Where's Waldo: Ultimate Fun Book

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WHERE'S WALDO? THE ULTIMATE FUN BOOK
Martin Handford
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (Juv Pap)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Culture. We blithely use the term for just about anything--a vibrant culture, a dominant culture, a corporate culture. But do we really know what we're saying, what culture really means? Or do we most often assume that the term is just a convenient way to group those with a common purpose or goal and a method for achieving it? Isn't a corporate culture, for example, just "the way we do things around here"?

No, it's not. In The Corporate Culture Survival Guide, Edgar Schein reveals how that's merely the tip of the iceberg, an iceberg that managers ignore at the peril of their company's future. Underneath lies the much-harder-to-grasp "essence" of the company, the "learned, shared, tacit assumptions on which people base their daily behavior." These assumptions are learned over time and in different internal and external environments, becoming, as Schein puts it, the "residue of success." As these assumptions influence all aspects of how a company functions, discovering their nature and cause is vital to the success of any new organization-wide venture or strategy. In the second half of the book, Schein illustrates how, using this knowledge, a company's culture can be deliberately created or changed. Supported by numerous case-study examples, his advice is pertinent to startups, mature companies, and blended organizations.

If you're the type of manager that needs a quick-fix solution, with simple catch phrases and an easy Five Step Program to Success, this book is not for you. Nor are the benefits to be gained from acquiring the depth of knowledge and insight needed to understand, work with, and transform your corporate culture. Using intelligent, lucid prose, Schein provides this kind of insight and more; he tells cautionary as well as inspiring tales of what this insight can mean for your company, and offers useful suggestions for putting knowledge into practice. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

Corporate culture pioneer Edgar H. Schein gets back to basics and delivers a dynamite primer on changing cultures packed with practical advice. Here, Schein separates the sense from the nonsense regarding culture change theory and practice and tells in plain terms how readers can assess their organization to determine if its current culture fits its people and products. He then examines corporate culture on three levels--behaviors, values, and shared assumptions--and shows how each factors into change initiatives. Framed around the questions managers ask most often, the book uses case studies to show what successful change looks like and to demonstrate how you can dismantle a dysfunctional culture.

A Warren Bennis Book

Customer Reviews:

OK, But Not Great.......2006-03-07

While this book had an adequate explaination of corporate culture, I found the suggestions of how to manage culture vague and cumbersome. Although I am not returning this book, I can't highly recommend it.

Outstanding!.......2003-08-17

Like all of Edgar Schein's books, this contains extraordinary insight. I am recommending this to all of my clients.

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

The corporate culuture survial guide.......2003-04-03

This book summarize the content of corporate culture very good and provide me with culture concept.

Insightful!.......2001-05-30

Edgar H. Schein provides an excellent conceptual explanation of culture in general and corporate culture in particular. He shows how cultures arise and explains why it is so hard to examine and change an embedded culture. He also lays out practical plans for assessing culture. These plans are not simple or easy, but they promise great reward if carefully followed. Case studies illustrate the concepts and show how corporate problems can be seen in terms of culture. The first half of the book, which lays out the concepts of culture, is especially clear. The second half, which examines cultural issues in various kinds of organizations, uses more jargon and is a bit murkier. Overall, we [...] recommend this book as especially useful for anyone dealing with change, be it moving to a new organization, considering or coping with a merger or acquisition, or even planning to work with people from another group, company or background.

With all thy getting, get understanding.......2001-04-18

What an absolutely brillant book!

How many people do you know spend time agonizing over something said or an action taken by someone in Senior Management ? How many people do you know who spend time wrestling with stated "values" in light of mixed messages from members of Senior Management ?

Vex no more! Mr Schein does an fantastic job helping readers change their thought paradigms. How often do books like this come around ? IT is a classic, add it to your library which should already have Drucker, Juran, Deming, Crosby, Weinberg, Maxwell, Covey and Nadler works. Some may find this a bit difficult to read, but endure, focus your thoughts and reap the enormous benefits!!

Average customer rating:

Couldn't put it down...

!!

Readable and practical advice.

Politically correct garbage

Only for first time managers

The Boss's Survival Guide
Bob Rosner , Allan Halcrow , and Alan Levins
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide

Working Wounded: Advice That Adds Insight to Injury

Every Manager's Desk Reference

Just Promoted!: How to Survive and Thrive in Your First 12 Months as a Manager

The First-time Manager

ASIN: 0071362738

Amazon.com

If managing people once felt like a stay at the Taj Mahal, today it's more like a visit to Beirut's Commodore Hotel, where guests were asked upon check-in, "Sniper side or shelling side?" As author and columnist Bob Rosner pointed out in his earlier book, Working Wounded, bosses are poked from above and prodded from below. How to cope? The Boss's Survival Guide aims to give managers tools for handling the shrapnel. Its 430 pages discuss the 65 most vexing challenges bosses face today, including how to screen out jerks when hiring, how to let people go fairly and legally, how to change an employee's problem behavior, and how to keep people motivated.

Don't let the size of The Boss's Survival Guide daunt you; this is not a book to sit and read cover to cover. It's meant as a reference tool, a kind of Physician's Desk Reference for help when you're facing a specific dilemma. Which is not to say it's a dull read. On the contrary, the authors (who, in addition to Rosner, include Allan Halcrow, former editor of Workforce magazine, and Alan Levins, an employment attorney) have worked overtime to present the information in humorous, easy-to-digest snapshots. Each chapter is divided into four sections: a short background area called "Know the Issue"; a set of concrete action steps; a highly useful section called "Stay out of Jail"; and "Manage Up," a short section on how to handle your own boss. Most chapters also include brief real-world examples and indicate where to go if you need more information on a particular problem.

Overall, the book is a comprehensive, highly readable reference tool that would be of use to both new and seasoned managers. In a cover quote, business luminary Ken Blanchard writes, "This book has everything you'll ever need to know about being an effective boss but don't have time to learn." He's right on the money. --Charles Decker

Book Description

In today’s booming economy, there are more jobs than there are qualified people to fill them. Retaining those qualified employees has become a manager’s top priority. Today’s managers not only need to make sure their employees are productive, but also need to make sure their employees remain satisfied and motivated—otherwise employees will leave.

According to recent surveys, what really causes employees to stay or drives them away is “the boss,” and not money or perks. That means that managers need to learn how to manage in ways that will attract qualified workers and make them want to stay. Short on theory and long on hands-on, real-world advice and guidance, this survival guide:

• Tells managers, in plain English, why and how they need to change the way they operate in order to hold on to valued employees
• Covers all the bases, including hiring and orientation, team-building, coaching, setting expectations, painless performance appraisals, and other day-to-day issues
• Features Rosner’s trademark humor— well-known to the tens of thousands of loyal readers of his nationally syndicated column, “Working Wounded”

Customer Reviews:

Couldn't put it down..........2003-11-28

...fast enough.

The Boss's Survival Guide is fairly worthless tripe. Appears to have been written by a group of tipsy Union reps. Too PC and too anti-Management to be used by any real manager.

Gonna supervise a group of tree huggers out to protest at an NRA meeting? This "book" is for you. Otherwise, don't waste your money or time.

!!.......2003-09-20

Like this is anything new? I wish I could live the life the authors talk about in this book. They make me sick! I hope they all end up the way the rest of us has - alone and miserable

Readable and practical advice........2001-11-14

This is a good, general book for managers, especially those who own or manage a small business and don't have the resources of a corporation for guidance. In spite of the glut of business management books on the market, it still amazes me to witness managers repeat common mistakes in the areas this book covers: how to hire, how to fire, how to conduct and document performance reviews, etc. This is not a business strategy book; it's simply a "do's and don'ts" guide for managers. I have heard Bob Rosner speak, and recommend that, if you like the book, you should consider him at a company function.

Politically correct garbage.......2001-08-07

The Boss's Survival Guide adds nothing to the existing literature, demonstrates a nauseating politically correct viewpoint where only women can be harmed, and where information is actually clearly presented, is only useful for the neophyte manager who has been living in a vacuum all his life. I am sorry I wasted my money on this book. As I promised the author in an email, I threw the book into the nearest garbage truck.

Only for first time managers.......2001-07-12

I am always looking for good advice as a manager. This book is really intended for first time managers who do not have a clue about what it means to be a manager, either in the sense of how to manage or the legal issues involved. Having been a manager for some years I found not one single useful paragraph. It is all basic and not inspired at all. Bottom line: if you have never been a manager, it is not a bad handbook. If you have any real experience as a manager: save your money.... A better choice would be "First..Break All the Rules"

The Way of the Rat: A Survival Guide to Office Politics

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Dead-serious anthropology and sociology masquerading as humor
All Bark, No Bite
Review of The Way of the Rat
Reviews in British press

The Way of the Rat: A Survival Guide to Office Politics
Joep P. M. Schrijvers
Manufacturer: Cyan Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0954282922

Book Description

In the corporate environment where conspiracy rules, this guide exposes the power games played in the workplace and reveals strategies for not only surviving office politics but thriving. In East Asia, the rat is considered a symbol of resourcefulness, good luck, and wealth, making it an appropriate symbol for those people who have mastered the use of office politics for their own gain. With the rat as a guide, lessons inspire office workers to maneuver the proverbial workplace sewer. Witty, no-holds-barred writing makes this book entertaining and educational for employers and employees alike.

Customer Reviews:

Dead-serious anthropology and sociology masquerading as humor.......2006-09-10

The Way of the Rat is probably the best book on office politics I've ever read. The author, who toiled in the corporate and consulting vineyards for years, writes pungent and mordant observations on the way modern corporations really work. Part satire, part out-and-out parody, and even so, simultaneously a dead-serious work of corporate anthropology and sociology that is more than the sum of its parts.

However: to understand the cultural anthropology of the modern office, you need to understand anthropology in general, preferably with a smattering of evolutionary psychology thrown into the mix. Human beings have built and designed some wonderful things, ranging from flint arrowheads to Michelangelo's David to the Brooklyn Bridge to particle accelerators, but we're still giant hairless apes with swollen forebrains, and despite our carefully constructed facades, that's still how we act much of the time.

And you'll never see better examples of primate dominance hierarchies than you'll find in most "modern" offices.

Thus, I also recommend:

The Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal
(Good general introduction to practical anthropology)
Author: Desmond Morris
ISBN: 0385334303

The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are
(Good general introduction to evolutionary psychology)
Author: Steven Pinker
ISBN: 0679763996

And for more general background:

Office Space
(Motion picture, 1999; director, Mike Judge)

Time allowing, it's also not a bad idea to brush up on your Von Clausewitz, Machiavelli and Sun Tzu. A little dose of Hobbes and Kant wouldn't hurt either.

All Bark, No Bite.......2006-03-23

This books gets by on cheap shock value. It's full of evil sounding phrases but short on actual instruction.

For example he says "Humiliate and offend in order to achieve your personal aims."

How? The book doesn't say.

Another example, "Blacken your opponent by turning them into the villain while playing the innocent yourself."

Sounds great. Now, how do I accomplish this? Again, the book doesn't say.

It was chapter after chapter of this frustration. He offers no steps on how to carry out a single one of these plans.

He could just have easily have written "Overthrow the government, install a puppet regime, and proceed to rule with an iron fist."

I read it carefully cover to cover, and found nothing I could use. A wasted evening.

Review of The Way of the Rat.......2006-03-02

Schrijvers writes an unflinching, unapologetic, and arguably bleak portrayal of corporate life. What makes Schrijvers book so compelling is that readers, or at least readers with morals and values, should find themselves aghast at what on the surface reads to be an endorsement of abhorrent behavior in the workplace. Even more so if there is a hint of familiarity with which the reader identifies.

At times Schrijver's suggestions seem so outlandish that the reader should find themselves wondering if he could possibly be serious. To further confuse the reader, though written as a how-to manual, Schrijver clearly states that the book should be taken in jest. In the end a reader is left wondering if Schrijver is endorsing "rat" behavior or condemning it? More importantly, a reader should come away asking themselves, have I been a rat and is this really what I want to be?

Schrijver essentially asserts, by way of his "verminicity" test where one has no choice but to be a rat, that anyone working in an office environment has been subjected to and has likely themselves used rat tactics. For those who reject this label, Schrijver categorizes this group as "stupid rats". In other words, you're a rat whether you like it or not but you are just naive enough to miss the signs of verminicity that are apparently all around you.

Though much of what Schrijver writes is probably an accurate portrayal of the characteristics of office politics at many companies, one would have to be a hardened cynic to completely believe that this is true of all office environments. A more likely explanation is that Schrijver, a writer and consultant on personal development, grew dissolusioned. Dissolusioned with the pop-psychology business book-of-the-week, which self-anointed intellectuals and business leaders latch onto, praise, and then before long, begin to look for the next release to trumpet as a breakthrough.

This book strikes one as the anti-thesis of those types of books; a book where the writer grew tired of reading about synergy and shifting paradigms and decided to write a book to tell people how things really work in the real world. Schrijvers may have over shot his mark a bit, but one can hardly argue that he fails to make his point and his no-holds barred approach to writing is refreshing.

In the end, the writer coyly reveals his intended purpose of the book with an epilogue that appears to literally be a page out of a completely different book. While the balance of The Way of the Rat is figuratively a page out of a different book; a book that flies in the face of the ideas, buzzwords, and catch phrases so commonly seen in the genre of self-help business books.

Reviews in British press.......2004-07-20

Here are some reviews of 'The Way Of The Rat: a survival guide to office politics' published in newspapers and magazines in the U.K.

Management Today (June 2004 edition), book review by Professor Cary Cooper:
"I strongly recommend this book for its novel style and words of wisdom... It's not only extremely perceptive of human behaviour at work, but also fun to read."

Daily Telegraph (13 July 2004):
"Schrijver's book speaks frankly, and with an admirable lack of motivational nonsense, about the real dynamics of business success."

Book Description

The College Senior's Survival Guide to Corporate America by Fred Pollack

Here at last is the tell-it-like-it-is guide to the real world of corporate America. A cubicle dweller turned stand-up comedian, Fred Pollack points his stinging wit at every facet of corporate life, including the commuter train, the 401K plan, the IT department, and the Christmas party. Between the laughs, Pollack shows college seniors not merely how to survive but how to beat the system. The book is filled with practical, hard-nosed advice on such tactics as padding an expense report, kissing the boss's butt, and hiding that game of computer solitaire. Outspoken and irreverent, THE SURVIVAL GUIDE TO CORPORATE AMERICA will delight office veterans as much as it will enlighten the soon-to-be initiated.

Customer Reviews:

A very funny read.......2005-09-05

We all know situations and characters the author covers in this book - everything from the often painful commute to the office know-it-all jerk!!! I was crying laughing throughout the book. Well worth the purchase!!!

A Gem!.......2005-05-08

I have to admit that the standards I set for this book were rather low. I bought it for a few dollars in a discounted books bin, However, Pollack provided a surprisingly keen insight, and a very funny book that I would say is worth the publisher price.

Among the funniest parts of the book deal with co-workers and management. He provides a good system of general categories of each, along with hilarious ability to describe the quirks that one can manipulate.

His advice for surviving in the office, warning signs that you're about to be fired, and shenanigans are all worthy of multiple readings. Having friends that work in cubicle farms, I have seen firsthand how true Mr. Pollack's observations are.

The best part is he wrote the entire book while at work, on someone else's dime. You have to respect that.

funny books review.......2004-06-02

The Survival guide to corparate america is really funny.
Me and my friend were cracking up like maniacs over it.
Particulary the bosses from hell chapter was exceptional.
When I get older I will reread it and actually use the advice.That is pretty much it for the great book.

I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME!.......2002-12-08

I thought it was just me!

Having worked for only two corporations throughout my career, this book made me realize that corporate life is pretty much a universal experience!

The sly and witty Pollack pokes fun at all the different types of coworkers to be dealt with, such as 'Ms. Whiner,''Betty Crocker', 'Big Ben,' and 'The Shadow.'

Although most of Pollack's observations are funny in their own right, he turns them sideways, putting an insightfully entertaining twist on every aspect of corporate life, including corporate policy, office art, department meetings, lunch, and the company fire drill--not to mention an enlightening explaination of corporate lingo such as, "touch base," "have a good one", "it's a challenge."

This book had me in tears, I was laughing so hard. The realistic tips and tricks that college seniors can learn from it will position them well for their looonnnnnnngggggggg life ahead in corporate America!

If Only The Movie "Office Space" Had Met Fred.......2001-12-28

This book is "Office Space" x300! The shtick in this book is incredibly true. This book is not only valuable to graduating college seniors, but also to seasoned professionals who will, like I did, laugh their asses off!

Average customer rating:

Your Guide to Corporate Survival
Scott Choate
Manufacturer: CCC Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0918259207

Marketing 2000: Critical challenges for corporate survival (Management guides)

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Marketing 2000: Critical challenges for corporate survival (Management guides)
Laura Mazur
Manufacturer: Business International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Managing in China: An Executive Survival Guide

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The cultural problems of living and working in China.

Managing in China: An Executive Survival Guide
Stephanie Jones
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

The cultural problems of living and working in China........1999-01-03

This 260 page paperback book provides thorough coverage of the many cultural problems expatriates can expect to encounter while living and working as managers in China. The text contains many real life examples from experienced expatriates which serve to enhance the author's recommendations. From a business perspective, the author stresses the need for clear communications and the necessity for continual training in order to have an effective, productive, and profitable enterprise. It is made clear that, due to the Chinese cultural and political system, this is a very challenging environment for Americans to work and live in. If not forewarned with prior study of the experiences of others, it can be a most frustrating assignment. Of particular value are the many examples of how cultural misunderstandings can be a commonplace occurrence and seriously affect an enterprise's operations. The concept of "face" is discussed in some detail. What to expect when negotiating with Chinese businessmen is especially revealing. It is also emphasized that personal relationships are an overriding concern to all Chinese. This book is certainly recommended for anyone who will be living and working in China, particularly in a management capacity. Chapter headings are: 1. Your Own Personal Approach 2. Setting Up Your Team 3. Communicating 4. Training 5. Internal Politics and Staff Expectations 6. Customers and Suppliers 7. Your Chinese Partner and Your Boss 8. Family, Friends and Entertainment 9. Lessons to be Learnt: the Expat Experience

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