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Download by: [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] Date: 11 January 2016, At: 22:57
Journal of Education for Business
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Book Review
James L. Morrison
To cite this article: James L. Morrison (2009) Book Review, Journal of Education for Business, 84:6, 381-382, DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.84.6.381-382
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.84.6.381-382
Published online: 07 Aug 2010.
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July/August2009 381
BOOKREVIEW
Baldwin,TimothyT.,Bommer,William H.,&Rubin,RobertS.Developing ManagementSkills:WhatGreat ManagersKnowandDo.NewYork: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.2008.411pp.ISBN: 0072920106.$109.06.
nDeveloping Management Skills: What Great Managers Know and Do, Baldwin, Bommer, and Rubin address the need for those students majoringinmanagementtobeincom-mandofspecificsoftmanagerialskills (e.g.,people-orientedskills)inprepara-tion for employment after graduation. In this regard, their intent is to inspire thelearnertoenhanceindividualleader-ship capacity through the development ofinterpersonalskillsthatarerequired forbuildingproductiveworkteamsthat can bring about organizational change. Although management texts typically emphasizelearningprinciplesandprac-tices embedded in the theories behind executive development, the authors’ aim is to have students actually apply whattheyhavelearnedintheirreadings enable the readers to better understand theirimpactonmanagerialpractices.
As a strategy for enabling future mangerstoaddvaluetotheirroleinan organization,theauthorshaveputtogether an impressive list of administrative skills that they suggest inexperienced learnersintraditionaluniversitysettings can reasonably be expected to acquire before graduation. The assumption is that carefully prescribed management scenarios can be used as a basis for creating a learner-centered environment to bring a sense of reality to the study of management. The authors begin by having the reader conduct a self-analysisofpresentlyheldadministrative skills through identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. The authors
present being self-aware as the initial step toward success. The authors then raisethelevelofdiscoursebydirecting thereader’sattentiontothedynamicsof building functional work teams through the application of interpersonal and organizationalchangeskills.
The text is divided into three parts, witheachcontainingateachingtoolkit comprising learning episodes for stu-dentstoapplywhattheyhaveread.The personalaspectstomanagingeffectively arepresentedinpartI,whichisdivided into three chapters. Chapter 1 brings attention to the importance of having self-awarenessinregardtoengagingoth-ersinbuildingleadershipcapacity.Time and stress management are two issues specificallyaddressed.Chapter2engag-esthereaderinparticipatinginlearning activities that lead a potential manager tobecomeaneffectivelistener.Inaddi-tion, the authors introduce the need to exhibitpersuasiveskillswhenattempting to motivate others to achieve organiza-tional goals. Last, chapter 3 analyzes whysmartpeoplemakebaddecisionsat times.Theauthorsfocusonteachingstu-dentshowtosolveoperationalproblems effectivelyandethically.
PartIIreflectsonthoseadministrative skills that are useful when attempting to generate collaborative efforts during team-oriented projects. Two intriguing somehow intertwined topics discussed (a)learninghowtodealwiththeunmo-tivated person and (b) learning how to avoidboredomintheworkplace.Inthis regard,chapter4analyzesstrategiesfor motivating not only oneself but also others,andchapter5continueswithan examinationofissuesrelatedtoperson-al accountability. Remedies presented includesettingexpectations,delegating, and assessing performance, which are all significant tasks for today’s man-ager. In chapter 6, the authors discuss theuseofpowerandinfluenceforget-tingthingsaccomplished,andinchapter 7, they introduce an obligation to take on leadership roles in an organization,
especiallywhentheopportunityarises. In accordance, the authors argue that learninghowtoplayamajorleadership roleinanorganizationrequiresaman-ager to initially visualize what skills arerequired,whytheyarecrucial,and under what circumstances they should beused.
Last, part III merges the study of groupdynamicswiththechangeprocess. Chapter8assiststhereaderinlearning howtobuildaneffectivechangeteam. Chapter9stressesconflictmanagement andhasthereaderapplyskillsfordeal-ing with problem team members, and correspondinglyforresolvingworkdis-putes that are likely to emerge during the change process. Chapter 10 identi-fiesavarietyofbasicskillsrequiredto initiate change in an organization. The authors analyze change management and how a manager sustains change effortsintermsofmanagerialinitiatives related to negotiating, compromising, andconsensusbuilding.
The text has many supplemen-tary instructional tools to enable the reader to directly apply what has been learned in each of its three parts. For example, a comprehensive instructor’s manual contains detailed information aboutcourseobjectives,outlinesofcon-tent for each part, and real-life cases for making the study of management vibrant. Also included is an intrigu-ing test bank of challengintrigu-ing questions for putting together a different kind of examination package. In this regard, the test bank includes scenario-based questions that challenge the reader to document whether the skills learned are being applied appropriately. Last, complementaryPowerPointslidescome in two sets.The more basic slides fol-low specifically the content presented in the text. However, an advanced set expands the exposure of study by pro-viding links to Web sites that contain additional information on the topics at hand. Another intriguing aspect is the inclusion of video clips derived from
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popular news venues such asBusiness Week. With these instructional videos, students actually view real managers applying important interpersonal skills as they confront operational issues. In accordance,studentsplayanactiverole by responding to questions that arise during their exercises, forcing them to make decisions on how they would respondtotheissuesathand.Bycom-paring personal decisions regarding thesescenarioswiththoseofprofession-alsinthefield,thereaderscanquickly assesstheirpersonalunderstanding.
Therearemanypositiveaspectsofthis text that focuses on management. The authorsdoanadmirablejobofmakinga caseforthestudyofsoftpeopleskillsfor the business major.They systematically takethereaderonajourneybystudying three integral parts to managerial effec-tiveness: enhancing personal capacity, expanding interpersonal effectiveness, and promoting organizational change. In this regard, the authors present an evidence-basedframeworkforjustifying theirapproachtoextendthecapacityof managers to become more effective in leading others to achieve organizational goals. By focusing on the actual prob-lemsandchallengesmanagersgenerally confront,studentsgettheopportunityto practice reality. The instructional aides
that accompany the text enhance the instructor’sabilitytodeliverthepromise of the text. The number of techniques offered for study is substantial. Simi-larly,thelearningtoolkitsarefilledwith intriguingexperiencesthattakelearning outsideoftheclassroom.
Although the authors have done an excellentjobinhavingstudentsanalyze and practice the more traditional skills that managers use to enhance worker unityandproductivity,theycouldhave been more aggressive in attending to more contemporary skills that are also becomingincreasinglysignificant.Such skills include how to build coalitions, supportivenetworks,andallianceswhen attemptingtodevelopinnovativestrate- giesforadvancingorganizationalinter-ests. Because of the risk-taking asso-ciated with innovative efforts and the change process, future managers also needtohaveathoroughunderstanding of how to identify, gather, and ana-lyze data for making crucial decisions. Therefore,alessononhowtocollabo-rate with others to develop collective knowledgebywayoftheInternetwould placethistextmoreonthecuttingedge. Becauseweareenteringthenextgener-ationofInternetuseinwhichuserscan engage others electronically to make crucial decisions, the skills of
engage-ment in this way are becoming more paramounteveryday.Workingalonein makingdecisionsseemstobeathingof thepast,somanagersnowneedtobuild a new set of skills for learning how to bedecisivewhencontroversyemerges. Collective management approaches to addressing issues as they arise appear tobeaviablealternativethatcanextend leadershipcapacity.
Inconclusion,thistextiswritteninan easy-to-understandformat.Proceeding fromafocusonself-awarenesstothat of team and organizational enhance-ment provides a natural progression for study. This text is appropriate as a second offering for an introductory management course or perhaps even for more advanced study. Higher edu-cationhastypicallybeencriticizedfor concentrating primarily on conceptual developmentandignoringthepractical aspects to such study of management, but the authors attempt to bridge that gap. In other words, they attempt to elevate the study of management by takingonthedifficulttaskofsynergiz-ingtheorywithpractice.
JamesL.Morrison UniversityofDelaware Newark,DE
