|
|
eCustomerServiceWorld.com recommended reads
(NB Check out our Top Ten and our New Books as well!)Browse through and click on a title for a review. 
 | | The Heart Of Change: Real-life Stories Of How People Changed Their Organizations
Author: John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen
UK Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
ISBN: 1578512549
Based on interviews with over 100 organizations in the midst of large-scale change, John Kotter’s seminal book challenges most organizations’ approach to change. While most companies beliece change happens by making people think differently, Kotter and Cohen say the key lies in making them feel differently. They introduce a new dynamic – “see-feel-change” – that fuels action by showing people potent reasons for change that spark their emotions. In one example, a sales representative underscores a sense of urgency to change a manufacturing process by showing a videotape interview of an unhappy customer; in another example, a purchasing manager makes his point to senior management about corporate waste by displaying on the company's boardroom table the 424 different kinds of gloves that the company had procured through different vendors at vastly different prices. Well written and loaded with real-life examples and practical advice The Heart of Change towers over other change management titles. Managers and employees at organisations both big and small will find much to draw from. (Harry Edwards, Amazon) buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The HR Scorecard : Linking People, Strategy, and Performance
Author: Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, Dave Ulrich
UK Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
ISBN: 1578511364
Quick Review: Three experts in the field outline a powerful measurement system that highlights the indisputable role HR can play as both a prime source of sustainable competitive advantage and a key driver of value creation. They draw from an ongoing study of nearly 3,000 firms to outline a seven-step process they call an HR Scorecard, specifically designed to embed human resources systems within a firm's overall strategy and manage the HR architecture as a strategic asset. Building on the proven Balanced Scorecard model, they also show how to link HR's results to measures-such as profitability and shareholder value-that line managers and senior executives will understand and respect. buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Innovator’s Solution
Author: Clayton Christensen & Michael Raynor
UK Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
ISBN: 1578518520
From Amazon: Christensen and Raynor argue that growth is not only to be found in sustaining innovation strategies (i.e. incremental improvements made to existing products for a firm's current most profitable customers); but also through disruptive innovation strategies (i.e. seeking out ways of developing, often simpler products targeted at over-served customers, non-consumers, or both).
Christensen and Raynor stress that the challenges facing many CEOs today are managing the two types of innovation strategy simultaneously within the same firm; and being able to resist the forces such as resource allocation criterion that force companies to maintain sustaining innovation strategies in industries that may be displaying signs of imminent disruption.
buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Internet and the Customer-Supplier Relationship
Author: Stefano Ronchi
UK Publisher: Ashgate Publishing Limited
ISBN: 0754637468
Quick Review: An exhaustive and synthetic framework for the use of Internet tools in customer-supplier relationships is one aspect of e-business that is still missing from existing literature. This book analyses the main management implications related to the adoption of the Internet in the supply chain and unifies different research studies and contributions in order to build such a framework. It is based on wide empirical evidence including four in-depth case studies in both Europe and the US, a cross-industry survey of more than 160 US companies and website research describing emerging Internet initiatives in B2B relationships. By creating a concrete link between theory and practice it should appeal to academics and practitioners alike. buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Kindness Revolution: The company-wide culture shift that inspires phenomenal customer service
Author: Ed Horrell
UK Publisher: Amacom
ISBN: 0814473075
Amazon review: Despite what some may think, the war against bad customer service will not be won on the front lines by changing specific techniques and processes at the customer contact level. Rather, it's a culture of kindness and consideration--up and down the entire organization--that fundamentally changes employee attitudes toward customers. It's what makes the difference between a short-term relationship and long-term customer loyalty.
Based on extensive research and featuring real-life examples from companies known for their outstanding customer service such as L.L. Bean, FedEx, and Chick-fil-A, The Kindness Revolution examines how eliminating indifference in the workplace from the top down helps fuel unbelievably positive customer interactions. The book shows readers what "kind" companies have in common--a widespread culture of dignity, respect, courtesy, and kindness--and how to replicate it at their own organization.
Inspiring and practical, The Kindness Revolution shows readers how to take the critical step toward truly outstanding--and self-perpetuating--customer service.
buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Leader's Digest: Timeless principles for team and organization success
Author: Jim Clemmer
UK Publisher: Clemmer Group Pr
ISBN: 0968467512
An Amazon reviewer writes :
(Alan Zimmermann, Director, Business Customer Support, AT & T Canada) I thoroughly enjoyed it! I couldn't put it down once I started and found it to be an easy read. The way the book is written and the chapters formatted (quotations, anecdotes, stories, references to family, humor) is revolutionary. The linkages to Jim's previous books allowed me to easily understand and digest (no pun intended) the material and concepts.
And by the way, "Let's be Frank" is a classic! I'm going to facilitate a session with my management team based on those pages.
I find the Frank stories to be a reflection of the truisms in the workplace and Frank to be the spirit in all of us. He runs into the same issues and challenges that we have all faced at one time or another, but perseveres through what seems like an insurmountable series of set backs to ultimately get him and the business to where it needs to be. There are many timeless themes embedded in there that I really enjoyed.
I am an advocate of the ageless principles that Jim's books convey and have worked hard at molding my behaviors so I demonstrate these skills as regularly as possible. I don't let people of rank or in power sway me from my values. Neither did Frank. I'm a Clemmer disciple that can't get enough of this stuff!
ecsw.com’s Phil Dourado adds: Yep, that’s all true. This is a great book for how to lead a customer-focussed enterprise. My fave leadership book at the moment. Highly recommended. And, no, I don’t have a commercial relationship with Jim: I’m just a fan of his thinking and writing.
buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Leader's Edge
Author: Charles Palus
UK Publisher: Jossey Bass
ISBN: 0787909998
Quick Review: The Leader's Edge identifies the insight, skills, techniques, and wisdom that separate true leaders from merely effective managers. The key to truly creative and successful leadership, say the authors, lies in adding six key competencies to traditional leadership skills: paying attention, personalizing, imaging, serious play, collaborative inquiry, and crafting. The authors reveal how any leader can access and use these sensibilities and skills to make sense of rapid change and complexity-and thus provide an invaluable buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Leadership Challenge
Author: James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner
UK Publisher: Jossey Bass Wiley
ISBN: 0787956783
Quick Review: Building on the knowledge base of their previous books, the third edition of The Leadership Challenge is grounded in extensive research and based on interviews with all kinds of leaders at all levels in public and private organizations from around the world. In this edition, the authors emphasize that the fundamentals of leadership are the same today as they were in the 1980s, and as they've probably been for centuries. In that sense, nothing's new. Leadership is not a fad. While the content of leadership has not changed, the context has-and in some cases, changed dramatically. buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Leadership Challenge Journal - Reflections on Becoming a Better Leader
Author: James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner
UK Publisher: Jossey Bass Wiley
ISBN: 0787968226
Quick Review: Time to reflect. Space to dream. A place to find inspiration. In our hectic lives, these are often skipped, bumped by the next deadline, or on our out-of-control to-do list. Reminding us of the importance of personal introspection to leadership development, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have created a journal for contemplation -- a visible reminder of the need for time, space, and place along your leadership adventures. The authors engage you in an internal dialogue urge you to take notes, make comments, draw pictures, ask questions, contemplate answers, or just mediate. buy UK() buy US($)
| 
| | The Leadership Challenge Workbook
Author: James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
UK Publisher: Jossey Bass Wiley
ISBN: 0787968218
Quick Review: Based on the authors earlier title The Leadership Challenge, this workbook will be your hands-on guide for improving your ability to put into action the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® model. The Workbook's easy-to-use worksheets make efficient planning simple and practical and it supports your success by encouraging you to become more conscious about your approach to leadership, apply the Practices, and record what you’ve learned. buy UK() buy US($)
|
|
|
<
Privacy Statement