Building Management Skills: An Action-First Approach - Softcover

Daft, Richard; Marcic, Dorothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0324235992 ISBN 13: 9780324235999

Publisher: Cengage Learning, 2013

Synopsis

Daft and Marcic's action-first approach turns the traditional learning model on its end. Instead of starting with concepts and moving to application, this text starts with application, an introductory problem or challenge that encourages you to first empty out your ideas so you are ready to understand new ideas and acquire new skills. Each chapter provides a menu of resources for engagement, application, and learning, everything you need to develop the spot-on management skills you'll need to be a successful manager. This new learning philosophy leads you through a seven-step learning process: 1. Manager Challenge, 2. Initial Response, 3. Discover Yourself, 4. Discover Knowledge, 5. Action Learning Exercises, 6. Test Your Mettle, and 7. Personal Skills Log. Shorter, highly-focused chapters take you through each of these seven steps, allowing you to capture the essence and critical points for each topic. The mass of research material has been condensed and focused into discrete learning packages (chapters) designed specifically for engagement. BUILDING MANAGEMENT SKILLS offers a unique new set of Challenge Videos that are specifically designed to help develop your decision-making and thinking skills. After you watch the video challenge you are asked to respond to the challenge by solving the problem, helping you see the relevance of the chapter material and answering the question "Why do I need to know this material?". These innovative, decision-making Challenge Videos are also available in CengageNOW. Organized around a new learning philosophy, with new technology and a coherent learning package for you to acquire management skills through an active "first do, then learn" approach, Daft and Marcic have created a truly unique learning experience with BUILDING MANAGEMENT SKILLS.

About this title

About the Author

Richard L. Daft is the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Professor of Management and Principal Senior Lecturer in the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. Professor Daft specializes in the study of organization theory and leadership and is a fellow of the Academy of Management. He has served on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly and Journal of Management Education. He was the associate editor-in-chief of Organization Science and served for three years as associate editor of Administrative Science Quarterly. Professor Daft has authored or co-authored 14 books and written dozens of scholarly articles, papers and chapters in other books.

Dorothy Marcic, Ed.D., M.P.H., is a professor at Columbia University and a former faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Marcic is also a former Fulbright Scholar at the University of Economics in Prague and the Czech Management Center, where she taught courses and conducted research in leadership, organizational behavior and cross-cultural management. She teaches courses at the Monterrey Institute of International Studies and at the University of Economics in Prague. She has taught courses and presented at the Helsinki School of Economics, Slovenia Management Center, College of Trade in Bulgaria, City University of Slovakia, Landegg Institute in Switzerland, the Swedish Management Association, Technion University in Israel and the London School of Economics. She has served on the boards of the Organizational Teaching Society, the Health Administration Section of the American Public Health Association and the Journal of Applied Business Research. Dr. Marcic has authored 16 books, including ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR: EXPERIENCES AND CASES, MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL and WOMEN AND MEN IN ORGANIZATIONS. Another of her books -- MANAGING WITH THE WISDOM OF LOVE: UNCOVERING THE VIRTUE IN PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS -- was rated one of the top 10 business books of 1997 by Management General. In addition, she has written dozens of articles for professional publications, such as Journal of Management Development, International Quarterly of Community Health Education, Psychological Report and Executive Development. Dr. Marcic has conducted hundreds of seminars on various business topics and consulted for executives at various companies.

Review

"I am really excited to see how the author implements both the "Do first then learn" and "Less is more" philosophies. These two philosophies set the text apart from other offerings that just focus on providing information and then activities related to theory." "I would describe this text as an innovative approach to skills that covers all of the major areas that we are used to addressing. The difference is in the text's ability to "show" students areas of deficiency and thus motivate them to acquire, develop, and practice the relevant skills." "I'm excited about the idea of this text. If the authors effectively implement the do then learn as well as the less is more approach, coupled with fresh, innovative video scenarios, I would strongly consider this text for adoption."

"A novel way to organize/approach the material in a traditional skills/OB course."

"You need to place it [this book] on the market as the most innovative product in the world. And, here is a selling point: in today's destroyed economic times, after witnessing the fall of Wall Street and Ponzi schemes, managers today must be able to be creative, innovative, and be a catalyst for change. It's not the same old routine for today's managers; planning, controlling and organizing. Today, managers are supposed to not only manage people, but turn their employees into a competitive advantage."

Edition details

• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0324235992
• ISBN 13: 9780324235999
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 672