The Performance Culture : Maximizing the Power of Teams

This book is a wonderful explanation of the workplace that we all work in. It explains the dynamics of the workplace relationships, focusing on the relationship between management and employees. It gives great tips and examples on how and why these relationships work or don't work. It combines Dr.Ray's practical experience working with companies and his academic background in psychology. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, whether they are in business or any other profession where they have co-workers or a boss. It's a very easy and quick read.

The Performance Culture goes below the surface of our feelings and exposes what we truly believe about ourselves and the way in which we work. It gives root to all the things we learned and intrinsically/instinctively know about what it takes to be the best. It is profound in its simplicity, example after example, step-by-step, to the point that even the most competitive among us can rechannel our natural urgencies.If you buy only one book this year, make it this one.

Any company, regardless of size, should strive to create a culture that encourages and breeds maximum performance from its employees. Dr. Ray's The Performance Culture will clearly define the end goals necessary to create that culture. This book not only gives top level managers a noteworthy goal to shoot for but it also gives them the roadmap for achieving that goal. Dr. Ray not only does a wonderful job formulating complex theories into writing that anyone can comprehend, but he presents these ideas in ways that are easily translated into action. The theories and practices covered in this writing would be welcome additions to any organization and the presentation style of the material makes the read not only beneficial but enjoyable as well.

This book should be "must reading" for supervisors and middle managers; actually for anyone who's contemplating going to teams. We have found the enemy and it is us! We are all to some extent purveyors of the endemic culture within our organizations that keeps us from dealing positively with change. Most of us fail to recognize our own part in the saga. Even us so called change agents who work to move the organization in a different direction may be sending mixed messages by our own actions. This book gets to the major problem with teaming. Organizations fail to recognize the enormous power the culture will exert to keep the status quo when it feels disenfranchised with change. This book is well written and well thought out. It does an excellent job of pointing out the problems you're likely to encounter with teams but more over, it gives comprehensive instructions on what needs to be done to combat those problems. Most companies don't understand the magnitude of change required at all levels of the organization to support teams. Meny view teams as a slight deviation from the norm when in fact, they're a major up evil. It is the very reason many companies begin teams at the bottom of the organization and wonder why they fail. With no support structure, it's like building a race car without a track to run on, nice to look but not very usuful. The author has a perspective on what it takes to build viable teams that few people ever get to. The ones that do will smoke their competition! There are books that seem to be written just for you. They touch you at a level of your being I like to refer to as the turbulent zone. It's that part of you that wrestles with things you're passionate about. Things that are uncertain. Things that if clarified would full fill your mission in life. For me, this is just such a book!

Dr. Ray has written a (second) wonderful book with lots of common sense tips and techniques on how to create and maintain a true team environment. He clearly points out what a performance culture is and why it is better than spending a lot of resources on something that is a team in name only. This is a great resource for anyone presently in a teaming structure or thinking of going to a team-based culture.