Recommended Reading

The Duncan Company recommends the following sources for study and personal development. Please click on any title for more detail or to place your order.

	The Age of Unreason by Charles Handy Named one of the ten best business books of 1990 by Business Week, The Age of Unreason is now available in paperback. Charles Handy maintains that in an era of random change, it is necessary to break out of old ways of thinking in order to use change to one's advantage.
	At America's Service by Karl Albrecht From the coauthor of the business bestseller Service America! comes an essential, comprehensive, practical manual for implementing service management strategies that work. Albrecht focuses on issues and problems such as building a service culture, how to get managers to think in new ways, common mistakes and more.
	Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras "Built to Last...is one of the most eye-opening business studies since In Search of Excellence." ö Kevin Maney, USA Today
	Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance by Michael E. Porter The essential complement to the pathbreaking book Competitive Strategy, Michael E. Porter's Competitive Advantage explores the underpinnings of competitive advantage in the individual firm. This volume introduces a whole new way of understanding what a firm does. Porter's groundbreaking concept of the value chain disaggregates a company into "activities," or the discrete functions or processes that represent the elemental building blocks of competitive advantage.
	Corporate Culture and Performance by John P. Kotter and James L. Heskett Going far beyond previous empirical work, John Kotter and James Heskett provide the first comprehensive critical analysis of how the "culture" of a corporation powerfully influences its economic performance, for better or for worse. Through painstaking research at such firms as Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, ICI, Nissan, and First Chicago, as well as a quantitative study of the relationship between culture and performance in more than 200 companies, the authors describe how shared values and unwritten rules can profoundly enhance economic success or, conversely, lead to failure to adapt to changing markets and environments.
	Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life by Terrence E. Deal and Allan A. Kennedy In the early 1980s, Terry Deal and Allan Kennedy launched a new field of inquiry and practice with the publication of their landmark book, Corporate Cultures, in which they argued that distinct types of cultures evolve within companies, with a direct and measurable impact on strategy and performance. Despite the dramatic evolution of the business landscape over the last twenty years, the basic principles of the book remain as fresh and relevant as they did when it was first published: that organizations, by their very nature, are social enterprises, with tribal habits, well-defined cultural roles for individuals, and various strategies for determining inclusion, reinforcing identity, and adapting to change. In the new introduction, the authors reflect on the enduring lessons of their investigation into the life of organizations.
	Designing Organizations for High Performance by David P. Hanna A practical guide to developing higher levels of performance in large organizations through changes in strategy, organization design, and culture. This guide presents detailed descriptions of ways in which individuals intervened in their organizations, how they arrived at their plans, and how it resulted in improved effectiveness and better business results for the organization.
	Flawless Consulting by Peter Block Flawless Consulting, the best-selling consulting book of all time, has been the consultant's bible for over 15 years. While other books on consulting outline theories for understanding organizations or for implementing interventions, Flawless Consulting actually describes and demonstrates ways of behaving with clients. This new edition includes illustrative examples, case studies, exercises, and commentary on pitfalls. This book lays the groundwork for dealing effectively with clients, peers, and others. Anyone who must communicate in a professional context will find scores of lessons to apply to their jobs.
	Flawless Consulting Fieldbook and Companion: A Guide to Understanding Your Expertise by Peter Block and Andrea Markowitz From the author of the best-selling consulting book of all time comes this guide that puts "Flawless Consulting" into action. This book takes up where Flawless Consulting, 2nd Edition left off. The Fieldbook is packed with sample scenarios, case studies, and client-consultant dialogues to show readers what "Flawless Consulting" is really all about. And the Fieldbook takes the practical approach of Flawless one step closer, including more hands-on tools, action plans, and implementation checklists. Block's down-to-earth lessons apply equally well to external consultants, internal staff, managers, executives, and communicators of all kinds.
	The Heart of Change by John P. Kotter and John S. Cohen The Heart of Change is the follow-up to John Kotter's enormously popular book Leading Change, in which he outlines a framework for implementing change that sidesteps many of the pitfalls common to organizations looking to turn themselves around. The essence of Kotter's message is this: the reason so many change initiatives fail is that they rely too much on "data gathering, analysis, report writing, and presentations" instead of a more creative approach aimed at grabbing the "feelings that motivate useful action."
	Organization Development and Transformation: Managing Effective Change by Wendell L. French, Cecil Bell and Robert A Zawacki Organization Development and Transformation is a paperback collection of 46 readings that focuses on how people and organizations and people in organizations function, and how to make them function better. This new edition includes coverage of classic OD articles, new cutting edge coverage of topics such as self-directed teams, centers of excellence and learning organizations.
	Organizational Behavior: Concepts, Controversies and Applications by Stephen Robbins Used by over 600 colleges worldwide, this highly reputable text continues to provide the most comprehensive, reality- based review of organizational behavior of its kind. Fully engaging students with its lively, conversational style, it helps students explain and predict behavior in organizations - pivoting discussions around three levels of analysis: the individual, the group, and the organization system. Now 400,000 copies strong, it comes completely revised to reflect the latest research developments and findings in business practice, and continues to remain a trendsetting market leader since its inception twenty years ago.
	On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross One of the most famous psychological studies of the late twentieth century, On Death and Dying grew out of an interdisciplinary seminar on death, originated and conducted by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. In On Death and Dying, Dr. Kubler-Ross first introduced and explored the now-famous idea of the five stages of dealing with death: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. With sample interviews and conversations, she gives the reader a better understanding of how imminent death affects the patient, the professionals who serve the patient, and the patient's family, bringing hope, solace, and peace of mind to all involved.
	Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar Schein Focusing on the complex business realities of the 1990s, organizational development pioneer Edgar Schein transforms the abstract concept of culture into a practical tool that managers and students can use to understand the dynamics of organization and change.
	Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest by Peter Block In this revolutionary book, Peter Block shows how a far-reaching redistribution of power, privilege, and wealth will radically change all areas of organizational governance, and shows why this is our best hope to enable democracy to thrive, our spiritual and ethical values to be lived out, and economic success to be sustained. Organizations that practice stewardship, Block explains, will succeed in their marketplace by choosing service over self-interest at every point and by a far-reaching redistribution of power, privilege, and wealth. Stewardship explains how to integrate the management of work and the doing of work, to redistribute purpose and power within an organization. It speaks about how this can affect work flow, quality control, performance appraisal, pay systems, supervisory methods, job design, and human resources.
	Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and In Your Life by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth H. Blanchard From one of the world's most recognized experts on management comes a charming parable filled with insights designed to help readers manage change quickly and prevail in changing times.
	Leading Change by John P. Kotter Geared toward managers and business students, this leadership guide identifies an eight-step process that companies must go through to achieve their goals. It also details change issues, the force behind successful change and future trends for organizations. To help illustrate principles, the author provides interesting stories and examples.
	Managing at the Speed of Change by Daryl Conner In this clinical study cum management guide, psychologist and business lecturer Conner discusses change as an inevitable, often disorienting element of the modern worker's business life. Citing the dysfunction likely to occur among employees facing corporate-merger upheavals or new high-tech equipment, he defines ``resilience'' as essential to viewing change as an ``understandable and manageable process.''
	Beyond Counterfeit Leadership by Ken Shelton In the history of the modern company, would-be leaders have often been seduced by the quick-fix, counterfeit side of management in an effort to save face or make short-term gains. Even more often, world-weary "plantation" managers are often seen sipping lemonade on the verandah of their palatial offices while the workers in the field live on slave wages. In this insightful social and business commentary, Shelton applies the artful background of classic literature to contrast ideal leadership with contemporary hucksters who are seduced by their own public relations campaigns and who wade through fraud and deception to manipulate their followers. He invites readers to see beyond the shams and become authentic leaders themselves.
	Leadership for the Ages by David P. Hanna This fine book challenges leaders and commits them to a worthwhile vision of balance, demonstrating that the very core of leadership - that which makes real leaders successful - is as timeless as the elements of nature. It is a road map as well as a "how to" manual for maintaining satisfaction with the bottom line while building trust. It represents the hope of leaders - the potential to achieve success, even in difficult times.
	Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Our Organizations by Richard H. Axelrod Axelrod defines four leadership challenges that must be met if an organization is to deal with the dramatic changes that are our ongoing reality: widening the circle of involvement, connecting people to each other and ideas, creating communities for action, and embracing democratic principles. Facing these challenges will require change÷a different kind of change. Through real life examples and provocative writing he provides the reader an opportunity to become an active participant in that different kind of change. The change that will energize an organization to new levels of performance and satisfaction.
	Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Despite having sold many millions of copies, Stephen Covey's groundbreaking book remains as fresh, helpful, and important as when it was first published. Such longevity is a testament to the quality of the insights that Covey offers: Eschewing easy fixes and simple-minded formulas, his writings offers a comprehensive and highly detailed program for invigorating your career as well as other aspects of life.
	Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or virtue, but until the discoveries of modern brain researchers, theorists could only guess why. Daniel Goleman's fascinating report from the frontiers of psychology and neuroscience offers us startling new insight into our "two minds" ÷ the rational and the emotional ÷ and how they together shape our destiny. Beginning deep in the brain, Emotional Intelligence shows us the exact mechanism of an "emotional hijack," when passion overcomes reason.
	Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, et al "Crucial" conversations are interpersonal exchanges at work or at home that we dread having but know we cannot avoid. How do you say what needs to be said while avoiding an argument with a boss, child, or relationship partner? Crucial Conversations offers readers a proven seven-point strategy for achieving their goals in all those emotionally, psychologically, or legally charged situations that can arise in their professional and personal lives. Based on the authors' highly popular DialogueSmart training seminars, the techniques are geared toward getting people to lower their defenses, creating mutual respect and understanding, increasing emotional safety, and encouraging freedom of expression.