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Books
The New Language of Work Danny Langdon says the world of work can be completely explained using six simple words: inputs, conditions, process, outputs, consequences and feedback. Why reduce work to six words? Because if we all understand and speak the same language, clear and complete communication becomes an everyday occurrence instead of a rarely encountered experience. There is, of course, more to Langdon's language of work than just six words. There is syntax (the way we put the words together) and shared meaning. There is also the environment in which they are applied -- Langdon's "Business Sphere," a three-dimensional view of the work world that begins at the core with individuals and works through three progressive layers: process, work groups and, finally, the business unit. This sphere is held together by various "glues" and language, maintains Langdon, and is a better business glue, a super glue that allows people "to administer, operate, improve and measure business." Langdon shows how the language of work applies to each layer in the Business Sphere in some detail. But paradoxically, he recommends starting at the center, the individual level, instead of at the business unit level, the outermost layer. While he admits it is preferable to begin by defining organization-wide purposes and goals, Langdon explains, ". . . it is easier to understand and see the power of the work language when applied to yourself rather than to the business unit, its processes or work groups." Poor communication almost always ranks near the top in surveys of barriers to business efforts. The New Language of Work (HRD Press, $27.95) offers a way of overcoming that barrier and a shared understanding that seems capable of uniting the entire work force.
The Invisible Assembly Line With roughly 80 percent of the global work force employed in knowledge and service-based jobs, white-collar productivity promises to be a critical issue well into the next century. Daniel Stamp begins addressing that issue today in this guidebook to understanding the processes of white-collar work and improving the productivity of everyone at work on "invisible assembly lines." Process skills are the key to improving knowledge work, according to Stamp. Toward that end, he presents a "k-Process Typology," which includes eight critical skills (k-P1, k-P2, etc): aligning values and vision, thinking strategically, focusing resources/maintaining flexibility, managing priorities, measuring performance, taking ownership, influencing and continually improving. These eight skills, which are listed sequentially, "provide a methodology for achieving a higher level of performance." Each k-P component is explored in a full chapter, and each includes a variety of useful self-assessments and working forms designed to help readers improve their own and their colleagues' productivity. Some of these tools are unique; others, such as mind-mapping, are borrowed. None are credited to their originators -- a small but disturbing flaw. The Invisible Assembly Line (Amacom, $24.95) doesn't really qualify as a "breakthrough" book, but it does offer a hearty serving of useful productivity-building strategies for knowledge workers. Certainly any reader who completes this workbook should leave it a more valuable employee.
Activity-based costing, writes William Wiersema, is much more than a technique for accounting professionals. It is also a management tool that can assist in strategic planning and continuous improvement efforts, ration-alize pricing decisions, support incentive compensation plans and help streamline product development. In other words, ABC can provide the various measurements needed for managing in the total quality environment. Implementing ABC is not a simple task -- it requires learning a new accounting vocabulary and, in many cases, establishing entirely new systems of measurement, but Wiersema does a good job of defining the elements of these systems. He also offers an easily understood five-step generic model for implementation. This model is supported by nine industry-specific examples. Each describes the typical resource usage paths and activity drivers in various service and product-based businesses, including banks, hospitals, machine shops, governmental agencies, etc. The book fulfills its title in the latter half of Wiersema's presentation, where the author builds a very compelling case for ABC's usefulness to management. Here, case studies explore how ABC generates valuable information well beyond its typical product costing applications. In fact, it soon becomes obvious that understanding and controlling a business without an accurate understanding of activity costs is difficult at best. Wiersema covers his subject nicely in Activity-Based Management (Amacom, $55). Non-financial managers will appreciate the complete explanations of the basic components of an activity-based accounting system. And the wide range of application examples illustrate well the practical benefits of implementing ABC.
A Passion for Success Kazuo Inamori's picture could appear in the dictionary under the word "entrepreneur." At the age of 27, the Japanese business hero started his first company, now known as Kyocera Corp., with a loan of $10,000. In 1993, Kyocera and a second venture, DDI, booked annual revenues of $8 billion. Now, Inamori shares the business lessons he learned along the way. The most striking feature of Inamori's book is its Zen-like style. The author offers few autobiographical details and even when he does, they appear only indirectly. Instead, Inamori presents mostly single-sentence lessons supported by a page or less of text. For example, "If we fail to live a contrite life, success itself can be our downfall" or "You can discern the true blessings in your life only if you are open to them." The book is organized into two parts. The first is called "How to Succeed in Life" and is organized around a success formula (The Result of Your Life = Ability x Effort x Attitude). The second is called "How to Succeed in Business" and explores seven principles of management organized around the acronym PASSION. The book is written by Inamori in the first person, but each chapter ends with a short Q-and-A session, in which the author is interviewed by an unidentified questioner. The value of Inamori's book must be decided by the individual reader. Does business success qualify a man as a teacher of morality and ethics? If so, Inamori might be all the guru you will ever need. If not, the lessons in A Passion for Success (McGraw-Hill, $16.95) could just as easily be viewed as presumptuous.
It Takes Two Discard the notion of "managing upward," suggests Boccialetti. Instead, learn to be more effective with bosses by managing your own response to authority. The book explains situational followership (a riff on Blanchard's leadership theory) utilizing nine common subordinate styles.
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Quality Terms This reference offers 600-odd quality-related terms. The terms receive fairly extensive coverage: definitions, explanations and referrals to books for further study are included. Additional appendixes include an annotated bibliography of quality books and magazines and a list of associations.
Blueprinting This unique personal planning package includes a book, chart and a series of cards that allow users to develop, understand and manage a personal strategic plan. It merges an individual's life stage, stress points, values, etc. into a coherent "campaign plan."
Measuring Quality Improvement in Healthcare This volume shows how to apply statistical process control tools and techniques in health-care settings. Data collection, variation, and run and control charts are explained. Twelve case studies illustrate how they help evaluate health-care processes.
Self Managed Team Working Published in Great Britain, this text offers a macro-look at self-directed teams. The book relies heavily on research collected in the United States and Japan, and includes long passages taken directly from interviews with participants in self-directed work team implementations.
Reengineering: Blueprint for the Future More than 50 reengineering articles gather in this pricey collection. In addition to reprints and excerpts of previously published work from reengineering pros (James Champy, Michael Hammer, etc.), the book includes case studies and presentations from several Consortium forums.
Creating High Performance Organizations This is the third installment (19901993) in a longitudinal research survey into the practices and results of employee involvement and TQM in the Fortune 1000. The results leave the authors "cautiously hopeful." Has the quality movement peaked? |
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