Biblio

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2010
Fast, N. (2010).  The Blame Game.
"Our findings showed that blame was contagious, but not among those who felt psychologically secure. So try to foster a chronic sense of inner security in order to reduce the chances that you'll lash out at others."
2009
Melville, H. (2009).  Billy Budd.
"Now envy and antipathy, passions irreconcilable in reason, nevertheless in fact may spring conjoined like Chang and Eng in one birth. Is Envy then such a monster? Well, though many an arraigned mortal has in hopes of mitigated penalty pleaded guilty to horrible actions, did ever anybody seriously confess to envy? Something there is in it universally felt to be more shameful than even felonious crime. And not only does everybody disown it, but the better sort are inclined to incredulity when it is in earnest imputed to an intelligent man. But since its lodgement is in the heart not the brain, no degree of intellect supplies a guarantee against it."
2007
2006
2005
Godin, S. (2005).  The Big Moo: stop trying to be perfect and start being remarkable.
"Remarkable artists are always trying to find ways to put their own signatures on their work. They try to tell their own story. They simply can't perform like everyone else. The message: Be like an artist. Better still, be an artist." (p. 71)
2004
2003
Kottler, J. (2003).  Beyond Blame: How to Resolve Conflicts with Friends, Lovers, and Co-Workers.
"Avoid even the appearance of blame. No surprise here. This is, after all, the main theme of this book....
"There is nothing that will sabotage any strategy you employ more quickly than the mere suggestion that you are blaming the other person for the troubles. Equally detrimental is for you to accept blame that is directed toward you. This compliance tactic (perhaps even driven by the misguided belief that one person can be at fault in a conflict) will only encourage further fault-finding in the future." (p. 223)
Schmaltz, D. (2003).  The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mastering Project Work.
"Much of what we call 'project management' stands upon Taylor's flat-earth perspectives. When applied to repeatable manufacturing situations, his primitive notions have great utility. The same ideas fall apart when applied in more human, less mechanical contexts." (p. 7)
Rothenberg, L. (2003).  Breathing For A Living.
"A team is a team because of their spirit, not always because they play perfectly together all the time." (p. 189)
O'Neil, W. (2003).  Business Leaders and Success: 55 Top Business Leaders and How They Achieved Greatness.
"Deming's sometimes-gruff nature reflected impatience with managerial abuses of power. He thought that power carried a precious responsibility. 'Research shows', Deming said, 'that the climate of an organization influences an individual's contribution far more than the individual himself.' " (p. 206)
2002
Mintle, L. (2002).  Breaking Free from Stress: How to Find Peace When Life's Pressures Overwhelm You.
"People fear losing their jobs and worry about their performances. Too many leave their employment feeling drained and used up. Obviously this leaves little to give to others, particularly family." (p. 63)
2001
Murphy, J. D. (2001).  Business Is Combat: A Fighter Pilot's Guide to Winning in Modern Business Warfare.
"This book began with people and it ends with people, because ultimately they are an organization's greatest asset. It is individuals who innovate, not companies. It is individuals who persist against all odds, not corporate guidelines or a time clock."
2000
Savishinsky, J. S. (2000).  Breaking the Watch: The Meanings of Retirement in America.
"For most individuals, the formal and public recognition of retirement is commonly marred by the pale content of the official rites mean to dramatize it. These ceremonies tend to be formulaic, predictable, and cliched...
The private and informal ceremonies created for retirees prove to be more fulfilling because of their style, their substance, their process, and their audience. They allow people to leave work on a good note, and give them a sense of control over this transition." (p. 54)
Namie, G., & Namie R. (2000).  The bully at work: what you can do to stop the hurt and reclaim your dignity on the job.
"Groupthink is George Orwell's term from 19841, the dark futuristic novel. Psychologists borrowed the term to describe a group incapable of critically assessing the pros and cons of a decision. Because the group members feel so tightly connected, so cohesive, they prefer to see only one side of an issue. They are easily led by a forceful leader and busy themselves by falling in line behind the boss and kissing up to stay in good favor. They become a mindless, overprotective clique when assembled as a group, putting the political goal of squashing dissent above all other matters."2
  • 1. Orwell, G. (1949).  1984.
  • 2. According to the Wikipedia entry on groupthink, it wasn't Orwell, but rather William H. Whyte, Jr., who coined the term, as he writes in 1952:
    "Groupthink being a coinage — and, admittedly, a loaded one — a working definition is in order. We are not talking about mere instinctive conformity — it is, after all, a perennial failing of mankind. What we are talking about is a rationalized conformity — an open, articulate philosophy which holds that group values are not only expedient but right and good as well."
    Wikipedia: groupthink
1999
Rubenstein, H. R., & Grundy T. (1999).  Breakthrough Inc. : High Growth Strategies for Entreneurial Organizations.
"Conversation is the most powerful peacetime business and organizational tool ever devised....While others stress the word communication, to us the word conversation is the better approach for two reasons. First, communication, as the word is normally used in everyday life, is usually one-sided. Second, conversation implies an exchange of views, or as Julio Olalla says, 'a changing together'. Third, communication focuses on the act of getting an already designed and known message out, while conversation implies two or more people jointly seeking some knowledge, truth, or strategy that they individually have not figured out entirely." (p. 153)
1998
Chambers, H. E. (1998).  The Bad Attitude Survival Guide: Essential Tools For Managers.
"A consistent, knee-jerk negative response to bad news or negative circumstances is a common occurrence and creates an unhealthy organizational culture. Many organizations are well known for shooting the messenger. Some managers have such a high negative emotional response to problems or bad news, their employees learn to avoid their manager in times of trouble or crisis. This is a deadly organizational circumstance because information that frequently could serve to eliminate a problem or stop a small crisis from escalation isn't shared up the ladder, as lower-level employees refuse to expose themselves to the inevitable wrath. The price the organization pays for allowing this negative culture is incalculable." (p. 79)
1997
1996
Hornstein, H. A. (1996).  Brutal Bosses and Their Prey.
"Bosses can make or break your day, your month, your year, your career. They have the power to ease or intensify adverse reactions to normal organizational stress. Empirical evidence broadcasts a consistent message: People reporting to more considerate bosses are less likely to suffer the ravages of burnout and more likely to experience work satisfaction than those reporting to less considerate bosses. In fact, as an innoculation against burnout, respect from a boss offers more protection than salary. Conversely, there is solid evidence that working for unsupportive bosses is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and even heart disease." (p. 69)

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