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Decade of Change: Managing in Times of Uncertainty

Edited by Geoffrey Brewer and Barb Sanford
(Free Press, 213 pp., $25)

Reviewed by Elizabeth Beckham

+ From astd.org: Leading Change Training //

+ From Infoline Job Aid: Crisis Management PR Worksheet //

Brewer and Sanford, editors at the Gallup Management Journal, review major business events from the past 10 years and look at the recommendations of visionary leaders on how to manage and make the most of change.

Each segment offers a trip down memory lane, because the stories deal with major change that has occurred during the past. However, as promised by the authors, the information presented in the book is very relevant to events shaping the world today. Many of the segments help to provide background for and a different perspective on recent news headlines.

Decade of Change is divided into five sections: global changes, crisis management, leading change, managing change, and strategies for the “new normal.” The book begins with an interview of Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, in which he discusses his research on the nature of decision making and the previous assumptions that the world followed. Each subsequent interview and article deliver new insight and applicable lessons, from the integration of technology into our lives and the idea of environmental stewardship, to how building customer and employee engagement and navigating the market in the years ahead is shaped by these momentous events.

Although the book is based on interviews and case studies with an emphasis on managing and making the most of organizational change, the reader may find unexpected personal takeaways as well. For example, two specific quotes stuck with me. According to Kahneman, “context changes everything,” and analysis from the Gallup World Poll shows that “what the whole world wants is a good job. It is the new current state of mind, establishes our relationship with our city, our country, and the world around us.”

The book truly held my interest. The interviews and case studies make it an easy read for the professional on-the-go. I would consider this a must-read for anyone in a leadership or change management position. The unique blend of stories offers a slightly different perspective on work in context of the world around us.

I plan to keep Decade of Change on my bookshelf and reference it often during the next 10 years. I give it four café au laits.

Elizabeth Beckham is training manager at Turner Industries Group, LLC; ebeckham@turner-industries.com.

Next Learning Unwrapped

Nick Van Dam

(Lulu Publishers, 373 pp., $49.95)

Van Dam has created a robust field book for the 21st century learning community. Topics include building global talent capabilities, designing learning on-the-go, connecting people through social networks, creating communities of practice for knowledge exchange, and delivering training through today’s relevant methods, such as serious games, simulations, and blended solutions. The book gives readers an inside look at how organizations are successfully implementing “next learning,” with 37 case studies from companies including Microsoft, Jet Blue Airways, Duke University, FedEx, and the United Nations. Each study details how the learning initiative was aligned with the business, designed, and deployed. Sidebars, summarized lessons learned, and screen shots make the content easy to absorb.

*All royalties from Next Learning Unwrapped will be donated to the e-Learning for Kids Foundation.

Managing the Mobile Workforce: Leading, Building, and Sustaining Virtual Teams

David Clemons and Michael Kroth

(McGraw Hill–Professional, 266 pp., $28)

Clemons and Kroth came up with the idea for the book because of “the bagel factor,” or the spark of creativity that can occur when mobile workers actually meet in face-to-face interaction (for a breakfast of bagels in their case). Clemons and Kroth share tools, tips, and strategies for hiring, training, supporting, and motivating the millions of workers now considered “mobile.” The book is split into three parts and starts by discussing how to think strategically about the mobile workforce. Part two covers performance management for a virtual work environment, and part three discusses the technology, tools, and teams that aid in effective mobile workforces.

The Book of Road-Tested Activities

Elaine Biech (Editor)

(ASTD Press and Pfeiffer, 422 pp., $50)

Best-selling author Elaine Biech brings together more than 100 different experienced training professionals to offer their tested, tried, and effective activities, training tools, and techniques used to deliver content. The book is split into two sections (“Training Topics” and “Training Tools and Techniques”) with 16 chapters covering topics ranging from teamwork, to icebreakers, to online learning. The activities outlined in each chapter are explained, and include helpful “Insider’s Tips.”

Also included at the end of each activity is the contact information for the contributing authors, a great feature that allows you to “continue the conversation” and learn more from your colleagues.