The Book Corner offers reviews by Graziadio School faculty on a variety of books on business topics.
In this issue:
Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment
By Jamie Showkeir and Maren Showkeir
Berrett-Koehler, 2008Reviewed by Esther Bleuel, MA, MFT, MDR, Adjunct Professor of Business Negotiation
Authentic Conversations lays the groundwork for the transformation of a stagnant organization into a dynamic enterprise, through a conversational revolution.
Courageous Training: Bold Actions for Business Results
By Tim Mooney and Robert O Brinkerhoff
Berrett-Koehler, 2008Reviewed by Robert M. Fulmer, PhD, GBR Editorial Review Board Member
The authors believe they have discovered why some groups achieve breakthrough results by having the courage to break away from the usual approaches and identify what is really needed and what really works.
Enjoy!: 101 Ways to Add Fun to Your Work Every Day
By Gini Graham Scott
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by Leo A. Mallette, EdD, Adjunct, Decision Sciences and Marketing
This delightful book is based on the premise that having fun relieves stress.
How to Become an Expert on Anything in 2 Hours
By Gregory Hartley and Maryann Karinch
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by Walter Langley, Supporting Professor of Business Strategy
The authors take the liberal view that being an expert is tied less to in-depth knowledge or experience on a subject than to how well you read your audience and communicate a proficiency of the subject.
Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently
By Gregory Berns
Harvard Business School Press, 2008Reviewed by John Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems
This book shows how iconoclasts’ brains work differently, which is interesting; however, it would have been nice if it offered advice on how to handle such people in the workplace.
In the Land of Difficult People: 24 Timeless Tales Reveal How to Tame Beasts at Work
By Terrence L. Gargiulo and Gini Graham Scott
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by Leo A. Mallette, EdD, Adjunct Professor of Decision Sciences and Marketing
The tales are grouped into eight chapters, each centering around a common theme: tyrannical bosses, independent individuals, crafty villains, power-hungry people, lazy people, tricksters, defensive people, and poor communicators.
Instant Appeal: The 8 Primal Factors that Create Blockbuster Success
By Vicki Kunkel
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by Jody Brightman, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Marketing
The meat of the author’s message is: Fine-tune your communications to the subconscious needs of your target’s reptilian brain.
Just Good Business: The Strategic Guide to Aligning Corporate Responsibility and Brand
By Kellie McElhaney
Berrett-Koehler, 2008Reviewed by Leo A. Mallette, EdD, Adjunct, Decision Sciences and Marketing
McElhaney defines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as “a business strategy that is integrated with core business objectives and core competencies of the firm and…is designed to create business value and positive social change…”
Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results
By John Baldoni
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by John Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems
If you are a leader, this book will reinforce your strengths. If you are new to management, you will find these lessons in a hundred different books and seminars, but here they are condensed into one neat package.
The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By
By Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, and Kate Sweetman
Harvard Business School Press, 2009Reviewed by Robert M. Fulmer, PhD, GBR Editorial Review Board Member
This well-written, engaging, and pragmatic book may just help you take your leadership skills to a higher level.
Moral Markets: The Critical Role of Values in the Economy
By Paul J. Zak (Ed.)
Princeton University Press, 2008Reviewed by Sean D. Jasso, PhD, Practitioner Faculty of Economics
The goal of this book is to raise the awareness of market stakeholders, a category that includes almost everyone, that markets are “good” today, and have been throughout time.
Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide, 3rd Edition
By Harrison Owen
Berrett-Koehler, 2008Reviewed by John Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems
An open space meetings is not planned ahead of time the agenda is set at the beginning by the participants, and the meeting space is an open circle to show that no one is really in charge and all participants are equal.
You’ve Gotta Have Heart: Achieving Purpose Beyond Profit in the Social Sector
By Cass Wheeler
AMACOM, 2009Reviewed by John Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems
Cass Wheeler, former CEO of the American Heart Association (AHA), has written what might be considered a primer in running a nonprofit organization.
