Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help [Hardcover]

Edgar H Schein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2009

In this seminal book on helping, corporate culture and organizational development guru Ed Schein analyzes the dynamics of helping relationships, explains why help is often not helpful, and shows what any would-be-helper must do to insure that help is actually provided.

Many words are used for helping -- assisting, aiding, advising, coaching, consulting, counseling, supporting, teaching, and many more -- but they all have common dynamics and processes. Schein exposes and shows how to resolve the inequities and role ambiguities of helping relationships, describes the different roles that helpers can take once the relationship is balanced, and explains how to build a balanced relationship and how to intervene as that relationship develops. In this short but profound book Schein examines the social dynamics that are at play in helping relationships in order to better understand why offers of help are sometimes refused or resented, and how to make help more helpful.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edgar H. Schein is currently a Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus and continues at the Sloan School part time as a Senior Lecturer. He is also the Founding Editor of "Reflections" the Journal of the Society for Organizational Learning devoted to connecting academics, consultants, and practitioners around the issues of knowledge creation, dissemination and utilization. He has had a notable mark on the field of organizational development in many areas, including career development, group process consultation, and organizational culture. Schein has been a prolific researcher, writer, teacher and consultant. Besides his numerous articles in professional journals he has authored fourteen books including Organizational Psychology. He is generally credited with inventing the term 'Corporate Culture'.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 167 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157675863X
• ISBN-13: 978-1576758632
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A helpful book, March 17, 2009

By 

Diantha Millott (Bedford, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help (Hardcover)

Being in a profession where I am employed to "Help" others, (Personal Trainer) it is easy to fall into the trap of just telling people what to do without really helping them. This book dissects our relationships with others, both professional and personal, in order to better understand how to approach them in a more productive way.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Helping" helped me to understand, at last., March 1, 2009

By 

Laurie Cook Johnson (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help (Hardcover)

Having read Edgar Schein's "Organizational Culture and Leadership", I assumed that "Helping" would follow that influential and enduring work. So,it was with pleasure that I discovered that "Helping" resembles a fascinating conversation with this thoughtful and compassionate scholar.

For anyone who has been a "helper", this book lays out the dynamics of the giving and receiving aspects of relationships on different levels. At a time when courtesy in our society is becoming something of a lost art, I urge you to read Dr. Schein's latest contribution and share it with others.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Information About Helping, August 15, 2009

By 

Larry Underwood "Author - St Louis Cardinals ... (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help (Hardcover)

Edgar H. Schein has compiled a helpful guide for those who have difficulty in mastering that somewhat tricky & misunderstood task of (a) giving help & (b) receiving help. Clearly, with personal egos that come into play, there are ways of engaging others in such a way to make the process go smoothly. Of course, so much of that is handled poorly, and good intentions are nullified; the end result is often total chaos.

Typically, people in business who receive "help" from someone who is potentially "career threatening" (aka the boss), may think there are hidden agendas that come into play, and wonder if that person is really trying to help; or set them up for a backstabbing attack. This is an unfortunate, but all too common scenario in many organizations. The key is being able to establish an environment of mutual trust and respect; that creates a common bond between all parties and the spirit of teamwork usually comes into play; the results are usually favorable.

Although the advice given in this book is somewhat pedestrian, it is based on good old-fashioned common sense; and there's not enough of that going on anywhere lately. This book certainly helps!