Managing in the Age of Change: Essential Skills to Manage Today's Diverse Workforce

Leapfrogging advances in technology. Women at the top. Global expansion. Consolidation. Downsizing. Diversity issues. With the definitions of organizational success changing this fast, managers need a blueprint for dealing with complex new issues as they impact hiring, budgeting, rewarding, planning, organizing, and other core responsibilities.
Managing in the Age of Change offers insights from 26 top managers - including Ken Blanchard and Natasha Jocephalus - on the major issues confronting managers today. These veterans of change give practical guidelines for developing the critical skills that will help managers respond to change quickly and effectively, including how to adapt to cultural differences in the workforce, how to avoid jumping from fad to fad in an attempt to stay current, and how to handle the expected outcomes of downsizing; eliminating the "glass ceiling" and working to combat racism in the workforce; transforming resistance into energy, and recognizing intergroup competition and conflict as positive dynamic forces; putting people back in control, and creating teams that can respond promptly to client, customer, and competitive demands; and handling the sensitive issues of cultural heritages.
This definitive collection of articles by widely known management experts will serve as a guidepost for today's manager who, if not facing change today, should be prepared for change in the future. From Robert Marshak's essay on managing in chaotic times, to Mikki Ritvo's and Bill LeClair's guidelines to using consultants effectively, Managing in the Age of Change offers insights to all managers, at every stage of change, in every type of organization.

In this two-part work, a team of managers addresses the complex issues that confront today's managers. The first part examines the skills involved in time management, feedback, budgeting, and staff development. The second part, which examines managing diversity, covers current topics such as the glass ceiling, the mommy track, mentoring, sexual harassment, and issues for women managers. Each chapter could be read and used individually. While Allan R. Cohen's The Portable MBA in Management (Wiley, 1993) and Mary C. Gentile's Dfferences That Work (Harvard Business School, 1994) cover similar topics and case examples, this work provides in-depth coverage of more of the curent issues. A bibliography would have been useful. Recommended for management collections.
Joan A. Traugott, MLS, West Babylon, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.