Organizations Books

All the books in this series are exceptional. The author provides short tests that parents can give to their children. These help parents understand how they can work with their kids. The author gives lots of creative ideas for helping parents create a friendly, fun educational environment at home. I would recommend these books for all parents. Very informative.

This book is worthwhile to evaluate where your child is and/or to get fun ideas to help them improve weak areas in math or any academic area. The fun kids booklet gives you a clear idea as to where they stand.

I found this book to be the most practical of any I have seen for parents helping their kids in school. As a public school teacher, I wish I had the same top quality assessment tools available throughout our district. The author clearly shows a thorough understanding of elementary curriculum as well as awareness of a parents need to be informed and involved in a child's education. This a valuable resource I will share with fellow parents and teachers alike.

As a veteran educator, I feel that "How Teachers Learn Best" is one of the best organized and well-written texts on teacher development ever written. I cannot think of another text I would choose over it to showcase the failure of stagnant, inflexible, "one-size-fits-all" teaching approaches of the past. The text also provides an excellent overview of the myriad other professional issues challenging contemporary teachers (these insights carry over well to related fields - my wife is a professional counselor and thoroughly enjoyed the book as well). Dr. Fiszer obviously expects readers to become involved in introducing and applying fresh perspectives to "traditional approaches" that may not be as well suited for today's educational challenges. The author produces numerous useful examples for thought and discussion as well as skillfully designed activities for the classroom setting.

A great many educational books have been written dealing with how students learn (which is, of course, very important.) Few focus on how teachers learn. Dr. Edward Fiszer does an admirable job of this in his book, How Teachers Learn Best. Dr. Fiszer emphasizes shifting the focus of staff development from the traditional one-shot, isolated sessions to an ongoing, collaborative model which includes peer observations, consistent and constructive feedback, and reflective dialogue among teachers. He also ties the book together with practical and sensible recommendations on how this can be done. Dr. Fiszer's book is a sure-fire, practical model for administrators and supervisors to use in improving the learning capabilities for teachers, and ultimately, those of the students they teach.

Dr. Edward Fiszer has discovered what other educational researchers have discovered as well: that teacher quality makes a difference in student achievement. This book focuses on on-going professional development and what Sparks and Hirsh refer to as "job-embedded" learning. With a focus on teachers as reflective practitioners, Fiszer's book can be used by teachers, principals, staff developers, and superintendents as well. It's good research in an accessible format.

If read carefully! Will change your leadership style!

This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book on leadership development by a world renowned leadership guru. In "How to Grow Leaders: The Seven Key Principles of Effective Leadership Development", John Adair outlines the various theories, approaches and concepts of leadership development and training and distils them into seven key principles of leadership development. Using his wide and deep knowledge and expertise in the leadership field, he explains how organisations can recruit, select, train, and develop leaders who are capable of formulating and articulating a shared vision for their organisations or units, motivate people and facilitate the achievement of organisational, team and individual goals.

I was particularly impressed by the gracious and thorough acknowledgments in the book of the thinking and research of others. Even when the authors point out the weaknesses and limitations of a particular piece of work, they praise the positive aspects of that work in kind and thoughtful ways. This is one of the few academic books I have read that took such a considerate approach.

The book beautifully elaborates on the thinking processes that companies use to grow leaders so as to achieve competitive advantage I use the book as a quick reference guide and I find it very useful and helpful. This book carries pertinent information, but it is organised and written in such a way that is easily digestible. The book is recommended as a resource kit for the leadership trainer or aspiring leaders.

Rarely does a revolutionary write the history of his own revolt. However, that's exactly what John Adair does in this book. Adair is respected internationally in the field of leadership. His 1968 classic, `Training for Leadership', was a pioneering volume on leadership development. Although his work initially received relatively little attention in the U.S., it contributed to the current "leadership revolution," which has had a powerful impact on how companies train leaders. Today, in part thanks to Adair and others like him, companies no longer assume that "you either have it or you don't" when it comes to leadership potential. They are more willing to accept the idea that managers can be leaders, too, and should be trained for that role. Adair's book doesn't just peer in the rearview mirror of history - it casts a steady, discerning gaze at the road ahead as well. Using elegant, thoughtful prose enhanced with apt anecdotes and quotations, Adair establishes seven key principles of leadership development. His intriguing conclusion: while companies may mold the raw material of leadership, only societies and families can actually provide it. If "lead, follow or get out of the way" is your motto, we say have confidence - John Adair is marching to his rightful place at the head of the leadership pack. A must read.

A very entertaining read. Wonderful writing style. Chapters tend to be short and begin with a short quiz. The author interjects humor into what is often a boring subject. The final portion of the chapters consist of templates for use in your own work.

Very useful from a practical point of view as well. The focus of this book is on the big picture ideas. The author lays out the important conceptual steps which are vital for success. The more technical details (such as using software) are well covered in other books and this one does not go into those in detail.

Some of the great take aways from this book include; estimating the probability of success of a project, practical strategies for saving projects gone awry, how to review proposed projects before the expensive work begins.

I am glad I bought this book.

Really it is a great book to read. All High-tech Project managers should read it. Easy to read, well organized, direct to the point approach, makes it an useful book.

After working for various consulting companies I have discovered that the best have established processes that are based on project management and customer satisfaction, and the worst have no processes at all. This book provides a recipe from going from worst to best.

This is the second of Mr. O'Connell's books that I have read. The first was Running Successful Projects, in which he provides excellent advice on how to effectively and skillfully manage projects. In How to Run Successful High-Tech Project-Based Organizations he extends these practices to organizations, and does so by providing a step-by-step approach and a performance model that is the basis for company-wide processes.

He gives ten steps that every consulting or service company needs to incorporate, and does so in a clear and methodical manner. The steps themselves are easy, the barrier is leadership and management from the top. Unfortunately, Mr. O'Connell doesn't address how to get management on board, but that is outside of the scope of this book. My personal view is Mr. O'Connell advises and the wise will abide.

I thought that the two strongest chapters in this book were the organization-wide status report, which is sorely missing in too many companies, and the program for project-based organization. The organization-wide status report is the key to achieving teamwork because it communicates to the entire company and makes everyone a stakeholder in the company's success instead of relegating them to a cog in an impersonal machine. This, by the way, is one of the most basic tenets of good leadership, and the lack of leadership is why too many consulting companies are in chaos, have abysmal records for execution, and poor client satisfaction.

Part three of this book offers the real roadmap to success: treating your organization as a project. This is a unique approach and is really an excellent foundation for strategic and tactical planning. I saw how this aspect of Mr. O'Connell's approach provides the essence of a vision, mission statement and values.

This book, if read and taken to heart at the right level in a consulting company (or any other kind of company that delivers services), can make the difference between achieving world-class status and extinction. There would be less material for Dilbert cartoons if everyone read this book and applied the information.

Unlike later and earlier books in this genre, this one strikes a balance between two world views: "theory X" (a set of ideas that exclude all needs, motivations, and influences outside authority and dependence) and "theory Y" (a set of ideas derived from imagining motivations and influences without managers). And the author maintains a style that never becomes unjustifiably preachy. There's a lot of optimism at times, but taken in the context of the entire book, it's acceptable.

Some authors never go out of style. By the way, McGregor makes it quite clear that under most circumstances, in most situations, and with most people the appropriate approach is "theory X." McGregor fully admits that the application of "theory Y" won't work except with certain people and under certain conditions. Applying "theory Y" in the wrong situations to inappropriate people is an all too common SNAFU. Though applying "theory X" in the wrong situations to inappropriate people is also a SNAFU, it is apparently rare.

This last paragraph was just FYI. In case a reader happens to be some kind of spiritually and socially abused polymath.

Unlike later and earlier books in this genre, this one strikes a balance between two world views: "theory X" (a set of ideas that exclude all needs, motivations, and influences outside authority and dependence) and "theory Y" (a set of ideas derived from imagining motivations and influences without managers). And the author maintains a style that never becomes unjustifiably preachy. There's a lot of optimism at times, but taken in the context of the entire book, it's acceptable.

Some authors never go out of style. By the way, McGregor makes it quite clear that under most circumstances, in most situations, and with most people the appropriate approach is "theory X." McGregor fully admits that the application of "theory Y" won't work except with certain people and under certain conditions. Applying "theory Y" in the wrong situations to inappropriate people is an all too common SNAFU. Though applying "theory X" in the wrong situations to inappropriate people is also a SNAFU, it is apparently rare.

This last paragraph was just FYI. In case a reader happens to be some kind of spiritually and socially abused polymath.

I have a confession to make. The second part of this book ("Theory Y in Practice." Chapters 5 thru 12.) was very hard for me to read. This difficulty was partially because in order to really gain some understanding of it, it forced me to judge myself. But this was more importantly because all the examples of Theory Y in Practice that McGregor himslef could find indicate that its application has limits and it requires discipline. To this reader, the limits and this discipline of Theory Y in practice appear far greater than that required by Theory X in order to be successful. For example, successful unschooling would require more discipline and commitment on the student's part than traditional public, private, or even homeschooling.

This book has influenced organizational management and development for decades. In his book, "The Human Side of Enterprise", McGregor examined theories on the behavior of individuals at work. His examination included Abraham Maslow's work on human motivation which greatly influenced his work.

From his examination, he formulated two models that he called Theory X and Theory Y. Theory Y is based on the traditional assumption that people don't really like to work and would only work if they were threatened in some way. Management assumes that employees would avoid work if possible. Based on this belief, managers would attempt to control workers in order to "make them work". Theory Y is based on the asssumption that people have a natural interest in work when it is a satisfying experience. They will apply self control and self-direction in meeting the objectives of the organization without external control or threats of punishment.

In "The Human Side of Enterprise", McGregor demonstrated how Theory Y affected the management of promotions and salaries and the development of effective managers. With the Theory Y (Participative Management Style), there were positive results. When management acknowledges that it is under estimating the potential of its employees and incorporates Theory Y assumptions, then it can focus its efforts on developing improved applications of Theory Y.

Although some organizations may find it difficult to incorporate Theory Y, it is still worth the effort to train management using this principle. The potential increase in productivity would be worth pursuing. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a involved in organizational management.

"Hunting bin Laden: How al-Qaeda Is Winning the War on Terror" is an excellent and very readable account of the people and wars of Afghanistan, the Taliban and al Quaeda. I enjoyed reading the author's speculation on the current whereabouts of bin Laden, and even found via online satellite images a developed site in the tribal border region that matches Schultheis's description of his hideout.

A great book which brings to light facts about 9/11 and our realtionship with our so called friends like the Saudis and Pakistanis. VERY interesting analysis about where UBL is hiding (in plain sight) and how strange it seems that we can't find him. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in two days.

After coming across Schultheis's new book, I've ordered copies for all my friends and family. This is one of the most important books of the year. It provides both a vital history to, and brillant analysis of, the origins of the war on terrror, and why we are losing it. After spending a great deal of time in Afghanistan, as well as Iraq, Schultheis is uniquely positioned to evaluate the misguided strategy that the US continues to pursue. If you want to understand the real nature of the conflcit between the US and radical Islam, without the fluff and spin of either the Bush administration or the mainstream news media, read this book.

This book has been one of the more practical and realistic books I have read while an education administration student. It is a very easy read for very busy people. The book is well organized and offers some valuable commentary by practicing school administrators. I would recommend it for someone who is beginning a school leadership role as a new administrator, or if you are still early in your career and starting at a new school.

Dr. Alvy was indeed the best Principal I ever had. If anyone is qualified to write a book on this topic he is. May others be inspired to be as great a Principal as he is.

This book is packed with information pertaining to the principalship. There are scenarios and information throughout the book that gives readers a glimpse of their future expectations in the Educational Leadership profession.

This book offers a valuable insight into the attitudes of military personnel who were stationed in Bosnia to implement the Dayton Accord. I have read many books on Bosnia which have fuelled my indignation at how the international community stood by and let the Serbs mount what is tantamount to a genocidal war against Bosnian Muslims. This book gives an idea of how military people felt about the Bosnian issue. Their attitudes range from the idealistic and noble to short-sighted and complacent ( in fact some will fill you with rage at their indifference). It is rare that one encounters a book dealing with a major historical issue which allows the ordinary person, albeit a soldier, to articulate their views so openly. The photographs are excellent and Mr Wolfe Murray's introduction is very insightful. It would, however, have been even more interesting to have a similar book which gives voice to those UN troops who were there at the height of the conflict.

The book was given to me by the author himself with dedication and as soon as I read it it became my absolute favourite. IFOR on IFOR has the largest accumulation of reviews, interviews and facts as well as interesting thoughts not only by the author himself but by the interviewed soldiers as well. As the author is in Bosnia from 1993, he knows the situation so if you need a close-up look on our rugged country check this book out.

Bosnia has pretty much faded into the background of American concern. When the American Division of the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) rolled in on December 1995, the spotlight was on Bosnia and Americans became aware of the military role that their forces would play in the Balkans. Out of the tragedy and confusion of war came a book entitled "Cry Bosnia" by Paul Harris which chronicled the war in Bosnia itself through words and pictures.

Inspired by the success of Cry Bosnia, Ruppert Murray decided to write a similar book which would focus on the peacekeepers themselves rather than the political elements of Bosnia. His idea was merely to write minimal text with pictures but as he began to interview the soldiers and have them share their opinions, backgrounds and experiences the book began to take a life of its own. IFOR on IFOR is the soldiers' stories of their perceptions of why and how they came to Bosnia and what they feel their presence will accomplish.

The book is divided into three sectors representing the United States of America Division, the British Division and the French Division. He interviews the men and women of the armed forces who candidly share their views with him. Listen to these young warriors as they share their apathy, hope, and naivite in sharing their views of their deployment. The voices are diverse within each division and you can see the differences of opinions that run from nation to nation. The insights you get are extraordinary.

On a personal note, I was deployed to Bosnia and stayed there for a year. Everything that you have read, heard and seen in these interviews are what I experienced with this group of international soldiers. I highly recommend this book to you in getting the story of the soldier. Six copies returned home with me and many more were purchased for friends and relatives. This is an excellent chronicle in pictures and words.

I'm an American based in Japan and working all over Asia. I found this book to be an outstanding analysis of the relationships between Americans and their foreign colleagues or customers.

It's written from a business perspective more so than an academic perspective. Although the style is a bit heavy, I still found many of the anecdotes entertaining.

In the past four years, I have used Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace with over 500 community college students interested in cultural differences from a business perspective. This book provides a useful structure for thinking and talking about both the theoretical foundations of global diversity as well as the practical implications of working cross culturally - - whether from a desk in the USA or traveling and working abroad. The book is well-organized and includes thoughtfully selected, real-life examples of cultural differences (which I, as an overseas expatriate of 20 years can verify). The real value of the book is in these multiple examples which give readers a sense of the rich diversity of our globalized world and the importance of encountering business people from other cultures (both within the USA and abroad) with an awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural priorities. The case study in the chapter on negotiations with other cultures is particularly well-conceived and useful.

In the past four years, I have used Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace with over 500 community college students interested in cultural differences from a business perspective. This book provides a useful structure for thinking and talking about both the theoretical foundations of global diversity as well as the practical implications of working cross culturally - - whether from a desk in the USA or traveling and working abroad. The book is well-organized and includes thoughtfully selected, real-life examples of cultural differences (which I, as an overseas expatriate of 20 years can verify). The real value of the book is in these multiple examples which give readers a sense of the rich diversity of our globalized world and the importance of encountering business people from other cultures (both within the USA and abroad) with an awareness of, and sensitivity to, their cultural priorities. The case study in the chapter on negotiations with other cultures is particularly well-conceived and useful.

Involuntary Separation: Corporate Downsizing Gone Fatally Wrong by Rick Lacey is a compelx and deftly written novel about murder in the upper management of an international oil company. Revenge, suicide, and one man's single-minded obsession to halt corporate downsizing make for an exciting and savage unfolding drama that will compell the reader's total attention from first page to last. Also highly recommended is Rick Lacey's early novel Cat Fever.

John McCall finds his boss murdered, still seated at his desk with a bullet through his head. The letters ISP have been carefully written in marker with the P around the bullet wound. ISP, involuntary separation seems to be a powerful motive, but with hundreds of past employees laid off and hundreds more potentially threatened, suspects abound. Oddly, the victim was not that heavily involved in the previous downsizing and would not have been involved in the next one either.

John has already worked with the police on a previous case. Two years ago his wife Alicia and her best friend were brutally raped and murdered. While investigating Alicia's murder, police received so many calls from John's office phone late at night that they labeled him a workaholic with extreme dedication to Moon Oil. John is equally dedicated to ending corporate layoffs targeted to artificially inflate quarter reports. His dedication proves to be his downfall when Moon Oil uses his financial computer model to justify downsizing.

With rumors flying regarding another downsizing, John intends to find a way to stop it. His long-term financial forecasting models predict dire consequences for the economy if corporations continue to downsize, but John has not as yet been able to predict short-term negative results. When a second board member is murdered and ISP is found be brutally slashed on his belly, every employee of Moon Oil, past and present, becomes suspect. Meanwhile, the chairman of the board assigns John to keep an eye on Beatrice Winter because she has "the eyes of a killer".

Author Rick Lacey makes restitution for his own participation in a sever corporate downsizing at BP Oil by drawing upon his personal experiences as a Senior Financial Analyst in INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION. Lacey admits that INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION was written to start a national dialogue regarding corporate abuse in general and corporate downsizing in particular. The novel's psychotic killer seek revenge even while exposing the dangerous power plays that occur behind fancy boardroom doors. While the primary murder plot will hold readers riveted, it is the exposure of big business that will make readers indignant and angry with the abuses corporations perpetrate on their employees. Indeed, corporate abuses abound with an eye only for the next quarter: never mind the devastation to America's families and workforce, not to mention to the long term health of the company. Consequently, the novel succeeds with a powerful tale that affects every citizen of America. In addition, Lacey's sophisticated prose will appeal to literature lovers who enjoy a touch of metafiction, irony, and satire. Note: Some discerning readers will be ethically challenged by John's evolving personal relationship with his psychiatrist. INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION comes very highly recommended.

There are a great many very good psychological thrillers out there, but this is the only one that satisfactorily explains how a person becomes a psychotic killer. All the others just expect you to accept that a person is a psychotic killer. I've always been fascinated by psychotics but never understood how someone becomes psychotic. Now that I understand it, I'm going back to re-read all my favorites. All you other novelists beware, Rick Lacey has just raised the bar. If you don't really understand psychosis and the psychotic transformatic experience, find another career because readers won't just blindly accept your characters anymore.