Analyzing Performance Problems: Or, You Really Oughta Wanna--How to Figure out Why People Aren't Doing What They Should Be, and What to do About It

Book Description

Analyzing Performance Problems gives you a step-by-step process for solving virtually any performance problem you face. Instead of guessing at solutions that won't work, you can save time, money, and frustration by finding the true cause of the problem and identifying the best and most economical way to solve it. You'll learn to:

- Identify the true causes of performance problems
- Determine if you can use "fast fixes" (solutions that are quick and easy)
- Identify realistic, economically feasible solutions

Customer Reviews:

A Training and Management Requirement.......2006-08-17

There are two books written my Robert Mager that I highly recommend for people in the field of training. This is one of them.

Having been a training specialist for more than fifteen years, I have, on occasion, tried to convince managers and chiefs why training was not a panacea, a be-all, end-all to their performance problems. If they had read a book like this, many of our discussions would never have taken place.

Mager and Pike have created an advanced performance flowchart from previous editions which enable the trainer or manager to first identify if a problem exists, it's importance, and then what to continue to do from that point. The result will be selecting the appropriate strategy to solve the problem. You end up with a detective story filled with clues to help you find out the true culprit hindering expected performance.

I offer this book to any new training manager who lacks a background in training.

This book is easy to read, and takes an afternoon to get it done. The Performance Flowchart is one you want to hang in your office.

Like "Preparing Instructional Objectives," also by Mager, this is a keeper.

The reason why I'm a performance improvement specialist.......2005-08-29

This book was first introduced to me during my Master's degree studies and has stayed with me ever since. It's an entertaining and easy read that helps you identify and tackle just about any performance problem that may come your way.

Mager and Pipe provide a number of performance problems in brief case studies as they guide you through the Performance Analysis Flow. Is training the solution to a problem in the workplace? Not always. Mager and Pipe will show you how simple solutions can make a world of difference.

This is one book I feel every training or performance improvement professional should have in their professional library.

A step by step approach .......2005-06-01

I have heard supervisors and managers say over and over how much this book helped them resolve work performance problems without creating hostility. I know it has helped me work through some difficult supervisory challenges. But I also want to note that employees--not just supervisors--have reason to be thankful for it as well.

Mager's approach speaks directly to the issue of not making the assumption that a performance discrepancy is the fault of the employee. Neither is it always the fault of a supervisor or the result of lack of training. Mager and Pipe's book reminds you that there are many reasons for work performance issues, and it is crucial to know the reasons before we order "Improvement, or else!"

Let me also comment on the reviews that refer one instead to Covey and others. Those are fine books and certainly have their value. But they do not tell you how to actually deal with an employee's performance issue when the problem has gone on forever and no one seems to have handled it successfully. Those books inspire you to want to do something and to want to use good methods while doing it. Mager's book, however, tells you, step by step, how to analyze a performance issue and how to work with others to correct it. While you are doing that, you could certainly use Covey's thoughts, One Minute Manager concepts, Who Moved My Cheese principles and anything else that you think will add to your effectiveness.

Robert Mager has a droll style that I find appealing and Peter Pipe adds his well-organized thought processes too. This isn't a feel good book, although it is certainly not a stick and carrot book, as implied by others. It is rather, a toolkit to help supervisors and managers intervene when work is not being done as it should be done, find out why there is a discrepancy, and work with the employee to develop methods for improvement.

Yes, there is a bottom line: At some point work has to improve, or else. But that is one of the things I like about the book: It is realistic and addresses the fact that once barriers to performance have been removed, there is only so long that an employee can be allowed to do substandard work. If you use the flowchart and the material in the book, it isn't likely to come to that point--and that is another reason employees as well as supervisors and managers should appreciate this inexpensive guide.

Good information, but a bit basic.......2004-04-29

Mager's book provides some great foundational information on performance problems in the workplace. However, it seems a bit basic and common sensical when compared to the new books being written on the subject. I looked to this third edition thinking it would have more up-to-date information and revisions and was disappointed when I found that it did not.

If you are into carrots and sticks... this is for you.......2003-05-25

This book has some wonderful ideas contained between its covers. The underlying assumption is that people are either motivated by rewards or punishment. There is a flowchart that helps you understand how to influence (read manipulate) people into behaving as you want them to.

The author gives many examples that make it seem as though his method of dealing with people is the most effective one. There are more aspects to leadership and management than he describes, and I can just picture in my mind's eye a person with no people skills trying to apply these techniques to his work. Then I get scared.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent resource!.......2000-03-31

Sections of this book were required reading for a graduate-level course in HPT I took several years ago. I found myself reading vast portions of this book not because it was required, but because this book is informative and enlightening. Now that I work to help companies re-engineer for the Web, the practices and principles I learned through these readings are more relevant than ever. A great resource! I can't wait to read the follow-up.

Analyzing Performance Problems Or 'You Really Oughta Wanna'

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Analyzing Performance Problems Or 'You Really Oughta Wanna'
Robert F. & Pipe, Peter. Mager
Manufacturer: Fearon Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L2BN76

The New Mager Six-Pack: Making Instruction Work, Preparing Instructional Objectives, Analyzing Performance Problems, Developing Attitude Torward Learning, Measuring Instructional Results, Goal Analysis

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The New Mager Six-Pack: Making Instruction Work, Preparing Instructional Objectives, Analyzing Performance Problems, Developing Attitude Torward Learning, Measuring Instructional Results, Goal Analysis
Robert F. Mager
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S6ACYU

The New Mager Six-Pack: Making Instruction Work, Preparing Instructional Objectives, Analyzing Performance Problems, Developing Attitude Toward Lear

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The New Mager Six-Pack: Making Instruction Work, Preparing Instructional Objectives, Analyzing Performance Problems, Developing Attitude Toward Lear
Robert F. Mager
Manufacturer: Center for Effective Performance
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1561033448

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The New Mager Six Pack: Making Instruction Work, Preparing Instructional Objectives, Analyzing Performance Problems, Developing Attitude Towards Learning
Robert F. Mager
Manufacturer: Center for Effective Performance
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 187961801X

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Analyzing performance Problems
Robert and Pipe, Peter Mager
Manufacturer: Fearon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HN9FW4

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Analyzing performance Problems

Manufacturer: Fearon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HNRBB6

Book Description

Unusual and effective ways to enhance your mathematics instruction! For both seasoned and new math teachers -- make your teaching even more enjoyable! This refreshing compendium of ideas will help you introduce concepts and topics common to all secondary mathematics curricula. Arranged by subject matter (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability, and so on), it gives you the tools to bring new life into your math classes. This book will help you meet many of NCTM’s new standards in an easy-to-follow way. An added plus: the co-author is the first mathematician to win a Nobel Prize (for a mathematical application in chemistry, 1985).

Customer Reviews:

Good Information.......2007-05-29

Some of the ideas in this book I found a tad confusing but there are quite a few great analogies and tricks to make remembering math concepts easier for students. I reccommend this book for any secondary math teacher.

Packed with ideas........2006-09-24

The updated second edition of 101+ Great Ideas for Introducing Key Concepts in Mathematics: A Resource for Secondary school Teachers is a 'must' for any who wish more proven classroom practices. Over a hundred strategies for teaching math are arranged by subject matter, with each listing identifying objectives, materials, and procedures. Both hands-on and computer-based approaches are detailed, with plenty of lessons and examples throughout. This comes form a mathematician/professor and a math pioneer and Nobel Prize recipient: from geometry to algebra, teachers will find it packed with ideas.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Really Great/Really Key.......2005-07-08

Posamentier has really good ideas that are helpful for high school teachers.

Great resource for teaching the underlying logic of math.......2004-01-26

This book is an excellent resource for any math teacher. Rather than focusing on the simple rules and procedures of mathematics, this book brings to light the underlying principles of why many mathematical procedures exist in the first place. I personally use this book when I want to kick my teaching up a notch and really delve into higher order thinking. I used insights from this book to get my kids to discover why math works the way it does. It is great.

One small caveat: this book is not particularly well organized in ready-to-use lesson plan format. Most of the ideas in this book need to be worked with to develop full-blown lessons. But the ideas are good enough that this is not too hard to do.

Customer Reviews:

Great book to read when starting an ECommerce site........2002-11-06

This book is very informative on starting an ECommerce site. I especially like the instruction it gives on PLANNING the website and strategy beforehand. The book also discusses the important elements of creating a website, one being Top Management buy in.

eCommerce another powerful channel.......2002-09-26

The book is excellent but misses out on highlighting the really big successes that established brick and mortar companies gain by adding the Internet as part of their multi-channel marketing, distribution,manfacturing and design and development activities of products and services.

These multi-channel organizations will do 80% of the eCommerce on a global basis. The author should come out with a sequel with a lot of case studies of the incredible success stories of multi-chanel organizations use of Internet technologies.

Fred Held
CEO Site-Tuners, Inc.

I knew Dr. Robert T. Plant.......2002-02-12

I personally have met Dr. Plant, and I would never have purchased this book if it wasn't required for this class. Dr. Plant last worked in industry almost 20 years ago, and has spent those years in an academic silo. He's certainly no expert, and this book is evidence of it. As someone who has actually implemented e-business solutions for a number of large companies, Dr. Plant's 'ideas' are worthless in the real world. This book is more marketing hype and 'internet bubble' dreamery than reality. Save your money. (And if you are forced to take his class, try to get out of it.)

Required reading for IT professionals too!.......2001-04-12

My expectations from this book were twofold: (1) gain insights into the business value of e-commerce so I could have a fuller understanding of how my role as a service delivery consultant fit into the bigger picture, and (2) see the implementation strategy from the business process owner's point of view. This book fully met my expectations and provided further insights that I did not expect.

An an IT professional my point of view is different from the intended audience of this book and this is reflected in my review. First, this book provided my with an opportunity to observe the business forces that drive the systems that I support. I gained a good understanding of the business imperatives, as well as the challenges that the business face when developing an e-commerce strategy. From this I gained an appreciation of how the projects that IT initiate are first conceived and was able to see the direct link between these projects and how they ultimately relate to business objectives. These insights are valuable and inspire me to seek ways to better align my domain, service delivery, to business goals.

I also gained a much greater understanding or the many faces of e-commerce, such as the unique requirements of business-to-customer as contrasted with, for example, business to business. From my vantage point prior to reading this book it was just a collection of applications and interfaces. After reading this book I see beyond the technology itself to the real purposes and their associated goals.

This book also contains information that is directly applicable to my profession. The ownership issues and e-strategy leadership chapters gave me a clear view of who the real stakeholders are, which is of the utmost importance to service delivery. This information sparked some ideas about support strategies and other issues that I need to consider with respect to e-commerce systems from an IT perspective. Equally important is the chapters on the roll out strategy, which is a space where I have a definite role, and the scorecard approach to measuring the effectiveness of an internet strategy. The latter gave me some clear ideas about how to align IT service delivery to business stakeholders in the e-commerce domain.

In my opinion this book is as applicable to IT professionals as it is to business process owners and decision makers. It gives the business side a clear understanding of the factors and issues that go into an e-commerce strategy, and an approach to developing and implementing the strategy. It gives the IT professional some unique insights on that drives the requirement to develop and implement e-commerce systems and shows areas where we can add value to the process and help assure a successful implementation.

Strategic Analysis of " Formulation of Strategy".......2000-07-23

A comprehensive manual written by a professional to be used as a guide for novice or expert to guarantee successful e-business activity.

Average customer rating:

eCommerce: Formulation of Strategy
Robert; Plant, Robert T. Plant
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Ptr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHOBWM

Book Description

The artistic and appealing original wooden designs in this book can be adapted and easily made into functional items such as trivets, napkin holders, nightlights, candle lanterns, window hangers, and more. Using the patterns provided, woodworkers can turn a simple silhouette into an elegant scroll saw project. Each pattern is presented in crisp, black outlines to make scrolling easy. Smaller, black-filled versions of the patterns show the details of the cut.

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Scroll Saw Silhouette Patterns
Patrick Spielman , and James Reidle
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Power Tools | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0806903066

Book Description

“Here are patterns to use for not only fun but profit. The designs run from simple to complex. You have birds, deer, Indians, cowboys, cars, trucks, football players, baseball players, Christmas patterns, Easter patterns, nautical scenes, even a pattern of a person using a scroll saw.”
—Booklist.

Book Description

This study outlines the main features of the theory and practice of political power in Muslim polities in the Middle Ages against the background of Near Eastern traditions of kingship, particularly Hellenistic, Persian, and Byzantine. The early Arab-Muslim polity is treated as an integral part of late Antiquity and the book explores the way in which older traditions were transposed into Islamic form and given specifically Islamic textual sanction.

The Islamic World-System: A Study in the Polity-Market Interaction (RoutledgeCurzon Advances in Middle East & Islamic Studies)

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The Islamic World-System: A Study in the Polity-Market Interaction (RoutledgeCurzon Advances in Middle East & Islamic Studies)
Masud Choudhury
Manufacturer: RoutledgeCurzon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

Islamic | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Islam | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0415321476

Book Description

This highly original book presents an alternative vision of globalization and explores the epistemology, derived from the Qur'an and the Prophetic guidance Sunnah, that underpins the systemic unity at the heart of the Islamic concept of world-system.

Choudhury's investigation reveals the ethical foundations that influence the development of law, markets and social contract in Islamic societies. He then applies his methodology to issues and problems such as property rights, money, political economy, technology diffusion, microenterprise development and asset evaluation.

This book demonstrates that the Islamic world-system acquires its meaning from a single, integrated framework of complementary economic, social, institutional and market forces, rather than the competitive plurality of mainstream theory. It will interest students and researchers of Islamic economics and world-systems.

Muslim Kingship: Power and the Sacred Muslim, Christian and Pagan Polities

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Awesome Achievement

Muslim Kingship: Power and the Sacred Muslim, Christian and Pagan Polities
Aziz Al-Azmeh
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Islamic | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1860640532

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Achievement.......2002-11-24

al-Azmeh's book is half-comparative and half-chronology of the development of Muslim conceptions of Kingship. This work thoroughly puts to rest notions of Muslim exceptialionism by demonstrating the polyvalence of kingship discourse as well as its the various exchanges, borrowings, and influences adapted from Byzantine and Persian concepts of kingship. He takes considerable steps to remove the exotic from Muslim Kingship to instead place it within the framework of its evolving historical environment throughout the middle ages. It is a rare work that combines broadstrokes with a stringent concern for accuracy and nuance.

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Studies in Islamic Science and Polity
Masudul Alam Choudhury
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Epistemology | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Finance | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books

Berber Government: The Kabyle Polity in Pre-Colonial Algeria (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)

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Berber Government: The Kabyle Polity in Pre-Colonial Algeria (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)
Hugh Roberts
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Algeria | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

North Africa | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Non-US Legal Systems | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Islam | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1845112512
Release Date: 2008-03-18

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STUDIES IN ISLAMIC SCIENCE AND POLITY
Masudul Alam Choudhury
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTB6WS

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The Bad Old Days

wise words from old wrinklies

The Art of Writing Advertising???

A good compilation of thoughts from major advertising forces

Inside the Mind

The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations With William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves (Advertising Age Classics Library)

Manufacturer: NTC Business Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Writing | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Technique for Producing Ideas (Advertising Age Classics Library)

My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising (Advertising Age Classics Library)

Tested Advertising Methods (Prentice Hall Business Classics)

Ogilvy on Advertising

How to Write a Good Advertisement

ASIN: 0844231002

Customer Reviews:

The Bad Old Days.......2002-07-17

I guess a little revolution every now and then is a good thing, because the "advice" dispensed in here mainly belongs in the dustbin of history.

wise words from old wrinklies.......2001-08-03

There's pleanty of useful info here to help you write better copy - look for the inherent drama of the product, if in doubt ask the manufacturers why they make it, do your research, keep stuff simple. You just have to look for it. Great photos too.

The Art of Writing Advertising???.......2001-04-22

Just finished the book (which took me a couple of hours) and I have to say it was an interesting memoir of the great admen of all time. The book pinpointed certain questions and tired to find some correlation between the greats (and I think it succeeded in some ways)

But do not let the title of the book fool you to believe that it will help you in any shape or form in becoming a finer copywriter. In fact, the book will most likely only offer you a good read on a Sunday afternoon.

On a particular note, the interview with Reeves was the most interesting part of the book. A worthy buy indeed but do not expect to become a super copywriter after or you will be very disappointed.

A good compilation of thoughts from major advertising forces.......1999-12-06

The book is very helpful in that is gives you the thoughts behind some of the builders of today's advertising industry. I had read "Ogilvy on Avdertising"; the interview with David Ogilvy presents the same kind of thought. But I had never read anything by Burnett, Gribbin, Bernbach or Reeves and that is where most of my benefit from this book came.

Inside the Mind.......1999-07-29

I love anything that is an interview with a person. It allows us to hear the information from the horses mouth, as opposed to a journalist paraphrasing him or her. My favorite interviews were with Bernbach and Rosser Reeves. However, I don't think this book is really about the "Art" of writing advertising. I think the book should have been called "Conversations about Advertising." Because the book isn't made to be a teacher, it's simply a good book to read and enjoy if you're interested in hearing another perspective about the business.

The Art of Writing Advertising - Conversations with William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy and Rosser Reeves

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The Art of Writing Advertising - Conversations with William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy and Rosser Reeves

Manufacturer: ADVERTISING PUBLICATIONS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M9R6HY

The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations With William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves

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The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations With William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves
Bernbach et al.
Manufacturer: Natl Textbook Co Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K3TV7A

Book Description

Surviving The Workplace is a step-by-step book to teach every working person how to handle conflict in the workplace. It's a well-organized toolkit written for the layman to use as a successfully thought-out guide to a positive solution.

Customer Reviews:

Surviving the Workplace While Keeping Your Soul Intact.......2002-02-13

This insightful book has changed the way I approach the workplace. I am no longer a victim of a bully boss, but
in control of my career. A must read!

Surviving The Workplace While Keeping Your Soul Intact.......2001-08-09

This book gets right to the point from the start. It is easy to read with real life examples. What I found most helpful is the day-to-day information it contains.

I could go right to the topic I needed and get the answers immediatley without having to shift through a lot of text.

I credit this book with saving my career. It certainly gave me a new way to look at things and taught me how to protect myself on the job.

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