economics-times

Everyone who has worked with engineers has noticed how hard it is for people who are very good at this work to become effective managers. It's almost as though the skills that make a good engineer can get in the way of becoming a good manager. But when a company is ready to select a new engineering manager, who do they pick? Why, an outstanding engineer, of course!

Years ago, most of these new managers were thrown into the fray with little training or mentoring. Today, that seldom happens. Instead, training courses and mentoring are almost always available. Yet, despite having more help, many new engineering managers continue to fail.

Lost and Found is aimed at providing additional perspective and information to help great engineers become great engineering managers.

Yet many new engineering managers may not want to read a "fable" about doing their jobs better. I hope they will suspend their skepticism long enough to give this outstanding fable a chance to help them.

Business fables usually don't work for engineering managers. First, they don't talk about working on technical projects. Second, they are often so simple as to seem insulting to an educated professional. It's like being asked to read Alice in Wonderland in order to manage better. Third, the situations don't provide any "aha's" based on general experiences. Fourth, the directions are often limited to one way to get the job done.

Lost & Found overcomes all of those problems.

Larry Parks has all of the best and worst characteristics of new engineering managers . . . and receives training, feedback and mentoring that just don't strike him as relevant. But as his project spins increasingly out of control and behind schedule, he realizes that something has to give. His family and his boss are both disappointed in him. As a result, he's given a chance to take time off to get his thinking sorted out. During that time off, he begins to experience the consequences of all the worst parts of his own management style . . . and tries out better ways to do things that allow him to enjoy better results.

The lessons are summarized simply as a Leadership Credo of:

"My Team Needs to KNOW

1. Do I have a clear view of the future I am trying to create, and does my team share that view?

My Team Needs to GROW

2. Are my team members more valuable to each other, to the company, and to themselves today than they were a year ago?

My Team Needs to OWN

3. Do the people on my team perform like hired hands or as if they're partners in business with me?"

In the story, Larry comes back to the office and uses these principles to turn his project around and improve his career.

While all of this is happening, Larry's mentor (who could be poster boy for how not to manage -- using Theory X) sees his career crash and burn. The lesson isn't lost of Larry.

After the fable is over, the authors do a fine job of providing brief guidance on other methods of working with a team to apply these three principles.

I would be surprised if I will ever read a business fable as good as this one for its intended audience. I recommend it without reservation.

As I finished the book, I began to realize that most business books would be more helpful if the authors focused more narrowly on a particular type of reader . . . rather than trying to help everyone in the same way. I hope these authors will write more fables, and aim them at other specific audiences that need help making the transition into effective management.

Since One-Minute Manager in 1983, embedding business advice into fictional narrative has become a pervasive formula. Unfortunately, the "plot" of such books too often consists only of a young protoge (surrogate for the reader) getting advice rom a wise mentor (surrogate for the writer).

Lost and Found is different. Its plot is multilayered and compelling, and its characters more than just one-dimensional mouthpieces for reader and writer. Like other Sussman/Deep offerings, Lost and Found has sound content, presented clearly and tightly. This book, written along with Alex Stiber, takes the Sussman/Deep canon in a fruitful new direction. I'll be recommending this book to clients.

I very much enjoyed this book. Written in a "story" form, Lost & Found clearly illustrates core leadership values. From the beginning chapter, 'Why Me?' to the final entitled, 'Out of the Woods', the book's primary character, Larry Parks embarks upon a journey that many of us have either witnessed in others or have taken ourselves. Dr. Sussman and his co-authors have composed a classic that should be read by every individual in a position of leadership or who aspires to be a leader. I have purchased copies of Lost & Found for 12 others in my organization and have had rave reviews from everyone. Please do yourselves a favor and puchase this book; better yet purchase additional copies and give to your friends and colleagues.

I started my management career in 1970 and was lucky to have attended a 2 day seminar in 1972 from William Oncken and I have read all his books. Once you read his work you quickly realize that you never have to read another management book again. His understanding of human nature and the real dynamics of organizations is profound. His work is as relavant now as it was 30 years ago. This is a must read for anyone trying to get ahead in corporate America.

Funny, memorable and inspiring.

After 20 years in business I finally got it. And it came from this book. When I first became a supervisor my company provided me with a course in 'monkey management'. I thought I understood it and my roll in it but I was only on the receiving end of the monkeys.

This book not only taught me how to be a professional manager, but also explained how to make my subordinates and myself 'professional managees'. That's whats not taught in so many management courses and seminars.

Don't think because this book is out of print that it's no longer relevant. I've been to seminars with Ken Blanchard, Tom Peters, et al. Oncken had them cold a long time ago.

Oncken has condensed time managment, functional managment, peer communications, project/task mangement and control and oraganizing the content of a job to maximize the effectiveness of the manager and his/her team. This is the only course I've been exposed to (in over 20 years) that is not only practical, but blends the various activities and responsibilities of management into a cohesive useable philosophy and work ethic. The 'monkey theory' is easily adopted with a minimum of fuss. Bill promises that after a two day seminar you will NOT be saddled with two more days of work, but within one day of applying the tools learned during the seminar you will be caught up. I SUBMIT that reading the book and using the principles presented will net the same results. A job that becomes simultaneously controllable, fun and effective.

Editors at Financial Times (FT) co-authored this volume, with Tim Dickson serving as executive editor . It offers "The Complete MBA Companion in Strategy," the result of FT's strategic alliance with the University of Chicago Business School, INSEAD, the University of Michigan Business School, and the Said Business School at Oxford University. This is the seventh volume in what is identified as "The Financial Times Mastering" series. It contains articles that first appeared in FT in late-1999.

The material is carefully organized within 16 chapters. In the first, there are two essays: "Strategy and the delusion of Grand Designs" authored by John Kay, Director of london Economics; the second -- "Strategy, blind men and the elephant" was co-authored by Henry Mintzberg of McGill University and INSEAD, Bruce Ahlstrand of Trent University (Ontario), and Joseph Lampel of the University of Nottingham Business School.

As for the final chapter, "Fresh Challenges for the Future," it was written by Dan Schendel, founding and current editor the Strategic Management Journal. The reader is advised that "This final module sums up the main themes of the book, addresses some of the current controversies, and offers pointers on how the field may develop in coming years. The core message is that those who fail to keep up with the best in strategic management risk losing their businesses and losing their jobs. The cases of failure cited throughout the book underline the point." My own crystal ball imploded long ago so I now cut Schendel considerable slack, given the fact that his comments on "fresh challenges" were composed five years ago. In fact, I think his analysis holds up remarkably well.

Although exceptionally well-written and skillfully-edited, this volume is by no means an "easy read." My own opinion is that it will be of greatest interest and benefit to the more capable students enrolled in graduate schools of business, and, to senior-level executives. Of course, the immediate value of each chapter will be largely determined by the immediate needs and interests of each reader. I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the superb graphics provided by Graham Parish. I also want to commend, again, Tim Dickson and his associates -- notably Ken Pottinger, James Pickford, Laura Scanga, and various school "co-ordinators" -- for pulling together so much excellent material, then getting it all properly presented. Bravo!

This is a great collection of articles covering all aspects of business strategy. Prior knowledge about the subject matter, though is not necessary, will help you appreciate the material more. I strongly recommend this book to those people interested in building a thorough understanding of strategy.

Mastering Strategy contains essays with consistently excellent quality, the topics cover a broad spectrum. The book provides a great perspective on various dimensions of strategy; namely: social impact, historical development, academic interest, operational issues etc. All essays are concise and further readings are suggested at the end of each article, in order to guide readers for further investigation.

I never thought a book could capture my spirit and talk to me heart to heart like this one. It's like she was sitting across from me leading me down a new pathway that has been closed to me for so long as a Drama Therapist. This book has found the hidden key!

I liked the book overall. It is written in plain simple terms that are easy to understand. If you want to start a business, Therapy or otherwise, and want to do business with your local State and Federal Government....this book points you in the right direction. Lot's of great tips.

I like the book, and the chapter titles. I think it is a good book for those that have no idea on how to get started in starting any type of business. It has good solid resources, and advice. I've spent fifteen bucks on a lot worse, and have gotten nothing but disappointment...but not here.

I have read this book twice. I have read several other books including the Guerilla Series - Guerilla Negotiations and Herb Cohens books. This is the BEST book out there. It also helps with corporate politics.

If you are in sales, get this book. If you are in management, get this book. If you have to go and buy a car, and you want to be able to hold your ground on the buyers side of the table, buy this book.

There is plenty of common sense here, some of the techniques will be old hat to some, but there is always something to learn or get better at, so for those that work in a business environment especially a selling position, this is a good book to go through and sharpen your skills with.

The first part of the book gives examples and definitions. It explains what the authors find as good negotiating and bad negotiating. There are tips ranging from understanding body language to understanding clues given by the other party, tips about questions and tips about location, information, using third parties, working in groups or alone and many other topics.

The second part of the book has the "101 ways to win every time". Basically it involves giving a brief description of a type of negotiating, a skill or technique, and the counter to this technique if it is used on you. They take about a page and are quick reading.

This is definitely a book worth owning and reviewing from time to time.

This handbook will empower you with the most effective strategies to "make the deal" every time!

This textbook is not written in the usual stale educational style. The author uses an approach to teaching that's designed to not intimidate the student; it's an "easy read." The examples (and calculator keystrokes)can be followed easily; it's almost like having the instructor there with you. This is a textbook I will keep since I've referred back to it not just in my work, but in my personal life as well when planning mortgage & other payments. I highly recommend it.

This book is a must for anyone in the business world. It is a wonderful reference to keep on hand. I rarely refer back to books I have purchased but this book comes in handy time and time again. The mathematical principles explained in this book are simple enough for anyone to understand. Each principle is shown step by step. It shows shortcuts to solving problems with three types of business calculators. This book will be in my library for years to come!!

I knew next to nothing about interest and statistics before reading this book. Mr. Wright has written this book in a very readable, conversational style. As I sat reading it with my trusty business calculator nearby, it felt as if he were sitting across from me explaining things just for me. The text even anticipated many of my questions!

The book begins with little or no assumptions about your exposure to math. It starts with simple interest and how to solve simple formulas. I like the way it presents how to do this with three different calculators. Each chapter built upon the previous chapters so that I grew more confident with each page. Mr. Wright's attempts at humor usually work, which is not what I ordinarily find in books written at a textbook market. In fact, if you are thinking back to how your textbooks used to be, then you are in for a surprise - you really won't mind reading this one! This is not your Daddy's textbook!

This text has a huge number of examples that are worked out in the chapters themselves and then lots of problems afterward.

The statistics portion was also very helpful. I've never been very good at statistics but learned quite a lot from the approach used in this book.

I now know how to calculate house payments, how long it will take to pay off my car, the probability of getting certain poker hands, and the difference between correlation and causation. Wow!

I recommend this book hands down to anyone who wants to understand the math of business and beginning statistics.

I really enjoyed reading IN SEARCH OF YOUR TIME. I saw myself reflected in many of the examples that were given. I find that reading it over and over again is a benefit, because each time I read it I glean something more. I feel that good use of our time is one of the most valuable assets that we can incorporate into our lives.

Wow, this book is an eye opener! I am a goal oriented person, and drive myself to the limit. As I do this, my time seems to pass ever more quickly, and I find myself drained by the end of the day. Sometimes I have to ask myself if it's worth it.

When I read Ruth Martinez's book, IN SEARCH OF YOUR TIME, I got a huge AH-HA! Now I have an entirely different perspective of time, how to use it and how to make it work for me. Oh, I'm still too busy, but it's more a conscious "being in control" of my time, rather than my time being in control of me. I keep my copy by my bed so that I can snatch a thought before going to sleep.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't have enough time in his or her life. It gives a common sense perspective to everyday life.

When I begin to get overwhelmed and frazzled at work, I pull out my book and read a section of it. I calm down and take some deep breaths, which helps me get through the situation. This really works for me. The situation is still there, but I can handle it better. I find that I'm more focused afterwards, and it just helps me to do a better job.

I would rate this book as 4 ½ to 5, and the only reason I would give it 4 ½ is that it is short, and I think a lot of people would like a longer book. For me it is fine, though, since it is small enough for me to carry in my purse so I can refer to it whenever I feel the need. Since I can't rate it by halves, I have to give it a 5, as the content is excellent.

QRM is a manufacturing strategy that focuses on speed throughout the manufacturing process. All efforts are focused on lead-time reduction. Unlike other lean manufacturing clones, QRM distinguishes itself with some unique approaches. While I'm not willing to accept everything the author is pushing, I certainly found some valuable insights.
The author does an excellent job of explaining the concepts, providing enough detail and examples to ensure the reader does not go away confused.
I thought this was a really good book and would recommend it to anyone involved in manufacturing, but even more so to anyone involved with engineer-to-order or make-to-order manufacturing.

It was hard to put this book down when I first read it. As a manufacturing manager, it almost seemed as if Prof. Suri had spent time in my plant. Most of the topics he addresses in QRM are relevant to the issues I was struggling with. He writes about reducing lead time in all aspects of operations, even product development. His concept of POLCA to create a pull system for low volume, high mix manufacturing is innovative.

I recommend this highly to anyone who is trying to understand a manufacturing operation and how to improve it. It is easy to read and understand with concepts that work.

Like a lot of manufacturing books, this one tries hard to separate itself from all others by showing why every other system is so bad, and then claiming to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you can get past all the posing, this book has some fantastic ideas that are suprisingly simple and effective. It is a must read for manufacturing professionals (much like "The Goal"), and if you are in a job shop or custom fab facility, you have to get this book now! Warning: It is a very dry read so expect many long nights filled with coffee and more coffee, and more coffee. Because, typical of most mfg books, Suri feels he has to explain everything to the Nth degree, along with every related issue he can think of. This book could have been done in about 50 pages, so lets hope he comes out with a work-book that does just that... but it the mean time the information here is way to valuable wait for.

Cheers, Al.

This is a definitive book for complex system specification methods. The true test of these methods is evidenced in their staying power. I had the opportunity back in the early '90s to learn these methods from the late Imtiaz Pirbhai himself--their beauty is in their relative simplicity. The strength of the methods can be attributed to clear and concise "language" and nomenclature. The key to specifing and designing a "good system" is the ability to unambiguously express and communicate a model of the system. These tools provide just that. Two views of the system, the "Requirements Model" and the "Architecture Model" are the perfect complement to the iterative nature of complex system development. The book stops short of making the transition from software requirements to a software architecture. However, the methods, if applied correctly, can set the stage for either a "structured" or "object-oriented" software architecture approach. One weakness, based on experience, is applying the "User Interface" component of the "Architecture Template" to Graphical User Interface (GUI)-intensive systems, which tend to put the user in the center of the system's universe, rather than on the periphery.

I have been using this book for the past 6 years at the Naval Postgraduate school to teach Systems Engineers about the HIPO formal methodology methods. It is the best available. It is strange that the students all give it a low rating as a textbook; but later after graduating call or E-mail that it is the best reference book they have.

A lot of programs that were in trouble of failure have been saved by Managers and Systems Engineers who had the guts to apply HP when the chips were down.

Cheers

Orin

This book is a magificient one. I have used this book throught my professional career at GM, UTC and DDC.

It is precise and clear. It has good examples like Cruise control. The diagrams are clear. Fellow Michigander Mr. Hatley and Mr. Pirbhai have given an wonderful treatment.

This bok is the basis for infamous Espirit consulting courses on Structured Analysis and Structured Design.

What more can you ask for. Go for it. I wish they could come up with a newer edition. If they cannot then I will. (Mr. Pirbhai is no more).

Finally, an Austrian School based model of the macroeconomy. Time and Money pulls free market theory together to show that capitol drives the economy and not government, as mainstream economic theories would lead us. Powerful yet easy to read and understand. Well worth your time and money.

For anyone interesting in Austrian macroeconomic theory, this is the book for you. (...)

Perhaps textbook writers will now incorporate capital-based macro in their products. This book makes a convincing case for integrating capital-based macro into mainstream again.