The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Second Edition
  • PDMA - Handbook for new product development
  • Product Marketing Professionals - BUY THIS BOOK!
  • This book should have been read when it was published!
  • Wonderful!
The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition

Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471485241

Book Description

The completely revised and updated "bible"of new product development: The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition.

The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition provides a comprehensive, updated picture of what you as a manager need to know for effective new product development. The book's concise, map-like detail acts as a compass, offering practical information pertaining to every stage of the product development process -- from idea generation to launch to the end of the life cycle.

Whether you're a novice or an expert, this edition is ideal as it provides both fundamentals and reliable information on advanced and emerging concepts such as accelerated product development, new product development globalization and benchmarking, and Web-based concept development.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Second Edition.......2007-04-11

This is the "Bible" for NPD professionals. An excellent addition to the guides by Cooper and Crawford.

4 out of 5 stars PDMA - Handbook for new product development.......2007-01-12

Haven't read from cover to cover, but proving to be an excellent reference. Good examples from industry reinforce key messages. Haven't learnt anything groundbreakingly new, but it has been a good confirmation or fine-tuning reference when needed.

5 out of 5 stars Product Marketing Professionals - BUY THIS BOOK!.......2002-03-14

The PDMA Handbook is one of those rare and valuable books that characterizes a "body of knowledge" for a professional discipline. It was produced by the preeminent industry organization for New Product Development (NPD) professionals, the PDMA .... This text describes current, best practices in NPD and includes contributions from knowledge leaders in academia, consulting, and industry practice. If you are a CEO, COO, CTO, Marketing Manager, Product Manager, Product Planner, Engineering Manager, Project Manager, Program Manager, or any other professional involved in new product development (especially for technically complex products like hardware and software) you really need this book.

Product Managers (should) perform the nitty, gritty, roll-your-sleeves-up: opportunity analysis, business case formulation, and requirements management for new products. Research shows that judicious performance of this critical pre-work is a key determinant in the ultimate market success of new products and is usually performed inadequately. Unfortunately, most professionals in such roles have had no formal training beyond an MBA (sometimes). The PDMA Handbook provides a comprehensive treatment of virtually all the subject areas new product development (business) managers need to understand to drive the success of their endeavors. Want to know the key success factors for new products, understand value proposition, differentiation, features vs. benefits, uniqueness, sustainable competitive advantage, the fuzzy front end, pipeline management, how to plan a new product launch, manage a product portfolio, and more? This is the book you need. The PDMA Handbook is the Gray's Anatomy of product management. Buy it and READ it at least twice.

4 out of 5 stars This book should have been read when it was published!.......2001-08-19

This book seem to be written by persons who really know what NPD (or NPI) really is. All those described mistakes possible to be done is made by me during last five years...this is a good book.

The area of NPD is large. Luckily people in PDMA have come to the right conclution: it is not possible for one person to handle the whole area throughly. Every chapter in this book is written by expert on his/her own area. Unfortunately the maximum size of one book restricts the possible space per one writer to include only the most vital parts into this book.

To whom I can recommend this book? --- To anyone who will to increase his/her own scope of NPD and especially to a person who already have gained some experience on this field and is able to compare his/her own experiece to this book.

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful!.......2000-02-02

I purchased the PDMA Handbook on the strength of a review and have been very glad I did so. After quoting a few passage to my staff they began to borrow it, and now the Handbook has made the rounds of the office. It is worn and dog-eared, and quoted from on a daily basis.

The message of "treating each other with respect and dignity" by author Holahan et al has really struck a chord around here. Many of us believe she must be staunch Christian, one who lives her faith on a daily basis.

The PDMA Handbook has provided guidance in mapping out strategies for new services we hope to bring to market as well as the way our organization is managed. It has changed the way we do business and the way we percieve the world.
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Tools for creating a Learning Culture
  • enlightening concepts about leadership
  • The Fifth Discipline
  • A follow up to the legend
  • A second dose of Inspiration...
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
Peter M. Senge , Art Kleiner , Charlotte Roberts , Rick Ross , and Bryan Smith
Manufacturer: Currency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385472560
Release Date: 1994-06-20

Book Description

Senge's best-selling The Fifth Discipline led Business Week to dub him the "new guru" of the corporate world; here he offers executives a step-by-step guide to building "learning organizations" of their own.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Tools for creating a Learning Culture.......2006-09-11

Peter M Serge, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook

To quote the first few paragraphs at beginning of book:

Among the tribes of northen Natal in South Africa, the most common greeting, equivalent to "hello" in English, is the expression: Sawu bona. It literally means, "I see you." If you are a member of the tribe, you might reply by saying Sikhona, "I am here." The order of the exchange is important: until you see me, I do not exist. It's as if, when you see me bring me into existence.

This meaning, implicit in the language, is part of the spirit of ubuntu, a frame of mind prevalent among native people in Africa below the Sahara. The word ubuntu stems from the folk saying Umuntu ngumuntu nagabantu, which from Zulu, literally translates as: "A person is a person because of other people."


"I bow in honor and reverence that place within you where to the Universe resides, when you are in that place within you, and I am in that place within me, there is One." ~namaste


The five disciplines are at the CORE of a Learning Organization

1) Personal Mastery: expand your personal capacity and ability

2) Mental Models: see how our internal pictures of the world shape action and decision

3) Shared Vision: group commitment

4) Team Learning: group ability is greater than the sum of individual talents

5) System Thinking:


"When we try to bring about change in our societies, we are treated first with indifference, then with ridicule, then with abuse and then with oppression. And finally, the greatest challenge is thrown at us: We are treated with respect. This is the most dangerous stage." --A. T. Ariyaratne (Speech made at International Community Leadership Summit, Winrock, Arkansas, March 1983. This quote paraphrases and expands upon a well-known statement made by Mahatma Gandhi in his book Satyagraha in South Africa, 1982, 1979, Canon, Me.: Greenleaf books)


"An [organization] is not a machine but a living organism." --Ikujiro Nonaka /****
Fundamentals of epistemology: what is knowledge, the nature of knowledge, and what constitutes learning.
understanding is achieved after internalization.
Without experience, we cannot truly understand.
Internalization: transformation from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge, habits and culture that we do not recognize in ourselves.
Innovation is a process to capture, create, leverage, and retain knowledge.
What is your belief? A belief about images of the world - you may call it a mental model - is a very subjective thing

information is the flow of a message, while knowledge is created by accumulating information. Thus, information is a necessary medium or material for eliciting and constructing knowledge.

The second difference is that information is something passive. When we switch on a TV set, information comes regardless of my commitment. But knowledge comes from my belief, so it's more proactive.

And the organizational knowledge or intellectual infrastructure of an organization encourages its individual members to develop new knowledge through new experiences.

This dynamic process is the key to organizational knowledge creation - that is, socialization (from individual tacit knowledge to group tacit knowledge), externalization (from tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge), combination (from separate explicit knowledge to systemic explicit knowledge), and internalization (from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge) [...].

[...]

Three Guiding Ideas

1) The Whole. When you are pointing a finger at the problems, notice how many fingers are pointing back at you. If you fixed the symptoms and ignore the root causes, the problems have not gone away. Another way to look at this is treat the person, not the disease. Of course treat the disease if the patient is dying, but know that the patient will get sick again because the "root causes" are stil there.

2) Community. The self is "a point of view." "The essence of being a person is being in a relationship [with] other people." You will not believe this, but each person before you is there for a reason. The reason this person is there at this moment is for you to learn something about yourself. If you ignore the person, do not ignore or forget the lesson.

3) Language. The map is not the territory. We cannot contain every bit of information that comes to us in the world, so we have to create a "map of the territory" and then refer to the map for our information. By changing a person's map, we change their reality. Language is the map, not the reality.

4 out of 5 stars enlightening concepts about leadership.......2005-10-26

It seems to me that The Fifth Discipline (the previous publication of the series) is more attacting to me. The second book can be more precise and concise in content. Generally speaking I still like these two books as a foreign reader.

5 out of 5 stars The Fifth Discipline.......2003-02-08

This book is a collection of theoretical summaries, reports, analyses, and strategies all quite useful to anyone interested in generating some thinking and action around change. The team of five writers (Peter Senge, Richard Ross, Bryan Smith, Charlotte Roberts, and Art Kleiner) provide some original work, but also serve as editors to a vast quantity of material drawn from practitioners, theorists, and writers in the field of organizational improvement. According to Senge, "great teams are learning organizations - groups of people who, over time, enhance their capacity to create what they truly desire to create." (p.18) This book is really about creating and building great teams. The learning organization develops its ability to reflect on, discuss, question, and change its current and past practices. To do this, people and groups in the organization need to meaningfully pursue the study and practice of the five disciplines - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking.

The learning organization - Senge's vision for the productive, competitive, and efficient institutions of the future - is in a continuous state of change. Four fundamental questions continuously serve to check and guide a group's learning and improvement (see page 49): (1) Do you continuously test your experiences? ("Are you willing to examine and challenge your sacred cows - not just during crises, but in good times?") (2) Are you producing knowledge? ("Knowledge, in this case, means the capacity for effective action.") (3) Is knowledge shared? ("Is it accessible to all of the organization's members?") (4) Is the learning relevant? ("Is this learning aimed at the organization's core purpose?") If these questions represent the organization's compass, the five disciplines are its map.

Each of the five disciplines is explained, and elaborated in its own lengthy section of the book. In the section on "Systems Thinking" (a set of practices and perspectives, which views all aspects of life as inter-related and playing a role in some larger system), the authors build on the idea of feedback loops (reinforcing and balancing) and introduce five systems archetypes. They are: "fixes that backfire", "limits to growth", "shifting the burden", "tragedy of the commons", and "accidental adversaries". In the section on "Personal Mastery", the authors argue that learning starts with each person. For organizations to learn and improve, people within the organization (perhaps starting with its core leadership) must learn to reflect on and become aware of their own core beliefs and visions. In "Mental Models", the authors argue that learning organizations need to explore the assumptions and attitudes, which guide their institutional directions, practices, and strategies. Articles on scenario planning, the ladder of inference, the left-hand column, and balancing inquiry and advocacy offer practical strategies to investigate our personal mental models as well as those of others in the organization. In "Shared Vision", the authors make the case for the stakeholders of an organization to continually adapt their vision ("an image of a desired future"), values ("how we get to travel to where we want to go"), purpose ("what the organization is here to do"), and goals ("milestones we expect to reach before too long"). The section offers many strategies and perspectives on how to move an organization toward continuous reflection. In "Team Learning", the authors rely mostly on the work of William Isaacs and others, and make a case for educating organization members in the processes and skills of dialogue and skillful discussion.

This book is enlightening and informative. It has already found a place on my shelf for essential reference books.

5 out of 5 stars A follow up to the legend.......2003-01-27

The Fieldbook attempts at making the esoteric concepts of the fifth discipline more down to earth and contains a treasure trove of strategies, tools, methods and explanations on how to make the learning organization into a reality.

Thus people who have read The fifth discipline will gain the most from this book. It's a must read for people who want to make their organizations transition into a 'learning organization'

5 out of 5 stars A second dose of Inspiration..........2002-02-09

Senge's second serving of the Learning Organization is filled with practical tips and real-life examples from companies and organizations that have embraced the teachings of the Learning Organization successfully.

The Book is a collaboration of several writers who do a superb job of unraveling the web that is the learning organization. At times, it may seem to the reader that the book is a labyrinth of disjointed concepts and ideas. However, if you have read `The Fifth Discipline' you will find no problems following the concepts introduced. In fact, you will even understand why the writers have chosen to introduce them in that fashion. If you have not read "The Fifth Discipline', do not despair, it will take a little longer to get `the whole picture'.
The Book is divided into 8 main sections:

1) Getting Started addresses the basic concepts and ideas of the Learning Organization.
2) Systems Thinking (the fifth discipline) - Many people have argued that Senge should have delegated the fifth discipline until the end, however, without Systems Thinking, your vision is disjointed and incomplete.
3) Personal Mastery covers the area of individual development and learning. The chapters here are among the most valuable in the area of self-growth and self-improvement.
4) Mental Models - These are the pictures that you have in your head which represent reality.
5) Shared Vision - You've seen the whole picture, you've developed and you understand how you see the world. Now you need to find a common cause with the rest of the people in your organization, something that you all work for.
6) Team Learning - As you work with other people in teams or groups, you need to pass the stuff that you have learnt and the wisdom you've acquired to others. At this stage, the learning is no longer that of the individual, but the group.
7) Arenas of Practice - (Self explanatory)
8) Frontiers - Where do we go from here.

If you are interested in development, learning, growth, leadership, gaining a competitive edge whether at an organizational or personal level, then this book is for you. In fact, I'd venture to say that this is book is for everyone.
Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • If this doesn't help . . you are beyond self help.
  • Inspirational!
  • Questionable Advice
  • Kick in the butt!
  • Standard Material, Different Approach
Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life
Larry Winget
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 047177345X

Book Description

Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life

This is not your typical self-help book. You won't find any motivational platitudes or cute business parables here. This is more of a "get off your butt and get to work" approach that can help you achieve more success, make more money, improve your business, and have more fun.

Larry Winget doesn't pull any punches here. He believes that business gets better when businesspeople get better through personal growth. And it works the same way in your personal life-husbands and wives improve each other when they improve themselves, and kids improve when their parents do. In other words, everything in life gets better when you get better, and nothing gets better until you get better.

This book can make you better, but it will probably tick you off. Winget is direct, caustic, and controversial. You won't like or agree with everything he has to say. Yet his advice is full of wisdom and truth that can't easily be argued with.

Words from Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life that prove that this book is anything but typical:

"If you don't have much going wrong in your life, then you don't have much going on in your life."

"When you work, work! When you play, play! Don't mix the two."

"What you think about, talk about, and do something about is what comes about."

"When it quits being fun-quit."

"Time management is a joke."

And that's just the beginning!

Download Description

Practical steps to take control of your life and get results
He might seem harsh from time to time, but Larry Winget's unique approach to personal development-combining blunt truth with irreverent humor-is really based on love of self and love of others. Life is serious, but that doesn't mean we should always take it so seriously. Larry's message is simple: life isn't as complicated as it seems and most people would find more success, and more happiness, in their lives if they'd do a few simple things-take responsibility for their actions, lighten up, and start doing the right things instead of the wrong things. By forcing readers to look truthfully at their own lives, this refreshingly honest approach to self-improvement leaves readers nowhere to turn but the mirror-and proves that when we stop making excuses we start succeeding.
Larry Winget (Paradise Valley, AZ) is one of the most successful professional speakers in America. He is known as the Pitbull of Personal Development(TM), speaking worldwide to corporations and associations over one hundred times per year, delivering hardcore self-help that's funny.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars If this doesn't help . . you are beyond self help........2007-10-20

This book is funny and straight to the point. If you don't get something useful out of it, you should take it to Larry's house so he can beat you to death with it.

CC

5 out of 5 stars Inspirational!.......2007-10-08

This book is fantastic! I love to listen to audio books on the way to work. A good audio book almost makes you want to get stuck in traffic!
Of course, if you listen to Larry Winget, you will find out that the traffic jam is your fault!! Shut up! Stop complaining about the traffic jam! Get a life! If you didn't want to be stuck in traffic jams on the way to work than you should write entire books based on one sentence and make a great living off it! Also, trumpet your seminars from the tallest buildings or thickest books or most annoying audio books to get interest and tour, tour, tour!
That's true! Listen, if you don't want to buy this book, let me sum up what you need to do. Larry's right. Shut up. Not making it? Not paying the bills? House not big enough? Don't hate. Find out what your skills are and see how that can make you money and bust your butt. I have two start-up businesses that may go nowhere but sitting and watching idiotic televion won't improve my lifestyle, I guarantee it. Hey, I did it! And without insulting you! Just go do it. And Larry, stop contributing to global warming with all that hot air. Just give your seminars and don't hate. That includes the fat people you hate so much. I'm not fat but I'm not bigoted against them as you say you are.

2 out of 5 stars Questionable Advice.......2007-10-04

I like Winget's approach -- we all need a kick in the butt once in awhile, but his information is questionable in too many areas.

On Health: Winget insists all physical problems are our own fault. I agree with the theory, but it shouldn't be presented as a blanket statement. My wife was born with a defective heart and has to live with the problem. How did she "create" that?

On Stress: Winget tells us that stress happens when we know the right thing to do and choose to do the wrong thing. Excuse me, but how does that apply to being caught behind a traffic accident on the way to work, a loss of faith, the death of a loved one . . . what are the "right" choices to make when you come home to find you've been robbed?

On Relationships: Winget, on his second marriage and an admitted adulterer (with an adultress as a wife) claims he always likes his wife but doesn't always love her. I don't know what planet he's living on. I've been with my wife for thirty years and, although we don't always like each other, we've never doubted our love for each other.

Those are just a few of the problems I have with this otherwise entertaining book. It's a good read, and makes you take a look at yourself, but please don't embrace it as your new bible. The information is too simplistic and general.

5 out of 5 stars Kick in the butt!.......2007-09-23

I love this book! He has a very direct and no nonsense method for delivering the message about getting it done. You may wince while reading some sections of this book because of the truth of it.

4 out of 5 stars Standard Material, Different Approach.......2007-09-10

Larry Winget is terrific. He's in-your-face and irreverant (which, to me, comes across as funny). If you're a self-improvement junkie, however, you'll recognize literally everything in this book as originally coming from another source -- everyone from Buddah to Wayne Dyer to Julius Fast. Larry Winget is Tony Robbins with a different physical image and approach, although both are enthusiastic, funny, entertaining, and full of information.

As a self-improvement junkie for over forty years, I don't agree with everything Winget says. He's sure he's right and I'm sure he's wrong. My biggest argument concerns the idea that we create every medical issue we have. I've heard this one many times before . . . all from self-improvement gurus who have never really been sick a day in their lives. Yes, I agree that people can create ulcers and migranes and even cancer, but I'd like to ask Mr. Winget and the rest of the "experts" how my husband manifested his bayonet wound from Vietnam, how I created the extra heart nerve bundle I was born with, or how Michael J. Fox (great attitude, careful with his health) caused Parkinson's Disease. Or how the always-upbeat, active, and cautious Luciano Pavarotti created pancreatic cancer. Unlike Winget, I believe some things do Just Happen. It's hard for me to believe my daughter's seat belt magically released during an auto accident, leaving her with a concussion, because she had a bad attitude.

Aside from a few personal problems such as the health issue, this book will get you motivated. But once you're motivated, you need to be able to use that motivation or you'll just be enthusiastic for awhile and then fall back into your old routine. Even Winget declares that you have to know what you want and have a plan before getting all fired up.

For those who have run up against this problem in the past, I suggest the audiobook "Before You Hire A Life Coach . . . Heal Your Problems With Pyramid Problem Solving." Pyramid Problem Solving will (finally!) lead you to what you honestly want, bottom line. It does not stop with what you think you want, what you wanted ten years ago, what someone else has convinced you that you want, or what you think you should want. It gets right to the bottom, THEN you can use motivational material and finally find success.

I wish everyone who reads this book (or any other self-help material) all the success in the world. It's taken me a long time (and a lot of energy and money) to finally get to my own honest "This Is What I Want," and I'm in my fifties.
The Consultant's Toolkit: High-Impact Questionnaires, Activities and How-to Guides for Diagnosing and Solving Client Problems
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A Solution Seeking A Problem?
  • Worth the Price
  • Valuable Book
  • Awesome for Actionable Purchase
  • A Good Thought Jogger
The Consultant's Toolkit: High-Impact Questionnaires, Activities and How-to Guides for Diagnosing and Solving Client Problems
Mel Silberman
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071362614

Book Description

Written and field-tested by practicing consultants, The Consultant’s Tool Kit will save consultants both time and money-as it makes their work with clients much more effective. Each tool or activity is designed to solve a common consulting problem. Reproducible worksheets, exercises, and questionnaires are easily downloaded from the web and customized by consultants to fit the exact needs of each client—and help them effectively implement the solutions.

This collection of field-tested tools, customizable questionnaires, and techniques for working with clients provides crucial problem-solving help in areas such as:
• Managing and leading change
• Organizational initiatives
• Assessing team and organizational functioning
• Improving relationships between departments and business units
• Creative problem-solving techniques

Mel Silberman, Ph.D., (Princeton, NJ) is a best-selling author and editor. A professor of adult and organization development at Temple University, he is the author of Active Training.

Download Description

Written and field-tested by practicing consultants, The Consultant's Tool Kit will save consultants both time and money-as it makes their work with clients much more effective. Each tool or activity is designed to solve a common consulting problem. Reproducible worksheets, exercises, and questionnaires are easily downloaded from the web and customized by consultants to fit the exact needs of each client¿and help them effectively implement the solutions.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars A Solution Seeking A Problem?.......2007-09-08

A good book with some solid approaches to consulting that many have found to be useful.

The only downside, if you can call it that, is that quite a number of the solutions may not work well in a good number of real-world consulting assignments.

Overall not a bad read and worth further investigation if you're looking for something to lead you step-by-step through solving certain client problems.

5 out of 5 stars Worth the Price.......2007-02-19

Part of my consulting practice is to create and facilitate group learning for various situations. I enjoy leafing through this book to both remind myself of tools, techniques and concepts I have explored in the past, and also to expand my options to incorporate new material into the mix. It is a bit like hanging out with a bunch of other consultants for a day to share ideas.

5 out of 5 stars Valuable Book.......2006-07-17


This is a wonderful book that combines the expertise of a wide range of experts in the consulting field. Due to the different styles of the authors, the reader is bound to find several that really address their concerns.

The book is a useful toolkit as it has templates that one can easily adapt to meet their needs. Most of the common consulting problems are addressed. Among the readily useable tools are the various exercises, questionnaires and reproducible worksheets and techniques for working with clients, among others, which make this a very user friendly book that makes life easier for a consultant, particularly those like me that are relatively new to the profession.

This is a well written book that is easy to follow and understand and that should be a valuable tool to both the seasoned professional and the novice. It is certainly a very valuable reference book that can be used as a checklist when delivering services.

5 out of 5 stars Awesome for Actionable Purchase.......2006-02-19

This book led me to synergist my P2P bottom-line best practices, to synergize both inside and outside the box, to leverage a value-added, results-driven mindset for their B2B core competencies in which their historical trends have led me to conclude that by doubling or even tripling their efforts of efficiency on the office front, it will yield a new entity of massive synergistic proportions.

5 out of 5 stars A Good Thought Jogger.......2005-03-30

Silberman has brought together 45 different tools to help the consultant carry out a variety of projects. The book is probably due for a new edition, but many of the tools are as relevant now as they were when the book was published.

Because the book's scope is broad, it's best used as a way to frame your thinking on how to solve a problem, or to suggest a summary approach to a client issue. It's a good reference to be sure you're not leaving things out that you should think about, rather than a comprehensive guide to engagement problem-solving.

This is an ambitious book with lots of great ideas.

Michael McLaughlin, coauthor with Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants.
Developing Training Courses : A Technical Writer's Guide to Instructional Design and Development
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good for content planning, not for content writing
  • Terrific for Planning from the Ground Up!
  • Very applicable
Developing Training Courses : A Technical Writer's Guide to Instructional Design and Development
Rives Hassell-Corbiell
Manufacturer: Learning Edge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0970145403

Book Description

The eight-step strategy presented in this book takes the mystery out of writing effective training courses. Practical templates, checklists, assessments, and examples streamline your effort and eliminate writer's block. You'll discover how to make the most of limited time, money, and human resources to:

—Develop training lessons that make a difference.
—Customize off-the-shelf training to meet the needs of your target audience.
—Repurpose existing documentation.
—Globalize your training for culturally diverse learners or tailor lessons to meet specific needs of a limited audience.
—Recognize dead-end paths that can undermine the success of your project.
—Incorporate ready-to-use CGI, Java, and HTML scripts into lessons. Learn when to use them, where to find download sites, and how to tailor them to your training objectives and learners.

This systematic approach has helped thousands of writers like you create training programs that deliver what they promise. In just hours, you can learn techniques and time-savers that others have learned only through hard-won experience and costly mistakes.

Keep this book handy. You'll reach for it often for real-world advice about every phase of your project from initial planning to troubleshooting. Better than a mentor, it's a must-have for every successful training or user-education professional.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good for content planning, not for content writing.......2006-11-21

This is one of the best books of those that help you determine what should be included in your training course - to plan objectives and then break it down into the detail. It also covers how to test the effectiveness of the course. However, it does not give any information at all about what a course module should contain or how to write it.

My goal was to write a training course for a software program. So, for the most part I knew what the outline of the course should be. I needed to know how to introduce the subject, how much to include in the single module, what exactly to do and say. For this, the book would get a zero.

Very good for it's purpose but I felt a review was needed to point out what that was.

5 out of 5 stars Terrific for Planning from the Ground Up!.......2004-04-22

I just can't say enough about this book. I am developing a training program for the first time and it has added outstanding depth to my process. It is simple to use. If you go step by step everything just seems to fall in to place.

It is a life saver!

5 out of 5 stars Very applicable.......2002-04-04

I read this book in 5 hours. After that, I had all the tools I needed to start developing a training course for a subject matter I still knew little about. Great book for someone who has a short time to develop a training course. Great reference for anyone who needs new approaches to their training development.
Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Consultants (J-B O-D (Organizational Development))
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Too Academic
  • Professional 'Keeper'
  • Solid definitions and foundation for understanding OD
  • Excelente
  • The essestial skills needed to do change management today
Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Consultants (J-B O-D (Organizational Development))

Manufacturer: Pfeiffer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  3. Best Practices in Organization Development and Change: Culture, Leadership, Retention, Performance, Coaching Best Practices in Organization Development and Change: Culture, Leadership, Retention, Performance, Coaching
  4. Organization Development: A Jossey-Bass Reader (The Jossey-Bass Business and Management Reader Series) Organization Development: A Jossey-Bass Reader (The Jossey-Bass Business and Management Reader Series)
  5. Organization Development: Behavioral  Science Interventions for Organization Improvement (6th Edition) Organization Development: Behavioral Science Interventions for Organization Improvement (6th Edition)

ASIN: 0787962384

Book Description

Since it was first published in 1995, Practicing Organization Development has become a classic in change management. Now completely revised and updated, editors Rothwell and Sullivan, leaders in the field of OD, and numerous expert practitioners, walk you through each episode of change facilitation.

Youll find exhibits, activities, instruments, and case studies. You'll get help applying each phase of a popular emerging change making model. And youll find include applied research and insights from a wide variety of well-known OD practitioners and academicians. Included in this comprehensive resource are an instructor's guide, ever expanding materials on the Web, and a companion CD-ROM with PowerPoint slides and supplemental materials.

Practicing Organization Development is packed with useful, current, proven direction on applying OD principles in the real world -- order your copy today!

Download Description

"Since it was first published in 1995, Practicing Organization Development has become a classic in change management. In this completely revised and updated second edition, expert authors walk you through each episode of  change facilitation.

The second edition is enhanced with exhibits, activities, instruments, and case studies. This indispensable guide will help apply each phase of a popular emerging change making model. The editors, themselves leaders in the field of OD, include applied research and insights from a wide variety of well-known practitioners and academicians. A comprehensive resource, included is an instructor's guide, ever expanding materials on the Web, PowerPoint slides and supplemental materials on the companion CD-ROM. "

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Too Academic.......2006-07-29

This book is much too academic. Can somebody recommend an organizational change book written by a practitioner? This book is designed for undergraduate students.

5 out of 5 stars Professional 'Keeper'.......2003-03-17

This 'Guide' book is one of four used in a Human Resource Development course that I took in a masters program. The content is the type that will be referred to over and over again in the course of an HRDV career. Some principles should not change, and the ones in this book are rich. A copy is staying in my personal library.

5 out of 5 stars Solid definitions and foundation for understanding OD.......2001-08-04

I love this book! It is a must-have for all practitioners, beginners, or anyone who wants to place solid definitions of all elements associated with organization development.

5 out of 5 stars Excelente.......1999-02-17

Es nuestro libro de texto en la materia de Desarrollo Organizacional de la Maestría de Gestión de la Calidad en el Centro de Excelencia de la Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, México. Por motivo de traducción su lectura no es tan rápida como desearamos por lo que me interesa saber cuando tendrán una edición en español. Gracias. Ana Luisa Mejía.

5 out of 5 stars The essestial skills needed to do change management today.......1997-06-16

This book has become a best seller in the change managment and organization development arena. It is used as a text book by many universities. At the last OD network meeting, 4 graduate programs in OD identified this as the favorite of students. It is practical, easy to read and is very useful for anyone doing consulting. Dick Beckhard who coined the phrase Organization Development says it is the best book on change since his Addision-Wesley Series on OD
The Accelerated Learning Handbook: A Creative Guide to Designing and Delivering Faster, More Effective Training Programs
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Educational Trainer
  • A refreshing approach to learning and training--I highly recommend it...
  • Practical ideas for facilitators
  • excellent training tool
  • Accelerated Learning Handbook
The Accelerated Learning Handbook: A Creative Guide to Designing and Delivering Faster, More Effective Training Programs
Dave Meier
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0071355472

Book Description

Discover how today's corporations are benefiting from accelerated learning to speed training time, improve results, and reduce costs.

Accelerated learning is the use of music, color, emotion, play, and creativity to involve the whole student and enliven the learning experience. The Accelerated Learning Handbook is the first definitive book to explain state-of-the-art accelerated learning techniques to trainers and teachers, and features 40 techniques designed to save money while producing far better results.

Leading expert Dave Meier provides an overview of the background and underlying principles of accelerated learning, and reviews the latest supporting research results. Training professionals will look to The Accelerated Learning Handbook to:

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Educational Trainer .......2006-11-10

This book is IDEAL for anyone who is going to train or teach anything. How to cut the fluff and deliver the required facts.

5 out of 5 stars A refreshing approach to learning and training--I highly recommend it..........2006-11-03

I am not a professional trainer by trade. However, I was recently appointed training coordinator for my department. The Accelerated Learning Handbook has definitely helped me approach my job with a fresh perspective. The information, ideas, and techniques presented have enabled me to more effectively train those in my department as well as those in other functions. Before reading the AL Handbook, I thought all that was needed to effectively teach someone was simply to make sure all of my PowerPoint slides were logically put together. I now have a broader view of how people learn and a sold framework to use when putting together training materials on any topic. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to engage the audience and create meaningful, effective training presentations.

5 out of 5 stars Practical ideas for facilitators.......2006-02-21

I have worked with adult learners for more than fifteen years and have always tried to incorporate whole-brained, participative learning. This book provided some excellent theoretical background as well as a lot of new instantly usable ideas. I wasn't even all the way through before I applied a couple of the techniques and got an excellent response from my client.

5 out of 5 stars excellent training tool.......2003-07-06

I was getting ready to prepare a training program for 44 persons when I read this book. Immediately! after I used the guidelines to prepare my session. Preparation was fast and easy -and fun! I really couldn't believe that it was that easy to apply and it has been one of my best sessions to date. I refer to it when I need a refresher or a new perspective. I definately reccomend this book for trainers who need to keep their material fresh and interesting (esp. in-house trainers).

4 out of 5 stars Accelerated Learning Handbook.......2002-01-02

Finally, teachers and administrators have a useful tool to recharge their classrooms/schools. We have become so test oriented that many times we forget that the process of learning comes from the doing. The statement comes to mind that we utter with new approaches," When do I have the time to get it all in?". That is where the problem lies! We are so pressured with these new demands that we loose sight of what is important, the process. This book will give us a clearer picture of how we can recharge our teaching and can provide the key so we can use the ideas to change the way we teach or approach the students' learning who are in our care.
Essential Managers: Strategic Thinking
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Basic, essential, and very well-presented
  • I wish I had this book when I was a young corporate rat.
Essential Managers: Strategic Thinking
Andy Bruce , and Ken Langdon
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0789459728

Amazon.com

To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, you might not always get what you want from this short 'n' sweet little guidebook on strategic thinking and planning, but you just might get what you need. That would include concise and handy visual and verbal tips on gathering and analyzing key information, setting short- and long-term objectives, developing your team leadership skills, predicting future trends, and maintaining a flexible approach throughout. It also covers the essential tools of strategic management, from SWOT (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) analysis and feasibility studies to budgeting forecasts and contingency plans. Granted, if you're looking for specific or in-depth guidance--say, how to do strategic thinking in a particular field, like biotechnology, or a particular division, like human resources--you may find this book too cursory and general in its approach. But if you're looking for a thumbnail guide to the basic steps of strategic planning, both individually and in a group setting, this may do you just fine.

It's worth mentioning that the book is also part of reference publisher Dorling Kindersley's Essential Managers series--20 itty-bitty li'l books on business and career topics ranging from communication, leadership, and decision making to the management of time, budgets, change, meetings, people, projects, and teams. Combining the For Dummies book series's talent for breaking down a lot of information into bite-size bits and sidebars with Dorling Kindersley's signature design style of crisp, classy graphics on a gleaming white backdrop, they don't represent the cutting edge of business thinking and they don't necessarily reflect any unique individual perspective. Instead, it's as though someone collated the best general thinking on these 20 topics and rolled them out into 72 brightly designed and easy-to-read pages, studded along the way with boxed tips, color shots of a multiracial cast of "coworkers" animatedly hashing through the workplace issues of the day, and a self-test of one's skills in the topic at hand on the last few pages of each volume. Again, they're not for anyone looking for more in-depth or focused help on any of the subjects they cover, but they're perfect as a quickie general-interest reference... and let's face it, they're so cute and look so smart in a neat little stack or row that you'll probably want to buy a whole bunch to give to your entire staff or department. --Timothy Murphy

Book Description

Learn about brainstorming, systems, logic, precedents, action plans, and goals.

Learn how to plan, develop, and implement dynamic business and team strategies with Strategic Thinking. This concise and informative guide shows you how to identify the route to success by gathering and analyzing key information, setting short- and long-term objectives, developing your team-leadership skills, predicting future trends, and maintaining a flexible approach. It covers the essential tools of strategic management, from SWOT analysis and feasibility studies to budgeting forecasts and contingency plans, to help give you a competitive edge in today's fast-moving business world. The Essential Manager have sold more than 1.9 million copies worldwide! Experienced and novice managers alike can benefit from these compact guides that slip easily into a briefcase or a portfolio. The topics are relevant to every work environment, from large corporations to small businesses. Concise treatments of dozens of business techniques, skills, methods, and problems are presented with hundreds of photos, charts, and diagrams. It is the most exciting and accessible approach to business and self-improvement available.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Basic, essential, and very well-presented.......2007-06-26


During a recent business trip, I stopped by an airport store and saw a display of several volumes of the "Essential Managers" series. I purchased this one as well as John Seymour and Martin Shervington's Maximizing Performance, read both while en route home and was surprised, frankly, to find each to be remarkably comprehensive within a 69-page narrative. Obviously, the subject of strategic thinking is vast and complicated. No single book could possibly cover everything, nor do Bruce and Langdon make any such claim. What they offer is a focus on fundamentals, as do the volumes that comprise the Harvard Business Essentials series.

First, Bruce and Langdon share their definition of strategy, examine the strategic process, suggest how to balance pursuit of both short- and long-term goals, prepare for strategic success, and anticipate what may lie ahead. Next, they explain how to analyze the given situation in terms of influences, customers, competition, and the given organization's available resources (e.g. the skills and capabilities of its people). Then Bruce and Langdon focus on the strategic planning process itself (definition of purpose, determination of competitive advantage, setting of operational boundaries, selection of points of emphasis, and estimation of probable costs of implementation. They conclude with a series of observations and suggestions concerning strategy implementation.

As I read this book, I was again reminded of Oliver Wendell Holmes' comment, "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." To me, that comment suggests the essential value of the "Essential Managers" series, at least of the two volumes I have read thus far. Here's another point. What Bruce and Langdon have to say about the fundamentals of strategic thinking is consistent with what other experts on the subject suggest, notably Peter Drucker, Henry Mintzberg, and Michael Porter. As I read this book, I was also reminded of what Drucker observed in 1963: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all."

However different they may be in every other respect, all under-performing organizations fail to formulate an appropriate strategy and/or do not implement it effectively. One key word is "appropriate" because a strategy that was appropriate only a few years ago (or yesterday) may no longer be appropriate now. Another other key word is "effectively." With all due respect to the importance of knowing what to do and how to do it, former Texas football coach Darrell Royal is right: "potential" means "you ain't done it yet." Credit Andy Bruce and Ken Langdon with providing a remarkably comprehensive discussion of what to do and how to do it. It remains for those who read their book to apply what they have learned.

4 out of 5 stars I wish I had this book when I was a young corporate rat........2001-03-13

I bought this book actually out of curiosity. It was pocket-size, and also visually very appealing. After perusing it, I have this feeling that this book is more intended for very young executives and/or new supervisors.

In terms of basic steps, the book is just fine. In a nutshell, there are some two dozen of "strategic thinking" topics, which have been artfully rolled into the 72 brightly designed and easy-to-read pages, studded along the way with colurful boxed tips, 101 of them to be exact. It is designed for easy reading. There is even a simple but fun test at the end pages.

Highly recommended for all beginners into the management field, as well as for older kids, who wants to learn how to think strategically. I wish I had this book when I was a young corporate rat.

For a deeper treatment on the subject, I would suggest a quick browse of books in my Strategic Thinking Bookshelf (listmania).
Consulting to Family Businesses: Contracting, Assessment, and Implementation (Organizational Development)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Great Guide for Family Business Professionals
  • A must-read!
  • This is an extraordinary resource for family business owners
  • A Must for Family Business Consultants
Consulting to Family Businesses: Contracting, Assessment, and Implementation (Organizational Development)
Jane Hilburt-Davis , and W. Gibb Dyer
Manufacturer: Pfeiffer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 078796249X

Book Description

Jane Hilburt-Davis and W. Gibb Dyer— two of the country's foremost experts in the field of family business— offer in one comprehensive volume a systematic approach for developing the skills and competencies you need to consult with these unique systems. This practical, hands-on resource shows you how to manage each stage of the consulting process— from the first contact to the last— and reveals how to plan strategically and deal with the complex relationship issues that are commonplace in family businesses.


Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great Guide for Family Business Professionals.......2003-12-11

Dyer and Hilburt-Davis offer outstanding strategies and recommendations from their vast experience and intimate knowledge working with family businesses. This book is an excellent resource for all professionals who advise family businesses.

5 out of 5 stars A must-read!.......2003-11-10

Consulting to Family Businesses is a MUST-READ for anyone who works with family-owned businesses. The book's format makes it easy to read and to find needed information. Its content, which is nut-and-bolts practical, will benefit both experienced hands as well as "newbies."

5 out of 5 stars This is an extraordinary resource for family business owners.......2003-07-23

Jane Hilburt-Davis and Gibb Dyer have made a significant contribution to the emerging field of family business consultation. They deliver good practical advice along with thoughtful insight about the pushes and pulls that families feel as their companies grow and thrive. In the short time I've owned this book I've had to move it closer and closer to the "most used" section on my book shelf. Clearly these authors do hands-on consultation everyday, know what they're doing, but have also thought about how to share their ideas with family business owners and other consultants. 'Very readable. It's just a great resource.

5 out of 5 stars A Must for Family Business Consultants.......2002-10-15

This book is a true gift for those who are entering the field of advising to family businesses or those who have been at it for years. It is comprehensive and thoughtful, a true benchmark for the subject of the consulting process with family owned busineses.
How to Run Seminars and Workshops: Presentation Skills for Consultants, Trainers, and Teachers
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A must read for training and presentations!
  • to-the-point and well structured
  • Not as helpful as the title suggests
  • A MUST READ FOR SALES TRAINERS
  • The BEST!!!
How to Run Seminars and Workshops: Presentation Skills for Consultants, Trainers, and Teachers
Robert L. Jolles
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471594784

Book Description

Responsible for training all corporate trainers at Xerox Corporation, Jolles offers a down-to-earth, instructive look at teaching and training techniques which can be used in any professional, business or corporate seminar, workshop or training program. Covers a wide range of topics including course preparation, questioning methods, pacing for dynamic presentation, using visual aids, maintaining interest, giving feedback, evaluation and support. Features numerous anecdotes and tricks of the trade.

Download Description

The Trainer's Guide to Training Most new trainers and presenters know all they need to know about their chosen subject. Unfortunately, few of them actually know how to present what they know. For more than a decade, Robert Jolles's How to Run Seminars and Workshops has taught tens of thousands of people how to sell, teach, stand up, and deliver an effective training session on almost any subject in almost any setting. This new Third Edition updates this classic guide for anyone who has to get up and move an audience. Just as he did in the book's previous editions, Jolles-former head of Xerox's world-renowned ""train the trainer"" program-shares proven, effective techniques for winning over an audience, holding their interest, conveying important information, and moving that audience to take action! For seasoned pros, this is an invaluable tool for becoming a world-class seminar and workshop leader. For novices, it's a step-by-step self-teaching guide that provides the confidence and the techniques speakers need to survive and thrive in front of an audience. Packed with straightforward, trustworthy advice, this reliable resource covers all the bases for today's professional trainers and speakers, including research and preparation, questioning techniques, pacing, visual aids, evaluation and support, feedback, and more: Creating your own seminar business Recognizing different personalities and types of behavior Training groups with diverse needs On-site preparations Maintaining the audience's interest The latest technology and visual aids Giving feedback and coaching Presenting your best self to the audience Developing a training staff And, most important, how to sell your message Trusted by thousands of professional trainers for the latest tactics and practices in seminar and workshop leadership, How to Run Seminars and Workshops, Third Edition is the ultimate guide for anyone who makes a living sharing what they know with others.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A must read for training and presentations!.......2007-09-09

Robert Jolles describes all of the steps in running your own workshops and seminars or working in the training department. Writing your own book. Developing a process of training that helps the trainer and the audience. Visual aid management. Trainee evaluation. All of the steps are in a simple, easy to read book. There are also parts of the book that will help develop and improve skills for sales professionals.

5 out of 5 stars to-the-point and well structured.......2007-03-12

The book is practical, clear and well written. The writer is clearly very experienced in the field. I like his matter of fact approach with a dry sense of humour.

1 out of 5 stars Not as helpful as the title suggests.......2006-07-05

I bought this book hoping to learn one new thing - I don't want 'tricks' or 'secrets' and I don't need to impress anyone - just facilitate seminars which are effective and enjoyable for the participants. I searched for an idea, process or new way of thinking that I could use, modify and apply in my own work. Sadly, it wasn't there for me. The style and content is not consistent with the title. The style is over-confident - the "know-it-all" style, characteristic of some American texts. The author presenting his opinions as fact. There's no doubt, no alternatives, just do it my way and it will be 'right'. Apart from this approach, some of the content is unhelpful at best. For example his comments (opinions) on how to prepare and use visuals in presentations reiterates the worst habits - more bullet points! As the title suggests the author is writing for people who already know something about this well-worn subject, I would have appreciated buying something more original, less emphatic and better written. I regret buying it.

5 out of 5 stars A MUST READ FOR SALES TRAINERS.......2004-05-19

From Joe Catal, author of the book "Telesales Tips From The Trenches".
As a national sales trainer who teaches people how to sell by phone, this book is an incredible read. There's a huge difference in telling someone a sales technique and teaching that technique. The book covers every situataion you may encounter and answers it on a psychological and practical level. I consider myself a very good public speaker and my evaluations normally come back as excellent. After reading this book, I had to rate my seminar a C+. If you've been struggling with your training this book will be a Godsend for you. I'd like to personally thank the author for teaching me the right way to give a seminar. This is a must read, and I'd be shocked if you read this book and your seminar didn't improve 100%.

5 out of 5 stars The BEST!!!.......2004-01-26

After receiving this book I read it straight through in 2 days. Absolutely the best information for any trainer. Robert does a tremendous job of detailing just about everything a trainer needs to know. I highly recommend this book. I also purchased 2 other books at the same time - I probably won't even read those now. Get it - you WILL enjoy it!

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