter more than schooling," "education spending is unrelated to educational achievement," and "school integration across socioeconomic lines (and hence across racial lines) will increase Negro achievement, and they throw serious doubt upon the effectiveness of policies designed to increase non-personal resources in the school." (The self-serving interests Glass exposes are evident.)

By the mid-1980s it was all-too-clear that "school integration" was not getting the job done. "High standards "was the answer, culminating in the "Goals 2000" legislation. Of course 2000 came with none of the goals met. No one recognized that the "standards" were rhetoric masked as "content." The consensus was that "accountability" via standardized achievement tests is the answer. Hence NCLB. (Same self-serving interests.)

What has the academy been doing? Not much. Glass tells that story. What he doesn't explain is why those who understand the flaws in NAEP and all standardized achievement tests have sat with their thumbs in their mouths.

Publishers are culpable in that they provide the tools that define schooling instruction. The publisher line is that they "only respond to market demands." This means they're unaccountable and unregulated. Their 'offerings' are junk, but bureaucrats and academics give them a free ride.

So what to do? Again it's a simple story. Borrow from the corporate world the notion of "business intelligence" and "key performance indicators." Also borrow from the IT sector and several large corporations the notion of structured "certification of capability." This "gets a handle" on schooling and permits real cost-benefit analysis of instructional accomplishments. Further, recognize that schools today provide important societal services (e.g. health screening and nutrition provision) in addition to instruction. Ironically, instruction is the weakest benefit of schooling and the other benefits go unrecognized.

A few final reactions: "Appendix A: Notes on Theory, Research, and Policy" alone is worth the price of the book. If it were read by every student as a freshman, every legislator, and anyone remotely concerned with schooling, the future of education would be a good deal brighter.

The practice of documenting with footnotes on the relevant page as well as references and indexes at the end of the book is welcome and should be standard practice. The use of footnotes is judicious and the occasional accompanying elaboration makes the communication more interactive.

The exposition is a model of 'good writing.' Strunk and White, where ever they are, are no doubt exchanging high-fives. someone followed their advice. I didn't always buy what Glass was saying, but there was never any doubt about the substance of the communication. The communication warrants consideration by anyone in any way concerned with US schooling.

Other reviewers have concentrated on the subject - this review is about the author, the outstanding British thinker, cultural critic and accomplished biographer Colin Duriez. Colin's books are always fun to read and highly accessible, though always based upon firm scholarship and research, and this life of the great Francis Schaeffer, whom Colin knew well, is an ideal introduction not just to Schaeffer's thought but also his life as well. This sits superbly well with Colin's splendid books on CS Lewis, Tolkien and on the Inklings, and his definitive book on the origins of Christianity. If you want a full orbed biography of a significant Christian, Colin is your person and this book shows beyond doubt that Colin Duriez has done it again. Christopher Catherwood (author of CHURCH HISTORY: A CRASH COURSE FOR THE CURIOUS).

One of the most important figures in the areas of theology, apologetics, and culture of the last century is Francis Schaeffer. Until now there had not been a solid biographical work dealing with the life of this important figure. Colin Duriez, someone who knew the man personally, has helped to fill this great need by providing a look at the life of this great man. With an analysis of his books, interviews with Schaffer before he died, his family, friends, colleagues, and people who studied at L'Abri, Duriez offers a volume on the man that essentially comes from the very heart of Schaeffer himself.

Francis Schaeffer was born in 1912 and lived quite a tumultuous life until the Lord took him prematurely from Cancer in 1984. Growing up poor in Pennsylvania, he studied hard in school and sensed the call to pastoral ministry. He studied at Hampden-Sydney College and after studied for his seminary studies at Westminster Theological Seminary and then finished at the new Faith Theological Seminary which was formed out of controversy at Westminster. Much of Schaeffer's apologetical thinking was developed under the Father of Presuppositional Apologetics, Cornelius van Til (although he departed in some key areas). Schaeffer saw how Christianity affected all of life. This thinking is what began his great cultural studies and how he developed the thinking that one could see where one was at and where one was going by studying the development of cultural expression in previous years (areas of art, music, philosophy, etc.). Serving as a Presbyterian pastor for a number of years he convinced the denominational body that a survey trip of Europe was necessary following World War II to see how the New Theology there had affected the churches. Schaffer's trip was something that changed his thinking and developed a new approach to ministry as he sought to intellectually address issues in the growing modernist and soon-to-be postmodernist society. This resulted in the founding of L'Abri (The Shelter) in Switzerland where Schaffer could meet with those who were searching and talk openly about how Christianity was relevant and addressed issues of culture, the arts, and everything. Through Schaeffer's speaking and writing, vast amounts of believers became in-tune with what was going on around them and were becoming more and more willing to present Christianity as culturally relevant and intellectually responsible.

There was much controversy and pain in the life of Francis and his wife Edith. People did not understand their new approach to ministry by interacting with people on this kind of casual level at L'Abri. The schedule was intense and with people living with the family it often took tolls on the family relationships and on health in general. Schaeffer though saw himself as being a defender of Christianity by presenting the Christ of the Scriptures and how all men everywhere need to be transformed by Him. Schaeffer's unique approach allowed him to reach people who were not being reached by the church. The intellectuals of the world turned to Schaeffer as the one who presented a culturally relevant Christianity. To this end he was greatly used of the Lord.

Duriez traces all the events of the life of Schaffer from birth to death in a very readable way. He presents the life of this man and his family as a choice servant of God. This is a solid contribution to the history of evangelicalism in the last decade, to the history of apologetics, and ultimately, to the life of this man, so often misunderstood in his own life and today. The only real weakness is that Duriez does not interact with his theology as much as would be helpful. He admits in the beginning that this is not a theological biography, but one is necessary. Duriez offers a helpful look at the life of this man. Now, someone must look at the theology of this man to continue to better help the church. But, this book is highly recommended as a well-written account (from the very mouths of Schaeffer and those who knew him best) of the life of pastor turned denominational leader turned missionary turned prophet and apologist. May all of us have the dedication that Schaffer did for the cause of Christ today in our ministries. Read and be challenged and encouraged by the work of God in the life of His servant.

As an admirer of Francis Schaeffer, one of the saddest things I have witnessed during the last few years is the attempts by both his own son and by other detractors to impugn his integrity or, at least, to redefine him as something he was not. Reading son Frank Schaeffer's memoir, both father and mother are portrayed negatively, Francis as a reclusive, depressed, sometimes suicidal man and Edith as a perfectionist nut. Well, perhaps the title says it all --- "Crazy for God." This book by biographer Colin Duriez, Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life, should set the record straight.

Colin Duriez is sympathetic toward the Schaeffers and deeply appreciative of the time he studied under Francis, yet at the same time he is engaged in writing an authentic and carefully researched biography, of telling "true Truth" (to use Schaeffer's nomenclature) about this extraordinary man. While noting Frank Schaeffer's very subjective memoir, and even quoting from it on occasion, he acknowledges that it added little to what he already knew (little, that is, that can be documented, that actually squares with reality). What he takes issue with is Frank's contention that his father kept up a "facade of conviction" in his latter years, something he says is not borne out by the evidence. And that's about all we hear of the strange memoir until near the end of the book where, in a footnote, Duriez cannot seem to restrain his feelings, noting that "he [Frank] is at times in error over fact or interpretation . . . in his unashamedly subjective and at times bizarre memoir." That's a restrained critique by a historian.

But enough of what the book is not. What it is is the best biographical treatment of the man and his mission that has yet been written --- scholarly, without being pedantic or lifeless; sufficiently nuanced, without chasing every thread of the man's life and work; sympathetic, and yet not avoiding the truth about the man's weaknesses and struggles. If you want to feel what animated Francis and Edith Schaeffer, to be caught up in the emotion of what they felt, read Edith's Tapestry and L'Abri. (Set aside sufficient time for their combined 906 pages, however!) But this is the biography for most to read, as it is concise and yet comprehensive enough not to miss any important detail of their story.

In eight chapters and a total of 208 pages, Duriez covers Schaeffer from birth in 1912 until death in 1984 from cancer. Along the way he speaks of his conversion, his years as a pastor, his involvement with the separatist movement and subsequent divergence from it, the L'Abri years, and the latter years of films and more political involvement. What emerges is a portrait of a man who, like any Christian, matured in faith and whose understanding of scripture and culture developed. And yet, looking at Francis Schaeffer's whole life, there no sense that he was a wholly different person in 1975 than in 1955. What comes across is his integrity and consistency. And while Duriez acknowledges Schaeffer's occasional anger or impatience, and even his depression, none of this does anything to damage his reputation. They endear him to us, demonstrating his humanity and his honesty (as these failings and struggles were acknowledged by him to those who knew him).

For most who are familiar with the Schaeffers and who have, perhaps, read Tapestry and L'Abri, much of what is written here will be familiar and unsurprising. What Duriez's succinct book does, however, is provide a kind of condensation for those much longer stories. I found myself drawn back into memories of some details contained in those books that were not included here, a very helpful effect. But the book is more than a revised Tapestry. It also contains excerpts of fresh interviews with the daughters of Francis and Edith Schaeffer: Priscilla, Susan, and Debbie. Once again, there are no surprises, and yet it is helpful to hear their memories and to hear the respect they had for their parents. Then are many other interviews as well, with L'Abri workers like Os Guinness and Dick and Marti Keyes, and perhaps going back farther than any other, with Hurvey and Dorothy Woodson (who actually had a L'Abri in Italy in the late 1950s). Dorothy said that "When Mr. Schaeffer would talk to you, there was nothing else in the world that was going on. He was totally focused on you and what you were talking about. . . ." Great comment. And that's how it goes. Real insights are given into the character of the man. Much is there to emulate.

I recommend Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life. If you think you already know him, this summary study of his character will sharpen your appreciation for him. If you don't know much about him, you'll meet someone you want to know better. And if all you've read is Frank Schaeffer's Crazy for God, remedy ignorance: get the "true Truth" here. (taken from www.outwalking.net)

This book does an excellent job of showing that Francis Schaeffer was someone that attempted - and sometimes failed - to practice what he preached. Though Schaeffer had bouts of anger, depression, and slowly began to drift towards some of his earlier fundamentalism, he also attempted to live his life valuing each individual.

This book is excellent for anyone attempting to see the "man behind the message." It is valuable to understand why Schaeffer wrote what he did and, more importantly, why he became politically active later in his life. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to understand exactly who Schaeffer was.

Introducing Francis A. Schaeffer
Francis A. Schaeffer was perhaps the most influential Christian apologist of the latter twentieth century. His fame was such that even Time magazine reported on his "mission to intellectuals" in 1960 and noted his passing in 1984. Yet few individuals today, even among evangelical Christians, know who he was. He studied the changing culture of the sixties and seventies and tried to make it understandable. But like many of the best known cultural icons of that "Age of Aquarius," only those who knew him or where influenced by his diverse ministry still remember him. It is largely they who keep his many books in print. The Swiss alpine study center (L'Abri) founded by he and his wife Edith remains a destination for individuals seeking answers to life's many troubling questions. There, or at its branches in England or the U.S.A, individuals are encouraged to challenge the relativism of our postmodern age by asking if there is such a thing as truth (i.e., truth spelled with a capital "T") or merely many truths.
Colin Duriez's new biography, Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life, is a brief, straight forward, chronological biography particularly suited as an introduction to the man and his important intellectual contributions. It is not, as claimed by its author in the Preface, "a comprehensive biography." Those already familiar with Schaeffer will find nothing new here. It has all been said before in other books about Schaeffer and L'Abri. Those looking for a discussion and assessment of Schaeffer's ideas or methodology will be disappointed. That must be found elsewhere.
Duriez's biography of Francis Schaeffer is a glowing tribute to a teacher by a devoted student. But saying so is not meant to diminish its value in any sense. It is well-written and a pleasure to read. For the newcomer to Francis Schaeffer, it is the best introduction available in print, well worth the price and highly recommended by this reviewer, who, like Duriez, is a great admirer of Scaeffer and former student of L'Abri.

For many years, it has been considered unprofessional, or at least unacceptable, to be openly Christian at work. Many Christians have struggled with the Sunday-Monday divide. That is starting to change. It is increasingly acceptable to talk about faith in the office. Some forward-thinking companies have even taken the step to encourage faith groups to form and meet at work. David Miller, in this largely academic survey, explores the history and basis of the movement he calls FAW -- Faith at Work. Chapter seven gives an outstanding analysis of FAW by creating a language and framework for further study. The book comes with an extensive bibliography for those wanting to go further in the topic.

Today many individuals are beginning to realize that maintaining a separation between their work and personal lives is inauthentic and unhealthy. People want to bring their genuine selves into the workplace. That desire extends to their spiritual beliefs.

For employers, however, creating a "faith friendly" workplace feels risky. David Miller's God at Work is an important new book that provides the context and vision to help employers with this issue.

Mr. Miller's timing could not have been better. With retiring baby boomers and the coming shortage of labor, employers will need to create more attractive workplace environments to attract and retain the employees they need to meet organizational growth goals. (Consider this: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a shortage of 35 million workers in the decades ahead; Google has reduced its growth goals because it can't find the people it needs to meet the market opportunity; and, according to the consulting firm Booz Allen, half of the current labor force in the oil and gas business will retire in the next five years.)

Another reason employers should consider creating a faith friendly work environment is that the character values encouraged by most belief systems --humility, work ethic, integrity, honesty, open-mindedness, etc.--improve organizational performance, a case my co-authors and I made in our just-released book Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity.

Making the workplace faith friendly is wise. David Miller's book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in this issue or responsible for making decisions about workplace policy in organizations.

David Miller is an accomplished businessman who altered his vocational path to better advance God's will in and through his vocation and vocations in general. His latest contribution is an overview of the history of the faith at work movement, and four characteristics - ethics, evangelism, enrichment, and experience - than singly or in combination were advocated by leaders and organizations involved with faith at work, starting about 100 years ago, but focusing primarily on past 20 years.

The author also develops an integrating framework for these four characteristics and accepts each as valid and necessary.

This book's 40 pages of endnotes are as much, if not more valuable, than its 150 pages of text, for anyone who wants to become familiar with current theory and its praxis through current leaders and organizations in the faith and work movement, primarily in Christian America.

The book also, tacitly at least, indicates the past and, by and large, current scope of faith at work - the focus remains primarily on the individual in his/her cubicle, with little consideration to what 6.4 billion people are together doing as God's "creation caring-for creatures" on planet earth via their capabilities and activities in stewardiship, restoration, redeeming of God's creation on planet earth.

Maybe David Miller will move on to this in next book!

David W. Miller has a daring Vision. It evolved out of his business experience with IBM, his Seminary Education at Princeton University, and his latest job at the Yale Divinity School where he is Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics. This has prepared him to be a leading edge scholar and practitioner in the Faith at Work movement.

The daring vision is for Global Corporations to become "faith-friendly" and build policies to honor and respect the spiritual dimensions of employees. Some Fortune 500 Companies are moving in this direction, such as Cocoa-Cola, PepsiCo, and American Express, with informal employee groups meeting regularly on company premises to discuss issues relating to faith and work. As we look down the road, Miller believes we must, as global citizens and companies, prepare ourselves to understand different religious practices and orientations to avoid situations of religious discrimination and harassment.

To make the Vision work, Miller has developed a new topology and language to transcend the old labels and stereotyping and to allow for a fresher communication. Gone are the old polarizers: liberal vs. conservative; evangelical vs. mainstream; Right vs. Left. Miller identifies four diffent modes where individuals express their quest for the integration of faith and work. The 4 modes are:

ETHICS (Personal virtue, business ethics, social and economic justice)

EVANGELISM (Expression of faith, for Christians and Muslims)

EXPERIENCE (vocation, calling, search for existential meaning)

ENRICHMENT (prayer,meditation, self actualization, New Age)

Developing these communication tools and a self awareness of ones natural mode(s)is affirming to oneself and the key to enable respect for and movement into other modes. Some might operate in all four modes and will experience a very rich and dynamic integration of faith and work.

GOD AT WORK is extremely well written and succinct (153 pages) and is easily accessible to the layman. Scholars of theology and management will be challenged and impressed with Miller's approach and ideas.

The subject matter that this book approaches is vast and constantly evolving. That the author is able to offer a helpful history of this movement and clearly trace its evolution to the present day is a real benefit to the sociologist, theologian, historian, or businessperson who is interested in what is becoming a serious issue both in the business world and society at large.

The sociologists tell us that Americans are spending less time in community and civic organizations and more and more time at their workplace. While it seems natural, then, that people's faith would be brought to work, it is not always obvious how this has been or can be done with integrity and sensitivity. The history of the movement broadly illuminates this issue, and the author's encouraging nudges toward a mature understanding of how this can be done in today's business world speaks to the present situation authoritatively.

While there is a wealth of information and history "out there" when it comes to the Faith at Work phenomenon, it seems to me that it has rarely been approached in such a scholarly and savvy way. This book, therefore, is long overdue and will be an immense aid to the newcomer to this Faith at Work phenomenon or those already well-versed in its history and where it might be heading. The structure of the book serves to bring newcomers up to speed quickly with historical and structural explanations, and the reader is soon immersed in the thick of the movement with all its promise and potential pitfalls.

I've read tons of Christian books and have known the Lord for 30 years now. It is wrong to use Jesus for provision when hearts do not understanding that God's kingdom is first. "Grace to Grow" clears up past false teachings about wealth and poverty. God desires for prosperity in our lives that his kingdom on earth might prosper. "Grace to Grow" is finally a truthful book about financial growth and how almighty God drives us to success in life by His grace and our knowledge of His truth.

As a Pastor of the average church I was always looking for practical books and methods to move beyond average. When I first came upon Neil's book I thought, "There is no way simply making room for increase could grow my average church." I decided to try it out in our nursery area. We simply added a separate room and to my surprise it filled up with in two weeks. We have since added four more child care rooms and in two years our children's department has grown exponentially. The practical application of spiritual laws in this book are amazing. Thanks!

This book is definitely worth your time and money. It has made such a diference in my personal life and in my church.

My Bible, my organizer, and The Seven Laws... by Neil Kennedy, are the three books that keep me on track. I am an organized person. I thrive on order, yet somehow there were certain things in my life that managed to stay in chaos. This book has helped me to continuously evaluate each area of my life and establish how to maintain order so that increase will come. It applies to my relationships, my home life, my church life, and my business life. It has been an awesome experience to apply these principles and see the increase come in my time, production, finances, and many other areas. It is an invaluable resource and I highly recommend it!

I had always heard that God wanted to give us increase. Or God wanted to give us the desires of our hearts. What I didn't get was why I had desired a Ford Expedition for years and I still drove an old Volvo wagon with a dent in the side. The thing I was missing was the seven laws of divine increase and order. As a mother I wouldn't give my children something that they haven't proven faithful with in the past. So why would my heavenly Father give me a new vehicle when I had two week old fries littering the back sit along with mail from the past month and school work covering the floor of my current car. Why would God want to increase my life with things I desired when I wasn't taking care of the things he had already blessed me with! This book is an eye opener to the steps we need to take to live a life that God will increase!

An excellent publication for all those who have desired to implement eastern theology and the soul's path into the corporate realm, but didn't have the tools or know how. This book is revolutionary in providing the practical tools to bridge this tricky terrain.
Apply the soul's work in an "acceptable" format that won't raise the eye brows of CEOs. Execute exercises that seem sincere and truly contribute to well-functioning individuals and organizations. Review organizational and personal experiences with the new perspective of eight steps of the change journey realizing that they do exist, and how you can work with each step for the best possible outcome.
Highly effective in my work as a consultant and organizational behavioral specialist.

Guiding Change Journeys is a masterful fusion of Eastern and Western wisdom,science and mythology presented with great insight,clarity and warmth.It is full of new ideas,tools and practical applications that are guaranteed to energize and re-orient your thinking and approach to organization transformation.

Rebecca Chan Allen has written a masterful book that bridges
ancient eastern wisdom and modern western organization problems.
The book illuminates both the practical and theoretical side of some of our greatest organizational issues, and supports leaders
in playing full rich transformational roles in organization change.

Finally!... A book providing both practical guidance AND sound theoretical reference materials for change leaders and organizational effectiveness practitioners. Chan Allen's book is clearly organized, easy to use, and accessible at whatever level of conceptual depth her reader wishes to work (or to start from). Her examples are creative, original and fun to use -- in both professional and personal contexts. I highly recommend this for organization development professionals and those interested in transformation methodology.

One of the greatest challenges an author can undertake is to write a book that is both theoretically complex and strongly pragmatic. Rebecca Chan Allen has accomplished this in Guiding Change Journeys. In combining the philosophical underpinnings and conceptual bases of a wide variety of organizational change strategies with practical approaches, examples, exercises and illustrations, she skillfully supports change practitioners in integrating Eastern and Western perspectives. Through her integration of stories from mythology and concepts from organization development, new science and wisdom traditions, Chan Allen takes us on an "Archetypal change Journey" based on Jungian archetypes, which describe enduring patterns of transformation.

In a spirit of integration, the book implies throughout that successful organizational change is dependent upon individual and group psychological approaches, conceptualized within a systemic framework. The author's intention seems ultimately holistic, in that she continually addresses issues of mind/body/spirit, whether individually or organizationally.

Though the book may seem esoteric and philosophically dense at times, it carefully balances the more theoretical introductions to each chapter with a plethora of practical examples and exercises, which bring the theory to life and make the concepts infinitely usable. The overall impression is a treasure-trove of ideas. The many insights, methods and resources are offered by the author as gifts, with the invitation to "tinker and improvise" in order to adapt them to one's own needs.

In this simple offering, Chan Allen summarizes the heart of her book as a journey of discovery - which may well alter the life of the change practitioner, as well as the very nature of his or her organizational context.

Harvey McKinnon's brilliant book literally delivers what it says on the cover. If you haven't got a monthly giving proposition you're already well behind, but this book will quickly get you back in front. If you are recruiting monthly donors, Harvey's book will help you to do it better. Harvey McKinnon is acknowledged around the world as the Pope of monthly giving. 'Hidden Gold' is a readable, entertaining, informative guide to the most lucrative fundraising activity of all, after legacies (bequests). You can't afford not to have it on your bookshelf, with at least two more copies circulating among your fundraising colleagues.

Harvey McKinnon's brilliant book literally delivers what it says on the cover. If you don't already have a monthly giving proposition you're already behind, but this book will quickly get you back in front. If you do already recruit monthly donors this book can help you do it better. Harvey McKinnon is widely acknowledged as the Pope of monthly giving. 'Hidden Gold' is a readable, entertaining and informative tour of the most lucrative area of fundraising after legacies (bequests). You can't afford not to have it on your bookshelf.

THIS IS A FABULOUS RESOURCE THAT tells all. I came away convinced that monthly giving will be successful for almost any non-profit. Perhaps more importantly, if a non-profit doesn't embrace this form of giving they will be losing dollars and donors to competitors. There are many wonderful examples and probably hundreds of useful ideas. The writing style is easy to understand, often quite witty, a rarity in martketing and fundraising books, and there's a perfect balance between practical tips and creative options. One of the best fundraising books I own, and I own a lot of them. It will be considered a fundraising classic.

I have dozens of how-to books on my shelves, for fund raising and marketing communications. Maybe 6 of them are imperishably valuable: quick, sensible, well-written, and backed by lots of experience. Harvey's new book is among that chosen few. I didn't know what monthly giving programs were and I'd never heard of Harvey McKinnon before a Canadian fund raiser I met at a conference started praising Harvey to the stars. The fellow was right! This book is perfect: practical, illustrated with examples from organizations of all sizes, clearly written, wise. I don't even do monthly giving (although I have clients who might). I still loved reading this book. You won't be disappointed.

The only question you need ask yourself is: Could my nonprofit prosper if it had a monthly, assured flow of gifts? Author Harvey McKinnon -- one of the world's more successful fundraisers and a pioneer who has established successful monthly-giving programs in organizations large and small, national and local -- provides reader-friendly, step-by-step instructions to help you mine the hidden gold in monthly donations. Practical, comprehensive, with excellent examples. Everything a how-to book should be.

This is a nice read for history books. A lot of information. This is also good for someone who is studying American Literature because it is a good background source.

I was required to read this book for a seminary class and instead of being intimidated or turned off by its over 500 pages, I found the book to be an extremely enjoyable read.

Noll describes the spread of Christianity from the Roman Catholicism of the 1500s to today's pluralism. Particulary enjoyable were the chapters on: the Puritans, The Great Awakenings, Churches in the American Revolution, Evangelical America during the Civil War, Intellectual Challenges to the Christian Faith in the Early 1900s, certain personalities (Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Fulton Sheen), and the Southern Baptist Convention.

A very interesting read, I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of Christianity in America!

Read and enjoy and do not be turned off by the size of the book!

This is a very good book for Church History. It is a single volume that is written on a fairly east-to-read level. If you've not read a Church History reference before, this would be a good choice with which to start.

Mark Noll's works are always good.

This book helps us to remember the Christian Heritage of our country. By studying the Christian Heritage of our country we can see how the secular history has played out too and how they go hand in hand. This book by Mark A. Noll helps to bring this rich history in an easy to read format. This book is also a great resource for research and to help with illustrations for sermons and Sunday School lessons.

This excellent, detailed history shows what was new about Christianity in the New World. It portrays the dramatic contrasts between official colonial churches and various refugee sects, with their different visions of how they might relate to each other. Where the first colonies, provinces or states usually had official state churches, Noll documents the issues of church relations on the borders or frontiers between these domains. Into these zones, dissidents of all stripes fled from state-backed religion. And in areas where no religious group had a majority, Noll records how people learned to meet their community needs and get along: "The result was a degree of interdenominational tolerance probably unknown anywhere else in the world at that time". (p. 89) Noll's statement may overlook the religious diversity of India or China, but for the Christian world it applied.

Of course Noll's book holds far more, and is of interest to people of every denomination in Canada and the USA. I was just most impressed by the explanation of how religion in North America escaped state control.

--author of "Different Visions of Love"

This book cuts through all the smoke that superintendents and principals have been giving me for years. Now, I know how to ask tough questions to make my school and school system better. This book wastes no words and is written so everyone can understand it. Cooperman may be an educator, but he talks to parents in clear language.

I sympathize with teachers and school administrators, really, I do. I know they are overworked and funds are tight and we expect a lot of them. And my son's future and (dare i say it) the future of this country is too important to just sit back and let the wheels grind on as they have.

Cooperman's book gave me strategies to make things different in my son's school. The bottom line of "How Schools Really Work" is that you have to ACT in order to make changes in your schools. I think I always knew that, but I wasn't really sure what the most effective course of action was. Cooperman's book completed the equation for me.

In easy, conversational prose, this former Commissioner of Education in NJ (during "Education Governor" Tom Kean's tenure -I have a feeling Cooperman had something to do with Kean getting that nickname!) opens the curtain and shows the inner workings of public schools; he debunks myths and offers countless practical and workable plans to help make a difference in your schools.

His caring for kids is evident, and like the former teacher that he is, Cooperman clearly wants to see his students (readers) succeed in their endeavors to change the educational system one school at a time.

If you really want to make a difference in your child's education, I highly recommend this book.

Knowing what was going on in my children's school was difficult. I kept getting the run around by the principal. No more! How Schools Really Work was a miracle for me. I know what should be happening and what is happening. A most helpful book if you want to improve schools. A step by step manual for parents and anyone who wants dramatically better schools

LOTS of practical advice on how to shake things up and get results in your children's schools. A real "how to" book for getting the most out of a public school experience. No quick fixes, although you can pick and choose suggestions as needed. And anyway, aren't your kids worth it?

The absolute best book I've ever owned on how public schools and public school officials operate. This is a must read for anyone interested in helping improve public education - whether it's for your own children or all the children in your community. Saul Cooperman, former Commissioner of Education in New Jersey, has done the lay person a huge favor by writing this book. It's simple and honest. I've taught public school, I've been a newspaper education reporter, I have children in public school, and I'm an elected member of a School Board in Virginia. This is THE book on understanding and coexisting with the public schools. Buy it now!

This stimulating work consists of nineteen insightful and engrossing essays that convey perspectives on the emerging forms of strategy and organization in the information age, focusing on knowledge as the competitive advantage. The contributors present thinking that is truly big picture, regarding the shape of today's and tomorrow's enterprises in a world that is changing at an exponentially increasing rate. This work delves into the new and emerging realities of the internal enterprise, corporate cooperation, and leveraging knowledge. In many cases the contributors talk about the experiences of their own organization; an enlightening and enlivening approach to gaining an understanding of this new, networked world driven by knowledge-the infinite resource. An enjoyable and informative collection of thoughtful writings. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, hrconsultant.com and Stern & Associates.

There are far too many books out there that focus on 'knowledge' as if it existed in a vacuum. These tend to be one person's opinion; a single 'flavor of the month,' if you will. This collection of essays explores the impact that the free sharing of information will have: changes in management, changes in employee relations, changes in the free enterprise system itself. As an unforeseen bonus, a very few of the articles are now a bit dated (the "Information Superhighway" article by the CEO of Bell Atlantic was doomed to be old as it was penned), a fact that only reinforces the tremedous speed of change many of the essayists speak to. The many references provide one the ability to more deeply research a particular area.

William E. Halal, editor, writes, "This book brings together the views of prominent leaders in the trenches of the Information Revolution to examine the revolutionary new principles for managing knowledge. Here's a quick overview of these confusing but exciting management heresies.

Principle 1: 'Complexity Is Managed Through Freedom': Success is no longer achieved by planning and control-but through entrepreneurial freedom among people at the bottom.

Principle 2: 'Cooperation Is Economically Efficient': Economic strength does not come from power and firmness-but out of the cooperative flow of information within a corporate community.

Principle 3: 'Progress Is Guided by Knowledge and Spirit': Abundance is not the result of material riches-but of understanding the subtle workings of an infinitely complex world.

There are the new laws governing institutions today, the economic imperatives that determine who succeeds and who fails, the keys to pioneering an unexplored frontier of boundless knowledge-The Infinite Resource" (from the Introduction).

In this context, Halal organizes this invaluable collection into three parts that each focuses on the principles outlined as below:

1. Halal writes, "Part I shows that today's hierarchical structures are being replaced by an emerging foundation of management based on enterprise. The complexity of a knowledge era has made our old command-and-control systems obsolete, and so entrepreneurial freedom is now crucial, not only in economic systems but also to permit free enterprise in organizational systems." Thus, authors of this part, S.Goldsmith, R.L.Ackoff, J.P.Starr, W.Gable, and M.Lehrer mainly focus on decentralized structures, self-supporting units, entrepreneurial freedom, internal competition, and accountability to clients.

2. Halal writes, "Part II illustrates how entrepreneurial organizations must also use cooperation to form collaborative communities. Knowledge differs from physical resources because it increases when shared, making collaborative working relations productive not only in strategic alliances but between buyer and seller, employee and employer, business and goverment, and other stakeholders." Thus, authors of this part, G.H.Taylor, R.E.Miles, J.Lipnack and J.Stamps, T.Holbrooke, and R.Oklewize mainly focus on virtues of teamwork, networking among internal units, shared knowledge, spherical organization, collaborative alliances, and corporate communities.

3. Halal writes, "Part III descibes the intelligent infrastructures now being built to guide this corporate community in creating powerful forms of knowledge." Thus, authors of this part, R.W.Smith, D.Walters, M.Malone, G. and E.Pinchot, R.Kuperman, and W.A.Owens mainly focus on global information networks, free flow of information, knowledge society, employee training, virtual organizations, strategic direction, and vision.

Finally, Halal writes that "the message my colleagues and I want to stress is that the world is entering such an uncharted new frontier, an epoch so fundamentally different that the old rules no longer apply. The conventional wisdom of the past must be replaced by concepts that conform with the new realities of infinite knowledge:

* Order can be best achieved-not through control and planning-but through entrepreneurial freedom.

* Strength comes-not out of power and firmness-but through cooperative community.

* Abundance flows out of-not material riches-but a subtle frontier of boundless understanding, meaning, and spirit."

Strongly recommended.

There are far too many books out there that focus on 'knowledge' as if it existed in a vacuum. These tend to be one person's opinion; a single 'flavor of the month,' if you will. This collection of essays explores the impact that the free sharing of information will have: changes in management, changes in employee relations, changes in the free enterprise system itself. As an unforeseen bonus, a very few of the articles are now a bit dated (the "Information Superhighway" article by the CEO of Bell Atlantic was doomed to be old as it was penned), a fact that only reinforces the tremedous speed of change many of the essayists speak to. The many references provide one the ability to more deeply research a particular area.

Dr. William E. Halal is a George Washington Universitybusiness school professor and expert on the Knowledge Economy. In arecent GWU conference, "Creating the New Organization," he brought together 17 representatives the public and private sectors to address how information technology has transformed their worlds, creating unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Their insights are shared directly with readers in this extraordinary and concise volume. "The Infinite Resource" refers to knowledge itself. Unlike raw materials, knowledge is inexhaustible: "the more you dispense, the more you generate," writes Dr. Halal. The marginal cost of duplicating knowledge is trivial and its value increases when shared. Halal writes: "Knowledge is the most strategic asset in enterprise, the source of all creativity, innovation, and economic value." That, in itself, is nothing new. Knowledge was no less "strategic" when mankind communicated via cave paintings. What has revolutionized knowledge over the past 15 years or so, however, has been extraordinary advances ["32 orders of magnitude"] in information technology. I can share my thoughts on this book with the world with the click of a mouse. And the world can return to my e-mailbox with critiques of my opinion. We now may draw "silicon paintings" for the enjoyment of audiences of 6 billion who never could have fit into those caves. Some bullet points serve to highlight the advances of the information technology age: + IBM itself once predicted market demand for computers to be 55. Worldwide. As of 1997, there were 1 billion computers in operation on planet earth. + In 1977, 50,000 computers existed in the entire world. In 1997, 50,000+ personal computers are sold every 10 hours. + Soon, 1 billion transistors will fit on a single chip: the entire computing power of NASA's Apollo Space Program will fit in a wristwatch.

It was, then, inevitable that the extraordinary advances in - and ubiquitous distribution of - information technology would in turn revolutionize the workplace. Dr. Halal breaks the presentations of his conferees into three sections: 1.) Creating the Internal Enterprise System; 2.) Forming a Network of Cooperative Alliances; 3.) Leveraging Knowledge with an Intelligent Infrastructure. The innumerable insights offered by Dr. Halal and his conferees would never fit in this review. Suffice it to say that the most successful organizations today long ago recognized that information technology created opportunities to broadly disseminate organizational information on the one hand and the more elusive [and hence invaluable] "tacit" or personal knowledge of their employees throughout their organizations, conferring upon all employees the ability to leverage all available organizational knowledge into innovations benefiting the organization, its employees, and its consumers. This leads the trend toward cutting-edge "mass customization." But it does not stop there. No sooner did organizations realize that they could unleash the power of knowledge internally than some recognized that the sharing of knowledge could greatly enhance relationships with customers, suppliers, and, yes, competitors which could be leveraged via coopetition - strategic alliances established to meet particular needs of individual clients at any one point in time. For decades, the rise of technology has created nightmarish visions of "1984" and HAL of "2001." Ironically, and perhaps - at first - counterintuitively, advances in information technology, by enhancing access of anyone in any organization with anyone else, anywhere, will make trust all the more important in public and private enterprises alike. Several conferees address the critical importance of disseminating all available information to employees to encourage innovation because, in fact, "the innovation cycle is now shorter than the planning cycle as customers are moving faster than companies' ability to manage." In short, if you cannot entrust your employees with your most sensitive information, you will be overtaken by another company that can. Another conferee notes: "Technology alone is inert. Trust develops and relationships crystallize in interactions over time and in moments of crisis. No trust without real relationships. No network without trust." It might, therefore, be one of the greatest ironies of the coming Knowledge Economy that technology will "re-personalize" relationships in the workplace while allowing all workers increased opportunities to make their own measurable [and thus rewardable] contributions to their organizations and alliances. Technology, as a tool, will free organizations and their employees from the more mundane business and governmental functions of measurement to engage their minds, individually and collectively, on an infinite course of creativity and innovation. Some provocative closing thoughts from this excellent book include the following insights from leaders of our continuing Knowledge Revolution: Bill Gates: "Two years is as far as long-term planning should go; anything beyond that is long-range dreaming..." General Electric: "The only way to be more competitive is to engage every mind in the organization." Ad agency Chiat Day: "Develop the ability to change faster than your competition or fail..." Dr. Halal: "The perfect company today is almost structureless. All that holds it together is its culture.

I cannot more highly recommend The Infinite Resource to all who are interested in understanding the enormous challenges, opportunities, and rewards - both personal and professional - to be realized as the Knowledge Economy reshapes our world.