Zapp! Empowerment in Health Care: How to Improve Patient Care, Increase Employee Job Satisfaction, and Lower Health Care Costs

Zapp! is a book that my company uses in the management training seminars we give to employees who are taking on management responsibilities for the first time. Lessons on empowerment are told through a fictional (even science fictional) story of managers at a large company coming to understand why their organization is so disfunctional. The story, although initially pretty hokey, serves nicely as a landscape upon which to illustrate extremes of highly successful and highly unsuccessful management techniques. The people on my team who have read it have learned quite a lot and are applying the learnings regularly. It is not at all uncomon for one of them to raise a concern over some a counter-productive management incident by describing the "Sapp!" that occured. And it is rewarding to hear one of them respond to a positive and empowering interaction by smiling and simply saying "Zapp!" I highly recommend this book for people managers and leaders who want to build a healthy business organization based upon ownership and leadership.

This short book is really one of the best I've found for winding a manager through the dynamics that can disrupt a team. I went through an 18 month management training course and still come back to this book more often. Managers can inspire their teams or deflate their will to keep giving their best. This book uses a fictional world to illustrate how to do that.

Many people fail to focus on whether or not their message is received. More effective people focus on whether the message is received as they attempt to improve communications so their company can be more successful. ZAPP! also focuses on WHAT message is received. As the book shows, a perceived message can be dispiriting or empowering. I liked the fact that the book spent as much time on explaining about bad communications as it did on good ones. That is a great way to help people improve.The only thing I did not like about the book was that the end led into a sales pitch for consulting rather than tips for how to pursue this on your own. It seemed out of keeping in a book about empowerment. Skip the last 2 pages, and you will be left with a better taste in your mouth. Buy, read, think about, apply, and share this book and the lessons above with your colleagues. That will help you get heart-warming results to go with the heart-warming feeling that reading this book provides. Enjoy!

Written in the form of a fairy tale, this book provides situational examples of issues that greatly affect employee performance, attitude, and motivation. It's a quick easy read, one that details situations most readers have undoubtedly experienced at work. It's wacky, funny, enlightening and entertaining. Once you get zapped you'll remember just how simple empowerment and motivation can be, and have some tools to improve your organization.

Great, super, couldn't put it down! I carried it in my car with me in case I had time between sales calls. I have used this book for the whole company, sales, store operations and office staff. It was perfect. It started a real conversation between my associates. The best thing that happened was we all saw a differnt side to what we do. This book does more for staff attitude and performance than any of those trainers/speakers ever did.It is the perfect tool for non-profit groups. Get more done with your community service time.