The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organizational Behavior

Readers may wonder about the obscure title: why exactly an `Encyclopedic Dictionary'? Don't be put off, however, by this imposing name. What we have here is a genuinely useful book that should be close to hand in the offices of managers who really want to understand their profession. Organisational Behaviour studies what makes people do as they do when they gather together in task-oriented groups. This dictionary provides a (largely) jargon free guide to the best academic thinking on the subject. It contains around 500 entries of about 1000 words each, written by 180 specialists from the discipline. The entries are cross-referenced so you can start reading on any topic of interest and follow a web of connections through the book that broadens and deepens your understanding of the subject. Like the best reference books its easy to pick it up wanting a quick definition only to find you're still reading an hour later because of the fascinating connected material it contains.For example, looking at the entry on "crises" leads to references for `accidents' (reviewing how failures happen because of the complex interactions of systems); `Identification' (of causes); `decentralisation' (as a means of avoiding accidents); `risk taking and `organisational learning'. Entries on `decision-making', `group decision-making', `organisational neurosis', `culture' and `innovation' to name just five are all equally fascinating and lead on to yet more useful entries.Any one responsible for managing people will find material here to improve their understanding of the task. Managers should avoid the latest airport news-stand pot-boiler on business advice and instead invest in this book. By business book standards the paperback is good value. More often than not you'll find it will be open on your desk rather than gathering dust on the shelf.