Organizations Books

I have used this book as a text book in many Change Agent classes I have taught and have found it to be a very pragmatic and useful guide. It is a shame that it is out of print now. In fact, the last class I tought, I had to go scrounging around the office to find copies on bookshelves to use. I wish they would republish it.

The list of consequences "when bad things happen to good projects" or What-NOT-To-Do is worth the price of the book. I wish I had read this book before starting my 6+ years as a consultant helping organizations to improve. This book presents most of the lessons that I've learned during those years and gives quite a few additional ideas on organization change.

Don't let the garish cover art distract you. This is a solidly good book, which I regularly recommend to my clients. Of course, I can't vouch for the Price Waterhouse consulting group's ability to get clients to change successfully or whether they even follow their own advice. I just know that I do apply the best ideas in this book (plus some of my own) in my consulting practice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easy to read and it truly made sense. We are just beginning an effort to change our organization and this book has helped us plot our course. I am encouraged that this book will help us achieve positive change for our company and employees.

If you're trying to figure out why a project isn't going well, this book just may solve your problem. It takes you through the basics of change mangement, and makes you aware of just what you're dealing with. Good, practical advice that made me wear out a highlighter. When I showed it to other IS people on our Oracle software implementation project, they said "that's us"!!! We didn't realize we were in the middle of a change project - now we can try to take a step back and regroup.

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson holds no punches in this book. He brings the question of the ability of the planet to sustain today's consumption-driven American lifestyle into clear focus in "Beyond Earth Day". His report card on the planet is dire but believable.

The book provides a strong case that more dire consequences are up ahead for all of us, unless the current political leadership in Washington abandons its "business as usual" mentality regarding the environment and begins to recognize the urgency and gravity of the situation we are getting into with regard to air, water, land and climate.

"It is time for the president and Congress to reach an agreement that sustainability is the challenge of our time and design a plan of action for the future... There is no room, nor time, for partisanship. The president and Congress should face this issue in a unified and cooperative way and should persist until we reach the goal", laments Nelson.

Nelson recommends that the president of the United States deliver a "State of the Environment" speech to the American public and the world which outlines environmental challenges meriting the nation and the world's immediate attention, and the challenges that lay on the horizon. Such an address, Nelson says, is what is needed "to start public dialogue on the serious environmental problems facing the country and world today". People everywhere need to realize that maintaining the environmental sustainability of the planet is the most important responsibility we all have, because all life on Earth is interrelated, and because our economy is inherently dependent on the environment's "underlying resource base of forests, water, air, soil, and minerals".

"Beyond Earth Day" gives an amazingly thorough look at the state of our planet, then and now. Discussions of issues are well-referenced and Gaylord Nelson courageously presents honest solutions to problems that many people take pains to ignore. He offers history, wisdom, and guidance in an age when "environment" is an important issue to Americans, yet many are unaware of the seriousness of the issues our water, air, soils and biodiversity face. An America united by the knowledge offered by Senator Nelson has the capability to change the course of catastrophic events involving the very elements needed for life. Share the intelligence of this important book with everyone you know.

This book covers what should be the most important Issue to all people in the human-rat race. It's an attempt to make people realize how fast we are using up our natural resourses.
I can only hope that this book makes it to the top 10 best sellers list, so that it gets read by a large segment of the population. It's a vary important message and it's easy to read in a short amount of time, and once you read it it would be wise to give it to a friend and have them read it and pass it on to someone else.
Why can't an American president stand up, and run on smaller population and less consumption? Humans will gain less and less with over-population.

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson holds no punches in this book. He brings the question of the ability of the planet to sustain today's consumption-driven American lifestyle into clear focus in "Beyond Earth Day". His report card on the planet is dire but believable.

The book provides a strong case that more dire consequences are up ahead for all of us, unless the current political leadership in Washington abandons its "business as usual" mentality regarding the environment and begins to recognize the urgency and gravity of the situation we are getting into with regard to air, water, land and climate.

"It is time for the president and Congress to reach an agreement that sustainability is the challenge of our time and design a plan of action for the future... There is no room, nor time, for partisanship. The president and Congress should face this issue in a unified and cooperative way and should persist until we reach the goal", laments Nelson.

Nelson recommends that the president of the United States deliver a "State of the Environment" speech to the American public and the world which outlines environmental challenges meriting the nation and the world's immediate attention, and the challenges that lay on the horizon. Such an address, Nelson says, is what is needed "to start public dialogue on the serious environmental problems facing the country and world today". People everywhere need to realize that maintaining the environmental sustainability of the planet is the most important responsibility we all have, because all life on Earth is interrelated, and because our economy is inherently dependent on the environment's "underlying resource base of forests, water, air, soil, and minerals".

Many fundraising books show you the mechanics of fundraising. Ms. Sprinkel does that, but more importantly, she shows the reader how to approach fundraising with the proper mindset. Gone it the "tin cup" mentality. Instead, she advocates that we approach fundraising with an investment mindset.

Having set the stage with her philosophical approach to fundraising, Ms. Grace proceeds to walk the reader through the different stages of fundraising, including annual and capital campaigns.

I used the information in this book to assist the development team at my children's school with a capital campaign. We trained a number of people in the art of fundraising and went on to raise the money needed for a new building. While I won't give Ms. Grace all the credit, I can say with confidence that the advice she dispenses in clearly written and very effective.

This book provides non-profit executives with a very practical approach to making their organizations more successful financially and more relevant to their audiences. I have advised many non-profits on a range of issues, and I am envious of Grace's admonition to "put away the tin cup." That's one of the truest, most important things that today's non-profit leaders could hear.

Many fundraising books show you the mechanics of fundraising. Ms. Sprinkel does that, but more importantly, she shows the reader how to approach fundraising with the proper mindset. Gone is the "tin cup" mentality. Instead, she advocates that we approach fundraising with an investment mindset.

Having set the stage with her philosophical approach to fundraising, Ms. Grace proceeds to walk the reader through the different stages of fundraising, including annual and capital campaigns.

I used the information in this book to assist the development team at my children's school with a capital campaign. We trained a number of people in the art of fundraising and went on to raise the money needed for a new building. While I won't give Ms. Grace all the credit, I can say with confidence that the advice she dispenses is clearly written and very effective.

Defining the difference between fund-raising and donor development was an eye-opener. In a non-profit world that is increasingly competitive for the donor dollar, Ms. Grace offers a powerfully different approach. Of particular interest was reference to values-based mission statements. Something from which every fund-raising organization can learn

This should be a must-read for everyone who claims to be a Christian and also supports the death penalty in the United States. I'm guessing that because the writer is a lawyer and wants to make his point bullet-proof, he repeats himself frequently, and that becomes tedious. However, the meat of the book is incredibly challenging. It is a wake-up call to use the entirety of Scripture in our approach to criminal law, rather than thoughtlessly picking and choosing sound bites to support an only marginally thought-out point of view.

The author involves you in the journey and you become part of the process of discovery on the truth of the death penalty in America. Very well written.

The Biblical Truth about America's Death Penalty is a must-read. It deals with Biblical standards of Capital Punishment and then compares them to the system used in America today. It is the best-researched, most faithful to scripture, and most evenhanded analysis I have ever read concerning the Death Penalty. Whatever your persuasion on the issue, this book will teach you a great deal. Recinella is a trained lawyer and committed Christian who now volunteers full-time on Florida's death row. He thus understands law, the Bible, and the system of execution in America. I challenge anyone who supports the Death Penalty to read this book.

This is an excellent review of the death penalty and its application in the U.S. today. Given the vociferous nature of the claim that the Bible supports the death penalty, the focus of the book is a legal analysis of what that standard is and whether the death penalty in the U.S. actually meets that standard. The author, an attorney himself, has done his research and has provided extensive citations to the authorities he relies upon, so that the reader, if interested, can check those authorities for him or her self.

The interesting thing I found about the book was that, despite its focus on the biblical standards for death and the U.S. death penalty's (lack of) compliance with those standards, it also provided a thought-provoking and, to me, scary insight into how our death penalty is administered and applied today. I hope that every person who is involved in the application and administration of the death penalty, from the legislator who votes for it, to the governor who signed the bill, to the prosecutor who prosecutes the cases, to the parol or pardon board member which decides clemency issues, reads this book.

This book had a unique attraction for me, since I worked with Mike and Bob on one of the transformations they discuss in the book (it was called "Taking Charge" and is referred to at various points throughout the book, but specifically summarized on page 118 & 119).

Mike and Bob have worked together on a number of corporate transformations, and they share their experiences to help us minimize the chances that we'll run the "typical" course: some lame, corporate feelgood program that achieves nothing. I've been there and it is not a fun fate.

Beware of zombies

The authors do a nice job of keeping things interesting by telling colorful stories to illustrate their points. One I enjoyed is Michael Kanazawa's discussion of "Zombie Projects" which he encountered, ironically, while working in the same area as Dilbert's creator Scott Adams.

"Zombie projects" are those projects that refuse to admit they're dead - which means they suck resources and motivation from the rest of the organization, causing "drag" on the business. The authors discuss the reasons these projects are allowed to exist and most of the book deals with how to ferret out and get rid of these kinds of useless activities.

Set the right drumbeat

Another interesting topic covered in the book deals with how leaders can make or break their team's success through the "drumbeat" they establish. Examples of leaders who to force too much "sense of urgency," which often has the opposite effect; rather than getting people to work harder or faster, their "urgency" shuts down debate and makes people feel anxious or frustrated.

They offer some powerful tips for how to manage your team's "sense of time" so that people use their times productively, without panic, and without feeling like they'll slow down progress by injecting their opinions or challenging things that are happening.

Engage the masses

One of the things that comes out strongly in the book (and one of the most memorable aspects of the Taking Charge project I was part of) is that the authors have developed a true methodology for engaging people across a company and focusing them on a specific set of outcomes. Their construct called "Tablework" is a big part of encouraging innovative thinking and microcollaboration among small teams, which is then reconnected back into the company's larger objectives.

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of their approach is the drive to create "leaders at all levels" - crucial in creating a self-sustaining, effective business that can scale. A big part of that is letting people throughout the organization own various aspects of strategy and execution - and holding them accountable.

But one other vital aspect of this is making sure people feel recognized for their part in the company's success, and helping them discern the difference between things they must do and things they must strive for. They present the latter using a concept I really love - the distinction between "promises" (absolute goals) and "declarations" (a statement of intent when the means to get there are unknown).

Get big

This book is jam packed with information and techniques, but is fun to read. I also believe it can be a handy recipe book to help managers and leaders deal with specific problem areas, even if you don't go through the whole transformation process form end-to-end.

If you're a leader looking to drive your business out of the "same old same old" then I highly recommend Big Ideas to Big Results.

-- Dwayne Melancon, genuinecuriosity.com

Today's global competitive landscape is characterized by speed-of-change and increasing complexity. Organizations to survive must adapt or die. Authors Michael Kanazawa and Robert Miles, PH.D., in "Big Ideas to Big Results," have given us a proven, scripted game plan for managing an organization through a needed transformation or a shift its strategic direction.

In the book, Kanazawa contributes a blend of operating and consulting experience from Silicon Valley start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, while Miles adds his academic (Yale and Harvard) and consulting experience as a thought and practice leader in the fields of corporate transformation and executive leadership.

The book is the result of the authors' collaboration in the development of ACT, Accelerated Corporate Transformation, a streamlined approach ("Launch, Execution, and Renewal") to transformation. The program centers on the development of the "big idea," the clarification of strategy for clear communication, the identification of "Quick Start" initiatives to build momentum, the development of checkpoints allowing for accountability and adjustments, and a "Renew" phase to stretch an organization beyond its initial one-year timeline.

"Big Ideas to Big Results" offers an integrated approach including elements often ignored when using common reengineering tools - TQM, Six Sigma, Process Reengineering, et al - that result in over-engineering and gridlock:

* The reality of the current business environment
* Focus on THE few, critical priorities
* Alignment of the entire organization into a single set of initiatives
* Engagement of the full organization which becomes responsible for the translation of the initiatives into operational tactics and job-level objectives
* Rigorous follow-through providing for feedback
* Leadership development at all levels

"Big Ideas to Big Results" was written for all managers of organizations who must address the demands of a global economy, demands that require constant re-invention and transformation. The book includes a framework any one can follow, cases, and, most importantly, the time-tested wisdom of the authors.

First some background. More than 25 years ago, C-level executives from major corporations (individuals as well as members of a management team) gathered for two weeks at the Harvard Business School, met with members of its faculty, and helped each other to formulate a game plan to respond effectively to their respective organization's most formidable business challenge. Within a year, they reconvened to share what happened, after the game plan had been implemented. What worked? What didn't? Why? How could the game plan be improved? During the years that followed, as other C-level executives convened at Harvard, "a clear pattern emerged. The biggest and most common problem facing executives was in leading different types of corporate transformations. They had trouble getting their organizations to execute on their stated strategies quickly." Co-author Robert H. Miles, who chaired the Harvard. "Managing Organizational Effectiveness" Program, distilled a wealth of real-world information and began to devise what he eventually called the Accelerated Corporate Transformation, or ACT process."



What we have in this single volume is a rigorous and comprehensive explanation of what the ACT process is...and isn't. Co-authors Michael Kanazawa and Miles briefly examine the typical stages of a cycle of failure, then shift their attention to the ten stages of a business success cycle and devote a separate chapter to each, providing at its conclusion a checklist of "Tips" that summarize key points. Keep in mind that ACT is a process rather than a project, best viewed as a journey rather than a destination. However, for a variety of compelling reasons that Kanazawa and Miles acknowledge, ACT requires a timeframe if the desired results (whatever they may be) are to be achieved. Appropriately, they share this caveat with their reader: "Unfortunately, there is not one `silver bullet' that will unlock success. There are a lot of moving parts. However, [ACT] is a surprisingly simple architecture and process that you can put in place to bring all of the critical principles into play."

In this context, change agents would be well-advised to keep in mind advice from two other sources. Charles Darwin's made three basic declarations: Species always breed beyond available resources; those with favorable variations have a greater chance of survival and pass along their variations to their offspring; and, adapted species force out weaker ones, producing whole new species. In other words, given the process of natural selection in the business world, companies must adapt or perish. Peter Ducker is the other source, stressing the importance of knowing where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. In 1963, Ducker also observed "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all."

Presumably at least a few of those who read this review would appreciate having a representative selection of brief excerpts. I have selected three:

"In the ACT process map in [Figure 3.2], you see the steps of Confront Reality, Focus, Align and Engage, and Execute in the streamlined process architecture. These items are essential design elements, which characterize the significant difference between cookie-cutter, fixed processes that either serve as an overlay to the existing business or seek to change everything being done already just to fit the new process. The right approach to process architecture is to leverage all of the best existing elements of the management process that are currently working well, make adjustments for any missing elements, adjust the sequence of steps for impact, and then streamline the full process for speed, simplicity, and high engagement. Fixed cookie-cutter processes often require changing too much at once (even things that were working) and are rightly rejected by organizations in most cases." (Page 31)

"A word of caution on going overboard with sparking innovation across a large system is to be careful about maintaining focus. Some people have misinterpreted and misapplied the concepts around full-system change. Their concept is to `light 1,000 fires' all around the lower levels of the organization and let all of that energy boil up to the top. In their eyes, isn't that `real' full engagement? Actually, it is just anarchy. Like a wildfire, this process is out of control, lacks direction, and ultimately just creates havoc." (Page 110)

"If the organization is under-powered [i.e. `the top leaders tell their underlings what to do and make all the decisions'], the challenge is then to shift the Power Curve `up' to look more like the High-Powered curve. In this case, the senior executives engage the full organization by releasing accountability of day-to-day tactics to middle managers to create time for strategic thinking at the top, and structure time and forums to effectively vet their strategic plans with lower levels in the organization. This results in a cascading of power to all levels, which leads to breakthrough results." (Pages 137-138)

Kanazawa and Miles duly acknowledge "nobody really ever learned how to lead a transformation by reading about it." What they offer is a complete set of tools and explain how to use each. It remains for those who read this book to determine (as Ducker suggests) where their organization is now, where it wants to be, and how to get there. They can then collaborate with their associates on the selection of the tools needed to complete accurate measurements, chart a proper course, and then communicate effectively once embarked on their shared journey to transform not only their organization but also themselves.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Jim Champy's Outsmart! How to Do What Your Competitors Can't as well as Jason Jennings' Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-Up Spirit Alive, two books by Henry Cherbourg (Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating And Profiting from Technology and his more recent Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape), and Corporate Agility: A Revolutionary Model for Competing in a Flat World co-authored by Charles E. Grantham, James P. Ware, and Cory Williamson. Also Kevan Hall's Speed Lead: Faster, Simpler Ways to Manage People, Projects and Teams in Complex Companies, Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Well, and David Robertson.

Leaders of organizations would be wise to follow the advice of Michael Kanazawa and Robert Miles in their excellent new book entitled Big Ideas to Big Results. The book lays out their ACT process for organizations that want to implement three to four major initiatives each year. The authors developed the process to combat corporate ADD and employee disengagement when it comes to executing organizational initiatives.

Based on my more than 25 years experience in business as well as my expertise in employee engagement, I completely agree that these are major problems in organizations today and the solution the authors propose will go a long way toward solving them. The ACT process is also entirely consistent with the employee engagement research we have conducted at E Pluribus Partners and presented in Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity. Kanazawa and Mile's ACT process works in part because it helps meet universal human needs for respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth and meaning. When these needs are met, people thrive, individually and collectively.

Strong leaders will recognize many of the best practice steps that are a part of ACT. What makes this book valuable is the way the authors integrate the best practices into a step-by-step process and add ideas of their own. I especially liked their descriptions of annual high employee engagement cascades with tablework and quarterly mini-cascades. It's worth buying the book just to learn more about these practices alone.

Big Ideas to Big Results will be popular with corporate leaders. It's a quick and easy read with a process that is practical to implement and will help move organizations from identifying big ideas to producing big results. Congratulations to Kanazawa and Miles for developing an important new contribution to process innovation and describing it in an accessible way.

For those interested in the broader theological implications of the Lord's Supper, Blessed are the Hungry offers a feast of biblical insight. Leithart reminds us of the integral links between word and sacrament, kingdom and sacrament, and covenant and sacrament--links which have been largely ignored or denied among many evangelicals in the 20th and 21st centuries. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to reflect further on the Lord's Supper and the unity of Scripture.

Let's say that you ran into a group of people who had formed a club dedicated to reading and publishing stories about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Then let's say you asked how you would join a member and you were told that if you joined you would have to dedicate yourself to living like a noble person being brave and chivalrous, etc. Furthermore, they insisted on describing the good deeds you would do in this club in terms such as "jousting" and "dragon-slaying."

Now, if you joined that club, and the ceremony involved someone in charge touching your shoulder with a sword, just like men used to become knights in the Middle Ages, you would understand exactly what is going on. Somehow this group is viewing itself as a continuation of the Knights of the Round Table. You would be joining by being "knighted." The ceremony would have meaning from the stories and by means of the ceremony you would be making your own story a continuation of those stories.

Peter Leithart has written the best possible book on Eucharistic theology by refusing to write a book on Eucharistic theology (well, except for the closing essay, "The Way Things Really Ought to Be: Eucharist, Eschatology, and Culture," which is quite good in it's own right). Instead, he has written expositions of the stories in the Bible that involve the centrality of table fellowship with God. To read these sermonic expositions is to have one's "vision" (an overused metaphor according to Leithart) re-focused so that the familiar suddenly seems new. When you participate in the Lord's Supper, you are being fed the fruit of the Tree of Life, participating in the sacrifice of the altar as a priest, entering the land of milk and honey.... it goes on and on.

In other words, by reading this book you will be greatly helped in a process that is often disfigured in modern Evangelical life. Reading some of the many stories of the Bible that describe eating and drinking will immerse you in a new interpretation of what you are doing when you partake of the Lord's Supper. And, conversely, when you participate in the Lord's Supper, you will be continuing in what you have read so that it is reinforced for you as you embody what you have read. The Lord's Supper is truly the application, the sign and seal of the Gospel message. Peter's book shows how, by eating and drinking, you are continuing a culture that once involved Abraham eating and drinking with Melchizedek, Jesus starting a dinner club to which all sorts of undesirables were invited, and Paul publicly rebuking Peter for refusing to eat with uncircumcised Christians.

The final essay deserves special mention. Leithart argues that the emphasis on a "zoom lens" metaphor has deformed discussion of the Lord's Supper. By a "zoom lens" he refers to 1. an emphasis on the elements as "visible words" when the plain emphasis of the Bible is on eating and doing not on seeing, 2. a narrow focus on what happens "in" the elements, and 3. a narrow focus on what happens to an individual participant. Peter offers a "wide-angle" perspective that brings to our attention what happens in the congregation and to the congregation when they participate in the Lord's Supper. That essay alone is worth the price of the book. --Mark

"Years ago I got into the habit of trying to read one book on the topic of the Lord's Supper as part of my preparation for Communion. Since the church I attended at the time only celebrated quarterly it wasn't too difficult to dig up titles on the subject. Anyway, in preparing for Communion I picked up Peter Leithart's 'Blessed are the hungry' which is mostly a collection of 3-5 page meditations. I give the book my highest recommendation. I would not hesitate to put it in the top 10 books I've ever read, not for its profundity, but for its perspective. You might not agree with everything he says, but I doubt that anyone could walk away from reading this little paperback book of meditations without having a perspective adjustment and a greater appreciation for God's revelation of Himself and the means of grace He has blessed."

Wow! This book was good. It was intended to be read as a meditation before each of the Lord's Suppers celebrated in the church; however, I couldn't put it down.

The purpose of the book is to eventually show how the celebration of the Lord's Supper leads to eschatological renewal and subsequently, the transformation of culture. This is the Epilogue of the book. The chapter (each about five pages or so) build up to this theme.

Following Frame and Poythress's multi-perspectival approach to the Eucharist. It is impossible to exhaust the meaning of the Supper in one proposition. Leithart doesn't mention this explicitly, but the point is there nonetheless. This is a crucial point to make. Without it, the book fails in its purpose.

Leithart examines the many facets of the Supper in biblical history, starting with Adam and ending in The New Jerusalem. Leithart looks for the feasting theme in Scripture (Adam delighting and communing with God in Paradise--The Second Adam inagurating the Feast that will bring about the New Paradise. Daniel and his friends refuse the King's food and so reconstitute the New Israel who will return from Captivity. The disciples eat the Supper as symbolic of the massive forgiveness that is about to come to the world via cross and resurrection; this forgiveness entailing the reversal of the Curse of the First Adam. In taking the Feast the disciples become the New Israel.).

As an example of Leithart's excellent writing, consider the value of being drunk with Yahweh's wine:

Zechariah 9:15, "The Lord of hosts will protect them,
and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,
and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched like the corners of the altar.

"But the passage pictures Israel drunk with another kind of wine: filled with the wine of Yahweh's Spirit, Israel would be bold, wild, untamed, boisterous in battle. This suggests one dimension of the symbolism of wine in the Lord's Supper: it loosens our inhibitions so that we wil fight the Lord's battles in a kind of drunken frenzy. If this sounds impious, how much more Psalm 78:65, where the Divine Warrior himself is described as a mighty man overcome with wine? Yahweh fights like Samson, but far more ferociously than Samson: He fights like a drunken Samson!"

Exciting as this may be, we must face up to one aspect of the biblical witness. This is where Perspectivalism saves the day. 1 Corinthians 11 warns against treating the Lord's Supper casually, yet throughout the Old Testament (and hints in the New) we are to delight in the Lord through feasting. So, what gives? I will try to reconcile it in one statement (irony, I know. I previously warned against doing this):

We are to be contrite over our sins but at the same time we are to rejoice that our sins are forgiven and the New Age--the Messianic Age, the Age to Come--has broken into the present evil age. Christ is becoming King over the World! Yes, from one perspective we are to mourn over our sins but at the same time, we are to take heart that our sins are forgiven. Weeping may tarry the night, but joy comes in the morning!

"The Board Member's Playbook..." is an indispensible resource for board members and those interested in policy govenance. The writing is very intelligent, clear, concise; a pleasure to read. A separate section provides a thorough overview of the Carver model for those unfamiliar with policy governance, as well as those needing a refresher. An accompanying CD-ROM is another excellent resource for helping board members with implementation.

This book is a roadmap to success for anyone who uses it. The real world examples and worksheets offer a practical, hands-on exercise in policy govenance. After reading and completing the exercises on my own, I felt well-prepared and energized to take on a board-related challenge using the model.

While this book brings everything a board member needs to effectively use the Carver model, it is the board members themselves who are ultimately responsible for their success. Board members must commit to being honest with themselves and one another, and be dedicated to the rigors of the process to properly implement the Carver model.

This wonderful resource also raises a very important question in my mind - why is the Carver model used predominantly in the non-profit sector? Why isn't the Carver model de rigeur for the for-profit sector? I can only see great benefits and progress ahead should this actually occur.

This is an incredibly useful addition to Carver's Policy Governance Model because it provides practical structure to "rehearsing" common Board-Staff-Owner scenarios with concrete examples. There are hundreds of books on non-profit governance but the vast majority just seem to dabble in detail and pop-psychology (unworkable concepts of "shared governance", etc); but the Carver model provides a unique, practical, and internally consistent method of governance. I'd certainly recommend highly all of his books. This one, written by Miriam Carver and Bill Charney, provides practical exercises demonstrating how the Carver model would handle problems Boards face regularly such as: Do Board members have authority over employees?; Should Board members with expertise oversee programs?; Does the Board job include fundraising?; We like and trust our CEO - isn't that governance?; What if the CEO lies?

It's amazing to me that "rehearsal" plays a role in virtually every profession (musicians, lawyers - in mock trials during law school, teachers - with student teaching, MD's - with simulated emergencies, etc), yet Board members don't rehearse. No wonder performance isn't always optimal. This book is invaluable. It not only suggests that Board's spend time, preferrably at each meeting, rehearsing governance issues but it also provides a practical approach loaded with wonderful examples. Worksheets are included as are the author's suggested "generic" solutions.

Every Board using the Carver Policy Governance Model should have this volume. I can't recommend it highly enough!

A welcomed addition to the "Policy Governance" corpus, "A Board Member's Playbook" provides a clear, concise and easily useable framework for Board practice. Complete with worksheets and an CD Rom, the book helps policy governance Boards work through simulated issues, forming a bridge between the theory of policy governance and its practical application.

This book consists of 50 very real-world situations that any board using Carver Policy Governance ® might encounter, with a single worksheet to be used by the board members to logically think through what should be done in this instance. The book calls them "rehearsal scenarios."

I used a few of these scenarios with my board, and they thought it was great! It took the policies from dry words on paper to useable skills. They immediately decided to add time to every meeting's agenda to do one of these rehearsal scenarios.

As the facilitator of our board, I love it because each scenario comes with proposed solutions that I can use to help guide the discussion. It really cuts down on my prep time. It's a great tool for continuing to build board capability of governance.

An excellent source for those who are interested in the governance of health care organizations. Relations of staff and CEO to boards are critical to the effective functioning of health organizations. This book provides the tools to more effectively understand how to harness and lead the power of boards to the best advantage of the organization. Pointer and Orlikoff are two of the best (actually unique) individuals in this important area. They have used the knowledge acquired through work with a large number of organizations to help understand how they work and how to work with them. Must reading for CEOs, board members and those who interact with boards.

Outstanding! This book is great - not only for health care organizations, but boards at all levels - small business, corporate, even community and homeowner associations. It is practical and resourceful, providing me with an action list to make my board interactions more effective.

This book provides excellent tools and guidleines to take governance into the 21st century. Dennis Pointer and James Orlikoff provide fresh ideas and insights into how boards can effectively and successfully enhance their organizations. This book should be read by every health care board who wants to make a difference in their organization.

Board Work is as clear and practical a work on governance as I've ever read. I commend it to new and experienced board members, to the chairs of governance committees charged with board improvement, and to the executives who staff boards.

As a trustee and governance consultant, I know these authors and have heard them speak -- and it was a pleasure to see how well the book transfers their years of experience into print.

The book works so well because it is built on a straight-forward model that the authors carry throughout every chapter. The model suggests that healthcare boards (and most other boards, for that matter) have five central roles: defining organizational ends, ensuring management performance; overseeing financial performance; overseeing quality; and providing for the board's own structure, composition and effectiveness. Boards carry out these roles in three ways: by making policies, making decisions, and overseeing performance. One of the book's strongest components is explaining how - in order to define organizational ends - a board identifies the organization's stakeholders and their expectations. Few boards do this at all, much less do it well.

Board Work joins books by John Carver, William Bowen, Cyril Houle and Richard Chaitt as an exceptional contribution to the emerging body of pragmatic governance literature.

I recommend it highly.

Dr. Carver's seminal work on nonprofit board governance updated to cover all the Sarbane-Oxley stuff. For those who care enough to study the very best.

Carver describes how to avoid common Board mistakes and actually create the Board in a leadership role. It seems so obvious now that I read it... but I had to read it to realize what the problems were with my previous and current Board experience.

This book is tailored to answer questions about every size of Board, so read it! It's a bit dense in its language, but useful to all of us.

I am currently a newly appointed Board chairperson for a non-profit Christian school and we have been using John Carver's Policy Governance model for the last year. While we still have a long way to go to incorporate it completely into the fabric of our board processes, we have made great strides toward it in only a year. This book is excellent in helping us get there. I have also read several of John Carver's guides and although they are somewhat small for the money you have to pay for them, they also contain very good information. We hope to study these principles as part of our on-going board training during this board fiscal year.

Not the most engrossing read, but for anyone serving on a board, it is a great resource.

This is a good book for bobcat enthusiasts, or those who really like wild cats. It contains all rounded, non-technical coverage on bobcat lineage, appearance, anatomy, behavior, life cycle, ecology, hunting, management and conservation issues. You may like it if you are interested in wild animals and conservation generally.

There are several pages of glossy color photographs in the middle of the book. For a book on bobcats, I would say the more photographs, the better. Photographs help attract young readers, gently easing them into the world of wildlife and conservation. Photographs also attract readers who like wild cats generally but who may not otherwise slog through 200 pages of narratives.

Instilling a love for wild animals is the best strategy for promoting their conservation.

Okay, I confess I'm a big fan of bobcats, so I may be a bit biased, but if you have any interest in these animals, this is a must-have resource. It has up-to-date information on bobcat behavior, biology, habitat, and conservation. The material is well-organized and has a good bit of detail without being unduly technical. The book also has a center section with a few photos. However, don't buy this book if you simply want glossy wild cat pictures (there are better books for that). This is a book for people who like to keep reference books on their favorite animals (yes, I'm one of those).

if you are even REMOTELY curious/interested in bobcats, this book is for you! it's packed with the very latest research info and facts that are brought together in a very interesting and readable way. it's a book that is hard to put down.

.....enjoy!!!!!!!!

barb

From the vivid introduction through to the 34-page bibliography, this is a well-constructed story about our crepuscular neighbors the bobcat and Canada lynx. Hansen brings years of field experience, moral sense, and an academic knowledge of bobcats. He outlines research needs and awakens a sense of the increasing dangers to these creatures.

Based on observations by others, tracks in the snow, and scat in the trail, I've been aware that wildcats were nearby. This book, with fine photographs, makes them substantial.