Reading list

B O O K S A N D A R T I C L E S I N B R I E F

by James W. Marcum, LaRoi Lawton, Wilma L. Jones, and Thomas E. Schaefer

Yorick Blumenfeld, ed. Scanning the Future: 20 Eminent Thinkers on the World ofTomorrow NewYork:Thames and Hudson, I999 304 pages; $16.95 paper

The idea has merit: gather future- oriented essays from a klatch of great thinkers, from poet Octavio Paz to Bertrand de Jouvenal, and preview the coming millennium. Indeed, some of the essays are stimulating, such as Francis Fukuyama’s discussion of human capital and Nelson Mandela’s ruminations before the United Nations in 1994.

The collection disappoints, how- ever. Most of the essays are dated se- lections from important books, but as introductions to or summaries of larger arguments, many of the pieces lack focus and power. With a horizon stretching from poetry to the sciences, these readings are learned and thoughtful, but do not coalesce into any coherent argument.

Educated readers will find useful essays for bedside or travel, but for a framed view of the future they will have to look elsewhere. -JWM

/im Botkin Smart Business: How Knowledge Cornrnu- nities Can Revolutionize Your Company NewYork Free Press, I999 297 pages; $26

One might question the appear- ance of another book on knowledge management, but this one differs from the usual discussion. Most knowledge management literature falls into the information processing model, focusing on capturing and using knowledge. Making tacit knowledge explicit is an example of this approach. Groupware tools such as Lotus Notes are popular with this school.

Botkin’s work follows another path, one that has been labeled the “be- havioral school.” How do people actually work together? What are the influences of organizational and professional cultures? What role do communities of practice play? Everett Rogers’ “diffusion of technology” is the underlying model of this discussion.

The author’s main theme is the role of “knowledge communities,” which he defines as “groups of people with a

shared passion to create, use, and share new knowledge for tangible business purposes.” An emergency room team of doctors, nurses, and technicians is such a knowledge community.

Self-organization is another major theme, illustrated throughout with metaphors based on the behavior of hives of bees. Practical, hands-on prac- tices are the ideal illustrated here with samples from many companies, in- cluding Saturn.

Botkin is well-grounded in both theory and practice. His narrative reso- nates with pithy observations of great power, such as “the road to change often leads through the cemetery.” This is a stimulating and original work that many managers will treasure.-JWM

Philip Evans andThomas S. Wurster Blown to Bits: How the New Economics of lnformotion Transforms Strategy Boston: Harvard Business Press, I999 263 pages; $27.50

There are a number of books today offering to explain the new economics of information, but most are replicative

* * * James W. Marcum, Ph.D., is professor and chief librarian,The College of Staten Island, City University of NewYork. LaRoi Lawton, MLS, is director; Media Center; Bronx Community College, CUNYWilma L. Jones, MLS, is deputy chief librarian, College o f Staten Island.Thomas E. Schaefer is professor; John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute, University ofTexas-Permian Basin, in Odessa.

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78 James W! Marrum. LaRoi Lawton. Wilma L. Jones, and Thomas - E. Schaefer

and similar in perspective. Evans and Wurster, from the Boston Consulting Group, provide a different perspective bordering on a seminal interpretation.

Using a model involving tradeoffs between "richness and reach," custom- ized information for a niche or more basic data for a wide audience, the pros- pects for the future demand different choices. In today's high-speed telecom- munications environment, with its widespread connectivity and widely accepted standards, information will cease to be the glue binding together organizations and supply chains. The consequence is deconstruction of traditional business links and systems.

Several vulnerable industries are discussed to illustrate the point. Auto dealers will be besieged by on-line sales and parts outlets; newspapers may lose the profitable classified ad- vertising market; and retail banking may find profitable lines slipping away to virtual vendors.

Brokers and intermediaries face daunting challenges. Disintermediation is well under way. The health care industry, and organizations generally, will be hard-pressed to survive unless major changes are effected. Navigators and affiliation with customers are keys to future success.

Prescriptions here amount to shock therapy: The customer is the only sure winner.

No business is exempt. 'The business" is an artificial construct for today's world and will deconstruct into layers, information flows, and separate functions.

This is groundbreaking stuff that will be prized by many of today's and most of tomorrow's business leaders.

-JWM

Barry J. Gibbons if You Want to Make God Reaiiy laugh, Show Him Your Business Pian: The I 0 i Universal laws of Business New York: AMACOM, I999 224 pages: $22.95

Webster's Eiicyclopedic Uti- abridged Dict ionnn of the English

Larigirage defines coitiinoii seiise as "sound practical judgment that is in- dependent of specialized knowledge, training or the like." Barry Gibbons' latest book on what ails many Ameri- can companies today offers the reader and those in the business field some sound commonsense advice on how not to destroy their respective businesses.

Gibbons' information is not new to many business people, but the re- ward is in the message he brings. His "universal laws" are loaded with practical advice that often gets lost and/or misinterpreted in Business 101 and many management courses being taught today. Samples: Universal Law #70: People do not stop growing at 40-they still need training and support. Universal Law #98: Making yourself accessible as a leader is not about enjoying yourself or appearing cool. It is about creating a sound. sen- sitive management process.

This is a useful book for business practice and study. -LRL

William E. Halal and Kenneth B. Taylor, eds. 2 i st Century Economics Perspectives of Socioeconomics for o Changing World N e w York St Martin's Press, I 999 442 pages, $22 95

A selection of essays from econo- mists does not portend great excite- ment, even when the subject is a look into the next century. But this collection, from academics identifying with a "socioeconomic" perspective, provides highly readable essays that are consistently engaging for even the noneconomist.

An opening chapter on transfor- mations from Ernest Sternberg of SUNY-Buffalo provides an overview of the impacts of some usual themes (information, globalization) and some less obvious (new mercantilism, an age of images/significations. social move- ments, and fundamentalism). Follow- ing chapters address many of those issues as well as others. Professor

Halal suggests that human capital may comprise 80 percent of the assets of some corporations. Regional economic specializations provide major economic "motors" today. The power of voluntary simplicity as a social move- ment is assessed. Realistic, rather than ideological, economic interpretations are recommended highly. The pros- pects for Japan and Sweden are discussed. Idealistic views, such as universal capitalism and community- based economics, are described and analyzed.

The focus of this collection is lim- ited. both topically and in reliance on scholarly contributions. But the pieces are current and consistently of high quality. The result of focusing on current realities proves a powerful means of looking into the future. This is a stimulating read for many managers and professionals. -JWM

John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa Smart Choices:A Practical Guide to Mak- ing Better Decisions Boston: Hat-vard Business School Press, I998 272 pages; $22.50

For all the decisions many of us make on a daily basis, you have to wonder where some of us learn this essential skill. Making the right deci- sion during any given situation may not be the right one in another scenario. Smart Choices offers some practical formulas that can be applied in both personal and occupational arenas. Making the right choice in any deci- sion-making process is not as simple as it may seem. Common sense is just one part of the process.

Profusely illustrated with examples, Smart Choices is not burdened down with corporate and sociological terminology pointed at a select group of readers. The applications can be utilized by laypersons and business personnel alike. The authors use a proactive approach: What is the


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problem? What is the plan to resolve the problem? What are the results? Do the results fit what we expect? What if the plan does not work?Are there other alternatives?

From the student choosing a ca- reer, to an employee who must decide on a promotion or a better job offer, S~narr Choices offers practical, rel- evant, and focused methods on how to make better decisions that affect our lives. either at home or at work.-LRL

Jim Harris and Joan Brannick Finding and Keeping Great Employees NewYork AMACOM, I999 240 pages; $24.95

It used to be that all a company had to worry about was staying in business. Today, the line worker’s sense of self-worth, the minimum wage of Costa Rica, and how to attract and keep good employees from jumping ship all fall within the province of running a successful company. Finding and Keepiiig Great Employees uses a five-step approach to point out that companies with sound management principles that seek personnel who fit and will support the core culture of the company enjoy a better competitive advantage in attracting customers, future employees, and investors.

The book is divided into five sec- tions, with Harris and Brannick tak- ing the reader through a series of four core organizational cultures: customer service, innovation, operational excel- lence, and spirit. The authors focus on the theme that company and employee values must be similar and share common goals so that the overall outcome is both a creative and productive work environment. This is not a new concept for business entities today, but the emphasis on people and corporate culture as the basic tools of such a valued outcome is logical and wor- thy of further exploration. The second part examines each of the core cultures. Parts three and four deal with how companies recruit and keep good

employees. Part five is a how-to process; companies can utilize any of the core cultures to find out which one best works for them.

In the new millennium, the major challenge for companies will con- tinue to be their ability to release the brainpower of their workforces. Competitive advantage will depend on the company’s ability to create the social architecture capable of gener- ating intellectual capital, which is the engine of any company’s growth, productivity, and profits. Finding and Keeping Great Employees offers solid information on recruitment, staffing, and retention, which ulti- mately determine a company’s success or failure. -LRL

john I? Kotter On What leaders Really Do Cambridge, MA: Harvard Press, I999 I84 pages; $22.95

In leadership studies, John P. Kotter has arrived at the level of “when he speaks, people listen.” This short, and easy-to-read book collects a number of articles originally appearing in the Hanlard Business Review between 1979 and 1995. As the title suggests, leaders may not often do many things typically associated with leadership. Managerial skills, e.g., although linked more or less with leadership-how great the link de- pends on the organization-are not necessarily a forte of leaders. What leaders actually do lies more in effect- ing change than controlling the sta- tus quo. Earlier chapters develop this distinction and its applications. These chapters build toward the final essay, “What Effective General Managers Really Do.” Reprinted from a 1982 HBR article by this title, Kotter here follows Henry Mintzberg’s eye-opening gambit of describing an executive’s typical day in two- to thirty-minute segments. Events run from mostly trivial to not trivial at all; joking over coffee; talking with

people on-the-run, like a lawyer doing important corporate work; re- questing, cajoling, intimidating subordinates and bosses to get things done; asking a lot of questions.

On a long-range basis. general managers establish and continuously update agendas made up of loosely connected goals. All good general managers (GMs), new ones especially, build and maintain effective networks across segments of their organizations. More daunting. the effective GM makes himself a resource for the implementation of ongoing agendas through these networks.

Genuine leaders, of course, are fine general managers. Far from being control freaks, they thrive on am- biguity and stay responsive to ever-new challenges. Once again, Kotter brings these points to life. A number of sidebars exemplify them and underline their relevance to actual practice. -TES

Do r o t h y Leo nard-Barton, a n d Walter C. Swap When Sparks fly: Igniting Creativity in Groups Boston: Harvard Business School Press, I999 228 pages; $24.95

Like a business, an educational unit must continually come up with creative ideas as a group composed of differing educational and cultural backgrounds. Such innovation and creativity are the premium qualities for successful managers today.

Effective groups do much of what Leonard and Swap propose. They continually ignite fires in ongoing and current projects. They create, question, change, and never accept failure.

Here is a book that clearly shows that creativity is not within the sacred realm of brainiacs. The new frontier of business competition today is creativity and innovation. Managers who want to make a difference in their work environment should put When Sparks Fly on their must-read list. -LRL


80 James W Marcum, LaRoi Lawton, Wilma L. Jones, and Thomas E. Schaefer

Darlene Orlov and Michael T. Roumell What Every Manager Needs to Know about Sexual Harassment NewYork American Management As- sociation, I999 2 I 8 pages; $24.95

If you, as a manager, do not yet understand the meaning of the terms quid pro quo, hostile environment, severe and pervasive, and unwelcome sexual ad- vances, this is the book for you.

It has been almost a decade since sexual harassment became a household topic of discussion, yet the endless sexual harassment cases and trials of the 1990s leave much to be learned about the definition of sexual harassment. The combined experiences of the authors, Darlene Orlov, president of a training and human resources consulting firm, and Michael Roumell, an attorney with a law firm specializing in labor and employment, have created a well- designed book to help managers understand, recognize, prevent, and deal with sexual harassment in the workplace.

From implementing effective policies to training peers and subordinates and investigating complaints of sexual harassment, this book explains and illustrates it all. Each chapter is also equipped with case scenarios, test-your- knowledge quizzes, true/false tests, and a few checklists for reference.-WLJ

Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert J. Sutton The Knowledge Gap: How Smart Com- panies Turn Knowledge Into Action Boston: Harvard Business Press, I999 336 pages; $27.50

Just as people know a lot more information than they use, and know how to do much better than they rou- tinely do, so do companies fail to take advantage of the knowledge they pos- sess. Knowledge management. which purports to help companies organize and leverage the knowledge assets they enjoy, rarely accomplishes the goal.

The authors. heavyweights on the

academic side of the management field, set out to identify that gap between knowing and doing, and then to propose solutions for the problem. In that they succeed admirably. This vol- ume will quickly assume a place among the classic, frequently cited management books.

The first point made is that people learn best by doing. Participation in a process and learning from mentors and/ or experience keeps the knowledge- action gap from surfacing, as usually happens between classroom learning and actual practice. The authors then identify typical symptoms of the gap with actual examples from existing companies. Typical problems include preferring talk and elaborate plans to action, relying on memory instead of doing the hard thinking, using fear as a people-management strategy, measur- ing things that don’t really matter, and fostering internal competition (and con- fusing the result with motivation).

Illustrations from the experience of numerous organizations, such as The Men’s Wearhouse and the New Zealarid Post, secure the argument with memorable examples. -JWM

B.]oseph Pine I1 and James H. Gilmore The Experience Economy: Work Is The- atre and Every Business a Stage Boston: Harvard Business School, I999 288 pages; $24.95

This is a seminal work, a book that presents new ideas-and uses old ideas in new ways-to change the reader’s perceptions and expectations.

The authors argue that we live in an experience world, a time when experience is offering a new level of value. A cup of coffee illustrates the process. As a commodity it has little value and might be given away as an incentive for a meal or a dessert. As a good in itself, a cup of coffee commands a price, perhaps $0.50. As a service, it’s worth $1 or more. But as an experience, in a special setting, it could command $5 to $10.

Experience, then, is the fourth economic offering, after the commodity, goods, and service levels, as “eatertainment” establishments like Planet Hollywood know full well.

An experience “engages” the customer personally, and its value lingers. It usually is a learning experience be- cause it involves the participation of the individual. A few cities, like Las Vegas (gambling and entertainment), Williamsburg (history), and Branson, Missouri (family musical entertainment), flourish by offering unique experiences. The idea is spreading fast.

The old idea Pine and Gilmore re- vive is the dramaturgical model from sociology. Just as the world is a stage upon which individuals present them- selves, so is work a stage, and when done exceptionally well, will command an entrance fee just as Disney World does now. A further projected stage, the transformation stage, pro- duces a major and sustained effect upon the individual. Examples of this stage might be a medical treatment, an intensive training seminar, or a good college education. -JWM

Peter Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, George Roth, and Bryan Smith The Dance of Change: The Challenge of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Orga- nizations NewYork Currency Doubleday, I999 596 pages; $35, paper

Senge adds to his credentials as the guru of organizational systems learning with this new collection of writings, guidelines, and examples drawn from extensive consulting based at the Mas- sachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Society for Organizational Learning. Readers familiar with the authors’ F$h Discipline Fieldbook (1995) will find new versions of the discussions, illustrations, and samples found there.

Senge keeps learning, it must be said. The underlying assumptions here are much more organic and evolution-

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ary in philosophy than earlier writings, which tended to rely more on closed systems and top-down management.

Extensive experience with organizations and companies has taught Senge and his associates that sustaining change is much more difficult than initiating change. As with all living things, it is appropriate to start small, with pilot projects. This book shares what the authors have learned and they demonstrate anew that “learning” is a viable path for organizational change and renewal. -JWM

DavidA.Thornas and john j . G a b a m Breaking Through:The Making ofMinority Executives in Corporate Americo Boston: Harvard Business School Press, I999 325 pages; $29.95

This book is the result of a six-year study of the road to success of African American, Asian American, and His- panic American professionals, in three leading Fortune 500 companies.

Four groups studied were catego- rized as minority executives, white executives, plateaued minority middle managers, and plateaued white middle managers. The authors expertly articu- late the dynamics that allow racial mi- norities in large U.S. corporations, predominantly white firms, to advance to the executive level: the personali- ties that endure being passed over several times for promotion even though evaluation records testify to strong and outstanding performance; the challenges of corporate leadership; and les- sons for the next generation. Their findings and recommendations will prove valuable to high-level corporate managers, as well as to those who plan to penetrate the invisible barriers of top executive positions. -WLJ

Gerard0 R. Ungson and john D. Trudel Engines of Prosperity: Templates for the information Age

London: Imperial College Press, I999 405 pages; $25

This effort to explain the information age is the product of a university management professor (Ungson) and a consultant (Trudel). They make a significant contribution to the discussion, even if they fail to offer de- finitive models for emulation.

The “engines of prosperity” in question include, first, a steep inverse learning curvekost curve that dem- onstrates clear technological advantage. with a steady decline in prices. This stands in contrast to the slow learningkost curves of the industrial age. The second engine is accelerat- ing demand and profit curves in an atmosphere of “winner take all.” The third engine is composed of a variety of bandwagons, lock-in, and technology generators. This is a frequently noted characteristic of our time. The next engine is innovation that disrupts established industry patterns. And the final engine of prosperity is found in outsourcing and the “unraveling” of a firm’s value chain as vertical product chains give way to networks of smaller, more nimble suppliers. The authors elaborate their ideas through case study discussions. There are numerous examples from the semicon- ductor and software industries.

In a nutshell, they promote small, nimble, networked companies. The implications of their “engines of prosperity” model include shrinking product life cycles that should cause a firm to “unload its strengths and go on to the next item of business, closely interlinked markets, and a general re- quirement to abandon controls and cast lots with empowerment and teams. -JWM

Donald H. Weiss The SelfManagement Workshop: Help- ing People Toke Control ofrheir Lives and Their W0rk.A Trainer’s Guide NewYork AMACOM, I999 272 pages; $35, paper

This is a handbook for trainers seeking to lead “self-management” workshops; it is not a “text” for such workshops. In its emphasis on assist- ing the participant to learn, rather than focusing on instruction, this is a wise and useful book. The pedagogical model used is: experience, interpret, analyze, and generalize (EIAG).

Skill self-assessment, appreciat- ing one’s own values, vision, prioritization, and self-evaluation are the skills supported here. Self-aware- ness, self-confidence, self-esteem, drive, and respect for others are the qualities to be uncovered and explored. Relating all this to the team situation also receives attention from the author.

Each section has outlines for pre- sentations, suggestions for role-play exercises, outline charts to be com- pleted by participants, and various other tools. Those who see the value in self-management will find extensive resources and guidance here. -JWM

Thomas 6. Wilson Rewards That Drive High Performance: Suc- cess Stories fom Leading Organizations New York AMACOM, I 999 333 pages; $29.95

The argument is simple: People must be involved and have a stake in the outcomes of the company if the firm is to compete successfully. That said, there still remain many paths to the promised land, depending on the culture needed by a given organization.

Wilson, a specialist in compensation plans, sets out several varieties of cultures evident on the business scene today and discusses several examples for each style. Entrepreneurial spirit (Amazon.com), customer focus (Starbucks), teamwork (DuPont), turn- arounds (Sears), quality processes (Corning), and keeping critical talent (CIGNA) are the main themes worked. The information is current and useful and the style is clear and readable. The result is a useful source for human resource managers.


82 James W Marcum, LoRoi Lawton, Wilma L, Jones, and Thomas E. Schaefer

One underlying assumption war- rants attention. Wilson states plainly that control and manipulation should not be the purpose of compensation plans. Yet basic assumptions about motivation guide the entire work. The emphasis on rewards suggested by the title are borne out by the text. -JWM

Herbert H. Bell “The Effectiveness of Distributed Mis- sion Training’ Communications ofthe ACM, 42:9 (September I999), 73-78

This article is one part of a mind- opening selection of pieces on distributed mission training (DMT), a tantalizing vision of educational oppor- tunity taken from a team-training effort by the US. Air Force. The concept being developed is to make possible team training and teamwork utilizing virtual reality (VR), visual systems, and net- working to create a shared, synergistic environment of real, virtual, and con- structive systems that are potentially global in reach.

Readers must catch their breath and absorb the implications of this. The costs will be high, particularly for program development, but they are additive, utilizing existing systems and requiring upgrades, not entirely new systems. But once the networks are in place, the VR graphics pro- duced, the groupware refined and simplified, and the synthetic environ- ments designed, the cost of the systems could be trivial.

Additional articles treat reusable architectures for simulations, computer-image generation for VR, and the of DMT systems. -JWM

David Berreby “The Hunter-Gatherers of the Knowl- edge Economy” Strategy and Business, I 6 (Third Quarter; I999), 52-54,59-64

The casual dress and indepen- dent-mindedness of the new professional is a source of considerable aggravation for traditional, white-col- lar control guys. The new folks want agreeable schedules, justification for directions given. and expect to func- tion as part of an agreeable group of like-minded folk.

Will all this end with the next downturn, forcing the new folk to put on a tie and shape up? Not likely, says Berreby. He finds sociological descriptions of the new professionals remark- ably akin to descriptions of ancient hunter-gatherer societies, which existed for thousands of years before the insti- tutionalization of agriculture, the city, and manufacturing. Ancient hunter- gatherers excelled in an egalitarian and flexible society of close-knit groups. Bands of hunter-foragers worked ex- tremely hard on occasion (such as pur- suing large game), but spent much of their life in leisurely social give-and- take. Likewise, the new professional may work frantically to resolve a crisis or meet a deadline, but then may insist on an extended trip with friends.

The insight is powerful. Rather than ranting against the current trend, managers might do well to try to understand this not so new lifestyle. -JWM

Scott Hayes “Censored! ‘Free’ Speech at Work ’ Workforce, 78:9 (September I999), 34--37

What should be a fairly clear is- sue, that of free speech, is becoming a complicated minefield for the consci- entious manager. Different values come into conflict, and the government is setting more obstacles for corporations to negotiate.

The company that desires to create an open and hostility-free environment could face litigation if one person’s free speech is considered ra- cially, sexually, or religiously offen- sive by someone else. Where are the guidelines?

In the workplace there are certain clear protections for workers, notably if they report wrongdoing (“whistle blowing”), refuse to do something il- legal, or report harassment. Labor or- ganizing is also generally protected. But “free speech” is not an unmitigated right in the workplace.

What’s a company to do? Sugges- tions fromHayes include general policies that are not tightly written, publication of company “freedoms and obligations” statements, and positive encouragement of appropriate behaviors. -JWM

W. Neville Holmes “The Myth ofthe Educational Computer“ Computer, 32:9 (September l999), 36-42

Occasionally it is necessary to back up and take a hard look at pre- cisely what we are doing. Such is the case with our operating assumptions about using computers in education. We often act as though putting a personal computer (PC) on every desk and providing Internet access will give us nirvana in our schools.

Holmes reminds us of the basic issues and dangers: A computer can- not educate anyone; the cost of the PC is much less than the costs of appropriate training and support; and we must sort out the differences between custodial drill functions (which can be provided by very cheap, basic ma- chines) and higher functions, such as gaming and simulations. Too much of the schooling provided by society is taken up in basic custodial and voca- tional education and too little of it at- tends to the liberal development of the individual personality and talent.

His call here is for computer sci- ence professionals to use their considerable influence on behalf of the real purposes of education and to remind society that technology is a tool for solving problems, not a panacea. The author’s global perspective (he’s a professor in Tasmania) adds richness to this thoughtful essay. -JWM


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