Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470740949 ISBN 13: 9780470740941

Publisher: Wiley, 2009

There is a strong movement today in management to encourage management practices based on research evidence. In the first volume of this handbook, I asked experts in 39 areas of management to identify a central principle that summarized and integrated the core findings from their specialty area and then to explain this principle and give real business examples of the principle in action. I asked them to write in non-technical terms, e.g., without a lot of statistics, and almost all did so.

The previous handbook proved to be quite popular, so I was asked to edit a second edition. This new edition has been expanded to 33 topics, and there are some new authors for the previously included topics. The new edition also includes: updated case examples, updated references and practical exercises at the end of each chapter. It also includes a preface on evidence-based management. The principles for the first edition were intended to be relatively timeless, so it is no surprise that most of the principles are the same (though some chapter titles include more than one principle).

This book could serve as a textbook in advanced undergraduate and in MBA courses. It could also be of use to practicing managers and not just those in Human Resource departments. Every practicing manager may not want to read the whole book, but I am willing to guarantee that every one will find at least one or more chapters that will be practically useful. In this time of economic crisis, the need for effective management practices is more acute than ever.

From the Inside Flap:

"What can be done to provide practicing managers with what they need to know and to equip students with the knowledge and skills that will enhance their chances of career success? Ed Locke takes a positive step forward toward answering this question in the selections he has chosen for this new edition. The readings are by experts in their field and each updates scientific research, followed by exercises and activities for applying this evidence to further the goal of developing useful knowledge.

Locke's book demonstrates how we need to build knowledge by rigorous research and replication to produce sound principles to guide our thinking and decision making. These principles ask us to check our premises, the values and assumptions we make about the art and science of management. This forces us to understand the decision context, to set priorities, and to move forward intelligently. In this way we can avoid fads and develop an improved, actionable body of knowledge."
—Daniel A. Wren, David Ross Boyd Professor Emeritus, Curator, H.W. Bass Business History Collection, University of Oklahoma

"Five key adjectives describe this Handbook: 1) It is important because it deals with fundamental topics in organizational behavior and related areas; 2) it is comprehensive because it covers the array of major areas in the field such as selection, training, motivation, team dynamics, and leadership; 3) it is authoritative because the authors of its chapters are many of the leading researchers and scholars in the field; 4) it is current because the chapters incorporate the latest research findings; and, especially 5) it is useful – to both practitioners interested in potential guidelines for policies and actions, as well as to students and faculty teaching and carrying out research in these areas. Highly recommended on all counts."
—Lyman W. Porter, University of California, Irvine

"This is a jewel of a book for practitioners seeking to apply evidence-based principles of behavior in organizations.

Readers can absorb more by perusing the chapter titles of this handbook than sifting through dozens of pages of research articles. Each chapter expands on the principle espoused in its title, putting flesh on the bones without losing its theme and direction. The chapters stand alone yet connect in mutually reinforcing ways.

Without ignoring contingencies or nuanced insight, these compact syntheses of research on organizational behavior get right to the point. Each chapter is a springboard from which practitioners can make informed decisions and craft fruitful actions.

In compiling this volume, Ed Locke has purposefully abandoned mind-numbing catalogs of facts and details in favor of distilling evidence-based principles of human behavior in organizations that students can readily remember and managers can directly apply. Once again he demonstrates that generating complexity is far easier—and far less useful—than finding the essential among disparate streams of research evidence."
—Ann Howard Ph.D, Development Dimensions International, Inc. (DDI)

About the Author:

Edwin A. Locke is Dean's Professor Emeritus of Motivation and Leadership at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and was also affiliated with the Department of Psychology. He has published over 280 articles, chapters and books, including (with G. Latham) A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance, (with others) The Essence of Leadership, and Prime Movers: The Traits of the Great Wealth Creators.