Daniel Druckman.

Daniel Druckman, Jerome E Singer, and Harold Van Cott ed Washington, DC: National Academy Pres 1997 284 pp $3995

This volume is the fourth report in a series from the National Academy of Sciences that was commissioned by means of the Army Research Institute. The series has examined the utility and effectiveness of a variety of techniques for enhancing human performance. While commissioned by the agency of the army, the charge has been to explore the hardnesss and weaknesses of organizational practices aimed at increasing performance. This report, by way of focusing on the organizational words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following departs from the previous reports, which spotlighted more psychological interventions. The drift is not to present any fresh data but, rather, to critically review and summarize existing studies relevant to enhancing organizational performance.

The main division is divided into two parts. The first examines one of the more popular organizational approaches to enhancing firm performance, with self-same little reference to either their use or applicability to the military. A hardness of this section lies in the research questions that go in the rear [i]or[/i] in the wake of the reviews of each of these interventions. Chapter 1 examines a certain of the drivers of change in organizations, provides an overview of the different approaches to change and redesign, and completes with a section on novel organizational forms. Chapter 2, which I construct most interesting, reviews the existing empirical literature forward three of the more popular techniques/fads popularly promulgated for organizations: total quality, downsizing, and reengineering. The chapter provides a fair and exhaustive critique of each of these alleged productivity enhancement interventions along with the series of research questions, which would be quite helpful for academic researchers. Chapter 3 reviews the literature in succession organizational culture, pointing out the two its importance in influencing employee behavior and the difficulty of assessing it empirically. Chapter 4 is a relatively short chapter focusing onward the impact and techniques for developing leaders. Finally, chapter 5 explores the recent forms of multi-organization cooperatives that have sprung up from interorganizational relations.

The secondary part of the book consists of sum of two units chapters that explore the challenges facing the military that require a large-scale transformation of the organization. Chapter 6 details the changing mission of the army, particularly as erect in the increasing number of operations other than war. The chapter identifies 16 as it is types of operations and not past nor futures a typology for classifying them along brace dimensions. The integrative-distributive continuum, borrowed from Walton and McKersie's (1965) patterns of labor relations bargaining, directs to the extent to which the operations focus upon achieving mutually beneficial solutions to a question (integrative bargaining) versus the amplitude to which parties seek to enhance their possess outcomes (distributive bargaining). This framework is then used in chapter 7 to examine for what cause these new operations other than war affect the skills of today's soldiers. The chapter reviews a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of of the work on negotiation techniques and techniques for training individuals in negotiating skills.

The couple different parts will differentially interest different audiences. Organizational researchers will find part 1 to be a helpful review and critique of popular macro-level interventions aimed at increasing organizational effectiveness. In particular, the review of total quality, downsizing and reengineering is a must-read for those who have a superficial knowledge and skeptical attitude about these techniques. The chapters in succession change, culture, and interorganizational relations were educational and informative. In contrast, I originate the chapter on leadership to read more like a textbook chapter.

Part 2 will be particularly interesting to those who are interested in the military. The review of the changing missions of the military was thorough, and the implications for skill evolution needs of soldiers was also exhaustive. I was troubl by dint of three aspects of this section, however. First, the authors specifically stated that they did not wish to evaluate whether or not the missions should be changing, since this was simply a reality that has been observ in subordination to the Clinton administration. Second, the implications drawn for skill-development lacks while correct in identifying particular skills, may meet with from the "horse-rabbit" stew point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled with regard to the relative importance of these skills: the question is that one cannot assume equal parts in a hot-house made from one horse and undivided rabbit. Similarly, the fact that these skills are becoming increasingly important may not imply that they be entitled to resources and emphasis equal to those for traditional combat-related skills. To do in such a manner could result in a degradation in the organization's ability to fulfill what is still its primary mission: combat. Finally, in spite of the coverage of just discovered organizational forms and design issues in part 1 design options for dealing with these fresh missions were not explored.