Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Essayist and cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich has always specialized in turning received wisdom on its head with intelligence, clarity, and verve. With some 12 million women being pushed into the labor market by welfare reform, she decided to do some good old-fashioned journalism and find out just how they were going to survive on the wages of the unskilled--at $6 to $7 an hour, only half of what is considered a living wage. So she did what millions of Americans do, she looked for a job and a place to live, worked that job, and tried to make ends meet.
As a waitress in Florida, where her name is suddenly transposed to "girl," trailer trash becomes a demographic category to aspire to with rent at $675 per month. In Maine, where she ends up working as both a cleaning woman and a nursing home assistant, she must first fill out endless pre-employment tests with trick questions such as "Some people work better when they're a little bit high." In Minnesota, she works at Wal-Mart under the repressive surveillance of men and women whose job it is to monitor her behavior for signs of sloth, theft, drug abuse, or worse. She even gets to experience the humiliation of the urine test.
So, do the poor have survival strategies unknown to the middle class? And did Ehrenreich feel the "bracing psychological effects of getting out of the house, as promised by the wonks who brought us welfare reform?" Nah. Even in her best-case scenario, with all the advantages of education, health, a car, and money for first month's rent, she has to work two jobs, seven days a week, and still almost winds up in a shelter. As Ehrenreich points out with her potent combination of humor and outrage, the laws of supply and demand have been reversed. Rental prices skyrocket, but wages never rise. Rather, jobs are so cheap as measured by the pay that workers are encouraged to take as many as they can. Behind those trademark Wal-Mart vests, it turns out, are the borderline homeless. With her characteristic wry wit and her unabashedly liberal bent, Ehrenreich brings the invisible poor out of hiding and, in the process, the world they inhabit--where civil liberties are often ignored and hard work fails to live up to its reputation as the ticket out of poverty. --Lesley Reed
Book Description
Millions of Americans work for poverty-level wages, and one day Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life. But how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 to $7 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, taking the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing-home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon discovered that even the lowliest occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts. And one job is not enough; you need at least two if you intend to live indoors.Nickel and Dimed reveals low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generositya land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate strategies for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor.
Customer Reviews:
Should be required reading!.......2007-10-19
Excellent book! It gives a voice to many Americans who currently are not being heard - the working poor. Should be required reading for everyone.
interesting perspective.......2007-10-17
I read this years ago but came across it again while packing. I have an awful memory but for some reason this book has stayed with me. I work and go to school so reading about her experiences with being a server and cleaning brought back memories (not good ones). I enjoyed reading about her struggles on getting by and having to deal with her family while she was away. She is a journalist so that had made me feel like jumping into that career even more so at the time. I do however feel like she cheated during her "investigation," because she had ran out of money or needed something from her "previous" life. I must also add that she made good points about working for certain big companies and how corporate places treat their employees. I don't know if her book would pertain to how things are today but I'm sure some things never change.
A Necessary Read.......2007-10-14
Some Amazon Online customers disagree with my fondness for Nickel and Dimed. Various readers consider the author to be elitist and sheltered. These people consider comments such as, "I am, of course, very different from the people who normally fill America's least attractive jobs," to be arrogant. However, these comments can also be interpreted as Ehrenreich's admittance of her obvious differences from most low-wage workers, as well as her ability to give credit to her newfound co-workers. This reader goes on to criticize the author's choice of locations; Florida and Maine especially, because as he claimed, they will always be more expensive than most places. This is not necessarily factual. It will always be difficult- virtually impossible- to squeak by when earning $2.73 per hour plus tips at a low-traffic restaurant. This is inevitable whether the restaurant is in Key West, Florida (a supposedly "rich" city) or a rural area, where the cost of living will require other fees. Yet another complaint from this reader is that Ehrenreich is racist in her statement, "My worry that the Latinos might be hogging all the crap jobs and substandard housing for themselves." On the surface, this comment absolutely sounds racist. Throughout the entire book, though, Ehrenreich systemically drops these types of comments with the intention of a) being sarcastic and b) exemplifying how easy it is to develop stereotypes of people (i.e. oppressing others) when you, yourself, are oppressed. As seen, the author cannot be blamed for these particular wrongdoings.
An Important Read.......2007-10-09
For anyone who did not have to struggle through a minimum wage job as an adult, this book is for you. Way too many Americans think people can survive on minimum wage. This will humble that opinion and identify your misconceptions.
Good read.......2007-10-05
I had to read this book for class and i must say it was a good read. extremely easy to read and equally funny.
Book Description
"The Human Side of Organizations" delivers complete, up-to-date, practical information on how people behave in organizations presented in a readable, easy to understand form. The vital information can be used to understand managers, peers or workers. If you work, you need this information to thrive and survive.
FOCUS BOXES/Reality Checks - Bring the work world as it really is into every chapter./Question of Ethics - Presents ethical questions related to the particular chapters' material./A Global Glance - A look at an international aspect of a chapters' concepts./FYI - A new focus box for the 9e./Presents useful hints readers can apply in their daily lives.
Anyone who wishes to better understand managers, peers, or workers can benefit from this book as it covers the vital skills needed to survive and thrive in an organization.
Customer Reviews:
Good Service.......2007-02-24
Received Book in about 2 weeks after purchase. Book was in excellent condition. Good Service.
Exceeded Expectations.......2005-09-30
My textbook came sooner than expected and it was in great condition! The savings were unbelievable and I actually recommended using this seller to everyone in my class.
Amazon.com
Since September 2001, the United States has "undergone a transformation from republic to empire that may well prove irreversible," writes Chalmers Johnson. Unlike past global powers, however, America has built an empire of bases rather than colonies, creating in the process a government that is obsessed with maintaining absolute military dominance over the world, Johnson claims. The Department of Defense currently lists 725 official U.S. military bases outside of the country and 969 within the 50 states (not to mention numerous secret bases). According to the author, these bases are proof that the "United States prefers to deal with other nations through the use or threat of force rather than negotiations, commerce, or cultural interaction." This rise of American militarism, along with the corresponding layers of bureaucracy and secrecy that are created to circumvent scrutiny, signals a shift in power from the populace to the Pentagon: "A revolution would be required to bring the Pentagon back under democratic control," he writes.
In Sorrows of Empire, Johnson discusses the roots of American militarism, the rise and extent of the military-industrial complex, and the close ties between arms industry executives and high-level politicians. He also looks closely at how the military has extended the boundaries of what constitutes national security in order to centralize intelligence agencies under their control and how statesmen have been replaced by career soldiers on the front lines of foreign policy--a shift that naturally increases the frequency with which we go to war.
Though his conclusions are sure to be controversial, Johnson is a skilled and experienced historian who backs up his claims with copious research and persuasive arguments. His important book adds much to a debate about the realities and direction of U.S. influence in the world. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
"Impressive . . . a powerful indictment of U.S. military and foreign policy." Los Angeles Times Book Review, front page In the years after the Soviet Union imploded, the United States was described first as the globe's "lone superpower," then as a "reluctant sheriff," next as the "indispensable nation," and in the wake of 9/11, as a "New Rome." In this important national bestseller, Chalmers Johnson thoroughly explores the new militarism that is transforming America and compelling us to pick up the burden of empire.Recalling the classic warnings against militarism-from George Washington's Farewell Address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex-Johnson uncovers its roots deep in our past. Turning to the present, he maps America's expanding empire of military bases and the vast web of services that support them. He offers a vivid look at the new caste of professional militarists who have infiltrated multiple branches of government, who classify as "secret" everything they do, and for whom the manipulation of the military budget is of vital interest. Among Johnson's provocative conclusions is that American militarism is already putting an end to the age of globalization and bankrupting the United States, even as it creates the conditions for a new century of virulent blowback. The Sorrows of Empire suggests that the former American republic has already crossed its Rubicon-with the Pentagon in the lead.
Customer Reviews:
A Critical Review.......2007-08-05
This book gets everything wrong.
Johnson argues that the demise of the USSR was a great economic victory, having everything to do with the failure of socialist economics and nothing to do with the successes of American foreign policy. Unfortunately for Johnson, the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race - and the wasted resources of the Cold War arms race alone - were what bankrupted the natural-resource rich Soviet states. The United States fought and won the Cold War economically, by forcing the East into a battle it could not win - a battle where the biggest spender (necesarily the economically liberal west) wins by default. Left to its own devices, the Soviet states could have persisted indefinitely in moderate prosperity thanks to the global capital markets and the value of their domestic resources, the lunacy of their domestic economics aside. See China, India, and even Venezuela today.
Johnson further argues that the Pentagon failed to "restructure" and/or "demobilize" following the Cold War. This is categorically false. The United States military (particularly its Army and Air Force) was phased down radically in the two decades between the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the September 11th terrorist attacks. A signifigant Naval presence was maintained as a matter of apparent national necessity - even without a Soviet Union, the post-globalization world demanded the West have at least one member capable of global power projection as a simple matter of motivated self interest. The United States has ALWAYS maintained a signifigant peace-time naval capacity, however. This is nothing new and certainly no product of a "military-industrial" complex. Washington himself, that great hero of the anti-military renegades and oft-quoted as decrying standing armies, comission the first permanent and standing warships of the USN to protect the young country against - whoulda thunk it - Islamic terrorists.
Johnson then argues that the Pentagon's involvement in the war on drugs and terror is a dishonest effort at justification of a bloated budget, but this is historically inane. The American armed forces have always been intimately involved in the enforcement of extramilitary foreign policy. American soldiers pursued Mexican criminals across our sothern border over a century and a half ago. We have dispatched the Navy repeatedly throughout our history to deal with piracy and barbarism when local authorities have been noncooperative. The war on drugs - and military involvement therewith - is simply an extension of this legacy. So, too, is the war on terror.
Everything this book argues is backwards and apparently nonsensical. And everything that Johnson proports to be a "new" product of post-Cold War Pentagon amokism is as old as the Republic he so claims to love. The man could do well to get himself an elementary history lesson, and to spend 15 minutes outside the safe, secure, and utterly arealistic ivory tower that is American elite society. Our half a trillion dollar military is the foundation that keeps his - and to an extent all of our - tower(s) of ignorance erect and pristine. We would all do well to realize that our lives and lifestyles are both historically unprecedented, and unique to our borders and our civilization even today. THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES NOT LIVE AND THINK LIKE WE DO.
The United States maintains the worlds largest and most capable standing army in the history of the planet not because it wants to, but because it must. The world is a dark place. Most if its people are not like Americans (and Westerners), and most of its countries are not as benevolent as America (and the Western world). While the rest of our civilization surrenders its capacity and will to defend itself and its ideological allies, the United States has willfully chosen to bear the burden alone, knowing full well the costs and consequences of this decision. We do this because we have confidence in this old, and grand, Republic. And because we know better than to trust and surrender our fates to the good-will of our less Republican neighbors.
Secrets of our Empire............2007-07-26
Truly a revealing expose of things you never knew about our American military and related.....now you do...and it may surprise you or scare you.....read this book...very revealing.....
might does not make right.......2007-07-03
From George Washington and James Madison to Eisenhower's farewell address in 1961, some of our country's greatest leaders have warned about the dangers of standing armies and the military-industrial complex. In this second installment of his "inadvertent trilogy" about the costs and consequences of America's belligerent empire, Chalmers Johnson describes in meticulous detail the nature and extent of American militarism. In his first book, Blowback (2000), he warned that our global militarism and predatory economic policies virtually assure retaliations for decades to come. He published Blowback about eighteen months before the 9/11 attacks, and in retrospect his warning now reads like a diagnosis. His third volume, Nemesis (2006), is more like an autopsy; it describes our destiny with Nemesis, "the goddess of retribution and vengeance, the punisher of pride and hubris" (in Greek, "nemesis" means "to give what is due").
Unlike ancient empires, our imperial hegemony consists not of conquered territories but of military bases. Today the Department of Defense admits that America deploys 254,788 (double that number if you include dependents) military personnel to at least 725 military bases in 153 countries (there are 189 countries in the United Nations). That does not include numerous secret and officially nonexistent bases. Our own country is home to 969 separate bases in all fifty states. It's hard to believe, writes Johnson, that at the beginning of World War II our regular army consisted of 186,000 men; today it numbers 1.4 million. Nor is this any longer a citizen's army, but instead a professional warrior class (41% of whom are nonwhite).
Johnson's book documents our militarism beginning with the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American war; Woodrow Wilson's fervent belief in America's moral exceptionalism and obligation to export democracy to the world; the incestuous marriage of the military to the incredibly lucrative for-profit arms industry, and merry-go-round of former military and corporate personnel; America's sale of weapons to the world; our violations of international treaties and courts that have generated global distrust of much of what we say and do; the roles of oil (our import levels are "at the highest levels ever recorded") and Israel; and the predatory nature of economic globalization.
In a final chapter Johnson suggests four sorrows of our militaristic empire that he now considers all but unavoidable: a state of perpetual war, the loss of democratic processes and institutions, endemic lying by the state (glorification of war, disinformation, propaganda, etc.), and financial ruin. Empires don't last forever, he reminds us. In the last hundred years nine "empires" have collapsed: Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, China, Austro-Hungaria, and the Ottomans. Despite our deep delusion about our good intentions and moral exceptionalism, we have no reason whatsoever to expect that history will treat our belligerence and hubris any differently. What we should expect is a meeting with Nemesis.
Better Than Blowback.......2007-06-10
In the first nine chapters of the book, Johnson writes about his perception of an increasing American militarism, and also says there is an emerging American empire. He also describes the privatization of the military through war merchants and mercenaries. A solid case is made against some members of the current administration, but he doesn't spare Clinton's "globalization" in the book either. The tenth and last chapter alone is nearly worth the price. After making a very strong case for the United States to turn from its interventionist tendencies of the last 30 years, Johnson outlines four great dangers the USA will face as it wades deeper into the waters of interventionism. He finds fault with all recent past presidential administrations, and says that Congress has abandoned its duties and responsibilities in favor of greasy palmed careerism.
Like the first part of the trilogy, Chalmers Johnson writes about blowback, a CIA term for unintended consequences of covert action. His theory is that the perils of blowback are increasing, and the country is rapidly descending farther and farther away from its democratic moorings and into a militaristic empire.
This book is written in a more interesting style than part 1 ("Blowback") and keeps the reader interested through out.
Weakness-Some of the original source work is not strong and it is clearly written with a more popular audience in mind. For example, the suspect web site Capital Hill Blue is used as a source. So, perhaps some of the evidence presented is flawed, but the main theme still rings true.
This book, coupled with "Blowback" have seriously altered my thinking of foreign policy matters. I recommend both.
What else has Mr. Johnson done for the Republic lately?.......2007-06-03
Gore Vidal has been writing far longer and more eloquently than Mr. Johnson on the end of the Republic as a consequence of the American Empire. Mr. Johnson adds a dispassionate and steadily accumulating set of figures, monetary and otherwise, that show the true costs of the American Empire and its negative eroding effects on the Republic.
This is Mr. Johnson's second book in his "American Empire Project". The first Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire (Second Edition), published before the events of Sept. 11, 2001 now seems eerily prescient. That book pointed out the unintended but inevitable consequences of American foreign policy and interference abroad and suggested a consequent "blowback".
The problem I have with Mr. Johnson and other eminent diagnosticians, even Vidal (though he did try running for elected office in CA a long time ago), is they seem unwilling to go further than write books. Mr. Johnson makes much (pp. 12) of Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the US Constitution which says "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time." Now the latter clause regarding publication of accounts has been honored only in the breach, at least in recent times. I wrote Mr. Johnson asking "What legal attempts by private citizens have been made thus far to attempt to have this provision enforced?" Mr. Johnson replies that "You ask an excellent question but it would take a Constitutional lawyer to answer it." Now if I am to trust Mr. Johnson in his avowed belief in the Republic, its Constitution and the enforcement thereof, I would have expected him to have explored this avenue of enforcement already.
Given that the Republic is not yet dead, and that the rule of law is at least intermittently permitted, and that the courts are not yet entirely corrupt or partisan. I for one don't understand why those of Mr. Johnson's ilk, with their resources, don't approach the courts or petition the few honest or semi-honest legislators left to force the light of day on the costs and consequences of our empire. At least then, no citizen of this our disappearing Republic will be able to say that Mr. Johnson didn't do his best to tell them so. Only writing books doesn't cut it.
Customer Reviews:
Nice book .......2005-09-09
almost the same as the newer addition , has all the things you ned to know about labor economics
A very interesting textbook about labor economics.......2002-08-07
I was a teaching assistant in a labor economics undergraduate course in Northwestern University that used this book. I found it very interesting and full of real-world examples and discussions. The mathematical level is simple and therefore the book is accessible also to students with only little background in mathematics or economics. The exposition is clear. About half of the problems and the review questions are solved at the end of the book, making it possible for the reader to practice and test her understanding of the material. I believe that most students can understand most of the material in the book even without taking a formal course in labor economics, and therefore I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the functioning of labor markets.
A helpful and informative book.......1999-05-06
I bought this book to use for my Labor Economics class at Cornell University. My professor, Professor Smith, is a contributor to this book and it was a wonderful supplement to the lectures. The book is filled with useful information and practical applications, so its appeal is not limited to economics students, but anyone who wishes to know more about payroll taxes, policy applications, work incentives and the like. This easy-to-understand book benefited me a lot and I would recommend its use to other courses in labor economics at other colleges and universities.
This book is too wordy, puts you to sleep.......1999-04-04
I bought this book for my economics class at Dartmouth College, but it was a horrible book. The text is wordy, verbose, too long. A lot of times, there are unnecessarily explains simple things too long. I hope all of you will find better labor economics text book.
Book Description
At last, a negotiation book that provides an integrated, big-picture view of what to do and what to avoid at the bargaining table based on the latest research findings! Combining a strong applied flavor with straightforward and lively writing, The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator presents a unified, and comprehensive overview of the insights, strategies, and practices inherent to successful negotiations and addresses the most common myths and pitfalls that plague negotiators. This unique book weaves together a wide range of disciplines in its study of negotiation and discusses distributive negotiation, win-win negotiation, developing a negotiating style, creativity and problem solving, and cross-cultural negotiation. For those in psychology, sociology, and organizational behavior economics interested in improving their negotiation skills.
Customer Reviews:
Good book!.......2007-07-28
This was the text in a grad level class I took, and I'm glad the prof chose it! This is a great read for anyone that wants to learn how negotiation affects all aspects of your life as well as for those who want to improve their negotiating skills!
Great content, very dry.......2006-11-03
The book has many excellent points, but is written in a manner that will bore you. Several of us in class have three books to read, and this one is the least interesting. I still would recommend it as a good textbook, but only if used as an additional resource to "Getting to Yes" and "You can negotiate anything". Between the three you'll stay interested and the overlap will reinforce.
Used in MBA program - not that useful.......2006-04-06
We used this book in our negotiations class and actually found Getting to Yes to be more useful. This is one of those textbooks that I have written about in other classes that has a lot of common sense in it but it actually makes thinking about negotiation harder than it really is. The book could easily have been shrunk from 430 pages to about 150 pages. The book actually presents too many things to think about in a negotiation that you end up becoming confused about which strategy to use or how to play defense. Of course, like any book some people might like it but I know myself and other classmates did not find it that helpful.
excellent book........2005-10-21
Definitely recommended for anyone interested in learning more about the topic. I enjoyed Thompson's no-nonsense approach to negotiation. This book is full of interesting case examples from the real world. It is substantive and practical. Definitely a good buy.
Great Information - Complicated Read.......2005-06-07
A good introduction to negotiations. Although it is complicated to read through the chapters, it contains valuable information about many different aspects of negotiations and strategies.
Book Description
Combining the astute social analysis of Alvin Tofflers The Third Wave and Faith Popcorns The Popcorn Report, this book boldly predicts the death of the conventional job and describes the Brave New World of the self-employed society.Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, it has been the organizing principle of society: people are what they do. But at the dawning of the new millennium, Americans are waking up to the fact that commitment to a traditional corporate structure does not guarantee personal validation or financial security. In what is one of the fastest growing movements today, people are rejecting the idea of corporate loyalty to explore more creative ways of making a living. This book addresses this movement and is a must-have for the millions investigating free agency.
Download Description
The Organization Man is history. Taking his place is America's new economic icon: the "free agent"--the job-hopping, tech-savvy, fulfillment-seeking, self-reliant, independent worker. Already 30 million strong, these new "dis-organization" men and women are transforming America in ways both profound and exhilarating. Are you ready for . . . · The Peter-Out Principle: Successor to the famous "Peter Principle," this new rule decrees that when the fun peters out, the talented walk out. · Unschooling: Individual-centered learning like homeschooling and apprenticeships will threaten Ivy League colleges and end high school as we know it. · Individual Public Offerings: The upper echelon of free agents will issue these new "IPOs," or stock . . . in themselves.· E-tirement: When Americans reach age sixty-five, more will enter a new stage of life. Working as full-time, part-time, and anytime free agents, they'll be finding and executing work over the Internet.· Just-in-time Politics: This political version of just-in-time manufacturing will challenge the present two-party system.· The Feminine Century: Women are free agency's early adopters. Many analysts estimate that by the year 2005, half of all businesses will be run by women. In this landmark book, Daniel H. Pink offers the definitive account of this revolution in work. He shows who these free agents are--from the marketing consultant down the street to the home-based "mompreneur" to the footloose technology contractor--and why they've forged a new path. His entertaining and provocative account of the new frontier of work reveals how free agents are shaking up all of our institutions--from politics to education to the family.
Customer Reviews:
The Optimistic Jew.......2007-08-31
By varying accounts there are 25-30 million free agents at present in the United States. Most of these work from home. Add millions of micro-businesses and one comes to the conclusion that the 20th century will be known as the first and last century in which most working people were salaried. Up until the 20th century most working people were small farmers, merchants and independent professionals. If present trends continue - and there is every reason to believe they will - then by the middle of the 21st century most working people will be self-employed in one form or another. This will have revolutionary impact on politics, tax and social policy and the economic balance of power. Cultural attitudes that encourage innovation and risk-taking will have tremendous advantages in this emerging reality. This is why I claim that: "No people on earth (referring to the Jews) are better prepared by virtue of education, temperament and historical adaptability to embrace the challenges of the 21st century". This book provided me with much of the information that enabled me to open my own book "The Optimistic Jew" with the above lines.
SOCIAL COMMENTARY DISGUISED AS A HOW-TO GUIDE.......2007-04-25
Free Agent Nation by Daniel H. Pink is not entirely what it seems.
Daniel Pink is a former speech writer for Al Gore. He wrote for him when Al Gore was serving as Vice President, but not during the campaign for president.
When Mr Pink left the White House and became, as it were, a Free Agent, he was surprised at the number of people who earned income from running their own small business. It became apparent to him that if the Republican Party was the party of big business and the Democratic Party was the party of labor unions, then the growing demographic of the self employed had no real representation.
Therefore, Mr Pink explored who these people were, what they were doing, and what they needed. Of course, Mr. Pink is no economist or statistician. Therefore, his analysis seems a bit heavy on the anecdotal. Likewise, this is not a how to book that will tell you step by step what needs to be done to start up your own business.
Regardless, this is an interesting book that explores a growing social phenomenon of the post-industrial world.
Wonderful.......2007-02-24
I go solo after reading this book. It's a new life! I definitely recommend it!
Motivation to Get Out There.......2006-11-05
If you've been thinking of going out on your own, Daniel Pink will motivate you. Without writing a motivational book at all, he has succeeded in showing the reader why being a Free Agent is the way to go in the new economy of the 21st Century.
Salarymen can learn something too.......2006-10-24
In 2006 we are way past the industrial age, and especially so in the TV and entertainment business. Our products are at the forefront -- but what about our ways of working? This book mostly addresses how people work as independents, but has a lot one can learn for how the local and multi-national work environment could be configured better. It's a bit U.S.-centric, but other countries, especially in hi-tech, are not far behind.
Book Description
After two decades of hands-on experience with performance management systems in some of the world's most well recognized organizations, Markle has come to propound what he calls "a universal law of modern business." People hate performance reviews. Drawing upon his studies of and experience with systems theory and illustrating his points with real-life examples, Markle explains why employees and managers both have come to regard the ubiquitous performance evaluation as industry's poorest performing, most ineffective, and least efficient personnel practice. By digging down to its roots, he helps us understand why attempts to correct the flawed system fail. He provides an innovative way to measure their ineffectiveness and inefficiency and then introduces his "catalytic coaching" to replace them. Markle shows how his system is superior to others in five key business outcomes: 1) positive behavioral change; 2) motivation to work hard; 3) retention of key contributors; 4) internal promotions and succession; and 5) prevention of and protection from lawsuits. Not only is catalytic coaching more effective, it is also more efficient: it requires far less time and paperwork to implement and maintain. Markle gives his readers all of the forms, instruments and detailed instructions they need to operationalize his system. Business executives, senior HR professionals, and organization development specialists will benefit particularly from his presentation, as will other managers, executives, and supervisors, all of whom must learn to "take ownership" of their responsibilities to their organizations and themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Unscientific Nonsense.......2007-02-12
The author spends nearly half the book with criticsm of performance measurement, a technique currently practiced by the vast majority of fortune 500 companies. He then sets up a "model" for assessing performance measurement techniques and uses this to "prove" that such techniques must fail, are totally useless and have adverse impacts on any organization deploying them. He then indicates that he alone knows what's best (apparently the rest of us are fools). Having poured scorn on his competition, he then puts forward the technique of Catalytic Coaching but of course fails to subject it to the same model that he used in his diatribe against performance measurement. The truth, as any management professional well knows, is that if you don't measure it, you can't manage it! Avoiding the issue does not resolve it. This book is unscientific nonsense dressed up in the language of science in order to deceive the reader.
This is an important book for business leaders.......2002-01-26
Anyone who has been through a performance review or had to deliver one knows they are not providing the performance benefit they were designed to provide. In fact, they are usually demotivating and have a negative impact on performance. As a consultant to management and coach to CEOs, my experience has been that everyone hates the process, it doesn't deliver and it's painful. Garold Markle has an alternative which is working, is constructive, and leads to a feedback-rich culture of performance. Contrast this to the blame-oriented approach that we inherited. This is an important work. I recommend it highly. His approiach is clear and the tools supportive.
caring , coaching and compassion with accountability.......2001-09-04
In my role as an advisor to CEO's, Presidents, and owners of midsize to large corporations,Gary's book has been very helpful and enlightening. After reading Gary's book, I highlighted several parts of it to share with those final decision makers. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Most have purchased the book and shared it with their top staff for implimentation. Gary's approach of Catalytic Coaching integrates, in a clear way, the elements of caring, coaching, and compassion, with accountability, that so many business are searching for these days. I would recommend buying the book first and then contacting Gary Markle.
Catalytic Coaching Effective Even in Large Law Firm.......2000-05-04
As managing partner for a large, downtown Houston law firm, I was searching for a new method of working with young lawyers and support staff and helping them grow. I found what I was searching for in Catalytic Coaching! After taking on the role of "coach", I have seen several personnel problems simply disappear and morale in our multi-floor office has skyrocketed. While I was not able to directly utilize the worksheets and action plans set forth in the appendix, the balance of the book was miraculously relevant to and instrumental in getting control of our personnel difficulties. This process is NOT liberal "raise the employee's self-esteem banter"...it IS an effective process and a valuable resource for any business, large or small. Both our organization and our employees have benefitted tremendously from it.
A Critical Piece of the Management Puzzle.......2000-04-09
Recently I had the pleasure of enjoying Mr. Markle's company at a preofessional convention we attended in San Diego. I was delighted to hear that Gary's new book, "Catalytic Coaching" was now available through Amazon.com.
As an executive coach to CEO's and their senior management teams with Client's throughout north America, I found Gary's work to provide an exceptional piece to today's management puzzle. By joining Dr. Deming in challenging the value of the annual performance review system, Gary has redefined management's role into that of an internal coach to the employee.
Quite simply, "Catalytic Coaching" is focused on future employee performance. Instead of rehashing past issues, Gary's practical process proactively addresses the employee's workplace behaviors, and how they impact the organization's bottom line.
His process is clear, practical and highly attractive as an alternative to present-day evaluation systems which, I have personally observed in organizations throughout the world, simply do not work.
Reading the book, you can hear Gary's conversational style and strength as a speaker. The content is readable and concise, so much so that you will want to invite Gary as a speaker to your organziation.
To date, two of my Clients are exploring the process, and are planning on implementing "Catalytic Coaching" as their standard for improving employee performance. I look forward to being an integral part of this transformation.
Having twice read the book from cover-to-cover, I felt compelled to submit these comments on Gary's work. Please feel free to contact me should you desire further information or clarification.
Submitted,
Michael R. Hagy TEC Chair - Philadelphia
Book Description
This introduction to success in the workplace presents business psychology in clear, layman's language, helping readers understand how the application of psychology can help them improve individual and organizational effectiveness. It addresses the latest topics, including the new model of career advancement, gender differences in communication style, managing conflict through cognitive restructuring, human aspects of adjusting to technology, the problem of online addictions, the portfolio career, career downshifting, prospering in a learning organization, dealing with a micromanaging supervisor, 360-degree feedback, cultural diversity and ethics in the office, and other relevant topics with the goal of developing an appreciation of key principles and findings of the psychology of individual behavior. For human resources, industrial/organizational psychology, and general business managers and professionals.
Customer Reviews:
".....a must read for leaders in business and those who want to be.....".......2007-04-12
Andrew J. Dubrin's book, Applying Psychology, is a nice exercise in the practice of business psychology. It is a first step for those who plan to become Industrial Psychologist and most likely will be required reading in your undergraduate studies.
The hidden value of this book is that inside its pages lie a treasure chest of information that can enhance any career.
Applying Psychology 6th edition covers such important topics as how values and beliefs influence job behavior. It addresses issues of perception like how people interpret the world and why perceptual problems exist. It teaches about methods and the importance of communication in the work place and emphasizes the value of understanding yourself by helping the reader learn how to develop self-awareness.
This fine textbook is a must read for leaders in business and those who want to be. It explains the sources of motivation and offers various techniques in self-motivational techniques. It is filled with several workshops designed to reveal tendencies and personality traits that can help a leader be the best that they can be.
Customer Reviews:
Predictable, Boring, and Subversive of Good Education.......2007-08-27
I recently read this book. It was, one might say, a long and hard slog. It is unfortunately in many places a standard assigned textbook. The book has three main defects. First, it is written in the most predictable, turgid, and jargon-filled academic-ese I've ever seen. Instead of saying something was important it had "ontological reality," knowledge became "epistemological units," etc. Sentences were long, with far too many modifiers, and otherwise filled with classic academic writing errata. Nearly everyone who contributed to this collection should attend serious writing workshops. I realize some of them are not capable of writing well, but it couldn't hurt. Second, the entire work assumes the conclusion. It is taken for granted that education is not chiefly about giving young people the tools to think critically, criticize and advocate for their own values, and otherwise become effective and self-guiding participants in a democracy. Instead, 100% of the authors assume that the society is basically corrupt and that social justice means, in effect, the advance of politically correct values: indifference to homosexuality, suspicion of merit, suspicion of the traditional family, and undermining the traditional power structure of the western world. And, secondly, 100% of the authors take for granted that education's job is to raise the consciousness of students in so doing. That is to say, it is assumed that there is one right answer to contentious social issues, that "consciousness raising" is the answer to the problems, that families and other authorities that disagree with this view are malevolent obstructionists, that if necessary these groups should be misled about wat will be pursued in the classroom (since they'd resist otherwise), and that education should essentially brainwash young and impressionable kids into compliant liberals before they've acquired effective critical thinking skills. Finally, the book does not grapple with developments in genetics and psychometrics that raise serious questions about the now increasingly discredited mantra that "parental socioeconomic status matters more than IQ/Test Scores, etc." Obviously, Hernnstein and Murray's "Bell Curve" is worth reading on this score, but also Arthur Jensen's "G Factor." Minority failure is a troubling part of the educational scene; unfortunately, the prescription offered here is the same old ineffective program of spending more, defining deviancy down, and passing the buck that remains onto mysterious "institutional racists."
Books:
- Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
- Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-1869
- O.J. Is Guilty But Not of Murder
- Papers Clarence Mitchell V 1: 1942-1943 (Papers of Clarence Mitchell Jr)
- Program Evaluation: An Introduction
- Pullman Porters and the Rise of Protest Politics in Black America, 1925-1945 (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture)
- Rebuilding Labor: Organizing and Organizers in the New Union Movement
- Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
- Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line
- Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief (Roberts Rules of Order (in Brief))
Books Index
Books Home
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- The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy
- Globalizing L.A.: Trade, Infrastructure, and Regional Development
- Jeopardy! Quiz Book 2
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- Scarlet Letter, The
- Russian Business and Investment Services Directory
- Complete Guide to Federal and State Garmishment
- Location and well-being: An introduction to economic geography
- Meet the natives: A beginner's field guide to Rocky Mountain wild flowers, trees, and shrubs
Labor Policy
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Fast Food Nation
Bait and Switch : The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
The Working Poor: Invisible in America
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
