In this companion to their upcoming PBS series, Dobyns and Crawford-Mason survey "continuous improvement" programs in America's private and public sectors. They note that organizations have shifted away "from a focus on technical aspects . . . to a focus on the complete interface between . . . a business and its customers." Their most interesting chapter compares the major U.S. quality gurus, including W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran, and profiles their Japanese disciples. The authors also subject the much-ballyhooed Baldrige Quality Award to some needed scrutiny. Several companies described (Motorola, Federal Express) have been treated elsewhere, and readers must wade through tedious recitations by top managers. However, a visit to Mount Edgecumbe High School in Alaska adds some perspective on the educational realm's quality movements. While general readers will gain a useful overview of the U.S. push to regain international competitiveness, there are few new revelations. An optional purchase for business

In the business world, confrontations are inevitable --whether they're with your employees, peers, bosses, or evensuppliers and customers. Ignored or handled badly, confrontationscan damage workplace relationships and ruin careers. This volume helps you master the art of effectively managingdifficult interactions. You'll learn how to: Determine which confrontations are worth an investment of yourtime and energy Understand and manage the strong emotions that can arise duringconfrontations Design solutions that meet all stakeholders' needs Coach your direct reports to resolve confrontationsproductively

Book De*ion "A candid andcomprehensive look at how to succeed in business - for everyonefrom college graduates to CEOs." Bill Gates, chairman, MicrosoftCorporation Jack Welch knows how to win. During his forty-year career atGeneral Electric, he led the company to year-after-year successaround the globe, in multiple markets, against brutal competition.His honest, be-the-best style of management became the goldstandard in business, with his relentless focus on people,teamwork, and profits. And now he has written a book that clearlylays out the answers to the most difficult questions people faceboth on and off the job. Winning is destined to become thebible of business for generations to come. Anyone who has a passion for success will find Welch's optimistic,no excuses, get-it-done mind-set riveting. Packed with personalanecdotes and written in Jack's distinctive no b.s. voice, Winning offers deep insights, original thinking, a

A budget is a financial action plan for an organization. "ThePocket Mentor Series" offers immediate solutions to the challengesmanagers face on the job every day. Each book in the series ispacked with handy tools, self tests, and real life examples to helpyou identify strengths and weaknesses and hone critical skills.Whether you're at your desk, in a meeting, or on the road, theseportable guides enable you to tackle the daily demands of your workwith greater speed, savvy, and effectiveness.

Spain. A land of eternal passion and unceasing bloodshed. Fromthe vengeance of a pitiless tyrant, four women flee the sacred,once-safe walls of a convent: LUCIA, the proud survivor harboring amurderous secret from the savage clan wars of Sicily...GRACIELLA,the beauty still unpurged of guilt from one reckless, youthfulsin...MEGAN, the orphan seeking perilous refuge in the arms of adefiant Basque rebel...and TERESA, the believer haunted by a faiththat mocks her with silence. Leaving innocence but not hope behind,they venture into an alien, dazzling world, where each willencounter an unexpected destiny -- and the truth about herself.

We have suspected for some time that what really drives businesses and their leaders is not money or power. It is the deep andabiding fear that someone somewhere has discovered the elusiveHoly Grail of business--competitive advantage！--and that theseleaders don't have it. Books, seminars, articles, and speeches, alldetail the management secrets of companies whose success sug-gests that the grail of competitive advantage is at last in theirgrasp, and other companies worldwide line up to emulate thepractices of these chivalrous knights. Motorola espouses "SixSigma" quality, and dozens of companies quickly adopt it as theirbusiness mantra. Southwest Airlines soars on no-frills, high-performance transportation, and the skies begin to fill with"wannabes." Rubbermaid makes headlines for its product inno-vation process, and within months identical approaches appear inscores of companies. Everywhere, it seems, companies and theirleadership are looking for someone else's star to hitch their wag-ons to. As the saying

Every day on the job, you face common challenges. And you needimmediate solutions to those challenges. The Pocket Mentor Seriescan help. Each book in the series is packed with handy tools,self-tests, and real-life examples to help you identify yourstrengths and weaknesses and hone critical skills. Whether you'reat your desk, in a meeting, or on the road, these portable, conciseguides enable you to tackle the daily demands of your work withspeed, savvy, and effectiveness. The latest volume in the series: Executing Strategy That strategy you've defined for your group isbrilliant--promising better market share, higher profits, or someother impressive business result. But your strategy won't deliverthe expected outcomes if you and your group don't execute itthatis, if you don't put it into action by implementing the rightstrategic initiatives. This volume helps you master the challenging art of strategyexecution. You'll learn how to: -Craft action plans for the strategic initiatives

These quick reads, based on McGraw-Hill bestsellers, aredesigned to meet the needs of busy people. Titles in the seriesfocus on each book's main themes and action ideas, reduced to amanageable page count for on-the-go readers. Specific strategies for understanding the 10 types of problempeople and influencing them to adopt positive behaviors.

Since 1922, Harvard Business Review has been a leading source ofbreakthrough ideas in management practice. The Harvard BusinessReview Classics series now offers you the opportunity to make theseseminal pieces a part of your permanent management library. Eachhighly readable volume contains a groundbreaking idea thatcontinues to shape best practices and inspire countless managersaround the world. In this article, renowned management experts GaryHamel and C. K. Prahalad introduce their approach to strategicplanning in the face of tough competition. With advice on tailoringyour company's strategy and developing the will to win within yourfirm, this article helps you define a long-term strategy for yourorganization that captures employees' imaginations and creates aclear path to success.

In today's fast-paced global business environment, the conventional model of the corporation and its management principles no longer deliver results. Economic upheaval, changing demographics, and technological revolution have forever altered the requirements for running a business today. Now, in response, The Centerless Corporation presents a radical new corporate model -- designed for your organization's survival, growth, and prosperity. Drawing on groundbreaking research they conducted at Booz Allen & Hamilton, Bruce A. Pasternack and Albert J. Viscio offer a comprehensive strategy for managing in turbulent times. To deal with increasing complexity, they contend, leaders must abandon their command-and-control mentality and establish a model in which responsibility and accountability are distributed throughout the organization, employees are regarded as valued resources, and knowledge flows freely. Illustrating their ideas with invaluable real-life examples, Pasternack and Viscio explain how to attr

Every day on the job, you face common challenges. And you needimmediate solutions to those challenges. The Pocket Mentor Seriescan help. Each book in the series is packed with handy tools,self-tests, and real-life examples to help you identify yourstrengths and weaknesses and hone critical skills. Whether you'reat your desk, in a meeting, or on the road, these portable, conciseguides enable you to tackle the daily demands of your work withspeed, savvy, and effectiveness. The latest volume in the series: Setting Goals Setting goals is a key part of any manager's job. Through goalsetting, you define business outcomes that you and your team willaccomplish collectively and individually. Managed effectively, thegoal-setting process creates a long-term vision that motivates youand your employees to reach even the most challengingobjectives. Use this book to start setting goals more skillfully in yourgroup. You?ll find a wealth of suggestions to help you: -Define unit and individual go