Strategic Real Estate Solutions for Business

Reegineering the Corporation - Michael Hammer and James Champy - (Harper Business, 1993) - One of the most talked about books of the year and on everyone's "best-of-business list", this book and its writers are responsible for one of the most important but over-used terms in business today. Written by the originator and leading exponent of the concept of reengineering (Hammer) and Chairman of CSC Index, the management consulting firm that pioneered the development and practice of reengineering  (Champy), this book offers new concepts in organizational and operational principles and procedures.  It is their belief that the previous structures for doing business are no longer effective.  This is not a concept of "fixing" but of starting over. Business revolution, not evolution, is their guiding principal.

Post Capitalist Society - Peter F. Drucker - (Harper Business, 1993) - One of the best books ever from this prolific management guru. Drucker contends that we are no longer a capitalist society, that information, not capital, is the fundamental ingredient of business. Although we remain an ever expanding market economy, if there is any capitalism left, it is "information capitalism". Positing that the real challenge ahead is not technology itself, but what we use it for, he examines the current situation and concludes that a new school and new schooling are essential. That new school must impart knowledge both as substance and as process.  A "must read".

The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization - Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith - (Harvard Business School Press, 1993) - The authors explore what makes a successful team, as well as taking a look at where teams have failed.  This book is a source to be used as a building block for the organization of the future.

Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will - Noel M.Tichey and Sherman Stratford - (Harper Business,1993) - A book about Jack Welch of General Electric and his dramatic changes at GE. A truly excellent review of Welch's changes, attitudes and set-backs along the way. "Neutron Jack", as he was called by insiders, contended that companies cannot grant employees job security, "only customers can".  The best lesson of the book...Welch's comment that his only regret was that he did not do it faster. If you are considering a "down-sizing", or involved in one, this book will be helpful.

The Age of Paradox - Charles Handy - (Harvard Business School Press, 1994) -  A sequel to The Age of Unreason [referred to below], Handy moves beyond offering profound observations about the world in which we live and suggests how individuals and organizations can find their way through this "brave new world". It is his contention that although we cannot solve the modern paradoxes, they can be managed.  Two such paradoxes are: (1)"fewer full-time positions create more flexibility, but put the responsibility on us to create job opportunities and (2) knowledge, as a commodity to be sold, offers the possibility of a more egalitarian society, yet highlights the fact that few have access to good education".

Collision: GM, Toyota, Volkswagen and the Race to Own the 21st Century - Maryann Keller - (Doubleday, 1993) - Keller is an automotive analyst who examines what the top carmakers of the world must do to exist in an atmosphere of saturation and borderless competition. A Business Week reviewer found the book's greatest strength to be the portrayal of the players with "biting, even brutal, honesty". Since we believe the automotive economy will continue to be a major driver (excuse the pun) of both the global economy and the economies of individual countries, this should be useful.

The Virtual Community:Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier - Howard Rheingold - (Addison-Wesley, 1993) - The most compelling question with regard to the computer industry, says Reingold, is not how companies are faring, but how computers are shaping our future. The author believes that "the net", many-to-many communication through networks and bulletin boards, and the proliferation of accessible data bases will reshape our future.  You just might enjoy this readable exploration of life in cyberspace.

Computer Wars: How the West Can Win in a Post-IBM World - Charles H. Ferguson and Charles R. Morris - (Times Books, 1993) - This book takes a look at IBM since the 1960s.  The history is then used to analyze how U.S. computer companies should compete today. The authors suggest that IBM's problems resulted from it taking its eye off the ball in the 70s and missing a whole generation of development of its computers.  The authors go on to argue that establishing and controlling an architectural standard is the only way for the U.S. to compete in computers.  They also argue that U.S. companies should focus on technical vision and design and leave mass production to others.

Team Zebra - Stephen Frangos and Steven Bennett - (Omneo, 1993) - Based on Frangos' participation in the revitalization of Eastman Kodak's "black and white film-making flow", this book offers a number of powerful lessons to be used in improving productivity and saving jobs.

The Oz Principle - Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman - (Prentice Hall, 1994) - When people use The Oz Principal, "See it, own it, solve it, do it," they become personally accountable and get the results they want. It is the authors' premise that avoidance of responsibility is ruining organizations and society today. They also believe programs like TQM and reengineering are bound to fail because they cause workers to feel the need to "protect their turf", cover their backs and avoid responsibility.  Their book gives ideas about solving this problem.

 Networking Smart - Wayne E. Baker - (McGraw-Hill, 1994) - It is no longer an option whether or not to "network" today.  In the 90s the only way to achieve success is through developing personal networks connecting people, departments and companies.  The ideas put forth in this book offer such techniques as how to create a partnership with your customers and suppliers, build your own internal and external intelligence network, manage relationships with your boss and co-workers, as well as using networks to boost serendipity.

Maximizing Employee Productivity - Robert E.Sibson - (AMACOM Books, 1994) - Sibson offers a method to increase productivity that is realistic, pragmatic and most importantly, economical. The method includes making productivity part of every manager's job, creating a productive culture, assisting employees with achievement through technology and empowerment and a variety of ways to measure productivity.

Paradigm Shift, The New Promise of Information Technology - Don Tapscott and Art Caston - (McGraw-Hill, 1993) - This book is the result of the author's (and other's) work at DMR, an international provider of information technology services to business and public enterprises. The company, which employs 2200 professionals, conducted an intensive research project to understand why enterprises had such difficulty embracing technological change. The book concludes that technology can create an open, networked, "client/server" enterprise - altering virtually every facet of today's business operations. It then offers suggestions for facilitating technological innovation.