Book Description
More and more leaders and their organizations are becoming convinced in the business case for creating a "coaching culture". This book provides the tools for leaders and teams to develop a common language and shared protocol and a learning and development orientation towards people. These critical dynamics support the entire culture becoming a "feedback-rich, high-performance" organization.
For this to occur, a common coaching approach driven by coaching UP, DOWN, and SIDEWAYS is necessary. Coaching flows in all directions to managers, peers, and direct reports. Coaching becomes the normal "way we do things around here."
The premise of "The Heart of Coaching" was never more true. "As coaching becomes a predominant cultural practice...it will create a performance-focused, feedback-rich organization capable of creating and sustaining a competitive advantage."
This "Second Edition" makes the use of the enhanced coaching model easier to use than ever, since it now includes a colorized snapout reference card. Additionally, several powerful enhancements of the Transformational Coaching methodology make it one of the most comprehensive, and systematic approaches to coaching you will find today.
It guides leaders, managers, and entire teams who want to enhance or master their coaching skills through 2 critical aspects of coaching: 1. establishing authentic, healthy and respectful coaching relationships, and 2. organizing and conducting the actual coaching conversations that lead to commitments for positive results that both the coach and the coachee are willing to support.
Customer Reviews:
Awesomely helpful book on coaching!.......2007-08-28
This will become one of your go-to books re: the coaching process. I know it's one of mine! Incredible insights as well as lots of advice, tricks, tips, etc. A must buy for coaches, or those who aspire to become coaches.
The Heart of Coaching: Using Transformational Coaching to Create a High-Performance Coaching Culture (3rd Edition).......2007-03-29
This book does have some good background information about coaching. It is pretty dry though. If you want to learn about coaching, take an accredited coaching certification program. I did, and this was one of our required reads. It happened to be my least favorite and gave me very little practical information to use during a coaching session. If you want to read an inspiring, empowering book, read Breaking the Rules by Kurt Wright.
A sound and practical coaching method.......2005-09-28
Tom Crane goes to the true essence of coaching. He developed a comprehensive coaching method to transform knowledge into performance and action into results. A must read not only for coaches, but also for managers and leaders.
Coaching for Results.......2005-05-20
This book gets to the "heart" of the matter - pun intended. "Coaching," according to author Thomas G. Crane, "is a healthy, positive, and enabling process that develops the capacity of people to solve today's business problems." Bingo! Crane focuses on what coaches can achieve focusing their coaching on three principles: building a foundation of trust, learning together, and forwarding the action (and the self) forward. This what Crane calls transformational coaching. Consider it to be the art and the practice of helping others learn about their strengths, their weaknesses, and their opportunities for development. Tightly written and with ample diagrams and charts, this book is a treasure chest of ideas of executive coaches and an easy to follow guide for all managers who desire to coach for results. Don't simply read "The Heart of Coaching," practice its principles and you will help those you coach grow and develop.
Life Changing Skills.......2003-02-15
As a senior manager with a major international manufacturing entity, I am continually educating my superiors, peers and subordinates about the value of developing exceptional coaching skills. After extensive research, The Heart of Coaching was the written vehicle we chose to develop these skills within our organization.
The most important aspect of this work, that sets it apart from all others, is it's focus on changing yourself and your own behavior rather than changing others. It is written with a simplicity that creates immediate understanding of the most effective behaviors of leaders who combine "heart" with results.
The results in our organization have been astounding. Not just a change in the effectiveness of individuals, but a cultural evolution.
Book Description
A Practical Guide to Using the Principles of Servant Leadership
Leadership is a calling. And servant leadership—the idea that managing with respect, honesty, love, and spirituality empowers employees—helps individuals answer that calling. Bestselling author and former Fortune 500 executive James A. Autry reveals the servant leader’s tools, a set of skills and ideals that will transform the way business is done. It helps leaders nurture the needs and goals of those who look to them for leadership. The result is a more productive, successful, and happier organization, and a more meaningful life for the leader. Autry reveals how to remain true to the servant leadership model when handling day-to-day and long-term management situations, including how to:
•Provide guidance during conflict and crisis
•Assure your continued growth and progress as a leader
•Train managers in the principles of servant leadership
•Transform a company with morale problems into a great place to work
Practiced by one-third of the companies on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, servant leadership is a thriving philosophy. Ultimately, Autry explores how it can be a valuable, refreshing, and rewarding approach to leading others in business life.
“When I first read Jim’s work, I was thrilled. Finally, someone had clearly and con-cisely articulated these principles in a way that people can quickly adopt into their lives.”—from the foreword by Howard Behar, retired president, Starbucks
“This is an awesome book. James Autry’s gift is that he brings lofty ideals down to earth with general illustrations that make them easy to understand and apply. I highly recommend it!”—Jack Canfield, coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Soul
“The Servant Leader describes the kind of leadership upon which Starbucks Coffee Company has been built and is a concept that is closely aligned with our mission and guiding principles.” —Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks
Customer Reviews:
Use this book for coaching managers & execs.......2007-07-27
As an executive coach, I often rely on books for extra inspiration for my clients. James Autry's Servant Leader book is the one I most often recommend to clients. The first half of the book is especially compelling and succinct, and it supplements my efforts to instill change in old-style managers and executives. There are plenty of "servant leader" books available, but this is the one I turn to every time.
Great book, even better concept..........2006-12-28
The Servant Leader has a great title and develops the concept. It only falls short in giving true-to-life, concrete examples. If you are new to the concept of servant leadership, this is a great starter. Great book!
Servant Leadership "Must-Read".......2006-08-21
James Autry's (2001) book is essential reading for the servant-leader and servant-led who are looking for practical tools to change organizational culture. The book was arranged in four major sections: "A Foundation of Character and Vision" (pp. 1-36); Servant as Manager: The Everyday Nuts and Bolts" (pp. 37-98); The Harsh Realities of Organizational Life" (pp. 99-154); and "Finding the Balance" (pp. 155-240).
His main contribution to servant-leadership is threefold: (a) he rightly points out the famous proverb about managers doing things right and leaders doing the right things is not a prescription that recommends leaders to think only of the forest and not the trees; "instead, it is meant to define what a manager must move beyond (focusing on how to do) in order to become a leader (focusing on what to do and how to be" (pp. 37-38); (b) as an organizational leader with deep experience, he does not shy away from discussing the harder aspects of organizational life--he is an effective counterweight for some of the Pollyannaish literature; and (c) as an experienced organizational leader, he provides some management and leadership technologies and understandings that the theorist alone cannot.
"Because this concept of serving others is an essential part of what I believe about leadership, let me offer you a list of six things I believe about leadership:
1. Leadership is not about controlling people; it's about caring for people and being a useful resource for people.
2. Leadership is not about being boss; it's about being present for people and building a community at work.
3. Leadership is not about holding on to territory; it's about letting go of your ego, bringing your spirit to work, being your best and most authentic self.
4. Leadership is less concerned with pep talks and more concerned with creating a place in which people can do good work, can find meaning in their work, and can bring their spirits to work.
5. Leadership, like life, is largely a matter of paying attention.
6. Leadership requires love." (pp. 20-21).
Practical Leadership.......2002-10-07
A timely and insightful book. Autry brings a fresh prospective to the leadership and management table. Too often today we hear the negative aspects of leadership. Leaders are portrayed as being consumed with power and greed, not motivated to promote the company and protect the employee, but to advance their own wealth. The leader that Autry describes is much different. This leader is a servant first, placing high emphasis on the worth of the individual and believes that the people are what make and hold the company together.
Unlike other books on servant leadership, Autry gives the reader a clear, concise idea of how to apply the principals of servant leadership to the ethical and personal problems leaders face on a daily basis. He effectively illustrates "how to build a creative team, develop great morale and improve bottom-line performance". He introduces a concept that will be unsettling to some leaders when he states "Business is about people. Business is of, by, about and for people". As far as he is concerned organizations are not different, they may produce different or unique products, but they are all dependent on people and that is what makes them the same.
This is not a book about soft or fussy management; it relates to business practices that we use everyday. Instead of focusing on the bottom-line Autry's focus is on people. He believes that if he takes care of the people that work for him and treats them in a fair and ethical manner he will improve bottom line performance.
Autry addresses issues that HR professionals and leaders have to work with. The chapter on Finding the Right People is about recruiting. The chapter on Tools of the Trade focuses on job descriptions, performance standards, performance appraisals and rewards systems. Nothing touchy feely here, just areas that can either have a positive or negative impact on profits. These topics tie directly to the productivity of the company because, if done incorrectly, they will adversely affect moral and performance. There is also a great chapter on dealing with difficult employees, which I found very insightful.
This book is a great tool for the leader that is looking to have a positive impact on the lives of their employees. It acknowledges the fact that you will have legal and personal issues to deal with and it helps you work though the problems from a different prospective.
I highly recommend finding a place for it in your toolbox.
Vital for Future Leaders.......2002-01-23
I've just spend a thought-provoking afternoon with Jim Autry. No, I've never met the man. But, I feel like we've had a personal conversation and I can call him friend. That's the way this book reads. Now I'm motivated to read his previous books: "Love and Profit," "Life and Work," and others.
As a consulting futurist, I advise my client organization's leadership teams how to prepare for their future. The emphasis of my work is workforce and workplace issues. Looking at the design and performance of the corporation of the future, I'm confident that we'll see a significantly different style of leadership than we see in today's organizations. I teach-and-preach this shift in my consultations, seminars, and speeches to management groups. The emerging style is much more employee centered, less authoritarian. Some have called this emerging model "servant leadership," so I was eager to read Autry's book to learn about his perspective.
Though a consultant and speaker himself, Autry's "been there, done that." He's practiced the principles he espouses in a number of settings, including in his former role as president of the Meredith Corporation's publishing group. This experience enables him to present real-life examples from his personal leadership career, moving this book from an academic treatise to almost a personal story of "here's how I did it . . . and got great results." Readers of this book will enjoy a feeling of sitting in a comfortable setting having a conversation with this thought leader.
The book is organized into four parts. The first part, A Foundation of Character and Vision, presents two baseline chapters: Characteristics of the Leader as a Servant, and Understanding the Three Aspects of Vision. This portion of the book alone produced sufficient value for me that I knew I wanted to give this volume high marks. Managers and leaders may find themselves looking more introspectively at their own styles, values, and expectations as they read these pages. Sure started me thinking.
Part Two of the book gets into some nitty-gritty. Application of the servant leader approach. How to build a community of people who enjoy working productively together to achieve shared desired results. Listen to the chapter titles: Finding the Right People. Training the Servant Leader. Tools of the Trade. Coping with the High-Tech Workplace.
There were a couple of places in this portion of the book where my mind began to wander, but I was quickly drawn back to the text as I gained insight into how the principles of servant leadership work hand-in-hand with the more mundane aspects of management like job descriptions and performance appraisals. I turned down a lot of page corners.
The book's third section is entitled The Harsh Realities of Organizational Life. In three chapters, Organizational Issues, Personal Issues, and Legal Issues, Autry tackles everything from Firing People to Sexual Harassment. In the fourth part of the book, Autry gets into what he calls Finding the Balance. Hard work doesn't mean nose to the grindstone 18 hours a day. A servant leader builds loyalty (Servant Leadership and the Crisis of Loyalty), and helps resolve counterproductive problems in the workplace (Conflict). The other two chapters in this section address The Responsibilities of Family and Community Life and Leadership When Things Go Wrong and Times Are Bad. Good stuff for today's world!
The book closes with an interesting approach to an epilogue, Script for a Future Slide Show. In 24 snapshots of workplace situations in 2015, Autry gives us his glimpse of what life will be in the future with servant leadership. I doubt that we'll have to wait until 2015, agree that we'll see what he forecasts. I believe we'll see this leadership design in successful companies long before then, and it's application will engender positive differences in workforce stability, productivity, profitability, and the happiness of both leaders and led.
The book includes a workable index, but I would have liked to see a more comprehensive table of contents. With that aid, readers coming into this book would have a greater sense of the value they will receive. I'd encourage you to read this book, with a mind that is not only open from curiosity, but one that is open to make some changes in the way you lead.
Special note to aspiring future leaders: don't miss this one! And do some more reading on the topic as more books come out on servant leadership in the years ahead.
Book Description
A new edition of the book that took the art of coaching to new heights, this is the definitive guide to mastering the skills needed to help people unlock their potential and maximize their performance.
Customer Reviews:
Foundations of Business Coaching.......2007-02-12
This book is an excellent expose of one of the primary sources, and the development of principles and techniques of business coaching from that starting point. He refers frequently to the work of Tim Gallwey and his inner game books. I was familiar with Gallwey's work, and appreciated the excellent organization, content and style of the book.
I found the book also to be of significant value to anyone who wishes to contribute to other people's success, be it in family, social, or other relationships. Parents should find the content valuable in moving from the control stage of parenting to the empowering stage of parenting.
Valuable coaching classic.......2007-01-10
Whitmore has provided a very good secular overview and guide to coaching in Coaching for Performance (I am a Christian coach). It is easy to read and gives lots of examples of using coaching technique in everyday life and work. It appeals to me as a classic as Whitmore came in at the early days of coaching and writes with clarity and enthusiasm. In this edition outlines its development. I purchased this book as it was often quoted in the Life Caoching couse I studied as part of a theology degree.
As someone with a sporting background I find his many references to sports coaching quite natural, however I can see this as an irritation to anyone who has never experienced coaching in the sporting arena. These references however do add to the readers' understanding of coaching technique and practice. I would recommend this book to anyone new to coaching, but would suggest further study and supervised practice if you want to do more than simply use a few coaching techniques in your worlplace and everyday life.
Good all round resource.......2007-01-10
I found this book very good as it gives a good general background to coaching as well as an introduction to coaching in the corporate environment. There were some parts that I did not agree with as I felt they contradicted the basic coaching principle of always working in clients agenda, but, that said, it is a good overall resource.
Really Excellent Book for Coaching Introduction.......2006-11-07
If you are new to the coaching topic, this book helps give you a general understanding to coaching using the GROW model. Very helpful!
great original book on coaching - still work a read!.......2006-03-18
This book was outstanding when it first came out - and it has truly stood the test of time. Sir John provides a welcome breath of reach air from the often all too frequent US-based and over-hyped coaching genre. Along with Thomas Lenard, Sir John Whitmore is one of the real pioneers of life coaching and workplace coaching. A great book.
Book Description
Teams have more talent and experience, more diverse resources, and greater operating flexibility than individual performers. So why do so many teams either struggle unpleasantly toward an unsatisfactory conclusion-or, worse, crash and burn shortly after launch?
J. Richard Hackman, one of the world's leading experts on group and organizational behavior, argues that the answer to this puzzle is rooted in flawed thinking about team leadership. It is not a leader's management style that determines how well a team performs, but how well a leader designs and supports a team so that members can manage themselves.
According to Hackman, cookie-cutter formulas and prescribed leadership styles often backfire because they place far too much emphasis on the leader as the primary cause of team behavior. In Leading Teams, he identifies the key conditions that any leader can put in place to increase the likelihood of team success-regardless of his or her personality or preferred style of operating.
Through extensive research and compelling examples ranging from orchestras to economic analysts to airline cockpit crews, Hackman identifies five conditions that set the stage for great performances: a real team, a compelling direction, an enabling team structure, a supportive organizational context, and the availability of competent coaching.
Leading Teams outlines what leaders can do to structure, support, and guide teams in a way that
· enhances the social processes essential to collective work;
· builds shared commitment, skills, and task-appropriate coordination strategies;
· helps members troubleshoot problems and spot emerging opportunities; and
· captures experiences and translates them into shared knowledge.
Out of these conditions, Hackman argues, the very best teams emerge-teams that exceed client expectations, grow in capability over time, and contribute to the learning and personal fulfillment of individual members.
Authoritative, practical, and astutely realistic, Leading Teams offers a new and provocative way of thinking about and leading work teams in any organizational setting.
AUTHORBIO:
J. Richard Hackman is the Cahners-Rabb Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University. He resides in Bethany, Connecticut, and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Customer Reviews:
Be cautious of the hype..........2005-12-21
There are some valuable lessons in this book, but combing through the wordiness and fluff is very time consuming. Of course one could argue that you need all of the anecdotal evidence to prove what he is saying and make his observations relevant. But with most of his observations being common sense to a natural leader, you wouldn't need all of the evidence.
In the end, as the author agrees, there is no perfect leader for all situations. The right balance of traits and actions will tell how good a leader was only in hindsight. There is no silver bullet that will MAKE a successful team leader.
I would have prefered a a distilled version of this book taking up about 50 pages rather than 300. The author is very intelligent and wise, but he is no Peter Drucker. I don't understand the glowing reviews of this book. It is worth a look if you have the time, but there are much better and more concise guides to effective leadership out there.
A "MUST READ" book for everyone!.......2005-09-29
This was my first book on the "science" of teams. I had originally asked a friend who is a professor of Strategy for a book on "leadership" and he suggested this instead. Reading it was a very enjoyable experience. Relating it to teams that I have worked in, had to build relationships with, get work out of, and build myself, was an amazing exercise. In the end I realised that the best "self-managing team" I have is at home! I would strongly recommend this book to everyone, whether you work in a large organization or are a housewife! It's got beautiful insights for everyone.
Identifies common mistakes in teams and leaders.......2004-12-10
Even generally productive teams need to improve their productivity. I'm quite impressed by the framework provided in this book for diagnosing the quality of the direction you're providing, the way you structure your teams, and the way that people are identified with the teams and how all of these impact the team. It's interesting how much is delivered in this book without prescribing precisely how leaders should behave. As a person with a productive team whose concerns are primarily around keeping the team focused and getting more and more effective, this book was great.
The only thing I didn't like is that it sometimes felt like there was a page target they were trying to hit. The same airplane and manufacturing plant examples are repeated over and over, making it seem like there's very little data backing up this research. The same topics are also hit over and over in nearly the same way (the three areas mentioned before). However, that only hurts the presentation; the fundamental topics are quite solid.
Engaging, practical, well-structured: a superb book on teams.......2003-10-22
Teamwork is more popular as a buzzword than as a practice when it comes to the actual experiences of team members in many organizations. In this engaging, well-structured, and practical book, Richard Hackman addresses this puzzling gap between theory and practice. Teams should have a richer pool of talent and experience, greater resources, and more flexibility than an individual. Yet a painfully large proportion of teams function poorly, often underperforming the same work done by individuals. Drawing on years of research and observation of teams ranging from music ensembles to airline crews to hockey teams, Hackman illuminates the dark corners of teamwork. Anyone working in a team or leading a team will benefit from reading his book. The author's engaging style comes as a significant bonus.
Teams go awry because leaders have focused on the wrong things (such as leadership style) when designing, managing, and supporting teams. Hackman explains why team effectiveness is best measured by the three criteria of a team product acceptable to clients, growth in team capability, and a group experience that is meaningful and satisfying for its members. Team members and leaders alike will benefit from fully appreciating the five conditions that Hackman has found to foster work team effectiveness: having a real team, a compelling direction, an enabling team structure, a supportive organizational context, and expert team coaching - the first three of which are the core conditions.
Contrary to "cause-effect" models of team leadership in which all the emphasis is placed on leadership behaviors and styles, in Hackman's view the central role of leaders is to create and maintain these five conditions. Leaders should not attempt to continually manage a team to *push* it to perform well. They will do better to establish a clear purpose and then make small adjustments at the right times. Consistent with this approach, Hackman warns against the pervasive tendency to assign credit or blame to specific individuals. Taking that perspective blinds those trying to "fix" or improve team performance to dynamics only evident at a group level of analysis.
Commendably, Hackman does *not* present his findings as a *universal* model for teams. His Authority Matrix (p.52) sets out four levels of team self-management. He does not address "manager-led teams" which have the lowest level of self-management since they are invariably disastrous for well-understood reasons. Nor does he look in depth at self-governing groups which take on all four levels of setting overall direction, designing the team and its organizational context, monitoring and managing work process and progress, and executing the team task. Hackman's model revolves around the most heavily populated middle categories of self-managing and self-designing teams.
Don't mistake this group level of analysis for any kind of fuzziness. You will find the book outstanding in the author's ability to combine compelling narrative with a finely-carved explanatory structure. The first condition of having a "real team" may appear fuzzy, but only until you read chapter 2 in which Hackman analyzes real work teams into four components, each with its own subtleties. As you read the examples and reflect on your own experiences participating in or observing teams, you will see how commonly teams fail to have a real team task (rather than being merely a "co-acting group"), to suffer from being "underbounded" or "overbounded", or to lack clearly delimited authority or inadequate stability over time. On the last element of real teams, Hackman strongly disputes the notion that long-lasting teams tend to deteriorate in performance. The only except appears to be research and development teams who becoming uniquely stale after about three years of stable membership.
Despite pushing back against over-managing teams, Hackman finds a crucial role for leadership in setting a compelling direction - the second core element of effective teams. Even here, direction must be carefully limited to ends rather than means. In the very worst teams, a leader sets highly specific means but leaves the purpose completely unspecified. Hackman's example of such a team at a bank will make some of us wince in painful remembrance. This understates the subtleties of Hackman's account, which unfolds in his discussion of the trade-offs involved in setting direction for a team.
If this were an infomercial rather than a review, I would say "And there's more! Much more!" The last section of the book examines imperatives for leaders, including 7 execution skills of team leaders, and how to think differently about teams - the obstacles to improving teams, what it takes, and what it costs those who would attempt the task. If you prefer to test drive some of Hackman's ideas, you might first read his articles "The Five Keys to Successful Teams" (which covers some of the material in the last two chapters), and "New Rules for Team Building". You may want to abandon such caution however. Unlike so many books where 80 percent of the text acts as filler, adding little if anything to the initial points, every one of Hackman's chapters will yield an excellent returning on your reading investment.
The Nighthawks and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.......2002-10-15
An author who proposes a common lens through which to understand the dynamics of the Nighthawks hockey team and the conductor-less Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is pretty audacious, but Richard Hackman carries if off in this book. Solidly researched and very well written, the book presents an apparently wide range of work groups, including airline crews, musical ensembles and hockey teams, and unifies them by illustrating how they are effective (or not) as teams. What do they have in common? "Their work requires members to generate performances 'live' and in real time, often without the chance to go back and try again if things don't go well." The examples are compellingly interesting, e.g., a reader will never fly a 737 again without noticing the specific roles and choreography of the flight crew. It's a good read, far more entertaining than one would expect from a publication of Harvard Business School Press.
Book Description
This companion guide to the bestselling The Six Sigma Way focuses on the project improvement teams that do the real, in-the-trenches work of Six Sigma—measuring performance, improving quality and saving millions in the process.
The Six Sigma Way Team Fieldbook is a highly practical reference for team leaders and members, outlining both the methods that have made Six Sigma successful and the basic steps a team must follow in an improvement effort. Written by three veteran trainers of Six Sigma “Black Belts” and teams at GE, Sun Microsystems, and Sears, this hands-on guide helps teams obtain the skills they need to identify a product, service, or process that needs improvement or redesign; gather data on the process and the rate of defects; find ways to improve quality up to a Six Sigma level—just 3.4 defects per million; and much more.
* Includes dozens of data-gathering forms and Six Sigma tools and worksheets
* Describes key improvement methods in a concise “how-to” format with checklists and tips
Download Description
This companion guide to the bestselling The Six Sigma Way focuses on the project improvement teams that do the real, in-the-trenches work of Six Sigma-measuring performance, improving quality and saving millions in the process.
Customer Reviews:
Very Helpful resource!!!.......2007-10-05
This is a very helpful resource for me as a new blackbelt. The more I learn, the more this book makes sense!
Six Sigma Way Team Fieldbook.......2007-03-24
An excellent resource for new Black Belts. Describes the DMAIC phases in plain english. A definite must for anyone training in the DMAIC methodology.
A priceless guide full of hundreds of templates and examples.......2006-11-12
As a Transactional Six Sigma Black Belt, this has been one of the most useful six sigma books I own. It contains a wealth of illustrations and tools that are priceless in terms of teaching process improvement teams basic six sigma methods. Using this book, people in process improvement can learn to apply many of the basic six sigma concepts.
I cannot stress enough, the number of useful illustrations and examples that are in every chapter in this book. Where most six sigma books tell you what six sigma is and how to analyze and measure, this one gives you the communication tools that are essential for getting and keeping an improvement project on-track.
Although many six sigma people would disagree with me on this point, I am a firm believer that Process Improvement & Management is the program to achieve business change success and six sigma is a tool to help accomplish and control the improvements.
A must read and a bargain-priced book. I recommended it to every process improvement team I lead and the feedback is always a "Wow - what a book!"
Looking for Cost Reduction, Increased Productivity, and Loyal Costumers - This is the practical implementation guide .......2006-07-17
Six sigma is a quality system that has helped world class companies save millions and gain costumer. It was brought into fame by the legendary Jack Welch during his years at General Electric.
This book is a practical implementation guide and the companion for "The sis sigma way: How GE, Motorola, and other top companies are honing their performance". Buy this book if you are already involved in a sis sigma initiative in your organization, either as a black belt, green belt, or champion. If you are looking for an introduction to fundamentals an systems implementation, you may do better with "The sis sigma way: How GE, Motorola, and other top companies are honing their performance", which is a comprehensive self-help guide to adapting and using the six sigma system under various conditions. Half of the book focuses on implementation through a detailed and flexible five-step "road map", filled with practical directions.
Either if you are looking to solve an specific process problem, or want to implement six sigma company wide, both books will help you develop a method that fits the specific needs of your company or organization.
Classroom training for Six Sigma costs what!.......2005-11-05
I began my journey to learn about Six Sigma around a year ago. At that time I investigated classroom training on Six Sigma. The cost for Six Sigma training was far too expensive for my management team to seriously consider. My most viable option was to train myself. I bought seven, yes seven, books on the topic of Six Sigma. This book was the best of the seven resources I purchased. This book is an inexpensive resource for training. I would also recommend an introduction to Six Sigma to supplement this book. My recommendation would be, "What is Six Sigma?" (another book by Pande). I have several years of quality experience so not every newcomer can just read a book. For most business process improvement efforts this book can give you the education to be dangerous against company waste and inefficiencies.
Book Description
Global business demands and new technologies have created a virtual workplace for many companies, with employees and teams routinely collaborating from distant geographical locations on the road, from home, at client sites—even on the other side of the globe. The Distance Manager provides practical information and tools to help managers bridge the communication gaps created by geographical separation, and get peak performance from employees they rarely see. This handbook is perfect for sales managers, project team leaders, senior managers, and anyone who manages people at more than one location. Key topics include:
• Using e-mail, teleconferencing, and videoconferencing for maximum effectiveness
• Mastering the people skills required to manage from a distance
• Virtual team building, and strategies for managing multiple locations
Download Description
The Distance Manager provides practical information and tools to help managers bridge the communication gaps created by geographical separation, and get peak performance from employees they rarely see.
Customer Reviews:
Highly Recommended!.......2001-09-18
Kimball Fisher and Mareen Duncan Fisher document the special skills needed for the new but increasingly common task of managing far-flung work groups. The approaches that they examine are becoming increasingly essential for all managers. Although they explore relevant technologies carefully, their human relations advice is probably more important. The Fishers emphasize the interpersonal and leadership skills that a manager needs to head a virtual team. If you read this book cover to cover, it can seem repetitive, since many of the rules and tips offered in one area overlap with those in other areas. However, the book is designed to allow you to review specific management challenges and technologies, and to ignore areas that are irrelevant to your situation. We [...] recommend this clear, practical work to anyone who leads virtual teams and to the telecommuters and freelance workers who report to them.
Ideas on Distance Management.......2001-07-18
This book presents a new approach to managing people from distance. It also gives clear examples and cases. This book is a must for managers who control their team from distance, either nationwide or global-wide.
Book Description
A perfect blend of theory and practice, Making the Team unites cutting-edge research on groups with practical management principles. The clear, step-by-step approaches offered in this book will prove especially useful for managers-in-training as well as seasoned executives. The book is organized into 3 primary tasks for the leader/manager: 1) Accurately assessing and improving team performance; 2) Managing the internal dynamics of teams (diversity, conflict, and creativity); and 3) Optimally leveraging the team within the larger organization. For Human Resource employees and trainers, consultants, and all levels of educators.
Customer Reviews:
Not up to standard.......2007-04-17
This book was a required text, otherwise I never would have read it. The book is full of inconstancies, bad literary technique, and it takes to many pages to cover not enough material. The authors personal prejudices are obvious. There are better books on teamwork available.
Excellent textbook........2006-03-09
I was required to purchase this book for a project management course and it's one of the better texts I've read on the topic. Well organized and easily referenced, one of the main strengths of the book is it's analysis of real world examples. Very good text overall.
Worth the Price for "External Evironments".......2001-04-19
Leigh Thompson has done it again. Like few others this Northwestern University scholar takes current research and puts it on the page like few other experts. I particularly found the sections on dealing with conflict within teams, creativity, and social capital (in the External Evironment section) worth reading. I keep this book with me when I am meeting with a team. I use the individual chapters as a guide for activities there. If you have an interest in teams, Leigh Thompson is the one expert you should include in your library.
Making the Team Makes the Grade!.......2000-01-16
Whether you work in teams, design them, or study them, you will find much of value in this book. Drawing on a wealth of social and behavioral science findings, Leigh Thompson shows the advantages, and the pitfalls, of getting things done through teamwork. Clearly written, with many case examples, Thompson builds on her research and consulting experiences to create a complex picture of what makes groups tick. I particularly liked her explanation of how to foster creativity in teams, as well as how to deal with the inevitable conflicts that arise. She notes that teams are not a panacea. However, under the right conditions, properly organized teams contribute substantially to their organizations. If you're dissatisfied with the way things are going in your organization, this book would make a great (anonymous?) gift for your boss!
Book Description
An essential guide for any small group that must deliver team performance.
With the demand for project-oriented work and faster, more nimble responses, successful small-group performance is more crucial than ever. Katzenbach and Smith, authors of the international bestseller The Wisdom of Teams, have again joined forces, revealing how to implement the disciplines, frameworks, tools, and techniques required for team- and small-group performance. Combining their insights and practical strategies, they offer concepts and pragmatic, doable exercises for team leaders and team members to deliver results. Hot topics covered include: why small-group performance demands expertise at two disciplines, team level and leader level, instead of one; virtual teams; and global teams. This book combines practical exercises with cutting-edge insights, and both authors are authorities on the subject.
Attend a featured author workshop at the 13th International Conference on Work Teams: Collaborating for Competitive Advantage, September 23-25, 2002, in Dallas, TX. For information, contact the Center for the Study of Work Teams at 940 565 3096 or visit them online at www.workteams.unt.edu.
Download Description
An essential guide for any small group that must deliver team performance
Customer Reviews:
Sparks great ideas!.......2007-03-08
This was a great read! 15 pages into the book I came up with a great idea for my restaurant. I continued to the read the book and within 2 days, I completed it and had written an Executive Summary for my business. Very motivational and provides tons of information. I'm glad I purchased the book.
A 'must have' for any consultant who works with teams........2006-08-27
I won't write a detailed review, here's what I found helpful:
- the distinction between performance and activity goals.
A re-cap of their original research into the five basic elements fo effective group work.
1. Have or develop an understandable charter.
2. Communicate and co-ordinate effectively.
3. Establish clear roles and responsibilities.
4. Create time-efficient processes.
5. Develop a sense of accountability.
Clear distinction between when a single leader 'discipline' is warranted or when a real team discipline is warranted.
Great re-cap about establishing clear outcomes.
Once the background is set-up, it becomes an issue of delving deeper into the application of their recommendations. It is great stuff! But you'll have to buy the book to 'get it'!
They do a good job in dissecting how virtual teams are different and similar to teams with co-located members.
Finally, I really like their road to getting a team 'unstuck'. Their observation that teams that become stuck revert to single-leader leadership is absolutely true. They posit that it's necessary for a good team to become stuck. As pain as it might be, you have a great opportunity to:
- clarify goals
- identify missing skills
- address attitude issues
- grapple with changing members
- address time pressures
- work on lack of discipline
The chapter on change is pretty decent, the rest of the content is golden.
I've rated this five stars as it's a must for anyone who works with teams.
Damien Faughnan
Skip the text and go to the exercises.......2005-05-08
This so-called sequel to The Wisdom of Teams is a "workbook" with exercises. It offers no new insights/guidance for readers of the 2002 paperback update of The Wisdom of Teams.
I am a fan of Katzenbach and Smith. As a business consultant, I have introduced clients to their work and worked to adapt and apply their insights. Wisdom of Teams is a great foundation. Their other books--Peak Performance and Why Pride Matters More than Money--offer useful new insights even though they are better understood if readers are familiar with The Widdom of Teams.
Nice overview, but lacks concrete guidance.......2005-03-10
This book excels at drawing the line between leader-driven and team-driven groups of individuals. It also characterizes some of the failure cases very well -- teams that are too large, teams that don't have a clear vision and purpose, teams that are disconnected from the rest of the organization, etc.
However, I struggled to see how to clearly draw the line between which style to guide your team into. The rough guidance seemed a bit self-referential: "when the task can best be done with a single leader, do it with a single leader." What about if you're not sure? Try both and take it as a lesson learned? Maybe I just missed it, but the book lacked the critial information I needed to be able to fully apply it in my situation.
Discipline of Teams.......2001-06-29
As the sequel to The Wisdom of Teams, John Katzenbach and Douglas Smith return to uncover the tools, techniques, frameworks and disciplines required to unlock the performance potential that lie within today's teams and virtual teams.
Performance potential is not guaranteed, and you need to become an expert at the two disciplines - team and single leader and, you must be able to implement the right discipline to suit the performance need of your team.
Katzenbach & Smith identify and discuss the Six Basic Principles of Team Discipline: 1) keep team numbers to a minimum, 2) ensure that team members possess skills that compliment one another, 3) identify a clear performance purpose, 4) agree on outcome based goals, 5) provide clear roles and responsibilities and, 6) ensure mutual and individual accountability.
As a follow-up to their insights and strategies, Katzenbach and Smith provide practical exercises at the conclusion of each chapter for both team members and leaders to get them on the road to optimal performance.
The Discipline of Teams is easy to read and will provide the reader with tools, techniques and strategies to assist in becoming top performers within today's organizations. On a personal note, The Discipline of Teams provided me with some new techniques to help develop and maintain effective teams for today and in the future.
Book Description
Product Description
Lean manufacturing isn't new, but many companies are still discovering how Lean principles can greatly improve both manufacturing and service processes.
A Team Leaders Guide to Lean Kaizen Events helps organizations reduce process and product waste, and solve issues related to efficiency, workflow and resource balancing. Introducing a structured methodology called SCORE(TM), the book provides a blueprint and complete set of implementation aids for Lean projects that will prove invaluable for any organization.
A Team Leaders Guide to Lean Kaizen Events is written for facilitators who have already been trained in the principles and tools of Lean, and who want a step-by-step process for conducting Lean Kaizen Events. The book provides a detailed roadmap for running an event, explanations of commonly-used Lean tools and more than 30 must-have templates. The 85-page guide comes with a BONUS CD-ROM that includes all the templates, team charters and worksheets in Excel, plus 13 Lean workplace posters (24x36" or 8.5x11") that can be used to inspire and motivate project teams.
About the Authors
William Wes Waldo is a certified Lean Master with more than 12 years of quality, operations management and process improvement experience in diverse environments. Wes instructs students in the principles of Lean, as well as facilitating Lean Kaizen events at client sites. Wes received his Lean certification from Ohio State Fisher College of Business. He is also an ASQ certified quality engineer. Wes is also a contributor to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lean Six Sigma (release date April 2007).
Tom Jones is a Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Master with operations leadership experience, a background in process management and a proven track record of substantial gains in quality and productivity. Tom has a masters degree in quality management, and a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering with an emphasis in management science. Tom is also a contributor to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lean Six Sigma (release date April 2007).
Customer Reviews:
First choice of available books on the subject.......2007-02-02
I have copies of several different books that claim to guide a company thru the Kaizen process. This is the one that I suggest most often.
If you are a small to medium sized manufacturing company and need a straight forward handbook that you can implement yourself, this is the one to get. The CD is helpful in providing the sample forms on Excel and even the posters can be printed locally for your program.
This book can be used as a practical roadmap for implementing a continuous improvement program. While it is somewhat weak in the problem solving area, the rest of the book more than makes up for this.
Facilitation Guide with Methods and Tools.......2006-11-28
The guide removes the mystique of conducting your own Kaizen events. Kaizen events can mobilize teams with enthusiasm to solve many problems in complex business processes. With the use of this guide, typical failures are prevented through the application of the SCORE methodology. The enclosed CD contains the forms and checklists shown for fast startup.
Book Description
This book is filled with the concepts, ideas, and practical suggestions that are needed for any manager to have at hand if he or she is a member or creator of a committee, team, task-force, or any other activity involving collaboration among several people. The ideas are proven by several decades of experience and well-supported in the text with numerous examples.
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Books Index
Books Home
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Coaching for Performance, Third Edition (People Skills for Professionals)
Co-Active Coaching, 2nd Edition: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and, Life
Coaching : Evoking Excellence in Others
Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart: A Systems Approach to Engaging Leaders with Their Challenges
Masterful Coaching
