Book Description
You have more information at hand about your business environment than ever before. But are you using it to “out-think” your rivals? If not, you may be missing out on a potent competitive tool.
In Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning , Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris argue that the frontier for using data to make decisions has shifted dramatically. Certain high-performing enterprises are now building their competitive strategies around data-driven insights that in turn generate impressive business results. Their secret weapon? Analytics: sophisticated quantitative and statistical analysis and predictive modeling.
Exemplars of analytics are using new tools to identify their most profitable customers and offer them the right price, to accelerate product innovation, to optimize supply chains, and to identify the true drivers of financial performance. A wealth of examples—from organizations as diverse as Amazon, Barclay’s, Capital One, Harrah’s, Procter & Gamble, Wachovia, and the Boston Red Sox—illuminate how to leverage the power of analytics.
Customer Reviews:
Covers the basics of both the what-is and the how-to of fact-based decision making.......2007-10-04
Mark Twain once said something to the effect that it isn't what you don't know that gets you into trouble, it's what you know for certain that isn't so that will get you. Too many businesses are run on assumptions, guesses, and inertia. What we are doing now worked in the past so lets keep doing it. Shareholders lose a lot of money when their businesses are run with that kind of thinking.
This book is about fact-based decision making. It is really more of an introduction to the subject than a detailed text, but it is still quite useful for those wanting to learn the basics of the subject. The first five chapters discuss what analytics are, how you compete using them, and the growth path from wondering what an analytic competitor is through the fives steps to becoming one. They also discuss what it means when using internal data that you completely control, and what it means when you do it using data you control and supplier or customer data that you do not control.
The last four chapters take on the practical side of implementing a road map to becoming an analytic competitor. I particularly enjoyed the chapter emphasizing that all your plans will fail if you don't have the right people. Systems alone won't do it. The next chapter discusses the kinds of systems you need. The last chapter discusses the future of analytics.
For the right audience, this is a fascinating book. The stories about businesses succeeding by using analytics or getting themselves into serious trouble by ignoring them are all good and entertaining. Be careful, though. Some of the stories talk about instances (such as the Red Sox losing the World Series by letting the pitcher go beyond his statistical maximum pitching range) rather than trends and large numbers of events. Statistics don't work on instances. That is, at any given moment a coin might come up heads or tails. Just because there have been ten heads flips in a row does not mean you should take less than 50-50 odds on the next flip. It is still 50-50. That pitcher might have won, might have lost that game and it would have become part of the statistical information. However, for the stats to become powerful, you would have to be able to make a strong prediction over a series of games that he pitched. That is, if he goes beyond X pitches in 10 games he will lose about 8 of them. That means he still wins two (or one or three) and you don't know when in the series the wins will come.
The idea that very small observations can be exploited for big advantage is very important in today's ever more competitive business climate. For example Harrah's learned that moving the odds on slot machines one-tenth of one percent in their favor did not affect customer play at all, but netted them at extra $80 million (company wide). Marriott's hotel management system improves hotel performance by a couple percent. Remember that these improvements incur little cost, so most of the improvement flows quickly to the bottom line.
I thought that might get your attention. Read it so you can learn and profit from it.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
A limited introduction to business analytics.......2007-09-21
MY RATING SYSTEM:
* - if you have to chose between torture and reading this book, then you might want to consider reading the book - although it depends on just how severe the torture would be.
** - if you've lost your job and have quite a bit of free time on your hands, and don't have anything else better to do, then you might want to consider reading this book; don't expect to learn much or really be entertained. It will however, help you pass the time until your death.
*** - meh...I'm indifferent. Reading this book will not alter your life in any significant way, yet it is not so horrendously dreadful that your taking the time to read it will be a complete waste of time.
**** - Good book to great book zone here. You should probably read this book if you have some spare time. This book could be interesting, entertaining, or informative.
***** - Outstanding book! Make time to read this book - you'll learn or be entertained or intrigued. The book might even be good enough to provide original or helpful insights into the world that we live in.
REVIEW:
Competing on Analytics serves as an interesting, albeit limited, introduction to the concept of using complex data collection, management, and analysis techniques to gain a competitive edge in business.
For me, the book served as a useful introduction, but fell far short of satisfying the objectives I had in mind when I first came across it. What I was expecting was a book that provide a detailed guide to developing and implementing an analytical approach to business decision making. While early on the authors acknowledge the limitations of the book, I found what followed to be less than satisfying.
The book contained a variety of examples of companies that were using analytical techniques to improve the quality of business decision making, and discussed a variety of business areas in which companies might want to adopt such analytical techniques but failed to present comprehensive case studies that would provide real guidance to readers. I would have liked to have been led through a few cases, from a diverse set of industries, where the authors describe what information was collected and why, how the information was manipulated, analyzed and presented, and how the entire analytics process was influenced by and/or influenced the company's strategy and performance. Instead, the book left me with the impression that I need to go out an hire a consulting firm to lead me through the development of an analytics program.
One of the most ironic components of the book was that while it touted the use of analytical techniques and objective analysis to motivate business decision making, it's argument was largely based on anecdotal evidence of a handful of companies that have adopted analytical approaches.
Good Overview of Business Analytics.......2007-09-20
Technology & the easy with which information spreads has rendered many products and services easily replicable. Companies need to compete on the basis of something their competitors can't recreate. What companies don't have ready access to is each other's data, i.e., on customers, suppliers, & processes. What companies do with this data is what can set them apart from competitors.
Davenport & Harris describe how data is transformed into competitive advantage by discussing the types of information used in analytics, the stages of becoming a more analytic corporation, and many examples of companies who have applied analytics to successful operations. Problems encountered down the road to becoming more analytical were similar to those described in another recent book on the criticality of enterprise data, Information Revolution by Davis, Miller, & Russell.
This book contains no numeric formulas or specific procedures for using analytics, but it is an excellent as an overall survey of business analytics as used today.
Who Is The Audience.......2007-08-30
This book is meant for those who make things happen and need to gain a fresh perspective. It is not meant for those who know a lot but can't make things happen yet keep looking for more information, while criticizing a good effort, which without doubt could have been better.
Great Subject/Weak Effort.......2007-08-26
Not a lot of meat to this topic other than the obvious. Not very exciting stuff.
Amazon.com
First popularized by Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, the concept of emotional intelligence is now widely accepted, not only within the psychological arena, but also, ever-increasingly, within the business world. In The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book, authors Bradberry and Greaves outline techniques anyone can use to achieve goals in an easier and more fulfilling way, improve relationships, enhance health, and become more accomplished in the work force. Starting with a discussion on what emotional intelligence (EQ, for short) is and how it impacts our lives, Bardberry and Greaves then provide readers with instructions for determining their own EQ via the book's companion Web site (the passcode for doing so can be found on the inside of the book's dust jacket). They also provide a variety of ways readers can increase their EQ and put it to use in their personal and professional lives. Based on research with more than 500,000 people, The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book is exactly that, a quick and easy-to-read resource that empowers readers to master their EQ and more effectively incorporate it into all aspects of their daily lives. Larry Trivieri Jr.
Book Description
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: THE #1 PREDICTOR OF PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS AND PERSONAL EXCELLENCE
In today's fast-paced world of competitive workplaces and chaotic personal lives, each of us is searching for effective tools that can make our schedules, behaviors, and relationships more manageable. The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook shows us how understanding and utilizing emotional intelligence can be the key to exceeding our goals and achieving our fullest potential.
Authors Bradberry and Greaves use their years of experience as emotional intelligence researchers, consultants, and speakers to revitalize our current understanding of emotional intelligence. They have combined their latest research on emotional intelligence with a quick, easy-to-use format and cut-to-the-chase information to demonstrate how this other kind of "smart" helps us to decrease our stress, increase our productivity, understand our emotions as they happen, and interact positively with those around us.
The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook brings this concept to light in a way that has not been done before -- making EQ practical and easy to apply in every aspect of our daily lives. The Quickbook will help you to:
- Engage the four unique areas of EQ: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management
- Increase your EQ through the use of these skill-building techniques
- Apply your EQ at work to develop leadership skills and improve teamwork, making you a better manager and a more desirable employee
- Practice your EQ outside the office environment to benefit your relationships with loved ones, making you a better partner and parent
- Access the link between your EQ and your physical well-being to improve your overall health
- Measure your current EQ through access to the authors' bestselling online Emotional Intelligence Appraisal
Customer Reviews:
Beneficial to Everyone.......2007-10-02
This is a well written concise book on emotional intelligence that should benefit everyone. It teaches techniques that people can employ to enhance their emotional intelligence; on our rational and emotional minds and why it is very important to our careers, our relationships and our destiny.
This insightful book examines emotional intelligence in an easy to follow and understand format which makes the book useful to a wide readership. The book pragmatically examines what emotional intelligence is all about and what it can achieve for individuals and organisations. The author methodically explains how the rational and emotional minds can effectively work productively together. As you go up the corporate ladder, it is critical to know how to manage emotions so that you can relate better with others.
This is not just an academic book but also one that looks at the whole aspect of emotional intelligence to see how it "fits in" with all aspects of life. The book examines all the relevant issues and provides sound, sensible advice succinctly.
The book will change the way you look at life and relate with people. This is particularly the case with people with professional backgrounds that tend to emphasise logic and rationality such as engineers, doctors, mathematicians and the like. It is critical to realise that emotional issues affect the way you work, your motivation, satisfaction and productivity and affect the quality of relationships among spouses or friends. Understanding and embracing EI can make you much happier and more effective as a manager and therefore I recommend this book strongly to anyone who wants to live a happier and successful life.
The best emotional intelligence book.......2007-06-28
I've read about every book out there on emotional intelligence and this one stands out above the rest. It's far more practical in how it introduces emotional intelligence, and the strategies for increasing your EQ are excellent. It's also the only book I've seen that includes a code so that you can go online and take an emotional intelligence test, which is a real bonus. It's great to know what you are actually good at AND what you need to work on.
Good, quick read.......2007-05-14
I ordered this book to use with a class of managers in a service organization. It was very easy to understand the concepts, and what I liked most is that it quickly explained emotional intelligence without getting bogged down in psychological research. Perfect for learners who don't have time to read. The stories helped explain very well.
The assessment results were easy to understand. The only drawback was the relevance, or helpfulness of the suggestions for development. They weren't really meaty.
Overall, I liked the book very much.
Excellent book.......2007-05-14
This is a very interesting, factual but explanatory book to help edify the differences between female and male brains.
Great Book.......2006-11-10
Easy to read, consise, and very helpful. Embodies all the elements of EI I used it as a gift for individuals attending a seminar. It was well received.
Amazon.com
John Perkins started and stopped writing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man four times over 20 years. He says he was threatened and bribed in an effort to kill the project, but after 9/11 he finally decided to go through with this expose of his former professional life. Perkins, a former chief economist at Boston strategic-consulting firm Chas. T. Main, says he was an "economic hit man" for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinationals cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign policy and awarding lucrative contracts to American business. "Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars," Perkins writes. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is an extraordinary and gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. Think John Le Carré, except it's a true story.
Perkins writes that his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. Often, the money would simply be transferred from one bank account in Washington, D.C., to another one in New York or San Francisco. The deals were smoothed over with bribes for foreign officials, but it was the taxpayers in the foreign countries who had to pay back the loans. When their governments couldn't do so, as was often the case, the U.S. or its henchmen at the World Bank or International Monetary Fund would step in and essentially place the country in trusteeship, dictating everything from its spending budget to security agreements and even its United Nations votes. It was, Perkins writes, a clever way for the U.S. to expand its "empire" at the expense of Third World citizens. While at times he seems a little overly focused on conspiracies, perhaps that's not surprising considering the life he's led. --Alex Roslin
Book Description
The runaway bestseller that has generated a major movie deal—and an international dialogue—with over 170,000 copies sold in hardcover and seven weeks on the New York Times list
“Economic hit men,” John Perkins writes,” are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as Empire but one that has taken on terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.”
John Perkins should know—he was an economic hit man for an international consulting firm that worked to convince developing countries to accept enormous loans and to funnel that money to U.S.corporations. Once these countries were saddled with huge debts, the American government and international aid agencies were able to request their “pound of flesh” in favors, including access to natural resources, military cooperation, and political support.
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is the story of one man's experiences inside the intrigue, greed, corruption and little-known government and corporate activities that America has been involved in since World War II, and which have dire consequences for the future of democracy and the world.
“[A] gripping tell-all book.”—The Rocky Mountain News
“Astonishing.”—Boston Herald
“This riveting look at a world of intrigue reads like a spy novel . . . Highly recommended.”— Library Journal
“Here are the real-life details—nasty, manipulative, plain evil—of international corporate skullduggery spun into a tale rivaling the darkest espionage thriller.”—Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Customer Reviews:
A human story about change of heart, not just economics.......2007-10-02
John Perkins, a man who has written mostly about his experiences with shamanism and only eluded to his "dark side", now comes clean in this eye-opening expose of how real people are paid to destroy countries economies in order to create wealth for the elite. But more than anything, this book for me is about one man's conversion experience - from selling his soul to the highest bidder (even while studying with indigenous shamans) to facing the human and environmental consequences of his actions. Eventually, he changed his life and stepped into the full potential of his heart.
Despite the harsh reality Perkin's truth-telling offers, this book is inspirational in that it proves that anyone can change from a life of greed and domination to one of kindness and compassion. I highly recommend his previous books (such as Shapeshifting) which speak to his spiritual awakenings and the role of indigenous people's teachings in leaving the Hit Man life behind.
Viewing America's Global Empire from the Trenches.......2007-10-01
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man presents the experiences of John Perkins, while working as an Economic Hit Man (EHM)- although he was officially titled as an economist, essentially cheerleading foreign loans to third world countires as a means of economic development, although as Perkins claims, is was expected that the third world nations would never actually achieve the growth levels to allow them to pay off the loans.
All of this was done to both line the pockets of multi-national construction firms, primarily U.S.-based, as well as lead to the expansion of the United States "Global Empire".
While I find Perkins' writing a bit preachy, and his views somewhat a "holier-than thou" attitude, as it comes to his statements that he foresaw the ramifications of his work "doctoring" economic forecasts, the book is an interesting book that did make me consider a number of events on the international stage that I had previously considered chance happenings.
I think the time spent reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, is time well spent.
Self-Serving Drivel.......2007-09-25
Perkins was an economic hit man, acting as a consultant who helped strong arm less developed countries into being saddled with debt they would be unable to pay. This strategy enriches American companies, and makes indebted countries obligated to serve US interests. In doing so, poor people become more impoverished, sensitive ecosystems are destroyed, and future generations suffer.
All the while Perkins created inflated economic forecasts to justify irresponsible lending by the World Bank and other financial behemoths, he claims to have felt guilty. Guilty all the way to his bank...
To assuage his guilt, he tries to equate how the general population benefits from lower prices based upon the work he has done, making us all his moral equivalent.
[...]
Perkins has a story to tell. His constant whining about his feelings, while getting richer and taking bribes throughout many decades, sickens me.
He should tell his story, and let his actions speak for his feelings. [...]
Economic hit man.......2007-09-21
The book starts out with speciifc strong facts. However, towards the end it becomes significantly weaker and less convincing. Overall wothwhile reading, as long as you do not believe every word.
Over inflated, self-serving memoirs of a mediocre consultant.......2007-09-19
Oh, god. The stories move so slowly. They're watered down with so much description of how pathetic, filthy, sick, poor, but intelligent people are in the third world. The book is a constant iteration of doing work he was paid for, feeling guilty for his actions, then self justifying his work to himself.
He is constantly stating that this neo-colonialism was not a conspiracy, but a fraternity of people working together. What's the difference? At first blush you agree with him, but if you think about it, they are one in the same.
This is a case of someone looking at the glass as half empty. He worked for a company that wanted to maximize its revenues. Now he chooses to see where the revenue was coming from and feel bad. I was a consultant for a long time too. Only I sold my services to the likes of Sallie Mae, AT&T, Credit Suisse, and Wachovia. Do I feel guilty? No, but you could argue I was taking advantage of a need they perceived to have at the time. It is how business works.
Don't get suckered in by the authors claims, they are unsubstantiated and could be debated until the end of time. History serves the interpretation of it's author.
Average customer rating:
- If you want your Child's Mind Left Behind do not read this.
- Five Minds Provides Wake-up Call for Educators
- A Map for Educating the New Philosopher Kings
- Excellent new approach from Professor Gardner
- It scales up your ability to undesrtand yourself and the world
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Five Minds for the Future
Howard Gardner
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
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Similar Items:
-
Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning
-
Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons
-
Changing Minds: The Art And Science of Changing Our Own And Other People's Minds (Leadership for the Common Good)
-
Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths
-
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
ASIN: 1591399122
Release Date: 2007-04-03 |
Book Description
We live in a time of vast changes. And those changes call for entirely new ways of learning and thinking. In Five Minds for the Future: Howard Gardner defines the cognitive abilities that will command a premium in the years ahead:
- the disciplinary mind—mastery of major schools of thought (including science, mathematics, and history) and of at least one professional craft
- the synthesizing mind—ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others
- the creating mind—capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions, and phenomena
- the respectful mind—awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups
- the ethical mind—fulfillment of one’s responsibilities as a worker and citizen
World-renowned for his theory of multiple intelligences, Gardner takes that thinking to the next level in this book, drawing from a wealth of diverse examples to illuminate his ideas. Concise and engaging, Five Minds for the Future will inspire lifelong learning in any reader as well as provide valuable insights for those charged with training and developing organizational leaders—both today and tomorrow.
Customer Reviews:
If you want your Child's Mind Left Behind do not read this........2007-08-17
The ideas in this book deserve the broadest possible scrutiny and review. As we now know, our brains are able to significantly change themselves depending on how they are used and not used.
Dictators, slave owners, and totalitarian regimes have always suspected this. They carefully restrict the arts and depend on rote drill in education. They require competency testing that penalizes teachers that teach good questioning methods and foster disciplined minds that can synthesize, create, and empathize.
Teachers in the USA today are increasingly being overwhelmed by the requirements to teach facts and specific skills. School facts are often dated, while updates are instantly available via an Internet search. Thinking abilities (other than rote memorization) are not being taught because our tests are not well designed to assess Gardner's categories. The ability to synthesize (transfer and apply what we know from an array of experiences and sources), create (the ability to think divergently and imaginatively to produce better scenarios), and/or empathically (Gardner's terms are `respectful' and `ethical') are not as simple to assess. Consequently, facts are taught without time to learn how to question the viability of what is learned.
Assessment tools could be vastly improved if we had the creativity and the will to see what Gardner tries to tell us. I believe that computer programs could be developed that would assess education for Gardner's mind categories rather than simply for the rote accumulation of information that is often unconnected to what we need in life.
Any parent who does not care if their child's mind is left behind should not read this book. I pity children in schools that are under pressure to focus on learning without thinking. They are being brain damaged. If we want to see more capable and caring people in the future, this book is a starting place. Any leader of company, political entity, or other organization should not read this book if they are content with staying behind and coming in last.
Five Minds Provides Wake-up Call for Educators.......2007-08-14
Five Minds for the Future is an excellent look at the wider picture of how we need to use our brains to accomplish the tasks we will be faced with in the coming years -- both for our planet, our communities, our workplaces, and our families. This should be even more of a wake-up call to educational institutions across the world than Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences because it is about global approach to education (global in terms of "big picture").
A Map for Educating the New Philosopher Kings.......2007-07-17
The learned ancient Greeks were fascinated by what an ideal education would involve. Why? They hoped to apply that education to the kings of the era and to create a better society through the leadership of the kings. That ambition came closest to being fulfilled through Alexander the Great, who became a highly effective conqueror and spreader of Greek ideas and values.
Professor Gardner takes up this challenge once again in perceiving new challenges for modern people that will be more difficult to meet in the future. I suspect that his vision is, in part, aimed at the same goal as the ancient Greeks except as executed through the leaders and most prominent citizens of a republic employing democratic principles.
In a break from his prior focus on multiple intelligences, Five Minds for the Future emphasizes five methods of thinking that he hopes to see integrated into individuals. These methods of thinking are based on:
1. Mastering an important subject matter (such as history, math, or science) and staying up to date through application of the discipline's method of thinking. This is quite different from knowing the facts of the discipline.
2. Being able to integrate large quantities multidisciplinary facts and apply them into one's work.
3. Posing new questions, developing new solutions to existing questions, stretching disciplines and genres in new directions, or building new disciplines.
4. Being open to understanding and appreciating the perspectives and experiences of those who are different from the individual.
5. Doing one's work in an ethical way that reflects responsibilities to others and society.
What does this boil down to as a problem? Basically, most people never get as far as mastering one important discipline. They just memorize whatever is needed to pass tests. Professor Gardner's own work documents this problem. As a result, we face a hollowing out of our civilization as most people lack the ability, education, or interest to do more than function in an everyday living fashion. Beyond that, some of those who can perform a discipline are tempted by treasure or fame to stretch the rules and not honestly perform.
If we step back another few feet, there's an implicit vision of a future that's led by a smaller and smaller number of people as a percentage of the world's population. It will be easier for rot to set in at the top. In addition, the rewards for those people will grow exponentially . . . tempting those of limited ethics to falter.
I think the risk is a genuine one, and I applaud Professor Gardner for penning this book. I hope he will follow it with more books that spell out more about how to educate others and ourselves (after we leave school as students) so that these goals are achieved.
I have a few quibbles that I mention only in the spirit of sparking an awareness of what's needed. Peter Drucker taught me that the educated person should learn enough about a new subject each year to appreciate and be able the discipline involved. I found that suggestion missing from this book. Without that bridging method, I suspect we'll just end up compartmentalized from one another.
In addition, I think that some areas of public responsibility lend themselves to combined perspectives that encompass these minds more efficiently than by keeping them separate. For example, the advanced leader who is good at accomplishing continuing business model innovation will be able to cross these five boundaries and many others . . . simply by knowing one discipline. I suspect that other fields also lend themselves to such new integrating disciplines.
I also found that Professor Gardner mischaracterized the meanings of many of the business examples he cited. He does, however, do a fine job of summarizing what academics have written about business. I suggest that he have someone who is more familiar with business than he is help with checking such examples in future books. I realize that this book is published by Harvard Business School Press, but editors of books don't necessary have mastery of the facts within the subjects they edit.
Bravo, Professor Gardner!
Excellent new approach from Professor Gardner.......2007-07-05
Wonderful and breathtaking reading!! After transforming how intelligence is considered and measured, and offering millions a new chance to develop their potential, Professor Gardner presents his new approach about minds that will survive better in the future. He offers strong support for capacities not yet recognized as valuable in our rapidly changing and aggressive environment, such as ethical, respectful and sinthesizing minds. Three times "Hurrah!!".
It scales up your ability to undesrtand yourself and the world.......2007-06-08
An extraordinary work by an extraordinary scholar, It teaches you how to get the best by the process of learning and by your ability to be part of the human kind. An essential book for each and every age.
Customer Reviews:
Check The Compass.......2006-10-21
Based upon the current corporate and political climate in the USA,
many probably agree that books like these are important and
necessary. But is society any different today in certain respects
than it was say, 2000 years ago? Humans are human. Always have
been, always will be.
As for a "moral compass" discussed in this book, we can simply
look at the actions of individuals, corporations, and governments
dating back before Roman times, to today. The concept and discussion
of morality and ethics go back thousands of years. Yet it is of
course, no less important today. Currently, ethical concepts are
taught and discussed in business, MBA, and law programs. These
programs have to most dishonest students of all departments
at universities in the USA, in study after study. Some of
these students will become influential members of our society
in the future.
It must be noted that many parts of the world at times completely
lack a "moral compass." Corruption, dishonesty, and out-right theft
are the basic functional foundations in many nations of the world.
The United States has its flaws, but is way ahead of hundreds of
other nations when it comes to business moral and ethics.
(Admittedly, due in part by the existence of laws and regulations).
Yet a lack of this morality has a deleterious economic impact upon
many countries of the world. Another point that is central to the
concept of business morality is: thinking long-term. Not the myopic,
short-term business horizon where someone cheats or cuts corners to
gain a small amount in the short term, but loses potentially much
greater gains over the long term. South East Asia is notorious for
this short-sighted thinking and behaviour at all levels of society
and business.
This mentality can change. It will take time, education, awareness,
and the realization of the positives. Once those in business realize
the benefits of being honest and ethical, they often (but not always)
change their business practices. This is simply, Common Sense.
Author Doug Lennick and Fred Kiel categorize this book into three
portions: Overview, Developing Moral Skills, and Moral Leadership.
In addition there are four concepts noted for moral leadership:
Integrity, Responsibility, Compassion, and Forgiveness.
Several real-life examples are presented in this book.
Citing the innateness morality is mostly, idealism. Doing something
"because it's the right thing to do" does seem a bit idealistic. This
OK. But we must recognize it for what it is.
It takes an ethical upbringing *and* laws and regulations to keep
people and organizations in line.
History tells us the answer. Humans are humans. And no, I'm not a
Hobbesian. :)
Do The Right Thing Because It Is The Right Thing: Long-winded, Short on Substance.......2006-07-12
"Moral Intelligence: Enhancing Business Performance and Leadership Success" by Doug Lennick has a simple premise. Once you get that premise, the rest is about internalizing it, and living it out when the moral challenge presents itself.
Accepting the premise of the book is easy: Do the right thing because it is the right thing, and enjoy business benefits in the process. -- The premise is the entire book. There. I have blown in 17 words what takes the author 256 pages to say. Sorry about that.
If your sales manager gives you this book, you can flip through it, remember a few anecdotes, and you'll be set.
That's my primary difficulty with the book. I did not disagree with the premise, or feel that his anecdotes were inconsistent. It takes a very deep message and handles it lightly, without as much substance as such a book should have.
Very heavy on business anecdotes, it reads well, but has the tired tone of every business book on the planet, as if the writer went out of his way to quote as many people as possible, rather than looking into the questions more. Unfortunately, it is especially heavy in the financial planners/services sales people. Not much diversity of markets, business areas, or position.
There are a few charts gussying up "Moral Intelligence" but no substantive grids that will help the reader understand the way morality looks in real life. A few statistics are dripped in here and there, but it always boils down to "Do the right thing."
While no one expects a business ethics book to speak on the level of Aristotle or Augustine, it is reasonable that the author would present some grounding for morals. While he claims that relativism has been injurious to society in general, and to the workplace specifically, Lennick presents more of a generic understanding of morality. Touting a specific belief might get him into trouble, of course, yet by not doing so, he comes off bland and without a standard.
Somehow, in all the quotes from upper middle managers, Lennick misses William Pollard, former CEO of ServiceMaster. In fact, there is no discussion of ServiceMaster entirely. ServiceMaster, a massive Fortune 500 company, has been until recently, very outspoken that it was called such because of a Christian belief system, short for "Service for the Master." A look into how this philosophy works, and how ServiceMaster struggled to do the right thing, would have been instructive. Blown opportunity.
Lennick mentions the obvious criminals, like Ken Lay. He misses other law breakers, like PTL's Jim Bakker, and, in describing Lay's problems, provides nothing that has not been on the news. What Lennick could have done is outline the subtlties of business morality, and how we fall into breaking our own moral code.
There is little here that doesn't begin, "Joe was an Assistant VP of FinancialMegaCorp, and noticed something askew with the month's figures. He realized his friend and colleague, Rick, had absconded with thousands of dollars. Should Joe talk to Rick, or gather evidence to bring to the firm's legal team?"
Equally weak is the "Moral Competency Inventory" which has potential to reveal our true moral responses. With questions like, "When I agree to do something, I always follow through," I wonder if I just took a Cosmo quiz.
Wharton School Publishing dropped the ball on this one, diminishing the school's great reputation for a strong program. While an education there is still top notch, putting their stamp of approval on this one was not on par. There is nothing bold here, except that the book was published in the first place.
Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com
Superb.......2006-05-24
In business or financial circles, morality and ethics has frequently been thought of as weakness, as something that while noble will not assist in the generation of profits. Further, those who practice it can easily be taken advantage of by competitors. A business run by moral agents will not be able to survive the vicissitudes of the marketplace. It takes cunning and an instinct for the jugular, so the argument goes, to create and maintain a successful business. Another view is that a businessperson who claims to be moral or ethical is either posing as such in order to take advantage of someone or some situation. In this view, morality and ethics are then tools of manipulation and power, a view that is, ironically, not far from that of those political philosophers, such as Karl Marx, who criticize capitalism vociferously.
Until recently, business ethics, if taught at all, was presented from a pragmatic viewpoint. One is to practice or adhere to certain ethical principles only because regulations or circumstances dictate that not doing so would place one in legal jeopardy. Business ethics then becomes a collection of rules, to be followed only because it is part of the "process." These rules can be extensive, even contradictory, but their importance only arises because of legal constraints. They are usually viewed as more of an irritant, not as part of a natural process or necessity.
That morality is part of being human, much as eating, sleeping, and sex, is something that has not really been believed in scientific circles up until the last ten years or so, thanks to research in neuroscience. It is now believed by some researchers in neuroscience that some parts of the human neural system not only support moral reasoning but also have evolved to ensure its efficacy. This book draws on some of this research, and presents a conception of business morality that is very practical as well as efficacious in everyday business life. The authors are the first to admit that their ideas need further scientific and practical validation. The evidence they present is anecdotal, but it is a good start, for it gives an alternative to many of the stale platitudes that govern much of the contemporary thinking on moral systems.
As is of course readily apparent from the title, the central idea behind the authors' approach, and one that is very resonant in other approaches to morality based on neuroscience, is that of `moral intelligence.' They define this as a mental capacity that allows the determination of how "universal human principles" are to be applied to "values, goals, and actions." They do not really elaborate on what it means for principles to be "universal", but from the reading of the book one can deduce that these are the neuronal patterns that take place in every human being. They therefore appear as beliefs about human conduct that every culture in the entire world seems to hold. In fact in the foreword of the book, this is summarized in the notion that every human is "hard wired" to be moral. The reader should not however view this as a deterministic notion, since humans can often "stray from the path." They do not debate the notion of free will in the book, and this makes the book even more palatable to read, since such musings are better left to the philosophers.
The authors discuss various research that supports their notion of moral intelligence, and include many anecdotal stories that illustrate its practice in everyday life and in leadership roles in business. The emphasize that moral intelligence is a distinctive branch of intelligence, and that individuals who possess it in abundance will have a large measure of integrity, will take responsibility for their actions, will be compassionate, and be willing to exercise forgiveness. The authors point out that having these virtues will not of course imply perfection. The morally intelligent individual will make mistakes, but her `moral compass' will steer her to proper moral north.
This book is again, one of the few that have been written that attempt to put morality on both a sound scientific foundation and a practical one. It is honest in its claims and the authors express humility and respect for the reader between its covers. There is no attempt to intimidate the reader into ascribing to their ideas. They are intellectually honest without being condescending. The reader will finish the book with a deeper respect for the role of moral intelligence in business and everyday life, and be more convinced of its efficacy and power.
Good Concept, Treatment OK.......2006-02-12
Having read a number of books brought to us by Wharton Publishing, this one was a bit disappointing. Wharton has high standards for its business books, requiring them to be relevant, timely, empirically based, conceptually sound, and implementable in real decision settings. While this book does meet those criteria, I felt the concentration on the moral intelligence topic was diluted by what I perceived to be over-attention to emotional intelligence. I didn't feel the strength and focus I anticipated, particularly given my high expectations of Wharton books.
The book is organized into three parts: an overview, Developing Moral Skills, and Moral Leadership. We begin with an overview of Moral Intelligence with a look at being born to be moral and what the authors describe as one's moral compass. They introduce the four principles that are vital for moral leadership: integrity, responsibility, compassion, and forgiveness. In the second section of the book, each of these principles is addressed in a separate chapter-with an additional chapter on emotions. The section on moral leadership introduces the Moral Leader, talks about leading large organizations and entrepreneurial ventures, and becoming a global moral leader. The first appendix, Strengthening Your Moral Skills, offers advice on the how-to of developing the skills. This is important enough that it probably could have been a chapter, rather than an appendix. Appendices B, C, and D present the Moral Competency Inventory, its scoring and interpretation.
As I read this book, my attention was distracted by what I believe was over-use of one of the authors' previous employers as a setting to discuss various applications and observations about moral leadership. The text needed more balance with stories from other corporate environments. Anecdotal presentations are heavily used in the book-John said this, Mary did that. The use of first and last names with the parenthetical notation that the name is a pseudomym became annoying, causing me to wonder how many real people with moral intelligence were known by the authors-or even available to use as role models.
The theme of the book is welcome and valid. There is a lot of good material in these pages and you'll gain something from the reading. Perhaps this book will open the door for more work to be done in this important, value-based field.
Moral Intelligence.......2006-01-30
If your looking to increase your personal level of joy and harmony in life, implement the teachings of the 3 frames in this book.
Manny Padro Salt Lake City, Utah
Amazon.com
Business leaders who maintain that emotions are best kept out of the work environment do so at their organization's peril. Bestselling author Daniel Goleman's theories on emotional intelligence (EI) have radically altered common understanding of what "being smart" entails, and in Primal Leadership, he and his coauthors present the case for cultivating emotionally intelligent leaders. Since the actions of the leader apparently account for up to 70 percent of employees' perception of the climate of their organization, Goleman and his team emphasize the importance of developing what they term "resonant leadership." Focusing on the four domains of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management--they explore what contributes to and detracts from resonant leadership, and how the development of these four EI competencies spawns different leadership styles. The best leaders maintain a style repertoire, switching easily between "visionary," "coaching," "affiliative," and "democratic," and making rare use of less effective "pace-setting" and "commanding" styles. The authors' discussion of these methods is informed by research on the workplace climates engendered by the leadership styles of more than 3,870 executives. Indeed, the experiences of leaders in a wide range of work environments lend real-life examples to much of the advice Goleman et al. offer, from developing the motivation to change and creating an improvement plan based on learning rather than performance outcomes, to experimenting with new behaviors and nurturing supportive relationships that encourage change and growth. The book's final section takes the personal process of developing resonant leadership and applies it to the entire organizational culture. --S. Ketchum
Book Description
National Bestseller Available in Paperback
"Just as Goleman's first book redefined intelligence, his new treatise…reassesses what makes a great leader."
-Time magazine
"Daniel Goleman has done it again! …a fascinating account of how emotions are at the heart of effective leadership. This book is a gem."
--David Gergen, Director, Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School, Harvard University
Drawing from decades of research within world-class organizations, the authors show that great leaders-whether CEOs or managers, coaches or politicians-excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using Emotional Intelligence competencies like empathy and self-awareness. The best leaders, they show, have "resonance"-a powerful ability to drive emotions in a positive direction to get results-and can fluidly interchange among a variety of leadership styles as the situation demands. Groundbreaking and timely, this book reveals the new requirements of successful leadership.
Customer Reviews:
Emotional Intelligence for Relational Leadership.......2007-09-20
If you smile at me, I smile back; you frown and I look down - emotions are not a closed-loop system, but an open-loop system that helps us learn or causes us to shutdown. Transference of positive emotions (resonance) drives organizations to higher performance, conflicting emotions drive dissonance and limit performance according to authors Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee. Thus, leadership is far more relational than transactional and good leaders are competent in all four domains of Emotional Intelligence - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. The best leaders are also adept at applying a wide repertoire of supportive leadership styles - Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, or Pacesetting to drive resonance, but also Pacesetting and even Commanding when the circumstances dictate.
It all sounds like so much common sense now; nearly 10 years after Goleman first burst on the scene with his international bestseller "Emotional Intelligence". Still, it is sometimes useful to remind ourselves that management is a relational process and that the necessary skills can be individually learned and subsequently developed within a team and/or organization - as the second half of this book goes on to say. If you have the time to step back and contemplate how relational interactions might be better managed within your organization, this book might give you a few things to think about. Dennis DeWilde, Author of "The Performance Connection"
Very Insightful and Educational.......2007-06-24
I absolutely loved the information in this book. It hits on many points that you dont get in general business classes. It explains leadership styles, review processes, self development, and just an overall good book in general on how to treat and develope people under you effectively. It is amazing how many people run corporations, and dont know or understand the power of the information in this book. I purchased copies to develope my 2 levels of supervisors below me. Highly Recomended!
Team 2: Primal Leadership- Book Review- UWM/MBA Students (Edina, Keith, Dianne, Vicki).......2007-05-04
We thought the book has great ideas to share on the leadership theory. It is written clearly and is easy to read. The authors, who are clearly well educated in the field of Emotional Intelligence and leadership, offer a well written book on: Emotional Intelligence; leadership styles; and offer a model for self directed learning (with Richard Boyatzi's Theory of Self Directed learning).
The book has three main parts.
In the first part of the book, The Power of Emotional Intelligence, the authors provide a great introduction to what makes leaders great. The authors show that resonant leaders - whether CEO's, managers, politicians or coaches - excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using the EI competencies. They make scientific connections to neuro-anatomy that support the idea that emotions do in fact drive human behavior. The concepts of resonance, dissonance, laughter and moods are laid as the groundwork for understanding primal leadership and emotional intelligence. Then, they outline the four foundations, or domains, of emotional intelligence and their associated competencies:
* Self-Awareness:
- Emotional self-awareness
- Accurate self-assessment
- Self-confidence
* Self-Management:
- Emotional self-control
- Transparency
- Adaptability
- Achievement
- Initiative
- Optimism
* Social awareness:
- Empathy
- Organizational awareness
- Service
* Relationship management:
- Inspirational Leadership
- Influence
- Developing others
- Change catalyst
- Conflict management
- Building bonds
- Teamwork and collaboration
An important piece of applying EI is developing a flexible leadership style that is designed to draw in and motivate employees via a repertoire of leadership styles that include:
* Resonant Leadership Styles:
- Visionary
- Coaching
- Affiliative
- Democratic
* Dissonant Leadership Styles (limited use):
- Pace-setting
- Commanding
The second part, Making Leaders, is about the process of making emotionally intelligent leaders. The authors argue the case of "CEO disease" which is the information vacuum around a leader created when people withhold important (usually unpleasant) information. This includes getting too little useful performance feedback. The authors argue that when it comes to building leadership skills that last, motivation and how a person feels about learning matters immensely. People learn what they want to learn. If it is forced, it will soon be forgotten. Consequently they offer the five stages of self "discoveries" which are essentially a self-directed self-evaluation process that help make changes more long-standing. The author brings hope by explaining that true leaders are made, not born. They explain that resonant leadership is achievable through experimenting and practicing new behaviors.
The third part of the book, Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations, attempts to apply emotional intelligence concepts on a macro level. It begins with the application to teams, then moves to the ideal organization, and closes discussing how to create sustainable change. There is general agreement that the third part of the book is the weakest. It teases readers who want to know more about how to be more effective on the team and organizational level, but does not provide the necessary how to steps. The particulars of how all of this is achieved within an organizational context are disappointingly vague as a systematic research model is not presented.
Criticisms of the book:
The first and second part of the book were found to be well liked by all of our team members. However, the third part of the book was found to be strong in the development of the theory, but weak in the application of it to real life. Further weaknesses of the book are listed below:
- The primary focus seems to be on identifying the components and the theory supporting primal leadership, however, it is lacking specific guidance on implementing the steps.
- Examples sometimes speak to success, however at times they do not identify specifically what the person did to achieve that success. More detail would provide better learning for the reader.
- Most of the research was secondary data.
- The book does not discuss competing theories.
- A single minded focus on building good relations may create the "Country Club" paradigm, good feelings but little output. (Allio)
We liked the book because:
The following lists the many strengths of the book, which outline why our team liked the book.
* It is relevant to the challenges of today's business by offering ways to improve business performance through improving leadership.
* It gives great examples of how positive and negative leaders may impact success of the organization.
* It provides a comprehensive introduction to the importance of EI skills in our every day business life.
* It stresses the realization of the importance to put people first before strategy.
* Nature vs. Nurture? The author brings a hope (even though not all leaders are born with all self-competencies) that through incorporation of different leadership techniques one can potentially become an effective and resonant leader.
* It inspires the reader to look inward and develop their own emotional intelligence.
* It's timing is relevant to the advance of modern leadership theory.
This book, overall, is recommended to others, specifically including our team peers, colleagues, leadership at work, leadership at volunteer organizations, family and friends. This book serves as a great introduction to the concept of emotional intelligence in everyday business life, while crossing over to life outside of the business world too.
Forget that we are all people at your own risk.......2007-04-03
In sales training you are taught to analyze emotions, to identify the type of personality your prospect has, and then taught how to best make a sales pitch to that personality type.
In MBA school you are instead taught (usually by the case study method) that numbers are the bottom line and any ideas you might have of people not being interchangeable parts is silly if not outright incorrect.
Let's say you need to hire a physicist. On the one hand you have this physicist with an MBA (yes they exist, I'm one) and he understands the bottom line, how to sell, how to plan. On the other hand you have Einstein who looks funny and forgets to put on his shoes when he walks to lunch. You'd better decide carefully what you need. Princeton University decided - they built the only covered walkway between building so Einstein didn't get his feet wet going between his office and the cafeteria.
Above all else, this book says that we are people. Ignore that we have emotions and you will lose.
Refreshing.......2007-03-25
I picked this book up on a whim, and I was very surprised how much it pertained to my life. I found this book to be very insightful and refreshing. The ideas and concepts put forth seem so simple and full of common sense, yet very few people seem to practice them. I think this is a must read for people who want the most out of life and their relationships.
Amazon.com
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea.
Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making. In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea. Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making.In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like.--Barbara Mackoff
Customer Reviews:
Not in a blink.......2007-10-02
I was about to buy the book, since the subject and the assumed hypothesis look appealing and interesting. Then my Amazon friend Conan wrote a rather lukewarm review and I delayed the purchase. Then I found the book on my daughter's shelf. Thanks to Conan for saving my money.
I borrowed the book and read it. In a blink I thought it was as interesting as it had promised. It took me more than a blink to find out, that it does not deliver: you learn some interesting anecdotes about marriage predictions and about malpractice suits (my other Amazon friend Joe Neuschatz will be interested) and such things, but you never really get nearer to understanding what the alleged special rapid intelligence process really is.
The book reminds me a bit of the style of articles in Der Spiegel: journalism well short of science. Sometimes entertaining, but mostly disappointing.
entertaining, educating analysis of snap judgments (but it's no The Tipping Point).......2007-09-29
A few years ago, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a very entertaining book, The Tipping Point. He had a central thesis, and while it was plausible, I wasn't particularly convinced. BUT Gladwell is one of the best writers around at making psychology experiments and other social science studies fascinating and accessible, so the book was interesting and fun to read.
That brings us to Blink, in which Gladwell seeks to demonstrate that our split-second first impressions can be incredibly insightful but that sometimes they are not, and how we can train ourselves to move toward the insightful side. The book is not particularly convincing (even less than Tipping) on the final aspect of the thesis that we can train ourselves to do better. But along the way, he presents fascinating cases of how these snap judgments can be right on (and why they're wrong when they are). The research isn't quite as interesting as in The Tipping Point, but I was still engrossed, entertained, and instructed.
For an example of a psychology writer who also makes research fascinating and accessible (and funny) but is much more convincing on his hypothesis, read the excellent Stumbling on Happiness, by Harvard psychology professor Dan Gilbert. He also reads the audiobook himself and does a fantastic job.
Despite my critiques, this was still good enough that I'll read whatever Gladwell gives us next.
A new way of seeing.......2007-09-29
In the blink of an eye we gather huge amounts of information. The author, Gladwell, likens our brains to giant computers capable of processing lots of data in a flash. I found it fascinating how we can use this information either for survival purposes and / or we can apply our intuitive knowledge to any given situation. The author coins the term "thin slicing" to explain the process of applying one's intuition. He states that we are often suspicious of trusting this intuition because it's so quick and easy, even when it's on target. He relays experiments where instantaneous "thin slicing" has amazing results, sometimes in life and death situations, but also explains what can cause the skillto fall short. The reason often being that we are not truly living in the present moment.
Two books that easily guide one into the present moment are Ariel and Shya Kane's "Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment" and "How To Create A Magical Relationship". These refreshingly fun and practical books effortlessly get the reader into the present moment where enlightenment resides. In an instant life can become brilliant and magical. Both of these intelligent books have shown me that life needn't be hard work in order to be amazing.
Will change the way you think you think.......2007-09-29
I am a cop, and this book has helped my put the way I make decisions into an almost tangible form. It has changed the way I look at what is going on around me, and has helped me find ways to hone my automatic reactions. I second-guess myself less and less, and in turn is making my life easier. I am able to pick up the little warning flags that are everywhere when you look. You have to have an open mind when you read this book, or you will not get anything out of it.
Don't believe the hype.......2007-09-27
I'd like to echo the thoughts of other reviewers who've said Blink is merely a collection of anecdotes on how snap judgments can help us or harm us. Though interesting reads, these stories don't teach us anything we don't know already about intuition - Sometimes your instincts hit the bullseye and sometimes they fall completely off target. How do we know which instincts to trust? I was hoping Gladwell would provide an answer to this question, but found he really didn't.
Book Description
Dashboards have become popular in recent years as uniquely powerful tools for communicating important information at a glance. Although dashboards are potentially powerful, this potential is rarely realized. The greatest display technology in the world won't solve this if you fail to use effective visual design. And if a dashboard fails to tell you precisely what you need to know in an instant, you'll never use it, even if it's filled with cute gauges, meters, and traffic lights. Don't let your investment in dashboard technology go to waste.
This book will teach you the visual design skills you need to create dashboards that communicate clearly, rapidly, and compellingly. Information Dashboard Design will explain how to:
- Avoid the thirteen mistakes common to dashboard design
- Provide viewers with the information they need quickly and clearly
- Apply what we now know about visual perception to the visual presentation of information
- Minimize distractions, cliches, and unnecessary embellishments that create confusion
- Organize business information to support meaning and usability
- Create an aesthetically pleasing viewing experience
- Maintain consistency of design to provide accurate interpretation
- Optimize the power of dashboard technology by pairing it with visual effectiveness
Stephen Few has over 20 years of experience as an IT innovator, consultant, and educator. As Principal of the consultancy Perceptual Edge, Stephen focuses on data visualization for analyzing and communicating quantitative business information. He provides consulting and training services, speaks frequently at conferences, and teaches in the MBA program at the University of California in Berkeley. He is also the author of Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten. Visit his website at www.perceptualedge.com.
Customer Reviews:
Buy this Book!.......2007-09-12
This book is great, it gets to the point, tells you what you need to know, provides many examples and is entertaining at the same time. The people who are still fascinated by all the colors in their kids Crayola boxes probably would object to some of Few's points.
Over-raed approach to stern looking dashboards.......2007-09-03
The key elements of dashboard design (avoid clutter, focus and limit visual cues, beware of rainbow colors, carefully chose when to show numbers, tables or (appropriate) graphs), converted in a very lengthy and expensive piece of litterature. And the results is by all accounts debatable in terms of look and feel, in particular as very little attention is given to who your audience is...
I would not recommend this book.
Another Tech Book Killed by Frills and Filler .......2007-09-02
There can be no doubt that the pages of this book contain some of the most original and decisive ideas about dashboard design of any book to come out on the market. Yet this strength cannot quite redeem it. This book is mostly pictures, figures, and graphs, many of which are not needed. The same could be said of dashboards in general. The prose is watered down and childlike, as if the author would spoon feed his ideas, one per chapter, to an infant audience. In the end I am forced to conclude that, like many tech books in HCI, a hard core text filled with complex ideas, lean, well-written chapters, and something like wit is both outside the reach of its authors and outside the bounds of contemporary techie marketing. This book may sell, but it does nothing to promote a sophisticated, confident HCI core at a time when awareness of the profession is still patchy. It will be a great day for HCI when its "Gurus" stop condescending to their audience.
Excellent Treatment of the Material.......2007-08-17
This is an easy to read book which does a fantastic job of conveying the topic material. I strongly agree with Few's perspective and think that you wouldn't go wrong with a design that's in alignment with this book.
Great design principles.......2007-08-08
This manual is a great resource for best practices and principles for designing dashboards. It doesn't matter if you buy or build, the material is golden.
Book Description
This book is a must read for anyone deploying BusinessObjects. It covers everything from planning your upgrade to the latest release, to best practices in universe design, and powerful report creation that maximizes business insight. This book covers the most frequently used features for the full BI suite, in one comprehensive book. There's in depth coverage of Designer, security via the Central Management Console, InfoView, Web Intelligence, and Desktop Intelligence. It goes beyond step-by-step instructions to cover how and why in a business context. Transition notes are interspersed for version 5 and 6 customers to understand the biggest changes in XI Release 2. If you drive BI requirements in your company or are a data warehouse program manager, Business Objects administrator, report author or consumer, this book is for you.
Customer Reviews:
Business Objects Reference.......2007-07-30
If you are new to Business Objects and need a good understanding of what Business objects does and can do then this is an excellent book. Where I work we have purchased several copies of this book. Doesn't go into tremendous detail on how to do some of the more complicated concepts of Business Objects but is more than enough to get you started.
Wretched.......2007-05-12
I bought the book hoping to get a sound overview of BusinessObjects - what it is, how it works, and how to use it. Instead, I found a combination of marketing gibberish and user documentation that has been recycled and updated so many times that it no longer makes any sense.
This book might be useful for folks who already know some version of BusinessObjects and are looking for a refresher. But if you're trying to learn what BusinessObjects is all about, this book is a very expensive waste of money.
General knowledge.......2007-04-02
I've been implementing and supporting BO since version 4.0.3, so I've read a few BO manuals over the years. It's difficult to encompass all the functionality of BO XI R2 into a single manual without turning it into a multi-volume text. This is a very good reference covering the major ground work of the new BO version. I recommend it as the starting point for all old and new users of BO, especially given the fact that they've totally rewired our favourite BI tool. And didn't it need it!
Good overall book.......2007-03-09
It is a great book to give you an overview of the product from a user's perspective. Recommended for universe designers. Although it doesn't go in detail on best practices. This coupled with reading the business objects documentation online (which is REALLY good) shoulg get you pretty far.
Best reference out there..........2006-12-27
As a BOXI r2 user, I have referred to this book a great number of times on the job. It is an indispensable reference tool which has helped me immensely. The chapter on formulas (I think it is chap 22) is especially well written. I highly recommend this to anyone who uses the XI r2 version of Business Objects.
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