Reviews (10)

A Useful Non-Profit Guide
Peter F. Drucker has put together an excellent resource for Non-Profit managers.The book is an easy read and is organized in a very thoughtful and ordered manner.The book guides you from the creation of a mission statement to the betterment of yourself as a person and an executive.The most interesting part of the book, in my opinion, are the interviews that accompany each chapter.Prominent leaders in the non-profit arena accent each topic with practical stories and practical results.The book begins with a helpful overview of what a non-profit organization is and what it should be doing in today's society.The rest of the book concentrates on making five points manifest.Part one emphasizes the importance of having a solid, practical, and workable mission statement.Part two shows you how to take that mission statement and turn it into pragmatic results.Part three focuses on management in the non-profit organization and how it differs from management in the business realm.Part four is a short tutorial that will enable you to get the most out of the people in your organization and part five pertains to personal development; development as a person, as an executive, and as a leader.This is the first Peter Drucker book I have read, but it won't be my last.I feel that he has a thorough understanding of the many differences between businesses and non-profits and eloquently offers useful insight on how to better the work of non-profit institutions.

He didn't make a strong argument for each point
This book contains a lot of useful information, yet the only problem lies on his way to express and prove it. Normally, I saw he made a point, then gave an example for that point which also help him jump to another point... After all, it's really hard to absorb something out of this book. It will be better if the author pays more attention to explain his point, makes his argument stronger.

Invaluable for all non-profits
Non-profit institutions, the agents of human change, have moved from the margins to the center of American society because government has limited ability to perform social tasks. As non-profits are the nation's biggest "employer" when considering the numbers of hours contributed by volunteers they need good management. There is not much material available to help non-profit leaders and management with such areas as mission, strategy, organization, marketing, raising money, innovation, use of volunteers and human resources, the role of the board, and relationships with a diversity of constituencies. This lack of material combined with high levels of commitment may contribute to the high rate of burnout. Although non-profit institutions have been America's resounding success and growth industry over the last fifty years they still receive only 2-3% of GNP while the share for medicine and education has increased several times. Drucker considers the first task ahead for non-profits to be the conversion of "donors" into "contributors." Contributing time to a non-profit gives people a sense of community, purpose, direction and the ability to perform and achieve. But most non-profits still have to learn this. This book therefore sets out to do two things: provide advice from the business world appropriate to the non-profit and, through interviews with distinguished non-profit performers, show what can and should be done.

The book has five sections, the first being "The Mission Comes First: and your role as a leader." I provide a few snippets that were particularly meaningful to me. Some mission statements work while others don't work, the ultimate test being right action. Almost every hospital says "Our mission is health care" which is wrong because no one can tell you what action or behavior follows. The mission statements for some colleges are confused. On the other hand Sears Roebuck went from a near-bankrupt, struggling mail-order house at the beginning of the last century into the world's leading retailer within less than ten years by having a mission statement that was operational and focused on what they tried to do so that each person involved can say "This is my contribution to the goal." When an emergency room got its mission statement right, everyone was seen by a qualified person in less than a minute. But missions have to be reviewed, revised and perhaps measures need to be taken for organized abandonment. Things that were of primary importance may become secondary or totally irrelevant. The author tells us to watch this carefully or we may become a museum piece.

To get the mission statement right, there are a number of searching questions that must be asked such as "where can we, with our limited resources, make a difference?", "can we set a new standard?", "what are the opportunities or needs?", "do they fit us?", "can we do a good job?", "are we competent?", "do the needs match our strengths?" and "do we really believe in this?" The author closes this section with the following paragraph:
"So you need three things: opportunities; competence; and commitment. Every mission statement, believe me, has to reflect all three or it will fall down on what is its ultimate goal, its ultimate purpose and final test. It will not mobilize the human resources of the organization for getting the right things done."

In the section "Leadership is a Foul-Weather Job" Drucker takes a refreshingly different approach by recalling that Winston Churchill was the most successful leader of the last century. But from 1928 to 1940 he was on the sidelines and almost discredited because there was no need for a Churchill. Fortunately he was there when the crisis came. The one predictable thing in an organization is the crisis. That is when you do depend on the leader. But to wait until the crisis hits is abdication. One has to make the organization capable of anticipating the storm, weathering it, and being ahead of it. That is called innovation or constant renewal. You have to build an organization that is battle ready. Having told us this the author goes on to say "Problems of success have ruined more organizations than has failure, partly because if things go wrong, everybody knows they have to go to work. Success creates its own euphoria. You outrun your resources. And you retire on the job, which may be the most difficult thing to fight." Let me quote one more observation on leadership. "To every leader there is a season. There is profundity in that statement, but it's not that simple. Winston Churchill in ordinary peaceful, normal times would not have been very effective. He needed the challenge. Probably the same is true of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was basically a lazy man. I don't think FDR would have been a good president in the 1920s. His adrenalin wouldn't have produced. On the other hand, there are people who are very good when things are pretty routine, but who can't take the stress of an emergency. Most organizations need somebody who can lead regardless of the weather. What matters is that he or she works on the basic competencies."

Reviews (6)

Decent introductory guide
While I wish the book covered more specifics, it does offer a helpful broad-based introduction to the main aspects of fundraising. I would recommend this book especially to small community-based nonprofit volunteers and board members who want to gain "the big picture" and research the particulars (e.g., state-wide tax laws) elsewhere.

A Comprehensive Look at Starting a Non-Profit
I wanted to start a small not-for-profit to raise money for cancer research.But where to start?May I suggest this book?

First of all, this isn't a book for the already established, huge foundation.It's for someone (like me) who not only knows nothing about the subject, but doesn't even know where to begin.

The book covers the subject from getting started, incorporating the non-profit, writing a mission statement, applying to the IRS for tax-exempt status (hugely important!), and finding the right people to help you make your dream come true.

The second part of the book is devoted to running the non-profit.This includes setting up a board of directors, hiring staff (or working with volunteers), planning for the future, and managing money.

The third part of the book is perhaps the heart of the matter - raising money.

Understand this is a first step.It isn't the only book you'll buy if you get your non-profit up and running, but it is an excellent place to start.

Read the book and take notes.Every state has different requirements, and you'll need to contact the state agency that regulates non-profits to get the forms, filing requirements, etc.There is a lot to learn, but the book is well organized, and packed with information.

You might also research a few other books to help you with the filing process.And I think it will be important to look for as many fund-raising ideas as you can, anywhere you can find them.

Not helpful at all
As an attorney, I read a lot of publications about creating nonprofits -- here's what you need to know about this book:

1) No clear instructions on how to incorporate or how to fill out (very complicated) IRS forms necessary to obtain tax exempt status.

2) Covers a lot of topics only lightly, skipping important details.

3) No detailed info on state laws, which is extremely important to every nonprofit corporation.

Reviews (12)

Requires Acrobat Big Brother? digital sign-in
Suggest you test your digital capability to download eBooks and open themby using Acrobat's "File\Digital Editions\Authorize Devices" before buying as Acrobat now requires a drm activation on each computer by computer and this apparently has to be transferred one to the other, and the worst part is that they apparently have major problems with their drm activation server such that I have been unable to get my "instant" pdf book for two days now. There many entries in the Adobe forum on this issue. The book involved is the Balanced Scorecard Step-by-step.
Adobe has scored a zero on this one for me.

The experience is enough to turn one off all future eBooks.

Excelente libro.Magnífica guía para BSC.
Aún cuando leí la edición original en inglés, escribo esta nota en español por facilidad.Entiendo que ya existe una versión en español.
Paul R. Niven se lució con su libro.Además de trazar un camino paso a paso para la implantación del Balanced ScoreCard, clarifica los conceptos originales de Kaplan y Norton y los complementa con temas relacionados de vital importancia para un adecuado uso del BSC.Las citas bibliográficas son muy oportunas y te invitan a investigar otros títulos de muchos autores.
Su forma de escribir es muy clara, de fácil comprensión y diría que amena.
Considero que esta obra es una guía indispensable para quien pretenda usar el BSC en su empresa.
Felicitaciones Señor Niven por su excelente obra y gracias por facilitarnos la vida.Sinceramente se ganó cinco estrellas y se anotó un "hoyo en uno".

Gustavo Correa
Quito, Ecuador - La joya de la mitad del mundo

How to Achieve and Then Sustain Superior Performance
It is noteworthy that Robert S. Kaplan wrote the Foreword to this book. He and David P. Cohen are the co-authors of three other books on this important subject: The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action, The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition), and most recently The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. In the Preface, Kaplan graciously welcomes "this new book to the Balanced Scorecard literature" and goes on to suggest that "Niven's contribution will enable many more organizations to achieve successful Balanced Scorecard implementations."

Given the potential benefits of such a program, one which provides a measurement system that balances the historical accuracy and integrity of financial numbers with today's drivers of economic success, I strongly recommend that Kaplan and Norton's books also be consulted. The total cost seems a small price to pay for the substantial value that will be derived.

Here is how Niven organizes his material :

Part One: Introduction to Performance Measurement and the Balanced Scorecard

Its purpose is to "familiarize [the reader] with the field of performance measurement and provide a solid grounding of Scorecard background and principles."

Part Two: Step-by-Step Development of the Balanced Scorecard

Next, Niven provides his reader with "a detailed review and description of the elements necessary to construct this new and powerful management tool."

Part Three: Embedding the Balanced Scorecard in the Organization's Management System

Then Niven shifts his (and his reader's) attention to implementing -- literally step-by-step --a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system based on the aforementioned principles (Part One) and elements (Part Two). This marks the "Scorecard's transition from a measurement system to a strategic management tool." Niven explains in Chapter 8 how to align every employee's actions with the organization's overall goals.

Part Four: Sustaining Balanced Scorecard Success

Niven carefully examines the importance of frequent reports on results (to date) which both broaden and (more importantly) deepen support of the Scorecard within the organization. To repeat, the Scorecard is an effective management tool as well as a source of measurement information.

Part Five:Balanced Scorecard in the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors and Concluding Thoughts on Scorecard Success

The "many advantages conferred by a the Balanced Scorecard" were recognized and appreciated almost immediately by public-sector and not-for-profit organizations. This "rising trend" serves as Niven's focal point in Chapter 13 and then, in the final chapter, he shares some concluding thoughts.

Reviews (2)

Best rendition of barriers of high performance in nonprofits
This is the best treatment I've seen of the barriers nonprofit leaders have in implementing high performance strategies in a nonprofit organization. The authors rightly point to the convergence of the bias offunders and nonprofit leaders to only invest in programs and notorganizational performance improvement. They present a well-researched casethat this mono-focus on investing in new programs and not the structuralneeds of nonprofits results in less than desireable outcomes.Ourintention at the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits is to use this book tohelp educate the philanthropic community and nonprofit leaders in the needto better balance the altruistic urge to use every penny for client servicewith the need to develop the internal capacity of these organizations tocontinously improve their deliver systems.

Excellent thought-provoking book for non-profit directors
A great, thought-provoking look at non-profits with helpful, action-oriented examples and clear writing.What I like about this work is its focus on building organizational capacity - both as funded andprioritized by the organization itself and through foundation support.

The authors provide the insight that non-profits all too often focusexclusively on expanding their program offerings without providing for theneeded organizational capacity to really pull them off.As a non-profitmanager, it helped me to think through the capacity challenges we faceeveryday - and to think of how to create opportunities for both managementand foundation support for capacity building.

The ideas they espouse willchange the world of non-profits by helping to make them financially andstructurally sound, while achieving high performance mission-driven results- if we listen!

Reviews (3)

Very good, but not great
I really enjoyed the book for the most part.There are some great topics discussed.I especially enjoyed the chapter on nonprofit/corporation alliances.The downside: I thought the two chapters regarding Boards were lacking.Overall, it's definately worth checking out.

To much money for the lack of versatility
The book is great.But, the E-book has a lot of inconveniences comparing vs. a regular book, such as:

1.- You are unable to print the file (Make a hard copy) 2.- You only can read it from the equipment you downloaded (If there is a way to use it in others, it's very hard to find Believe me !) 3.- You must read it only at the monitor 4.- If you don't like it. (At this time) you can't return the item. (Amazon Policies). 5.- It cost the same as a normal book.

Reviews (7)

Excellent Source Book
To start the process of understanding strategic planning, you need to take some courses, speak to lots of people, try quite a few things out (many of which will be dead ends) and read quite a few books.The books need to be mulled over for quite some time, and from the morass of conflicting information, you pull out something useful.

Now, what books should you read?Clearly, I haven't read, nor am I ever likely to read them all, but, Strategic Planning for Non Profit Organizations is definitely one of them.

It is indeed a practical guide which serves everyone well in nonprofits and is eminently adaptable to Profit and Govenrnmental organisations.

The pages I went back to constantly included that containing the map of the strategic planning process (p11 1997 edition) and The Language of Planning table and explanations (P16-17).They represent an excellent summary after reading the book.

After my third read, when I had a greater appreciation of the context in which planning is done, I thought it might even be THE text that everyone looks for, but, alas, it crashed and burned at one crucial point which is why I only give it 4 stars.As with all books of this type it did the "hand-waving, hey presto trick" in attempting to join two critical components - core strategies and programs.One moment we get to core strategies - no problems (Step 4.3, p116-123).A few sections later we get to writing goals and objectives for programs (Step 4.6 p130-143). There should have been a more explicit section on how the programs relate to the strategies.The reason this can't be done is that any given program relates to more than one strategy and invariably, all books on strategy stick to the hierarchical model (not a network model).The assumption is always one of mutually exclusive categories because that makes things easier.

Now each of these sections, individually, have a wealth of useful information.It's the relationship between them that's the problem. The join was not only not smooth, it was not existent.Not to worry, other books which I have read have solved this problem only to create a different problem elsewhere - which is why you need to read a suite of books to get proper context.

Despite everything I have said, it really is a great book.I will certainly be using it time and time again into the future because of the wealth of insight it contains.

The Best Introduction to Strategic Planning
I used the first edition of this book in a graduate class on Strategic Planning this past summer. This book is a wonderful, complete, and sufficient introduction to strategic planning. Everything in the book is completely clear. Doing the exercises in this book are a perfect way to learn sound strategic planning methodology. The first edition was simply excellent. I am certain that the authors have made every effort to improve the book even further. The revised edition is a certain 5.

Reviews (2)

Valuable but...
This is a valuable book. But, you should also read "Strategic Organizational Change" by Beitler. They make a great combination.

Reviews (2)

Budgeting Made Easy
This book is a must have for not-for-profit organizations wishing to improve their budgeting process. This book encourages a botttom up budget building process involving those people intimately familiar with each department. In easy to understand language Dropkin and LaTouche walk you through each step of the budgeting process from planning to monitoring.Helpful sample forms and practical resources are included. The Budget Building Book for Nonprofits takes the fear out of budgeting.

Isbn: 0787953857
Sales Rank: 161091
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Cash flow    5. Corporate Finance    6. Entrepreneurship    7. Finance    8. Management    9. Non-Profit Organizations Management    10. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    11. Nonprofit organizations    12. Budgeting & financial management    13. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    14. Non-profitmaking organizations   

Reviews (4)

Soporific and Overly Wordy.
Reads like a law textbook. Author often uses three sentences where one would do. Much ink is wasted telling the reader "we won't go into that here, but Chapter "X" deals exclusively with that." Concepts are understandable for those with an accounting background, but definitely would not recommend to someone without a solid grasp of accounting fundamentals. Author should have hired a writer to help him smooth out his writing style. Not recommended.

Accounting Made Difficult
If you are looking for a straightforward, easy-to-read explanation of not-for-profit accounting, keep looking.I ordered this book recently and while the first chapter provides some useful defintions, the rest of the book is mind-numbing.In fact, I gave up after chapter 3.If you have to re-read paragraphs two and three times to understand what the author is trying to say, then it's not "accounting made easy."

In addition, the examples of financial statements only offer "XXX" rather than actual numbers.Samples with actual numbers would have been much more useful.

Charity Channel (www.charitychannel.com) also gave this book a negative review.

There are better guides out there.

Very good, but not quite "easy"
This book is exactly what I (as a newly-minted board member) needed to help me figure out some of the oddities and kinks in nonprofit financial reports.Information is presented clearly and logically.

Only two little problems kept me from awarding five stars.

1. If you have no accounting background at all, you may find it difficult to make sense of some parts of the book.At several points, a general familiarity with accounting concepts and terms is assumed.I had taken an introductory accounting class a few years ago at a community college, and with that background, had no trouble at all with the book.I suspect that if I'd read this book before taking that class, I would have given up in hopeless confusion after the first chapter.Be warned.

2. The book contains examples of financial reports.That's good.Unfortunately, it shows all the dollar amounts as "$XXXX.XX" or similar.That's bad.It would have been much better to construct an example with actual numbers, so the reader could see which numbers flowed where.

Reviews (2)

Excellent book for beginners in non-profit PR
I use this book to teach a beginning workshop in public relations for non-profit organizations as part of a continuing education program at a local community college.The book is an excellent resource for individuals who are not familar with public relations.It takes the reader through all of the things that he or she will need to do to effectively promote his or her organization.

Quite Useful for Students
The Jossey-Bass Guide to Strategic Communications for Nonprofits is a detailed examination of the relationship between nonprofits and the media.As the title says, it provides a step-by-step guide for nonprofits to establish effective relations with the media that result in publicity.My professor recommended this book to me, and I'm finding it quite useful.It has a similar approach to Guerrilla PR: Wired by Michael Levine; both are about maximizing your return on investment.

Reviews (1)

Isbn: 0471296929
Sales Rank: 900808
Subjects:  1. Accounting - Financial    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Corporate Finance    6. Finance    7. Non-Profit Organizations Management    8. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    9. Nonprofit organizations    10. Budgeting & financial management    11. Charities & voluntary services    12. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (5)

Clear Approach and Good Examples Make this a Useful Read
What are the characteristics of an effective and powerful board? For Mark Light, it is a board that is "visionary about the future, explicit in delegating that future into the present, clear about the tasks that must be executed today, and disciplined about monitoring performance." It "...focuses its energy on making sure that the organization achieves its chosen destiny."

The process for creating such a board is the focus of The Strategic Board. In Light's view, the ideal board builds its agenda around the creation and implementation of a governance plan consisting of four sub-plans:

1. a leadership plan, articulating vision, mission, strategies, critical issues (he calls these "imperatives"), and success indicators;

2. a delegation plan, defining the responsibilities and performance standards of the board (including its members, officers, and committees) and executive director;

3. a twelve-month management plan for the board and for each functional area of the organization stating annual objectives, challenges to be addressed, and budget;

4. a "vigilance plan," that serves as a monitoring schedule and provides the main agenda items the board's meetings for the coming year.

The book includes examples of each type of plan, drawn from the theatre company where the author serves as executive director and from a Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. The examples are very helpful in following the logic of each planning process.

In an interesting introduction, Light suggests that any effort to improve nonprofit governance must take into account seven realities of nonprofit organizations:

1. part-time volunteer directors are able to give only limited time to the tasks of governance;

2.boards operate with something less than perfect knowledge, creating a dilemma for the both the board and executive director as they must each be both servant and leader to the other;

3. boards tend to be fairly large, making decision-making a lengthy and complicated process;

4. for many boards, the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for effective governance are not seen as a prerequisite for recruitment;

5. there are few consequences for poor performance, and little recognition for excellent board performance;

6. consistency and continuity are problems for many boards from year-to-year and even from meeting-to-meeting due to poor attendance and turnover of members and officers;

7. nonprofit organizations are led by relatively inexperienced executive directors. (based on an article from Board Member which is available online at [URL]

The author draws upon a number of sources in nonprofit literature to support his thesis, making the endnotes a useful link to follow-up reading. He also sprinkles the text with the wisdom of motivational writers and speakers. This will be enjoyed by readers who are inspired by such writing. Personally, I think these oversimplified inspirational messages detract from the otherwise strong and thoughtful text.

Overall, there is much in this book to stimulate creative thinking. The concepts are well-explained and illustrated with good examples. On the negative side, it suffers from too much jargon (e.g. "high-impact governance") and like so many "how-to" books, tends to underestimate the time and effort necessary to transform intentions into action. Still, it is a serious and thoughtful effort to build boards capable of the leadership needed by strong and effective organizations. Most executive directors and board members will find some new and challenging ideas to consider.

Finally -- a nonprofit executive writes about boards.
Literally dozens of books about boards have come out in the past few years. This one stands out from the crowd because it's written by a seasoned and successful nonprofit executive with a pragmatic and reality-based approach to governance. If you're a nonprofit executive, this book acknowledges the limitations and frustrations of nonprofit governance, then gives concrete suggestions for turning your board into a high-impact team. If you serve on a nonprofit board, you'll be informed and inspired by the author's concept of strategic governance. The Strategic Board should be in every nonprofit executive's briefcase!

Reviews (5)

A good survey text
This is a good general overview of Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) theory and techniques as applied to public sector and non-profit organizations.Although it is essentially a textbook aimed at graduate-level students in Public Policy or Public Administration, Pynes' survey approach, pointing the reader to empirical studies and other more in-depth sources, should serve as both a refresher and a source of new ideas, even to long-term practitioners in the field.The book is a series of chapters grouped around three basic themes:changing context, methods and challenges.

Part one puts human resource management (HRM) into a strategic context, starting with an overview of the shortcomings of traditional "after-the-fact" HR strategy.It is filled with real-life examples of challenges, successes and failures.Here, Pynes lays out the central thesis of the book, arguing that vertical integration of HR processes into overall strategic planning is essential for success and sustainability, especially in today's ever-changing organizational milieu.For example, Pynes argues that organizations can benefit by mirroring societal diversity in the workplace (however, I think that the case can be more compellingly presented).She ties up the section with a good overview of the relevant US federal legal and regulatory framework, with a number of examples from labor case law.

Part two provides the "meat" of SHRM practice.Pynes covers the fundamental theories and techniques of job analysis, recruitment and performance evaluation (including a good discussion of how performance appraisals might be reconciled with Total Quality Management's team-based concepts).She reviews methods for determining compensation and benefit levels, including coverage of equity and comparable worth.In these methodology sections, Pynes takes care to include additional consideration of executive level positions, given the often-different concerns that can come into play here.She touches on evolving compensation issues such as gainsharing and alternative benefits.The section closes with a chapter addressing collective bargaining.

The final section looks at today's challenges and emerging issues.Pynes brings the reader along for a look at contracting out, workplace violence, technological change and alternative dispute resolution (it seems to me that there are a number of additional issues not covered, such as the expanding definition of employer liability).Overall, the public and non-profit sectors are demanding increased professionalism from their workers.To meet the dual challenge presented by rising demand for services within increasingly constrained resources, many organizations, even those in the formal public sector, are relying more heavily on volunteers.It is refreshing to see a discussion of volunteer management within the context of an HR text.After all, volunteers constitute the unpaid labor force.The arguments presented here certainly reinforce the book's central message.

What did I like most about the book?It is well laid-out, with a good introduction to each section setting the road map.Throughout, Pynes illustrates with concrete and practical examples and models.There are headings for each new topic and a concise summary at the end of each chapter.Both the table of contents and the index are excellent guides.An extensive and broad-based bibliography points the curious reader to additional sources.

From my point of view, the book has a few shortcomings.First, the extensive examples, legislation and case law are all US-based.I think that a non-American would find some of this minutia of limited benefit.In addition, the survey-course nature of the text (the impressively-detailed methodology sections on job analysis and performance appraisals are a notable exception) may leave some readers feeling wanting.Finally, I would like to see more parallels drawn with for-profit HR issues.

Overall, I would recommend this book as a general reference text, an introduction or a refresher for anyone wanting inspiration and direction about new ways of looking at HR in a strategic context.I especially like Pyne's insistence that an organization's staff and volunteers are crucially important in fulfilling its mission.It is a message worth repeating.

Good Public Administration Reading
Pynes presents an overview of the multiple roles of human resource managers in the strategic planning process. She has a knack for presenting technical information in a format for novices in public administration.The case studies presented enhance the understanding of relevant issues that human resource managers face.More importantly, the author emphasizes that the collaboration between the organizations' stakeholders will enhance the strategic human resources management process.

Graduate Student Resource
I consider this book to be very relevant to human resources practice.The author set forth traditional human resoures functions such as recruitment and selection, performance evaluation, and compensation and benefits, with the human resources perspective of the 21st century:changing, empowering, strategic management, and team-building.

I also find this book to be relevant to theory.the author's discussion of traditional human resources theories served to refresh my knowledge of the issues and functions of human resources management.

Isbn: 0787957267
Sales Rank: 617615
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Charities    5. Economic aspects    6. General    7. Non-Profit Organizations Management    8. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    9. Nonprofit organizations    10. Reference - Almanacs/Yearbooks    11. Statistics    12. United States    13. Voluntarism    14. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    15. Non-profitmaking organizations    16. Yearbooks, annuals, almanacs   

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

This analysis of what makes great companies great has been hailed everywhere as an instant classic and one of the best business titles since In Search of Excellence. The authors, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, spent six years in research, and they freely admit that their own preconceptions about business success were devastated by their actual findings--along with the preconceptions of virtually everyone else.

Built to Last identifies 18 "visionary" companies and sets out to determine what's special about them. To get on the list, a company had to be world famous, have a stellar brand image, and be at least 50 years old. We're talking about companies that even a layperson knows to be, well, different: the Disneys, the Wal-Marts, the Mercks.

Whatever the key to the success of these companies, the key to the success of this book is that the authors don't waste time comparing them to business failures. Instead, they use a control group of "successful-but-second-rank" companies to highlight what's special about their 18 "visionary" picks. Thus Disney is compared to Columbia Pictures, Ford to GM, Hewlett Packard to Texas Instruments, and so on.

The core myth, according to the authors, is that visionary companies must start with a great product and be pushed into the future by charismatic leaders. There are examples of that pattern, they admit: Johnson & Johnson, for one. But there are also just too many counterexamples--in fact, the majority of the "visionary" companies, including giants like 3M, Sony, and TI, don't fit the model. They were characterized by total lack of an initial business plan or key idea and by remarkably self-effacing leaders. Collins and Porras are much more impressed with something else they shared: an almost cult-like devotion to a "core ideology" or identity, and active indoctrination of employees into "ideologically commitment" to the company.

Reviews (20)

Start-ups and Managing Transitions
The focus of the venture capital community is on the change a new disruptive company intends to bring to the world, and little, if any, attention is paid to the changes and transitions that the company, as it moves from concept development to full commercialization, will have to negotiate to achieve its vision. "Transition Management" provides an excellent `how to' book for young, fragile companies as they negotiate the never ending changes and transitions that they will be forced to make.

As author William Bridges points out, change is situational and transition is psychological. "People are the ones who have to embrace new situations and carry out the corresponding changes. The psychological shifts that accompany the situational shifts can be difficult for people and must be managed to have everyone on board." Change and transition management is crucial to focus, execution, and organizational productivity.

Those of us experienced in start-up management know first hand the changes that we will have to manage - some expected, some unexpected. But few of us have been schooled in the management of the transition that accompanies change. Generally, decisions to create change are made and implemented whether the people are on board or not. A spirit of "they will have to just accept them" is the operative mantra.

But, as Bridges points out so well, we can do much to ease these transitions and keep our employees "on-board and involved." It is self-defeating to try to overcome people's resistance to change without addressing the threat that change poses to their world. For successful change to take place, people must have a purpose, a mental picture, a plan for, and a part to play in change. In short, successful change takes place only when everyone is actively involved.

Key changes that create transitions that must be managed in a start-up include, but are not limited to:
*The addition of new functions.
*The addition/replacement of key executives.
*The addition/replacement of key board members.
*The addition of new, actively involved investors.
*Significant workforce expansion/reduction.
*Relocation to larger facilities.
*The relocation of some functions to a second facility.
*The addition of new actively involved investors.
*The infusion of significant new capital.
*The move from project management to multi-functional management.
*The move from being privately held to being publicly held.
*Events that affects cash usage, business value, and the ability to raise capital.

Bridges shows us that transitions are a process by which people unplug from an old world and plug into a new world. They start with an ending and finish with a beginning. Once he explains the three phases of transition, he goes on to show how to manage the entire process.

B-schools would be well advised to include a transition management course in their entrepreneurial studies programs. Changes of any sort - even though they may be justified in economic or technological terms - finally succeed or fail on the basis of whether the people affected do things differently. And it is this getting people to do things differently that comes through in this excellent book.

Managing Transtions through people
The book underlines the fact that while change may be planned, systemic and structural actions taken by the managers and decision makers within the organizations, it?s the transition within the employees? mind that actually dictates the realization of desired objectives of change.The book is a step-wise guide to managing the transition in employees mind.

Managing transition involves helping people through three phases; letting go the old ways, going through the in-between when the old is gone and new is not fully operational and the new beginning phase.Author clearly delineates challenges and provides strategies for addressing employee emotional needs while experiencing these phases.The strategies focus on addressing four Ps: The Purpose (beat the problem), The Picture (of envisioned tomorrow), The Plan (resources, schedule etc.) and finally the Part for each player.

Author has very lucidly mapped the transition challenges as the organisation goes through its seven stages of life cycle (as he puts it) ie: Dreaming the Dream. Launching a Venture, Getting Organized, Becoming an Institution, Closing in and Dying.He also provides some management guidelines to make organizations break the cycle and move towards organisation renewal instead of closing-in.

In a very informative manner, author describes the most important steps, the planned steps and the blunders in managing transitions, using case studies.Comparing self analysis of the cases with the proposed solution forces reflection and facilitate understanding and imbibing of concepts.

The book can be viewed as a learning guide for all managers involved in initiating, planningand managing initiatives.The book is refreshingly different from the ?prescriptive model- centric? change management books.The gain for the reader would be decided by his ability to work with the book, than pick it for an arm-chair reading.

Reviews (8)

A Gem of a Book
We tried applying the techniques outlined in this book in our organization. - It works! - I think this little book is probably overlooked in the grand scheme of change management literature, and it is a pitty. - The authors are not Harvard Professors, but their suggestions really work, because they are street-wise and pragmatic. - I cannot recommend this enough.

Not Very Helpful
This book is not bad, but there are better books on organizational change. "Publishers Weekly" review said the case studies were "lackluster." That's putting it kindly; they don't add anything to the book.