Shows real insight into the turmoil of the contemporary workplace; business leaders should take note.
A debut guide offers advice on navigating the chaotic world of work.
As a “workplace culture architect,” Swora believes “the key to the future success of companies is how well networks of teams operate together.” But the challenges faced by groups and their leaders, according to the author, are daunting; they center on volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, identified in this well-crafted manual with the acronym “VUCA.” The book begins with an exploration of the manner in which the workplace is affected by VUCA and how it impacts people and organizations. A somewhat bleak but realistic picture is painted—“people are drowning,” the office is filled with “chaos and unpredictability,” and managers “are just scrambling to keep up.” The solution, writes Swora, is to create a “Purposeful Workplace Experience,” a term she has trademarked. The second part of the book examines the attributes of this experience, referring to Abraham Maslow’s frequently cited hierarchy of needs, which identifies requirements necessary for human well-being. Here, Swora concludes that “performance happens at the intersection of purpose and belonging.” The author perceptively points out that both customers and employees “experience” a company. The worker experience revolves around the organization’s culture—“the shared beliefs, values, understandings and perspectives held by all the employees in your company.” The elements of this culture must be “fully aligned” for there to be trust between individuals and the organization. According to Swora, if these facets are skewed, the Purposeful Workplace Experience can help restore the alignment. Part 3 of the guide concentrates on four “rules” that make up that experience; each of them is explained in detail. The smart, sensible manual puts a novel spin on corporate culture, is well-thought-out, and has a good mix of theory and workplace examples. One example, which threads throughout the book, adds a very personal angle. It is the author’s own heart-wrenching experience facing a crisis in her personal life as she tries to balance it against her work responsibilities.
Shows real insight into the turmoil of the contemporary workplace; business leaders should take note.Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-988179-35-3
Page Count: 226
Publisher: BrightFlame Books
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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