Organizations Books

I read this book while spending a week at a Young Life camp facility, and found it very inspiring and challenging. It is the biography of Jim Rayburn, Jr., written by his son. Mr. Rayburn confronted many obstacles in his life, but pressed on in serving the Lord in spite of the adversity. He was apparently a very winsom, energetic, charismatic individual and the book conveys his personality well. I finished reading this work inspired to let God be greater in me.

This is a must read for any person willing to examine the life he/she leads. What a great way to delve into the questions: "Does God exist?" "How does he work in people's lives today?" and "Is it worth it?" It's not only a first-hand look at Jim and Maxine Rayburn from the inside, but a beautiful glimpse of the workings of Christ in modern times. Whether Christian or not, this book promises to deliver on every level: it will make you laugh, cry, examine your own life, and challenge your thoughts. Jim Rayburn III hit the nail on the head with this amazing story of his father, the founder of Young Life, the legacy he left behind, and the torment he went through due to his humanness. As a former Young Life kid, I owe a lot to his first convictions. You will, too.

This book was one of the more "impacting" pieces of literature I have picked up in a long time. It's the inspirational story of a man's desire for rich intimacy with God, and his burning love affair with The Savior. Throughout the story, miracles unfold one by one before the readers eyes. This book played a significant role in my desire to join the Young Life staff four years ago in Littleton, Colorado. I have been inspired by Jim's love for kids as I continue to invest my life in those at Columbine High School. As I reflect on this story, it makes me regretful-that I have only one life to give for Christ.

Kevin Parker Young Life Area Director South Jefferson County, CO

If the mission of Young Life played a role in your life at any level; whether as a "club kid", camper, committee member, staff, or volunteer, then Bondage to Liberty, Dance Children Dance is essential reading for you. To understand the mission, you must understand the man God chose to initiate it, Jim Rayburn Jr. His son, Jim Rayburn III, provides the means to understand that man in this book. Primary source materials including personal journals, "club talks", and first-hand observations shed light on Jim's character and internal thought processes, personal relationships, incredible prayer life, and personal spiritual highs and lows. Photographs and expanded captions add much to the painting of Jim's portrait. More than a simple biography, Bondage to Liberty honestly examines the lives of Jim and Maxine Rayburn, their human struggles, frailties, shortcomings, and the miraculous work accomplished through them. In the process, it opens a window into Jim's relationship to his Heavenly Father and his God-sized vision for reaching teens with the message of the Christian faith in terms they could relate to. More than just documenting a work with youth, Bondage to Liberty reveals the varied spectrum of Young Life's history from its conceptual beginnings in the rural Southwest, to the anointed growth and impact during its early decades, through its tumultuous social and corporate growing pains, and on to its current condition today. In the context of the story of this man and his work, we are reminded that making an impact with teenagers, or anyone in this world, has more to do with love than it does logistics, requires availability more that it does capability, and demands faith rather than fancy formulas. Just as with the mission it documents, Jesus Christ and knowing real life in Him isn't just one thing Bondage to Liberty is about, its all Bondage to Liberty is about.

Jim Rayburn III has captured the spirit of a great movement that has made the world a better place to live. Jim Rayburn, the author's father and founder of Young Life lived a life committed to sharing God's love with young people. This is an important book for anyone who wishes to know the inside story of a person dedicated to serving God. It is a life high "highs" and low "lows". It is a life of pain, tragedy, disappointment, felt betrayal and a life of joy, faith, love, compassion and humor. It is a life of prayer and close commumion with the Almighty. Jim III has openly shared the inside struggles of his family as well as the inside struggles of the organization of Young Life. This book will be an encouragement to any unafraid to confront a great truth, that great accomplishments can be experienced in the middle of great pain.

I ordered this book because it was required for a graduate class that I was taking, but I found it to be an excellent resource. The author provides numerous examples for how to apply the material, but also provides additional internet resources to access other information in the field of nonprofit management and fundraising.

I would definitely purchase additional resources from this author again.

I also use this book as a textbook in a fundraising class and the students consistently rank this as a great learning tool and resource that they will use in their careers. Excellent real-life examples and practical knowledge on every aspect of non-profit fund development.

Ciconte's book is insightful and thorough. This new edition is especially helpful, especially for the purposes of this reviewer, when it comes to Internet applications and computer programs. A well-written and fairly current fundraising resource guide.

Using this book as "the" textbook for a UCSD Extension class on Fundraising Introduction and Processes; The course is the first required course for a Certificate Program in Fundraising and this is the text book selected. Very in depth, overview of fundraising, annual giving campaigns, special fundraising events, planned giving, grant-writing etc. Covers it all in depth and simple to understand. Great book! Plus its way cheaper thru Amazon than in the UC bookstore ;-)

I liked this book a lot. It's a big book with 8.5xll inch pages with the small text formatted into two columns per page. It covers a broad spectrum of fundraising for nonprofit topics: annual giving programs, board development, sponsorships, special events, major gift solicitation, planned giving, and capital campaigns. I suspect this book will be of tremendous help to anyone trying to develop a successful fundraising program for their nonprofit. Also, the reader is informed that it has been used as a textbook in various classes on fundraising.

My favorite chapters were (1) philanthropy, (2) roles of players, (3) the development office, (8) prospect research, (14) capital campaigns, (15) planned giving, (17) fundraising consultants, and (18) career options. The chapters are purposefully short, but they provide wonderful introductory material on their topics. Bibliographic material is provided so the reader can easily locate material that covers these topics in more depth.

I thought Chapter 4 (technology) was weak. I got the impression from reading it that I was reading a term paper from a high school student. I didn't feel as thought the authors were writing from firsthand experiences. Why were calculators and adding machines added to the list? Anybody who uses MS Office or similar program would know to use a spreadsheet program to do what a calculator or adding machine would do. Bottom line: this chapter could have been greatly improved so a nonprofit can save major bucks. Also, workers today are expected to know how to use a PC and the software that runs on it. If they can't, then don't hire them. NEVER consider paying someone to train them how to use a PC!

I had problems with chapters 5, 6 and 7. I thought Chapter 5 should have been much more detailed as to what a fundraising plan includes and how to design one. This was not done. And I thought Chapter 5 also should have covered direct mail, telemarketing, and the importance of building relationships as elements of a good fundraising plan. Then chapters 6 and 7 could have picked up where Chapter 5 left off. As these chapters are currently written, there really is no connection between the three - and in my humble opinion I think there should be.

I would reorder chapters 8 and 9 so the material on prospect research is covered after the reader is introduced to major gift fundraising. It just seems more logical to me to do it that way.

Chapter 13 could be improved a bit. Nonprofits waste a considerable amount of money on having fancy brochures created. And the authors seem to condone this. Today so much money and volunteer time can be saved by posting online in the form of Web pages what used to be printed. In the old days for-profits used to create fancy brochures. Now they give the prospect a business card with a Web site address on it. The prospect goes online to examine the relevant Web pages. Nonprofits can do the same thing. Why weren't Web sites covered in Chapter 13 (publications)? You try creating the content for a Web site and you will learn real quickly that Web sites are electronic publications.

And then there is Chapter 16. I'm not sure why this one was included. Sounds like membership organizations (trade associations) do their fundraising in a very similar way to church fundraising. It doesn't take rocket science to line up the congregation and hose them down for gifts. The same holds true for trade associations. I think I would have left this one out.

Even though I am somewhat critical of this book, I admit that I am being picayune. I am just rambling the thoughts that flipped off the tip of my tongue. This book is big, heavy, and full of good content. Give it a read. It will probably help you immensely in putting together an annual giving program for your nonprofit. Always remember that successful fundraising begins and depends on a good Board. 5 stars!

Timely! Fundraising on the internet is the next level of fundraising for non-profits, and this is an excellent way to get started!

A fantastic collection of resources! Warwick, Hart, and Allen brought together an amazing array of experts to assemble a practical, hands-on book full of interesting case examples. As an application service provider working almost exclusively with non-profits, we found the book particularly useful as a source book for guidelines and best practices. Our clients who have read the book were enthusiastic about everything from the specific strategies to the fundraising tips.

This is an all-encompassing, basic guide that makes fundraising on the Internet accessible to the most inexperienced nonprofits but gives insightful advice to veterans. I wholeheartedly recommend the book and plan to make this required reading for our customers and employees.

This collaborative effort is well-written, fast-paced, and extremely up-to-date. Each chapter is on a different aspect of Internet fundraising, written by a different author. Speaking from personal experience, this book has been extremely possible in our own business of helping nonprofits raise funds online. We recommend it to any nonprofit who wants to take advantage of the net.

Very useful for organizations working with an interactive agency to imporve their efforts on the web...

I found practical suggestions in each chapter -- a useful resource to help us round out our fund raising program. With uncertainties in the Washington, DC mail due to anthrax, we are especially interested in increasing visits and gifts through our Web site. This book will help us move towards that goal.

Audit yourself with the tech from Advance Procedures and Axioms. Run secondaries, lock scan, and other advanced tech.

I am only half way through this book, and already I have read more truth here than I've ever read elsewhere. And believe me, I've read all the self help books. L. Ron Hubbard is a true genius and certainly one of the most important teachers in this history of mankind, period. Get this book, it will change everything.

I used the techniques from one chapter to quickly recover from a fall on concrete, where I hit my head, and a personal sorrow. I handled the physical aspects separately from the fall and on the memory of both was able to resolve the pain and sorrow so now I can think about it easily--as easily as normal memories. Thank you, L. Ron Hubbard. It works. Get it. Try it. Use it.

This book is very helpful but not necessarily a walk in the park to use. It's all about weeding through various things that make life difficult and how you can work your way to a better state of mind. You have to be willing to work for it and if you follow the steps in the book, you get amazing results. If you don't do what it says in the book or only do it half-heartedly, you really don't get much out of it. I give 5 stars because it really does deliver. In using the book, sometimes you have to examine things about yourself that aren't so easy to face. Once you push through those things using the book, it's pretty beneficial.

This book is for those who are in the need of change in their lives. It isn't about money; it isn't about winning friends and influencing people. It is a self-help book for those people who want to change the conditions of their life by viewing their goals and problems and past situations that relate. It gets a person better acquainted with himself.

It was written many years ago, but the techniques work IF one reads the book throughally and applies each step. The author is deceased, and the book is not published by the author but by the
LRH Library which is run by the Religious Technology Center which is a [type of religion]corporation.

There are many references in the book where you can go for further services--however, you might search out alternatives on the Internet, because there are individuals in what is called the "FreeZone" who can deliver services, too. If reading this book makes you want "more" then shop around.

In this Handbook for Preclears the dynamic principle of existence, which is "survive" is introduced. It is an important datum, because it is what all things have in common...it is the common demonator of existence. Of course, there are degrees of survival from bare to successful, but the datum gives one a way to look at things.

That isn't the only datum that is useful in this book. It isn't a good book for someone who just skims the reading material and doesn't throughally apply the exercises. That is why I rate it a 4 star instead of 5--...

If you're looking for the nuts and bolts of what made the WW2 German army, this is the book. A very nice overview of the entire military machine. As a historian and WW2 German reenactor I liked the coverage of military tactics from army to platoon, as well as the coverage from tanks and airplanes to individual field gear. Weapons, boots, bread bags, radios and all the field gear are covered along with lesser known machines like field kitchens and bread makers! Highly recommended.

Totally comprehensive review of everything about the Wehrmacht from their biggest guns down to their canteens. Massive review of the organizational structure of all elements from the leadership down to breakdowns of divisions, tactics, etc...The claim on the back that Marshall might have known more about the Wehrmacht than Hitler seems plausible. This is a real gem.

An absolute must have for anyone interested in the German military of World War II. A very technical guide that does not waste time with flowery documentation.

This is the ultimate guide to German forces in the Second World War. Although produced late in the war, it covers the old type of infantry division. I thought that was a nice touch. This book teaches us not only about Germans, but what their contemporary counterparts were thinking. Want to crawl around indide the heads of American Intelligence Officers from another era? This is the book.

This an outstanding book of facts and data whose main scope is the German Army. Although the name of the book refers to the whole German armed forces in reality the coverage is wide for the Army, light for the Air Force and almost non-existent for the Navy. The information it contains is extremely detailed (in particular in tables of organization and equipment of many divisions) and on the whole very accurate (although not without the ocassional flaw: a schwärme is referred as a tactical unit of 5 airplanes but in reality was a 4 airplane unit).
Although it provides information from 1939 to 1945 the information relating to the tables of organization, tactics, equipment and uniforms refers mainly to the period 1944-45.
For example, you can find the TO&E of an army and SS panzerdivision in 1944 but not in 1939 or 1940.
Also, it is important to note that due to the nature of the book it is mainly a WHAT and HOW book (provides data and factual information )but is not a WHY book. That is, you will notice that a motorized infantry battalion differs organizationaly from a regular infantry battalion but it is not explained WHY. Other books give the explanation. This is not a problem with the book, it is just its scope. Overall it is a highly recommended book for anyone interested in the details that are not covered in most WW2 books.

Frances Hesselbein is currently editor-in-chief of Leader to Leader quarterly. Previously, she served as CEO of the Girls Scouts of the USA and then as chairman and founding president of the Leader to Leader Institute, formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. Her published works include this book as well as The Leader of the Future, co-edited with Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard; The Leader of the Future 2, co-edited with Goldsmith; and Be*Know*Do (an adaptation of the U.S. Army's leadership manual) to which she and General Eric K. Shinseki (USA Ret.) co-wrote the Introduction.

In his Foreword to this book, Jim Collins observes that Frances Hesselbein "grasped a central paradox of change: the organizations that best adapt to a changing world first and foremost know what should [begin italics] not [end italics] change. They have a foxed anchor of guiding principles around which they can more easily change everything else. They know the difference between what is truly sacred and what is not, between what should not change and what should always be open for change, between `what we stand for' and `how we do things'...Equally important, she exercised the discipline to say no to opportunities that did not fit the central mission." This brief excerpt from an uncommonly insightful analysis of Hesselbein's numerous and substantial contributions to knowledge leadership help to prepare the reader for the 19 essays that follow in which Hesselbein shares what she has learned about leadership that understands the importance of knowing that leaderships is much less about what one does, and much more about who one is.

The essays originally appeared over a period of three years, 1999-2002. After re-reading them, Hasselbein observes, "I found that I believe even more passionately in the whys [of leadership]: the values, the principles, the beliefs that define who we are, what we believe, what we do, and how we work with others, our fellow travelers on a shared journey to leadership in an uncertain world." In this volume, of all the challenges that CEOs face, she identifies those that have little to do with managing the enterprise's tangible assets (important though as they obviously are) and everything to do with monitoring the quality of leadership, the work force, and relationships.

More specifically, the "`how to be' leader knows that people are the organization's greatest asset and in word, behavior, and in relationships she or he demonstrates this powerful philosophy...builds dispersed and diverse leadership - distributing leadership to the outmost edges of the circle to unleash the power of shared responsibility...holds forth the vision of the organization's future in compelling ways that ignite the spark needed to build the inclusive enterprise...and [meanwhile] knows that listening to the customer and learning what he or she values - `digging in the field' - will be a critical component, even more so in the future than today."

My take on all this is that Hesselbein fully understands and appreciates the value of "know-how." Her key point (if I understand it) is that effective leadership can be provided only by what Bill George characterizes as "authentic" people: those who consistently demonstrate the values, the principles, the beliefs that define who they are, what they believe, what they do, and how they work with others. As George describes them, they demonstrate "the highest integrity, [are] committed to building enduring organizations...have a deep sense of purpose and are true to their core values...have the courage to build their companies to meet the needs of all stakeholders, and recognize the importance of their service to society."

Both Hesselbein and George are convinced, and I wholeheartedly agree, that the greatest leaders are those who develop and then sustain authentic leadership at all levels and in all areas of the given enterprise. Moreover, they are determined to be "good citizens." As Hesselbein explains, they believe "that the community is as much their business as is the business of their enterprise. They dedicate the same commitment to this job, the same forecasting, planning, marketing, and mobilization of energy and initiative, that they dedicate to building the enterprise within the walls."

Make no mistake about it: These are formidable challenges that Hesselbein poses to those who aspire to be leaders. "All the how to's in the world won't work until the `how to be's' are defined, embraced by the leaders, and embodied in every action, every communication, every leadership moment." Indeed, she continues, there must be "leaders of character at every level, leading the organization and the community of the future." Some may view that challenge as "unrealistic." It isn't. Others may view it as "idealistic." It is...and that is the most important lesson all of us can learn, not only from what she has written but from what she has been and continues to be.

Frances is a special and extraordinary role model who shares her insights and encourages others to reach for their maximum leadership potential. The creativity within her advice is engaging and inspirational. This is a great book for young leaders and those who are developing goals and a vision for their career and personal success.

Hesselbein on Leadership should be on all leaders "must read list". Frances has taken the multidementional, quantum complexity of leadership and given timely gifted guidence in language and concepts that are understood by the intellect in addtion to being rocognized by the soul.

Her thoughtful and thought provoking words are a call for the action of "being" not just "doing". Every sentence rings with truth and power. This is a book you will return to again and again.

This book was first mentioned to me at a Leadership presentation at one of the not-for profit organizations I serve, and then again a short while later at a UCI Graduate School of Management presentation by a local executive. This is a delightful small book filled with some good advice, pithy sayings and leadership insights. Hesselbein lives up to her reputation in this compendium of essays on Leadership. I rather like books of essays because often each chapter, or essay, stands on its own and can be read or re-read as the need arises.

Hesselbein writes in a clear and conversational manner that makes it easy to understand her point. But one should not be lulled into complacency while enjoying her most readable style for the insights to be shared are important and many. She points out with great understatement that "Leadership is a matter of how to be rather than how to do it." She offers as whole new way of organizing our enterprises as she explains "Managing in a World That Is Round." This book will find its best use for those managers looking for a metaphor or simple explanation to share with others in the organization such complex topics as organizational change, behavior, and interaction with the environment. It will be on my reference shelf for a long time to come.

Frances Hesslebein is one of the world's greatest leaders. In fact, Peter Drucker (no "easy grader") said that she was the most effective executive that he had ever met.
_Hesselbein on Leadership_ is a compilation of her wonderful essays (largely from the journal "Leader to Leader").
In a world where many leaders have gone for the "quick buck", it is gratifying to hear from someone who is interested in "doing what is right".
Her writing, like her leadership, is direct, honest and to the point. Unlike some leaders who specialize in slogans, she is someone who only writes about what she believes in and is willing to live.
Her work has the unique quality of being both timeless and refreshing.

My mother gave me this book after she read it. I am a high school senior and reading it gave me the chills. I could have been one of his victims! If my mother hadnt had an eye to see him for the predator that he is, I might have fallen into his grasp. Yes, I know who he is, even though the names have been changed. And I know a couple of the victims too. They are from a wealthy family in our town and did everything to hide after the news came out. This man ruined their lives forever. I want to see him punished but it will never happen unless somebody takes him to court. He thinks he is getting away with it. Someday, he is going to answer to the highest court and then what will he do???

This book is mysterious in that it puts you in the mind of Pamela, the main character/victim....yet you are shown what is going on behind her back. It is a shame that all these people were hurt by one bad man. I hope they all can get on with their lives and be happy once again.

This book helped me see how a predator gets his victims. It kept me on the edge of my seat because I could see Pamela walking around clueless about the priest's real activities. Having gone through a tortuous incident with someone I trusted, I could really relate to her story and wish her and the victims well.

I want to thank Ms. Amoia, who had the guts to finally tell the truth on the big bad church and how they are only looking out for their own pockets. I liked the "Suggested Reading" pages in the back of the book. I found many of the articles helpful to me, a former victim of sexual, mental and spiritual abuse. I really related to the poem in the front of the book. I am on my way to recovery and getting on my feet after many years of torture at the hands of someone I trusted. Finally, I am beginning to take back my power too. Thanks for writing this book Ms. Amoia and God bless you always. (...)

This book made me so angry, I could scream. How dare this priest do what he did to so many trusting persons???? I am glad the author decided to write about the victims so that something can be done about abuse in the church. It wasnt a book to be read for entertainment but for instruction and help. I would really like to know his real name. Why would the church keep him so safe and secure? I bet there are so many stories out there. To the author: keep writing!

Written by Jeffrey Zoul, a principal with 20 years of teaching experience in the elementary, middle, and high school levels, Improving Your School One Week at a Time: Building the Foundation for Professional Teaching and Learning is a week-by-week guide to fostering better living, working, and study conditions in any school. Each week recommends addressing a different topic - from school safety to strategies for English as a second language students to test taking considerations, adopting a focus toward homework as small amounts of meaningful work rather than large amounts of busywork, improving communication between teachers and parents, and much more. Improving Your School One Week at a Time is a complete, user-friendly yearlong manual by itself, yet comes with a bonus - those who purchase a copy may enter a code online to download each of the "37 Friday Focus" memos from the publisher's website, and then customize them to apply to the specific needs and context of one's school. An invaluable step-by-step resource.

Dr. Zoul's Improving Your School One Week at a Time is an excellent resource for all educational professionals. The text is engaging and the incorporation of staff reflections makes this book truly unique. Zoul demonstrates how respect for and belief in teachers promotes a culture of professional sharing. Teachers are given the opportunity to share their ideas through Friday Focus correspondence, and the result is a wealth of knowledge and expertise all under one roof.

This book will benefit adminisatrators and teacher leaders. It is a quick and easy read. The book should be used as the ABCs or basic building blocks of a successful PLC. The weekly Friday Focus articles are a collection of ideas that can strengthen or spring your PLC to the next level. The Friday Focus articles reflect the empowerment, knowledge, and passion of these teachers' unrelentess quest to do whatever it takes to teach, inspire, and motivate students. The Friday Focus collection produces a balance of best practices and personal ancedotes with a blend of humor, practicallity, dedication, and determination. Overall, it exemplifies a successful and productive PLC in action.

What an amazingly simple yet brilliant idea! A MUST read for passionate educators and administrators from all levels that are seeking great ideas that will positively affect school climate from top to bottom.

This book, written by Dr. Jeff Zoul and his esteemed teaching staff, is full of insight and wisdom gained over many years of collective experience. It is obvious that student learning and creating a world-class school is their focus on a daily basis.

What would it be like if ALL children could attend a school like Otwell Middle School? No doubt, the possibilities would be endless!

Improving Your School One Week at a Time is an excellent book for a school leadership team to read together for a book study. It is practical yet thought provoking. Each chapter delves into different educational experiences, methodologies, and strategies that will inspire a new educator or a veteran. Reading Dr. Zoul's educational experiences and those of his staff will leave you motiviated to teach another 20 years.......

Margaret

The Internal Economy is a direct application of market economics within organizations in order to better manage resources and directly fight against insufficient innovation, accusations of high costs and unresponsive service, and customer dissatisfaction and resentment. A careful walkthrough of economic theory and its direct application to improve flagging businesses and their management, The Internal Economy is a "must-read" for businessmen, supervisors, and anyone whose bottom line involves improving the flow and quality of internal operations.

The Internal Economy: How to Apply Market Principles within Organizations to Make Sense of Budgeting, Rate-Setting, Project-Approval, and Accounting Processes
By N. Dean Meyer
reviewed by www.CorporateWriters.com

Dean Meyer attacks the very fabric of corporate existence by questioning the structure and ivory towers that exist within corporations.

He takes us back to the basics of activity based budgeting that makes it practical for an organisation to price its entire product line.

The notion of an organisation within an organisation is introduced in an easily approachable manner. Every resource in the organisation is there to service a client. A majority of resources within an organisation serve internal clients. There are very few that serve external clients directly, like Sales and Customer services.

He argues that the internal clients need to receive value from their internal supplier. Corporations must apply market economics within the company to design their resource management processes.

This approach breaks down the historical "always been done that way" to a zero based budgeting approach.

This sounds like a drastic and frightful approach but with the external economy at its most competitive, organisations must ensure that their internal organisation are in harmony with each other and delivering a value for money service.

He provides a toolkit to identify and implement the Internal Economy model.

There are four components within the Internal Economy:

Budgeting.

This is the yardstick by which the corporation will decide how much the corporation will spend on each function

Pricing

Determining unit costs by identifying the right units, assigning direct costs and amortising indirect costs.

Purchase Decisions

Project approval that assign budget to projects and services, adjusting priorities dynamically throughout the year.

Tracking

Accounting processes that provide information for decision-making and evaluation.

He argues that the above process allows strategic alignment by allowing the internal buyers (client pursers) to make decisions about to what to buy from internal suppliers and not those products and services which aren't relevant to their success.

The book concludes with sections on the impact of this approach on Shareholder value, Corporate governance and leadership style.

This is a thought provoking book which will probably raise many questions about an organisation and covers some of the issues that have tackled before in various guises including corporate re-engineering and Sigma six, but here the focus is firmly on controllable (internal) factors and not on uncontrollable (external) factors.

A recommended read for those executives responsible for the management of change within an organisation and those who oppose it or fear it.

Reviewed by Bob K

Chairman

Thought-it

As a main board director Bob gained experience both at operational and strategic levels in the service industry. His main involvement has been in the management of change via corporate re-engineering, CRM, systems oriented management information systems and training of staff.

He ran the internal audit department of a 1billion turnover Tour operator

As Group Finance Director prepared an outdoor advertising company for a float on the Stock Exchange

Has raised Venture Capital for the BIMBO of a sales promotional agency with one partner and worked within the target as MD to deliver the agreed business plan and exit goals very successfully.

Copyright:
www.CorporateWriters.com
www.InternetPressOffice.com

In today's volatile business world, firms can no longer allocate their precious resources based on yesterday's budgets. To compete, companies need their capabilities well orchestrated and aligned with business strategies. "The Internal Economy" sweeps away old thinking about managing resources. Bringing the tonic of the marketplace to bear, it provides a breakthrough approach for planning and budgeting.

Although this book is applicable to any internal service in an enterprise, I'm addressing the value of this book from an IT perspective. In a nutshell, this book provides in 110 pages more information about how to go about getting control over IT spending and governance than a pile of other books I've read.

What I especially like is the business within a business approach, and the clearly defined steps to implementing and managing it. What 'sells' this approach is the hypothetical case study that starts in Chapter 2 and shows the fallacies of a typical budget cycle, and the associated pitfalls. I cringed when I read through this case study because I've seen it repeated time and again in companies large and small. The way the author follows up with this scenario by framing the problem, and then proceeding to provide a straightforward solution using a set of subsystems that cover budgeting, rate setting, prioritization and accounting is remarkable. What makes it so is the fact that the solution can be implemented in any organization, and is almost guaranteed to pay big dividends in efficiency, effectiveness, and customer satisfaction in a relatively short period.

Another aspect of this book that I like is the discussion about chargebacks. This is a topic that arises in IT shops, and is typically implemented with little thought - or erroneous assumptions. This short discussion alone will make this book worthwhile to CIOs.

The internal economy approach is based, in part, on activity based budgeting, which is a subject that merits its own book -is one of the most succinct and illuminating I've read. The author takes this topic from theory to practicality by providing a clear roadmap about how to effectively use it in an enterprise of any size. Interestingly, the approach also aligns nicely to earned value project management, which makes this book especially valuable to project-based organizations.

Speaking as an IT consultant who specializes in IT operations process improvement and service level management, I think this is one of the most important books for any consultant or IT manager concerned with effective service delivery. It truly does contain a solution to the thorny problems of IT/business alignment and providing value to internal customers.

In this small, plainly and succinctly written book, Dean Meyer persuasively makes the case for a "deliverable-based" approach to the management of the resources of an organization's service function. He contrasts this with the "cost factor" (salaries, travel, etc.) approach on which too many budgeting processes are based.

Meyer believes that service organizations, and more appropriately all functional organizations, should be viewed as a "business within a business." Each function gathers resources and "sells" them to client organizations. To do this effectively, four processes are involved. First, client organizations must determine the budget for each project, or "deliverable" in Meyer's language, they wish to undertake and provide senior management with the full cost of each. Costs are provided by each service organization and includes indirect as well as direct costs. Also required is effective pricing of each service by the provider organization based on all expected costs and expected volumes. This, then, allows informed project prioritization and approval by the appropriate level of senior management. Finally, tracking and reporting of costs allows effective monitoring of each project and analysis of results.

The combination of these four factors enables business-oriented decisions as to what each client will and will not buy from a service unit. Executives can debate the value of each proposed deliverable with all costs and proposed results available to them. Meyer also notes that all proposed deliverables that affect a service organization's budget do not come from client organizations. "Subsidies" for resource expenditures that fuel the corporation as a whole and "ventures" for internally-needed new expenditures, such as infrastructure, must be proposed by the service organization and also approved by senior management.

In approximately 100 well written pages, Meyer presents his logical, and thoughtful, approach in a way that is understandable by senior executives - even those with no accounting or financial background. The book is certainly worth reading.

Author: Truskie, Stanley D.
Title: Leadership in high-performance organizational cultures / Stanley D. Truskie.
Publisher: Westport, Conn. : Quorum Books, 1999.
Edition Date: 1999
Language: English
Physical Details: xv, 147 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Subjects: Leadership.
Corporate culture.

If you are an executive, business owner, or manager, this book will help you. I always believed company culture was important, but I had no idea about how to create the right culture. This book provides an easy model to follow that makes sense, plus it offers leadership guidelines to make it happen. I have already instituted some of the ideas presented in the book and I have seen significant positive performance results already. I would definitely recommend this book to any leader who wants to improve the performance of his company.

"I have really been struggling with how to shape my company's culture to ensure I am building an effective organization until I read Dr. Truskie's book. His culture model is so clear and makes so much sense that its logic jumps out at you once you realize that there is a "right" organizational culture. I have heard so often that there is no right or wrong culture, but this book's compelling argument clearly dispels that notion.

I have read other books on organizational culture, but quite frankly, they created more questions than provided answers. I did not know whether I wanted a strong culture, an open culture, a sales culture, a driving culture, or a friendly culture. Plus I did not know where to start. Dr. Truskie helps you understand that as a leader, you must establish the direction first, then shape the right culture to achieve your strategic goals and objectives .

At least now I have a model that will help guide me in creating an effective culture ( Dr.Truskie calls integrated and balanced) within my organization. He also provides excellent examples of unbalanced cultures and explains how they negatively affect performance. The changes we now have under way within my company have already resulted in positive performance improvement. But as Dr. Truskie points out, this is a journey, and not a destination so we are still working toward building our high-performance culture.

This is definitely not a "quick" read book but one you should read a chapter at time, think about the message, then read on to the next chapter. But I can tell you it is well worth the time...one of the more meaningful books on leadership available in a crowded market."

I teach Organization Theory and Organizational Behavior. Teaching leadership has the challenge of finding a way to put the theories into practice. Dr. Truskie meets this challenge and offers a reasonable solution to this decision maker's need.

At various points throughout the book, Truskie cautions that there is no one "ideal" style, nor an infallible "model", nor any single combination of leadership traits, characteristics and behaviors which are most appropriate to all organizations in all phases of their development. He urges his reader to absorb and digest the contents of Leadership in High-Performance Organizational Cultures with care, of course, but also with some degree of critical detachment. Then, correlate his observations and suggestions with the specific circumstances of the reader's own organization.

Truskie suggests that "there is a direct link between leadership, organizational culture, and performance." According to his research and analysis, the most effective leader has an impact on "forming the culture of an organization, which further can have an enhancing effect of improving the level, ensuring the consistency, and sustaining the organization's continuing performance improvement." Truskie believes that many leaders are preoccupied with identifying and then manifesting an "ideal" style of leadership when, in fact, no such style exists. That is to say, even the most effective leaders have significant human imperfections; however, they are aware of these imperfections and make every effort to ensure that these imperfections do not have a negative impact on their respective organizations.

For this reader, one of the greatest benefits of Leadership in High-Performance Organizational Cultures is Truskie's explanation of the potential, beneficial implications of the L4 Strategy with specific relevance to creating and then sustaining a high-performance organizational culture. Leaders as well as those whom they lead must constantly monitor the balance of four aforementioned cultural patterns. Imbalances are inevitable. Although Truskie does not discuss it, he would probably agree that an early-warning system of some kind is highly desirable. The model he provides suggests all manner of ways by which to recognize and then respond effectively to symptoms of such imbalances. For the foreseeable future, change will be the only constant. Given that reality, Leadership in High-Performance Organizational Cultures can be of even greater value as all organizations (regardless of their size or nature) proceed into an otherwise uncertain future.