Organizations Books

This practical guide deals mostly with software and is directed primarily at professionals but contains much that is accessible and useful to accountants and others who are responsible for Year 2000 software reviews. The book is well organized, most chapters are self contained, and the many check lists are useful guides. The comprehensive coverage of date keeping in PCs and how it affects everyday software is invaluable. This book has earned its place on our Y2K reference shelf.

This is the only book on the Y2K problem that is a "start to finish" guide to help any business identify its year 2000 vulnerabilities and do something about them. Looks at the year 2000 problem from a business perspective, not just a computer perspective. Every business needs this book.

A clear and concise handbook for assessing Year 2000 issues. This book walks the small business owner through the process of analysis, implentation and testing in a straightforward manner. I highly recommend it.

I found this book to be quite helpful in developing Year 2000 strategies for my small business clients, from assessment through remediation and testing. Clearly written, concise, and informational.

This is a wonderful book to go through during lent, or for that matter, at any time of the year. There are 40 excerpts from the Canon of St. Andrew. Frederica Mathewes-Green links these selections with the scripture from the Bible that inspired them and includes a brief commentary on each verse.

This book makes one look at their own shortcomings and sins, but also shines the light of a loving and merciful God as the help and healer of our human spiritual ailments. I really am enjoying reading and being challenged by this book.

Eastern Christian thought, prayer and spirituality is not well enough known in "the West." The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is a beautiful prayer, and Ms. Mathewes-Green does an excellent job in communicating these values in a way that those of us with a "Western" mindset can understand, appreciate, and find meaning in our lives. Great reading during the Lenten season.

I have read the Canon of St. Andrew several times in the past. This book is helpful in causing a deeper dig within my own heart, to grasp the faith of the Ancient Christians! I expect that this book will begin to look worn, as the years go by, as well as a few other favorites on my bookshelf!

I don't intend so much to review this book (which I found excellent), as to respond to a couple of questions posed by the reviewer below, John Zxerce.

Mr. Zxerce seems to be looking at the theology of the book through a Protestant/Reformed lens. No doubt, if this is the case some of what he sees will seem strange, even foreign, to his understanding of the Faith. An example of this is his putting forth of several implicit or explicit "either/or's." But from an Orthodox perspective these are seen more as "both/and's." Salvation is found through "a Savior to be embraced" and "an example to be followed." One aspect of soteriology doesn't preclude or negate the other. Of course, one must "embrace" the Saviour before one can follow Him, but it the Orthodox mind the two are not radically separate. Salvation is a gift of God's grace, without a doubt. But that doesn't eliminate the need to live a Christ-like life. To put it in Western terms, righteousness is both "imputed" and "infused." It's not one or the other.

The ransom/redemption texts of Scripture that Mr. Zxerce quotes will fit just as well into the Orthodox paradigm of salvation as rescue, as they do into the Western understanding of the "substitutionary atonement," which of course the Orthodox believe, albeit not in the same way. Sin and death are definitely real enemies--I'm not sure how one could come away with any other idea after reading the Canon of St. Andrew. The difference between Orthodoxy and Protestant Christianity in this regard is the manner in which the two sides see those enemies being defeated.

It is important to remember that the Western "substitutionary atonement" model of the death of Christ isn't all there is. For centuries before that model became the dominant one in the Western Church, the Eastern Fathers (and many Western ones as well) held to the view that the Orthodox hold today. For further reading on this I'd recommend Mathewes-Green's earlier book THE ILLUMINED HEART and Matthew Gallatin's THIRSTING FOR GOD. These two books also contain references that point the way to deeper, more scholarly works on the subject.

This is an extremely well written book. Many tools are presented that help the reader understand health care organization and perform systematic analysis of health care operations; this is done in a clear, concise and stepwise fashion. The book provides many case examples with ample diagrams that translate the principles into practice. It covers many methods and tools used in operations management such as the focusing table and matrix, Pareto analysis, theory of constraints and complete kit concepts. I recommend this highly for those in health care management who want to better utilize current resources while improving quality of care.

The book is extremely well written. It is easy to understand and retain. There are plenty of diagrams and graphs which complement the text. It has explained very effectively tools like the focusing matrix, the complete kit concept, and Pareto analysis. It has desribed very well the theroy of constraints and other methods. I would highly recommend the book for anyone interested in Operations Management, Managers working in Health care and students of management.

This makes the ability to manage complex systems achievable by everyday managers. These clear, concise, direct answers to complex questions will undoubtedly increase my coorporations bottom line by 10-20%.

In clear, non-technical language, Ronen and Pliskin describe a wide variety of practical operational and strategic problem-solving approaches. Lots of brief examples make the approaches concrete and illustrate their practicality. Though the techniques appear simple (which is really a tribute to the authors), the type of thinking they motivate is quite deep, and the actions they inspire will add value to any organization.

As a teacher and parent both these books are filled with valuable tips to use in the classroom. Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullying takes it into the home as well -giving tips, scripts, units on teaching children how to get along, respect each other both at school and at home. Buy them both.

The tone of the classroom is so important to optimize learning. Every teacher (and parent as well) needs to be aware and purposely set as their goal to create an environment that fosters learning. Another book that does an outstanding job at designing a creative, loving and nurturing environment in the classroom and school is Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullying. Highly recommended...it is filled with loads of units, scripts, and activities to help build self-esteem and help children get along.

This is a great book. Every person who deals with children should read it. Seriously.

I was actually a student in Tana's University classroom. It was this book that allowed me to learn a ton of information about ideas to use in the classroom, regarding issues that sometimes hinder emotional well being. It is my hope that all teachers incorporate emotional well being awareness into their everyday classrooms.

Krovetz haas written a book that will help those involved in thinking about how to make our schools work for all children. The idea is that if we create a nurturing yet academically challenging culture, we can provide a climate in which all chiildren can flourish. Through the case studies we see how each school has encated the ideas, bringing them to life, and showing us the possibilities as well as the difficulties.

As the author, I hope that you will find Fostering Resiliency to be the book for l999 that makes you reflect deeply on the public schools you know well and that helps you ask why the schools in your neighborhood are not more like the seven schools described in this book.

Martin Krovetz published "Fostering Resiliency" with subtitle "Expecting All Students to Use Their Minds and Hearts Well." As a retired administrator and teacher I see his book striking at the heart of what all educators should be doing. This San Jose State U. professor gives narrative with examples of students and happening schools, and he integrates first lists and step-by-step procedures for winning over students of all ages so that they can be taught. The book has incredible import for balancing vital aspects of our children's education. No aspect, e.g. curriculum, assessment, nurturing, can be isolated in schools for students nor all other adults in students' lives. Mr. Krovetz builds the case for fostering resiliency in everyone. It could be the next handbook for restoring a full education to students, including the "basics" which is on everyone's wish list these days. It is a book to be studied. Is it on the shelves at Amazon?

Fostering Resiliency: Expecting All Students to Use Their Minds and Hearts Well, is a well written and easy to read resource for teachers and administrators. Martin Krovetz provides concrete examples of schools which have developed into resilient learning communities for both students and staff. It will leave you with a deeper understanding of what a "good school" does and hopefully, the inspiration to take on the work of making your school a more resilient community.

The RAND Corporation's organizational strategy advice is based on more than 50 years of research. Author Paul C. Light draws from RAND studies primarily related to the U.S. military to explain the need for organizations to confront unavoidable change with alertness, agility, adaptability and alignment. He notes that these four attributes are equally valuable to small and large businesses, and to organizations of all kinds. You can apply each solid lesson Light takes from RAND's studies to your organization's structure and planning. In fact, some of his points are already common wisdom. Political instability, labor force fluctuations, or the potential for terrorism or economic unrest affect some industries more than others, but every organization is susceptible to unanticipated developments. If you want to find out what to do when your organization gets surprised, we recommend this in-depth research-based report.

A substantive and crystal clear guide, especially for CEOs. Light takes years of data provided by the Rand Corporation and distills them into the 4 essential pillars to establish high performing organizations and the operating principles of "robust organizations." Most useful of all is Light's guidance in facilitating organizational change -- thereby enabling readers who are leaders (or consultants to leaders) to advance organizations to new heights of performance for today's and tomorrow's challenging environments. Light shines light on the path for success !!

Obviously, when building anything, there are several essential requirements: an appropriate design, materials of the highest possible quality, skilled workers, and establishment of a solid foundation. In this volume, Light suggests how certain organizations have met these requirements and how others can also do so. He concedes that a moribund or demoralized organization can "create a burst of high performance by terrifying [its] workforce or rallying [its] troops" but invariably the results are only temporary. He asserts (and I agree) that the greater challenge is to "build organizations that produce results by hedging against the inevitable surprises and vulnerabilities that lurk in today's environment, while exploiting opportunities to shape the future to their advantage." Hence the importance of having a stereoscopic perspective which includes an awareness of possible and at least a sense of probable perils as well as opportunities. Hence the importance of having a design which can accommodate modification in response to "inevitable surprises." Hence the importance, also, of having a foundation which can withstand the impact of adversity while sustaining competitive initiatives.

In 1999, Light was engaged by the RAND Corporation to examine what its researchers had learned about managing public organizations during several previous decades . He eventually decided to focus on what had been learned about how any organization can achieve and then sustain high performance. It is important to note, as does Light, that RAND research is guided by three basic principles embedded in its own organizational culture: "First, RAND has a well-deserved reputation for questioning the questions.....Second, RAND has a long history of questioning its own answers through peer review and quality control....Third, RAND allows the evidence to speak, even when it unsettles the client." I was also interested to learn that RAND had some serious problems of its own during the mid-1990s which are noted within Light's narrative. RAND solved those problems by focusing on the basics of the Four Pillars.

That said, let's examine how he organizes his material. In Chapter 1, he shares several lessons about the future revealed by RAND's research after a rigorous analysis of "four critical sources of organizational vulnerability: ignorance, inflexibility, indifference, and inconsistency." In Chapter 2, Light shifts his attention to what RAND research has learned about addressing the vulnerabilities of uncertainty. Of special interest to me are the "seven powerful predictors of high performance" and the "four underlying pillars that help organizations achieve extraordinary results," all of which had been identified by the research. Then in Chapter 3, Light explains what RAND has learned about each of the "four pillars." In Chapter 4, he focuses on what RAND has learned about operating a "robust" organization. "Simply asked, how do robust organizations create the alertness, agility, adaptability, and alignment [which are] essential to high performance?" This chapter provides four answers. Then in the fifth and final chapter, he shares what RAND has learned about managing change. In this chapter, the reader is provided with "six suggested steps for improving the odds of success."

At this point in my brief commentary, I feel obliged to explain that Light has accomplished far more than examine an immense body of research data and then merely summarize key points. He had more ambitious objectives for this book and he achieved all of them. They include focusing much less attention on broad general principles (albeit sound ones) and far more attention on HOW almost any organization (regardless of size or nature) can apply those principles where perils are greatest, where opportunities are most promising, and where significant change is most likely. Granted, senior-level executives will find few head-snapping revelations in this book. Light creates for them, however, broad and deep access to a wealth of valuable (previously inaccessible) information from which he helps them to learn how to establish or nourish their own "robust" organization. After a careful reading and then re-reading of his book, they should then review key points in the Conclusion at the end of each chapter. I strongly recommend that his readers regularly review, also, the dozens of (boxed) idea clusters which Light thoughtfully provides throughout the narrative. For example, The Six Revolutions (Page 27), The First, Second, and Third Rounds of Winnowing: Strong Associations with Performance (Pages 56-57, 60, 62, respectively), and Organizing for Lightning (Page 150).

One final point. As James Q. Wilson notes in the Foreword, Light's work at RAND "did not involve any pre-conditions or post-research clearances. What you will read here is Light's best independent advice." In my opinion, The Four Pillars of High Performance is a brilliant achievement.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Evan I. Schwartz's Juice: The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors, Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien's The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability, Peter Schwartz's The Art of the Long View: Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World and Inevitable Surprises: Thinking Ahead in a Time of Turbulence, and Jason Jennings' Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive as well as Seeing What's Next: Using Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change co-authored by Clayton M. Christensen, Erik A. Roth, and Scott D. Anthony.

It is evident from the text and from the author's course notes that his working title was Robust Organization. His publisher must have thought that people would not buy a book with that title, that they will only buy a book that promises, like all the others, 'high performance' as a direct and immediate result of reading the book. Light's actual message is that, in a turbulent environment, you have to build in a capability to achieve performance in different ways. This is not efficient, nor is it a direct path to high performance. But if you do it the right way, it is extremely efficient insurance, and an insurance that many organizations don't have or throw away needlessly. It is an extremely important line of argument, especially for organizations of last resort, such as any Federal agency. The literature in this area is thin and this is a good addition. (Charles Perrow, Normal Accidents, is a classic.) While Light gets to the right answer, his concepts, arguments, and evidence are often unclear or disappointing. I get the impression that Light has the gift of gab, lays it down quickly, and moves on. (His frequent talks on NPR flow nicely.) He asserts, for example, that his robust organization qualifies as a resilient organization in Hamel's terms, but that a resilient organization isn't necessarily robust. Correct, but I tried to restate his argument and found that I had to make up a lot that wasn't there. But I suppose that makes the book useful for readers who want to make it their own and use it. I have reorganized my own organizational diagnostic instrument around Light's categories and am pleased with how it helps me relate detailed alignment issues with broader strategy.

I don't think I ever considered eBay a source of income for fundraising. But Greg Holden and Jill Finlayson convinced me otherwise in the book Fundraising on eBay. A valuable book that should be a "must read" for nonprofits...

Contents:
Part 1 - Mastering the eBay Marketplace - Opportunities for Nonprofits: Why eBay? A Guide for Nonprofits; eBay Fundraising Success Stories; Planning Your eBay Fundraising Event
Part 2 - Selling Donated Items: Deciding What to Sell; Deciding How to Raise Funds with eBay; Building Your Credibility - and Your Donor Base; Listing Your Items for Sale on eBay; Managing Your Auctions and Building Good Donor Relations; Advanced Selling - Using All of eBay's Sales Options
Part 3 - Leveraging eBay for the Biggest Bang: Making Your Charitable Auction a Major Event; Partnerships - Good for Bidders, Good for Partners, Great for Nonprofits; Marketing to Make the Most of Your Event; Glossary; Index

I've always mentally framed eBay as a way to sell some of your own stuff or for a business to market direct to the consumer. I wasn't even that surprised when cities and governments started using eBay to unload surplus equipment. But I never really thought about how the use of eBay could be leveraged by a nonprofit or charity to raise funds and expand the donor base. Holden and Finlayson make a strong case for using eBay to generate money for your nonprofit, and they cover all the eBay features specifically designed to assist you in this. I've probably seen those features before, but I guess I just ignored them. They also cover the traditional information on how to get set up as an eBay seller, how to price your items, etc. So even if you've never touched eBay before, you can confidently venture forth with this book and get started with little effort. All those books on how to become an eBay power seller can then be used to fine-tune your selling techniques. The abundance of real-life case studies help the reader to see that this really *can* work and has been used successfully by thousands of other groups.

Definitely a unique book in the growing collection of eBay titles, and one that could be the best investment you ever made in your cause...

The web is really just as a communications medium. But what a medium it is. e-Bay set up all kinds of new records as a way to get money out of the used stuff stored in your back room. In doing so, it has become a phenomonen of its own. One of the many unexpected side effects of e-Bay has been the development of on-line fund raising. Instead of working with the relatively few people in your home town or local community, e-Bay reaches some 160 million people.

The authors of this book are: ==1 -- a power seller on e-Bay, a consumate master at using e-Bay to sell all kinds of products, and

2 -- an ex-e-Bay executive who specialised in setting up new marketing areas.

The concept of raising money on e-Bay is not too different that becoming a e-Bay marketeer. However the wording that you would use in the offering, the ways you would get items to sell, and particularly the impact of having a famous name to assist make fundraising subtly different than what you would normally do. This book then is like a normal book on selling on e-Bay, but 'subtly different.'

The stories of successful campaigns, illustraing what other people have done make the book worth its cost.

Carefully researched and includes lots of information first-hand from successful sellers and nonprofits. It has a great visual layout too. Lots of illustrations and navigational aids, like Tips, Must Haves, Warnings, etc. It is an invaluable resource to get up & running on eBay in the most effective way.

I purchased this book for our church group and we are quickly putting it to use. The book is very informative and demystified online fundraising. It is easy to read and follow, with great insight and simple advice. About 20 of us are going to run a holiday fundraiser on eBay using this book as our guide. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about fundraising.

There is little difference between this book and "Up the Organization." So, if you were hoping for something new and different you will be disappointed. However, there are a few updates and a few additions. If you can't get "Further Up the Organization," then buy "Up the Organization."

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It's a great shame that this book is out of print.

It's well worth the trouble of finding a copy. I make a point of re-reading it at least once a year to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds and other unfortunate places.

Townsend is a very sensible person who has sterling credentials as a succesful manager; we should all do half as well as he did. He believes in the power of doing simple things very well and allowing your staff to do what they know how to do.

"In Search Of Excellence" and "Who Moved My Cheese" and all the great morass of poor, high faulutin' salve for the over-inflated but tender and insecure egos of senior managers should be immediately put into the trash ... shame on you if you ever attend another Hammer-esque seminar. You don't need seminars and the tricks don't work.

What works in management is what works everywhere in life, in the long run: humility, hard work, loyalty downwards, rewarding success and knowing how to define it.

In a sense, nobody should need a book to tell them these things, but life is complicated and the world is full of charlatans, so we all need to be reminded from time to time to take a step back and laugh at ourselves.

This book belongs on every business owner's bookshelf -- not at the other end of the house, but right at hand. Currently ignored, it will likely re-emerge as a classic, perhaps ranking close to The Prince.

Hypesters need not read it. Business people who think should read it, re-read it, and refer to it. Cynical and fair, mercenary and humane, realistic and pessimistic and mostly optimistic, it is one of the finest business books of this century.

whenever i have had a tough problem in my 17 year business career, i pick up "up the organization" and lo and behold, there's the answer. it has been my business bible and it is amazing how it never gets outdated. i am thankful i chanced on to this book early in my career.

Great insight on the end times & what will transpire & how to prepare the remnant

This is a "real" life stirring book. It is present truth, scripturally sound. I found it to be a manual of prevalent information; Christ-centered and prophetic in its content. I found myself praying much of what I was absorbing from its pages - it is actually, to me, a intercessory handbook for this season. I couldn't put it down. Bought copies for friends. It is well written, an eye opener - NEVER boring! I recomment it to anyone who feels desert dry - it is an oasis!

Everyone in the world needs to read this book.

Chuck Pierce is a voice crying out in the wilderness, "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord."

There is a prophetic voice emerging out of mainline Christianity today and Chuck Pierce is one of those Prophets. He captures, in one volumn, the heart of God and what Christ is doing in the hearts of this generation in preparation for His soon return.

Chuck Pierce opens a window into the Spiritual realm easily understood by anyone. He speaks of intercessory warfare and explains God's strategy in tearing down strongholds of the enemy.

He talks about and explains the coming Apostolic Church Government and the raising up of Prophets who will and are admonishing us to prepare our hearts before God.

Chuck Pierce has defined in depth what God means in His Commandment to 'Love God first with your whole heart and soul, and your NEIGHBOR as yourself.' Jesus Christ longs to share the fire of His love with us. Embrasing Him intimately is key to our growing up in Him.

Chuck Pierce shows us the way. One small paragraph sums up the whole of his prophetic message here:

"As we learn to operate in our gifts, the Body of Christ will function as it was meant to. No demonic force, including lawlessness, will be able to stand against a fully functioning Body of Christ. Operating properly in the gifts will lead us back to love (1 Cor. 13:1010), where we can work together according to the heart of God." (Page 203-204).

This book is a great source of information for those who need more organization in their office. There are tips to benefit clerical staff as well as administrators. The suggestions are easy to follow and can be adapted one at a time.

Successful scheduling is a hallmark of a successful and productive classroom. "Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders" is a complete and comprehensive guide for education professionals to maximize the value of their time and spend it wisely. Citing the tips as easy to execute and easier to follow, "Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders" should be considered by every school leader and for community library education collections.

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to organize your work environment and your life...you have to get Frank Buck's book! I know him personally and his tips work. Each day he leaves his desk clean because of the system he shares in "Get Organized: Time Management for School Leaders." You really don't have to be in education to benefit from the time management strategies. The book is an easy read and his practical ideas can be implemented immediately. What are you waiting for?

I just finished Frank's book, and, despite the plethora of time management books available, I found his to be refreshingly practical. You can tell he has been in the trenches of school leadership, as his useful suggestions address the realities school leaders face. Whether a teacher, principal, or any other school/district leader, you'll find at least three ideas you can use immediately.