Organizations Books

Don't let the title scare you mothers away. "Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers" brings the reader through the Rule of Saint Benedict, (RSB), by way of a brief daily reading that explains each section as it would be applicable in any parent's life today. The entire RSB is read within one year's time.

It is often said that child birth comes without any instruction manual. "Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers" can be that manual.

This would make an excellent gift for a new parent.

Dr. Longenecker's meditations on the rule of St. Benedict are both inpirational and pragmatic. This book offer a useful re-tooling and reapplication of these essentially monastic directives for use in family life. It makes me want to work more dilligently at being a better father and person.

My mother gave this book to all her sons (including me) for Christmas a year ago. This was my first exposure to Saint Benedict and his Rule. At that time I had very little exposure to the monastic life. As I read this book I could really begin to appreciate the devout nature of Benedict and his followers. It is clear that these men who give up their lives for Christ, these monks, truely have a calling to this vocation.

I really liked the interpretation that went along after each rule by Dr. Longenecker. This was especially valuable as I had not been experienced these teachings before. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the contemplative life.

As a mother, I was intrigued by the title of this book, and now wish that I had read it long ago, when my children were younger. The advice is age-old and not just for fathers, rather, it is inspiring for all adults, but especially parents trying to keep a family together in these chaotic days.

As any who have read an ancient work in translation will tell you, any commentary that is included can be a blinding distraction, or the most illuminating aspect of the literature. In this case, Longenecker's accompanying prose is surely the latter. Benedict's Rule is related to the work of a father with practiced ease and grace. The work is profoundly instructive.
In fact, my only gripe is with the slightly unwieldy, slightly overlong introduction. Though it should by no means be skipped, I remember feeling a little anxious to get on to St. Benedict. Very high marks though, I thoroughly recommend this book to any father, or mother for that matter.

Too rarely is a book on the education of children written by a person who has been an effective teacher, a highly successful school administrator, and a scholar. Dr. Lawrence combines all three qualities.

As a former public school teacher, principal, supervisor, professor of educational evaluation and a Fulbright lecturer, I can highly recommend this book to those teachers, principals, and school supervisors (and parents) who wish to learn how to cut through much of the red tape and bureaucracy that, sadly, characterizes too much of public education.

Dr. Lawerence provides specific cases of being confronted with and coping effectively with children whose instructional level is misclassified, the difficulties of unsuitable tests, rigid grading systems, teachers who are in dire need of help and many other areas of concern.

For your information, in retirement, Dr. Lawerence continues to volunteer her time working with children prone to being written off as failures.

William D. Hedges, (...)

I'd like to thank Dr. Lawrence for sharing her experience and wisdom with us through her book. Having insight to the internal workings of the public school system has better prepared me to make sure my child is not "left behind." Dr. Lawrence's emphasis on reading readiness in the early grades, has helped define my goals as a parent.
Thank you so much,
T.F.Ambrosio

It was a pleasure and surprise to see the inside commentary of a modern school principal. I do not think a parent can get a better picture of school administration problems and details. I thought "Boston Public" was a little too violent. My experience with school boards is deciding on how to pay for new water fountain. This book gives a parent a great insight to school problems and solutions.

Dr. Lawrence writes an honest inside view about the nuts and bolts of running an elementary school with the principal as a strong curriculum leader. She recognized reading as the elementary school's primary concern.
This anecdotal, informative and entertaining book explains the significance of identifying correct student instructional levels to effectively impact reading gains. Her ability to recognize the school as a function of its community is a critical factor in a successful education system. Poverty is a serious subject, a powerful distracter, but Dr. Lawrence guides us with humor, and the down and dirty understanding of identifying vital academic needs. She shows how to remain focused throughout the day-to-day crisises of running a school while making positive impacts on the children's academic and social growth.
As someone considering a career in educational leadership, I would recommend reading this valid, often humorous reflection of a principal's journey.

Dr. Lawrence has a simple solution for the education of children. Teach them at their level so that they can achieve success. In the days of over emphasis on test results, children are not only left behind, but they are also taught to fail. This book takes a humane view of the tender loving care that children need. By teaching them at their level, they do achieve success, thus beginning a real education. The gift is in their joy of learning.

This first volume in the set of 6 (I sincerely hope that there will be more to come) is, in my opinion, essential reading for every Christian.

We in the USA need to unlearn everything that we were told about "the big, bad, Red Russians"... This set is a good start in introducing westerners to the amazing and profound depth of Russian spiritualism!

Just read it, you have to, no description can give it justice. All I can say is this, it's comparable to Issac of Nineveh's "On Ascetical Life" in its beauty, depth, and penetrating words of love, peace, and prayer. Just read it, this book will change you forever.

While preparing a lecture on Surat Shabd Yoga, I came across the Philokalia and thought it might be useful in my talk. "Surat" is a Sanskrit word for "Soul", "Shabd" is the Sanskrit word for "Holy Spirit". "Yoga" simply means "To Yoke". Hence, Surat Shabd Yoga is the process of connecting the soul to the Holy Spirit. In the "Little Russian Philokalia", Saint Seraphim of Sarov taught that the main aim of Christian life is to acquire for oneself the Spirit of God. His amazing and supernatural conversation with N.A. Motovilov on "The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit" is included in this volume.

Simple, elegant, uplifting, and profound.

I am glad to see that we now have a Russian companion volume to the traditional Philokalia.

I found that the pictures of St. Seraphim spoke to me too.

I've been really enjoying the Russian Philokalia series, more so, even, than the original Philokalia and the sayings of the Desert Fathers.

From an evangelical perspective the Desert Fathers can often come across as legalists whose religion has less to do with a Christ centered faith, than it does with trying to outdo each other in their rules of piety (ie: the argument about whether a true monk would (a) never lay eyes on a woman or (b) be able to look at a woman and not even recognize her as being of the opposite gender).

The original Philokalia, on the other hand, reads more like a text on Hindu meditation: weird mystical concept and breathing techniques mixed with Christian references and other rules for achieving enlightenment (or seeing the uncreated light of God).

The Russian Philokalia series, on the other hand, especially this volume of the writings of St. Seraphim, are far more "down to earth" or at least more familiar. Seraphim's sayings, for example, are generally rooted in a Spirit-centered faith, and hence, more accessible to evangelicals and others looking at Orthodoxy for the first time. I don't know what makes them more accessible. Perhaps its because these men lived closer to our own time; perhaps its because the Orthodox church in their day had been influenced by Western thinking; or perhaps its because they were simple Russian peasants. In any case, I really enjoyed this series of books and would readily reccommend them to interested readers.

Reading Dr Guillory's book, I found myself looking at a totally new arena in the workplace. Many concepts and thoughts that can improve employees relations at any level in an organization. Much, much more then the trendy books recommended by most of corporate America today. A "must read" book for those looking for the missing connection.

In THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS, Thomas Kuhn suggested that the evolution of science was marked more by epistemological shifts than linear developments over time that reflected unchanging truths and practices. After Kuhn's analysis, scientists would never again be able to do "business as usual." William Guillory's work represents a similar epistemological shift, and like Kuhn's REVOLUTIONS has the potential to change the way that business is envisioned and actualized, literally challenging the business of "business and usual," and introducing an element that has yet to be fully explored in the numerous works that articulate transformative business practices. The future of business, for Guillory, is defined by one idea/practice: spirituality. SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE: A GUIDE FOR ADAPTING TO THE CHAOTICALLY CHANGING WORKPLACE is William Guillory's contribution to the emerging conversation of how to effectively transform business and implement practices that will be responsive to, and inclusive of, empowerment, diversity, and organizational coherence. Guillory challenges some of our most sacred beliefs about difference and division: self and other, individuality and collectivism, and of course, spirituality and materialism. It is a book that offers a new vision of leadership, one that values intuition as much as observation, and the spiritual as much as the material. William Guillory's vision is, indeed, integrative, and reflects his own personal challenges and transformations. Guillory is the CEO and founder of Innovations Consulting International, and a highly sought after authority on facilitating organizational transformation, managing diversity, and creating contexts for individual empowerment. His work with organizational change and diversity led naturally to his own transformative self-reflections, reflections that moved him beyond the material concerns of a career to the spiritual possibilities of exploring his own deeply embedded life interests. He writes in the prologue of SPIRITUALITY of an experience in October of 1985 that changed both his life and his mind. "Words flowed through me at a rate with which I cold hardly keep pace. There were phrases and concepts I had never heard before, pouring into my consciousness." Those words and phrases, he relates, challenged one of our culture's most sacred division, the separation of the spiritual and the material. Guillory believes that this division needs to be understood, addressed, and ultimately healed if organizations are going to be able to adapt to accelerated change and potential crises. The multiple ways of addressing this division are revealed throughout the book, in both the titles and the contents of each chapter. Chapter one discusses "The Living Organization," and offers a biological metaphor for understanding organizational evolution. Chapter two "Spirituality as a source of wisdom," addresses directly the main focus of the book and offers both definitions of spirituality and examples of how it is reflected in specific business practices. Chapter three, "People--The Only Sustainable Competitive Advantage," discusses the difficulties of personal transformation within organizational contexts that privilege material over human resources, and illustrates how individuals can successfully empower themselves to become agents of change. Chapter four, "Service--An Unconditional Commitment to Others," points to the value of challenging and redefining our conception of ourselves in relation to others, and the potential that committing one's self to service can have for both individual and organizational transformation. Chapter five, "Organizational Self-Awareness--Know Thyself," explores the critical connection between communication and culture that defines the problems and possibilities of organizational change and development in an increasingly diverse and global business economy. Chapter six, Wisdom--Your Soul Connection," illustrates the importance intuition and personal self-reflection for overcoming limiting conditions and actualizing performance potential. Chapter seven, "The New Leadership--Spirituality," explores the critical need for visionary, transformative, and spiritual leadership, and how these approaches reflect both normative principles and practical outcomes. In the final chapter, "The Future--A Call for Action," Guillory challenges us to rethink the world of work and our place in it, and the impact of our personal and professional works on the world in which we live. Guillory paradigmatic shift invites us to consider what David Bohm described as the "implicate order" or reality, the many diverse and seemingly divergent principles and practices that implicate us in each other's lives and, ultimately, in the planet itself. Although the titles of Guillory's chapters suggest at first glance an exploration into the realm of the esoteric and the transcendent, the chapters themselves reveal concrete and down to earth discussions and examples of spirituality at work in the work place. The book is very accessibly written, and does an excellent job touching on many of the emerging theoretical discussions of organizational change and development without being "theory laden." The use of personal experiences and narratives also serve to make the book extremely practical in terms of presenting concrete examples of spiritual practices. Each of the chapters also offers exercises and measurement instruments for facilitating self-reflexive explorations of spirituality in the workplace and in our lives. While at first glance this may seem like a strange mixture of science and metaphysics, a kind of "lichert scale spirituality," the exercises if take seriously serve as provocative catalysts for further understanding, and recognizing the necessity of a paradigmatic shift toward the spiritual. Guillory suggests that the economics of self-interest and personal gain have placed the planet in a tenuous position, one requiring radical change and personal transformation. SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE offers an alternative paradigm for re-conceptualizing and re-creating the way we do business with each other, with the planet, and with ourselves. The articulation of a new paradigm is perhaps the most important contribution that this book makes to the literature on organization change and development. Unlike many of the texts in this genre, however, SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE forces us to delve deeper into the mechanisms of culture and consciousness that undergird our business organizations and economic institutions. This is an important and provocative book that will makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how organizational change and personal transformation will be the keys to business competitiveness and development in the 21st century.

William Guillory has hit the nail squarely on the head. It is about time that someone has been able to give solid thoughts as to how one can adapt to the ever changing workplace, while maintaining and enhancing spiritual values.

With consolidation being the main focus of companies across North America, the pressures and anxiety are at extreme levels. William Guillory gives employees and executives a fresh insight into dealing with these changes.

This is a must read for anyone who is experiencing change or chaos in the workplace. It is a must read for everyone!

Spirituality in the Workplace is a truly inspirational book that encourages individuals and organizations to incorporate their values and spirituality into their work endeavers. The powerful ideas inside this book show how we can align the spiritual, mental and physical components of our lives to become more fully functional in the workplace. Although the focus is on values and individual development, Bill also makes a strong business case for using these principles to create excellence within an organization. His real life examples and creative insights make this a interesting and motivating read.

With the increasing trend to introspection in Western society and inquiry into sources of personal meaning in all areas of one's life, it is not surprising that the place of spirituality in the workplace is also being examined. The past 5 years have seen a number of books appear on the subject; many of them fall into a couple of categories: they are broad and fuzzy surveys of the topic, or they try to define what spirituality SHOULD look like. This is inherently flawed because spirituality is a manifestation of personal belief and a reflection of corporate culture. Dr. Guillory's book is one of the very few I have seen to take a different, and I feel proper, approach. First, Dr. Guillory is by training a chemist and yet he tackles a nebulous topic like spirituality with ease and familiarity. He effectively applies a scientific rigor to treatment of the subject but never becomes preachy or inaccessable. The volume is clearly written, well organized, and has a VERY strong take-away for the reader, who can complete exercises in the book to the formation and manifestation of a personal belief system and apply that to a work setting. Throughout the process, Dr. Guillory seems to accompany and guide the reader through the exercises. It is as if he is writing from within a spiritual context, rather than standing on the outside looking in. This volume has a wonderful mix of information and applications, as well as illustration of schematic and thought-models, that serve as a springboard for further inquiry. I found this book stayed in my head long after I had closed the cover. The examples of how corporate leaders had developed their own corporate spirituality were inspiring and believable. In conclusion, I loved this book because it was practical, direct, entertaining, and enlightening. It is a roadmap and guidebook that others can use to navigate through a murky topic with ease.

This book is commonly referred to as being written by the "second Martin" (the first being Martin Luther). It deeply, passionately, and clearly lays forth the Lutheran understanding of the mystery, the beauty, and the worship that takes place at the Lord's Table as we partake of the bread and wine. While I am not Lutheran I do hold to the Reformed Faith. I found this book filled with great illustrations of Martin Chemnitz's and Martin Luther's thinking. The books does reference Zwinglian views, catholic views, and even John Calvin. Some wise scholars have said that the truth of Christ's presence at His table, and the fullest meaning of the words, "Take, eat my flesh...this is my body" are found somewhere right in the middle between Luther's views and Calvin's views. There is a spiritual union with the body of Christ and there is a divine mystery as we eat and swallow the bread and the wine. This book is an outstanding volume for any pastor or theologian or any leader who desires to understand the full counsel of God's Word and to sit side-by-side with the Reformers and understand why they developed such a unique, yet beautiful teaching of the Lord's Supper. Copies of this book are harder and hard to find (at a decent price) but it is well worth the purchase, the reading, the understanding, and the challenge as we share with communicants at the Table.

In Bible college and seminary, the Lutheran view was always referred to as Consubstantiation and my Lutheran friends would wince. I did not really understand the subtle differences until I sat down and read this volume. I found the insights, the illustrations, the metaphors, and the examples to be quite compelling. Martin uses a wonderful blend of Scriptures to define Martin Luther's statements about this sacrament. Martin does not rely solely upon the lexicon to define terms, but takes the lexicon in one hand and the Scripture context in the other hand and serves the reader a feast of information. I can see why Calvin studied so much of Luther's teachings on the Lord's Supper. While they disagreed on the meaning of "the presence" within the meal, these two giants of the Reformation did agree on the divine mystery of Christ and His Table and the meeting of His Spirit and our spirit. Whether you are Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian or ???...this is truly a volume to obtain and to devour. I have read it through several times and each time more and more is learned. That is what makes a classic piece so enduring.

Like every one of Chemnitz's books I've read, this is a masterful work about a specialized area of Christian theology that's central to our faith: the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. And while Chemnitz works through the dogmatics of the topic, his approach is at the same time pastoral, showing obvious concern that all Christians (not just pastors or theologians) understand what they are receiving when partaking of the Supper.

This book ties in closely with another of Chemnitz's books, 'The Two Natures in Christ,' as the two topics are closely related.

Also helpful: the English translation in this book is well done, not wordy, but smooth-flowing and easy to read. Highly recommended.

This book actually made me consider Roman Catholicism as the points Chemnitz made and the sources he cited seemed to strongly prove trans-substantiation as opposed to con-substantiation. He says he will prove the Lutheran point of view but then goes on to firmly enforce the Roman Catholic view. This book led to quite a change in my view on the Eucharist.

When Jesus said, "Take it, this is my body," and "this is my blood of the covenant" did he really mean it? Do those who receive the bread and wine really receive Christ's true body and blood, the same body that died on the cross and the same blood that was shed for our salvation? Martin Chemnitz, a Lutheran theologian of the late sixteenth century, answers these questions with a ringing "Yes indeed!"

This book is addressed primarily to those who like modern evangelicals either denied or "spiritualize" the presence of Christ's body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. People with those views had formed a party within Lutheran churches, somewhat misleadingly called the "Sacramentarians," and Chemnitz was part of the opposing group which successfully stood by Luther's vigorous assertion of the Real Presence. Chemnitz demonstrates that no secure reasoning can dispute the literal meaning of what he emphasizes is Christ's last will and testament.

In a calm and charitable tone, he asserts that the Lutheran belief in the Real Presence is the only one that can be based on the plain words of Holy Scripture. It is also backed up by the various church fathers from the earliest writings of Justin Martyr and Irenaeus of the second century on. He emphasizes strongly, however, that Scripture indeed speaks for itself on this as on every other article of faith.

Chemnitz's methodology is very illuminating. He emphasizes that every Christian doctrine must have a "sedes doctrina" or a seat of the doctrine, or place in Scripture where the doctrine is taught in clear and non-figurative language. He argues convincingly that the "seat of the doctrine" of the Lord's Supper lies in the words of institution recorded in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and 1 Corinthians.

Chemnitz's arguments against the "Sacramentarians" will prove of great interest to evangelicals who still follow various views that question the Real Presence. He does not in this book directly address the issue of transubstantiation or any other other doctrines of "how" Christ's body and blood can be given in the Lord's Supper. His point is that we are not to philosophize but to belive. Yet his citations of the church fathers who seem in repeatedly speak of the bread and the body as being coexistent realities in the Eucharist might give adherents of transubstantiation pause--but that's another story . . .

Chemnitz's language is remarkably accessible considering the potentially forbidding complexities of the topic. Perhaps his approach is so readable because his methodology is so Biblical. As he explains it, the Real Presence of Christ's body in, with, and under the bread is a vital truth that brings comfort and reassurance to all believers--in the Lord's Supper, we can touch Christ and receive salvation and healing by faith, just as the crowds of sick, possessed, and crippled did 2,000 years ago.

All in all a thoroughly convincing defense of one of one of the most important Biblical doctrines of the New Testament.

Martin Chemnitz's entire work on the Lord's Supper is centered on one pivotal issue: the True Bodily Presence of Jesus Christ in the Lord's Supper. Despite the singular topic, the book is remarkably multifaceted, as Chemnitz relentlessly attacks and defends the issue from a multitude of angles. Though he certainly couldn't forestall every argument that might be raised against the real bodily presence, he doesn't claim or aim to. He rather deals with the arguments that seem to be most persuasive.

Chemnitz further establishes that in regard to this most important matter of Christ's presence or absence from the Supper, we must squarely face the most relevant texts in Scripture. Those most important texts are the words of Institution, recorded four times by the evangelists. The part of the book where Chemnitz excels most of all is in the sections in the first half where he gives an exegetical treatment of each of the four institution accounts. He also lays important groundwork for the discussion on methods and procedures of Scriptural interpretation.

He lays considerable emphasis on the seriousness and urgency with which Christ spoke these words on His last night with His disciples--being under great duress. Chemnitz shows at length how it is inconceivable that Jesus could have been speaking in a figurative way when He was establishing His last will and testament to His church. Above all things, Chemnitz urges the reader to stick to the simple, plain and natural sense of the words of Christ and that if we were to believe otherwise, Christ would have made this clear in the Scriptures.

The book is excellent for its thorough organization and its excellent table of contents, which make it an excellent reference book. I think the only real criticism I could make of the book is that it becomes unneccessarily repetitive at the end. In the interest of driving home his central point, Chemnitz reiterates his argument so many times that it becomes tedious (especially if you already accept his premise). The other thing that I found somewhat disappointing was that the book didn't cover any other points of interest on the Lord's Supper, such as its significance for fellowship and confession, etc. But understandably that wasn't his purpose.

All in all the book is one to have for your library and to refer back to. One of the quotes that I think sums up the book well is this, "Why therefore do we humans oppose as an impossibility what the words of His testament state concerning the body of Christ and its presence in the Supper, as if He cannot be where He wills with His body, or as if the will of Christ revealed in the Word wills something which is not proper for His body unless we help ourselves with the aid of a figure of speech?"

As a Christian, I am constantly pleasantly surpised that the truth can be found in all places and times. This book is a wonderful and refreshing reiteration of basic yet exceedingly profound truths. I am so thankful that I was drawn to it. I give it my highest recommendation. It sits on my self next to my Bible, Dhammapada, Tao Teh Ching, Analects, I Ching, and Bhagavad-Gita. The message trancends time and space: Love, Nurture, and Forgive!

A wonderful book! The three words, Love, Nurture and Forgive, provides the basis to our lives. It is truly fascinating to discover that 'love' contains many different levels to be practiced. And that our relationships with others allows us the opportunities to deeply understand and develop the means to love, nurture and forgive one another.

As a Christian, I suspect that this is the book that Jesus would have written had he been able to find a publisher at the time. The title says it all. Although an essentially Buddhist philosophy, the ideas contained in the book could have been written with the Christian reader in mind. What could be more Christian than living for the sake of others (LOVE), looking after and helping others develop (NURTURE) and recognising that we are all children of Buddha/God no matter what our transgressions (FORGIVE)

As with all his books that I have read, Okawa continues in his unpretentious style, and is therefore very easy to read.

As a Christian, I suspect that this is the book that Jesus would have written had he been able to find a publisher at the time. The title says it all. Although an essentially Buddhist philosophy, the ideas contained in the book could have been written with the Christian reader in mind. What could be more Christian than living for the sake of others (LOVE), looking after and helping others develop (NURTURE) and recognising that we are all children of Buddha/God no matter what our transgressions (FORGIVE)

As with all his books that I have read, Okawa continues in his unpretentious style, and is therefore very easy to read.

This is a shining honest account of the experiences of a true masters' awakening. And lays out a clear description of the starting point to understanding his broad and profound teachings. This is a big step foward for religious thought!

Straight to the piont: This book answers all our questions and much more. I have given it a shot never knowing that its information are so smoothly spread out and are so rich with essential tips.

If anyone plans on a first approach towards sponsors, this book will let these people avoid some unnecessary and costly steps.

Bravo!

Very helpful. I have used the templates already, and the amount of detail provided makes it easy to actually act on the advice. The author is generous with her information on how sponsor's make decisions. I have no background in sponsorship marketing, so it was good to know how deals really get done!
Our annual Harvest Fest has been angling for sponsors for years. This year, we are fully-armed thanks to Made Possible By: Succeeding With Sponsorship.
If I have any beef, I wanted more. There are plenty of practical tips, examples and worksheets that are really useful. But never having gotten a sponsor, I wanted even more.

Cheers for a book that actually tells me what to say, do, even think about in order to get a sponsor. For anyone who is serious about getting into sponsorship, where you will actually talk to sponsors and make deals, I recommend this book. I have already put to use the advice on cold-calling and proposal writing.

This book didn't leave anything out. Before reading it, I had questions about how to put together sponsorship packages. Patricia Martin answered all of my questions in her very thorough book... including the questions I didn't even know I should be asking! Her writing style is direct and complete. It is refreshing to read a "how to" book that actually tells you "how to!"

She uses examples that clearly illustrate the things to do, and not do, during various stages of the sponsorship process. She includes worksheets that take all the guess work out of the process. She doesn't hold anything back. Everything you need to organize effective sponsorship packages and partnerships is in this book.

I was very excited to read this book because it really is an essential tool to help plan a sponsorship strategy, prepare a proposal, get a meeting, gain committment and ultimately bring in dollars. It is laid out in a very easy step-by-step process that everyone can follow and helps you realize the value your organization can give to potential sponsors. Most importantly, it takes the fear out of selling and demonstrates the correct way to speak to and work with potential sponsors for maximum benefit.

I refer to this book constantly during my sponsorship work with the California Pacific Medical Center Foundation and the Junior League in San Francisco and can say that it has significantly helped me achieve my fundraising goals and advance my career.

There are a lot of books on change. It takes a lot for a book about change to stand out from the growing crowd of books on this increasingly important topic. Making Change Irresistible by Ken Hultman stands tall. The book starts right off by focusing on the primary reason why leaders have difficulty in making change happen in organizations-the failure to really understand human beings. He says that leaders who have crunched the numbers, laid out meticulous plans, and positioned organizational resources are often surprised by resistance and tend to see something malevolent or irrational in the resistance, rather than a natural human response that can be addressed in ways that do make change irresistible. My favorite chapter is the one on the practical ways of building trust-a pivotal topic that seems to be left out of most of the other books on change. I also appreciated the liberal sprinkling of self-assessment inventories and checklists because they made the book so specific and practical.

Ken Hultman has written a brilliant and very practical book on dealing with change. His work on motivation updates Maslow and concentrates on ones sense of worth. The change tests and exercises can be used directly and will assist any organization undergoing change. The work on values is also brilliant and gets to the heart of the matter instead of working around the edges.

This book explains in simple language why and how people get their needs met and how that affects change processes. This book is must reading for any organization that truly wants to change and needs to understand the process.

"Making Change Irresistible" is an engaging book with proactive tools and effective strategies that can help executives and managers alike through the murky waters of organizational transition. This book is the most comprehensive work available on the subject of organizational resistance to change. It led me to discover and rethink my assumptions about corporate change resistance. It presents a fresh perspective on a topic of concern to all of today's organizations, and is applicable to both academicians and practitioners. The Change Opinion Survey and The Psychological Need Fulfillment Inventory provide practical methods of preventing, diagnosing, and minimizing the impact of resistance to change in organizations. Both tools are essential for anyone in the process of managing change. Through an in-depth analysis of human behaviour and with techniques that promote personal growth, this book enables readers to become adept at diagnosing resistance to change. The book also helps readers to develop a more positive attitude toward change, while building a concrete plan of action to overcome resistance to change. In short, "Making Change Irresistible" is a must-read for those who study change, and for anyone whose job it is to lead others through the challenge of organizational change.

"This book is intended to serve as a strategic and tactical manual for battling resistance to organizational change." Covers the key concepts in understanding human behaviour and change and provides tools for diagnosing and overcoming resistance. First class. It uses a simple but powerful framework and offers several useful 'instruments' to diagnose core issues in gaining acceptance of change. The book is intended for anyone whose job it is to lead others through change. It is a useful, clear and well-organised resource and the instruments contained in it are also clear and well explained.

Ken's background includes: PhD in Counseling Psychology; staff and line manager; university professor; counselor for individuals, families and groups; and trainer and organizational development consultant to 100 Fortune 500 companies, including major effort with General Electric.

He provides the best analysis of the reasons change is so hard (for most humans), and a fairly good prescription of what can be done to "make change irresistible". The following are a few of the concepts from his book:

Unmet Needs table spans pages 24-27 Unmet Need for Mastery Unmet Need for a Sense of Meaning and Purpose Unmet Need for Acceptance Unmet Need for Respect Each unmet need is followed by 10-20 Symptoms, Consequence, and Potential Solutions

His unmet needs survey encourages a quick assessment of the group and individual attitudes toward change. 60 Statements are assigned a 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0: 4 = strongly disagree down to 0 = Strongly agree People in my organization: Expect too little from themselves Malign each other's character Judge each other on the basis of personal characteristics Disagree about goals/methods Lack opportunities to use their skills Withhold information from each other Discriminate against others Disagree with each other about priorities Lack the necessary knowledge or understanding Try to make each other look bad Subtly make others feel excluded Etc.

He states that there are 4 combinations of Willingness and Ability to Change (pg 97) 1 - Both willing and able to change = best 2 - Able but unwilling to change 3- Willing but unable to change 4 - Both unwilling and unable to change = worst

His strategies for overcoming resistance span pg 171-175 Establishing a positive climate Encourage and interest in improvement Show people how overcoming resistance to change can help them Help people increase their competence Involve people in decisions Cultivate value for teamwork Don't react emotionally Avoid inadvertent mistakes Concentrate on factors within your control

The explanation of his strategies span pages 181-4 15 Strategies aimed at Thinking 10 Strategies aimed at Feelings 12 Strategies aimed at Deciding 10 Strategies aimed at Doing

He has 5-10 strategies for each way of Overcoming the Common Causes of Resistance (pg 188) Which depend on the current their beliefs: They believe their needs are being met already They believe the change will make it harder for them to meet their needs They believe the costs outweigh the benefits They believe the change is unnecessary to avoid or escape a negative situation They believe the change process was handled improperly They believe the change will fail They believe the change is inconsistent with their values

Other books which I have reviewed on change include:

Approaches to Planned Change: orienting perspectives and micro-level interventions R Golembiewski 1993

Champions of Change 1997 Nadler Changing Organizations Raymon Bruce 1998

Competence and Organizational Change - a handbook Shirley Fletcher 1997

Creating Paths of Change - managing issues & resolving problems in organizations Will McWhinney 1997

Getting your Organization to Change - a guide for putting you strategy into action Dennis Jaffe 1999

Harvard Business Review on CHANGE 1998 Lean Transformation: how to change your business into a lean enterprise Bruce Henderson 1999

Leveraging People and Profit: the hard work of soft management Bernard Nagle 1998

Let's Work Smarter, Not Harder: how to engage your entire organization in the execution of change M Caravatta 1998

Managing Changes: exploring the state of the art E. More 1998

Navigating Change: how CEO's, top teams. and boards steer transformations 1998 Edited by Hambrick

Performance-Driven Organizational Change: an organizational portfolio Lex Donaldson 1999

Re-Creating the corporation: a design of organizations for the 21st century R. Ackoff 1999 - great book

Results Based Leadership, David Ulrich et al, 1999 Taking Charge of Change D. Smith

The Challenge of Organizational Change: How Companies Experience It and Leaders Guide It. August 1992

The Change Management Handbook: A roadmap to corporate transformation Lance Berger 1994

The Dance of Change, Senge et al, 1999 - follow up to the fifth discipline

The Leader's Change Handbook: essential guide for setting direction and taking action 1999 J. Conger

The husband and wife team has made another excellent book. I specially liked the way the authors moved the most important (from my viewpoint) topics first. I and probably hundreds of students here in Manila use their book and it's an outstanding source of information.

Used this book with a group of 18 managers on a management course. All acclaimed it as a very easy to understand book, very well written and comprehsive.

For business students this bok may give you an excellent updated view of Information Systems.

okokok

How Information Use The Information System

An excellent book with practical principles that work and can be applied in any healthcare/service setting, large or small. I like to underline noteworthy thoughts as I read. My problem was that so much of the book was underlined when I finished. I then ordered 30 copies from Amazon to give to team members, plus have recommended this book to a number of others outside our health system.

This book very beautifully and eloquently conveys the heart of service quality and excellence - building, nurturing, and protecting a strong services brand that revolves around the core humane values of integrity and customer respect. The hallmark of this book is the compilation of inspirational real life stories of staff and patients sharing their experiences of the successful customer-focused culture of Mayo Clinic. Moreover, the book very effectively sheds light on the importance of competing for talented employees and encouraging teamwork at all levels of the organization. Thus, it is a must-read book for the managers, administrators, and service providers across all industries.

How I regret this book was not written 25 years ago when I was developing and growing my international healthcare design practice.
It is elegantly and simply written and frequently uses the power of a story to illustrate "living the values" of this extraordinary organization.
Drs. Berry and Seltman make it clear that the Mayo success is not based on anything complicated. It is based on traditional values and good manners, but the secret is in consistent, relentless application. Thats not easy in any service organization. I am asking all my partners to read this book and we intend to discuss it at length to improve our own service performance.

I retired from Mayo Clinic 5 years ago, after spending 25 years with the organization in senior administrator capacities. I now live in Bellingham, WA, where I mentioned this book to the administrator of our local hospital and VP of a high-quality regional healthcare system. She said she had it on the top of her "to read" pile, but before doing so, she asked, "Is it true?"

My answer is a resounding, "Yes!" Kent Seltman was a colleague of mine for a number of years, and I'm so grateful that he and Dr. Berry took on this book. I personally know 90% of those quoted in the book and can vouch not only for their comments, but their personal integrity. For me, it was like a walk back through my career. What a gift.

Mayo Clinic is an amazing, though as mentioned, not a perfect place. I was continually in awe of the complexity and quality of the organization while I was there, and the feeling is only amplified after reading this book.

This is a well written book which steps the reader through the success of Mayo Clinic. The book is laced with real life stories of what makes Mayo successful. This brings the lessons to life. Who would have thought that a small town clinic in Rochester, Minnesota could acquire and maintain a world class reputation for being the best in their field.

There are many lessons within this book for any service organization. Who can argue with:
* The patient's (client's) needs comes first
* Treat everyone with respect - coworkers and patients (clients)
* Work together as a team
* Deliver services efficiently
And, do all of this while being fiscally responsible.

The words are simple and no one can argue with them as core values. It is the consistent execution that is challenging. Mayo Clinic has gotten this right for over 100 years and, as a result, is in a class by themselves.

This book should be mandatory reading for managers and executives in any service organization.