Customer Reviews

If It's Broken, You Can Fix It: Overcoming Dysfunction in the Workplace

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During my long working career I have partcipated in numerous courses, got advice from the best consultants and read lots of complicated theories. This is the first book that gives clear and practical advice to identify and solve the problems of an dysfunctional organization. I recommend Jones's book warmly to everyone who is interested in improving the quality of the activity of his organization.

I believe that any reader will easily recognize the corporate situations that the author describes - it's the stuff we live with every day at work. The "aha!" comes along with the author's insightful discussions of HOW and WHY these situations come to exist, and why they are so very frustrating. But the best part is the practical "here's what you can do about it" discussions. This book shows you how you can have some impact, how these situations can be addressed constructively.

Excellent book for the OD professional and the manager alike. In his usual very effective style, Dr. Jones' "lessons" are very readable, practical, and understandable, with just the right mix of humor, metaphors and stories. His use of actual experiences serve to effectively demonstrate the "real-life" usefulness and value of the techniques he describes. Every organization experiences dysfunction, to one degree or another, and can, therefore, benefit from the guidance Dr. Jones provides in this book.

As Executive Director of VMRC, Inc., a large social service agency, I was frustrated by a variety of dysfunctional behaviors in the organization. Several years ago I recruited Tom Jones to consult with us in establishing self-directed work teams. In the course of this undertaking, we provided all employees with a copy of Tom's first book and are now giving each new hire a copy of "If It's Broken, You Can Fix It." This book provides a wealth of practical suggestions for dealing with dysfunction in the workplace. Tom draws both from the work of others, like William Bridges and Edward Lawler, and from his own extensive experience. It is a valuable resource for experienced managers and also for entry-level professional employees. The style is direct, non-academic, and remarkably free of jargon. "If It's Broken..." is also organized in a way that lends itself to browsing--a valuable feature of any work intended for busy professionals.

If you can relate to "Dilbert" and feel like something is wrong with you in your worklife, this book will get you on the path to feeling better! Whether read chapter by chapter or used as a reference, employees everywhere now have the opportunity to understand why organizational life tends to get crazy from an author that has helped organizations get back on track. A delightful referesher into figuring out that its ok to work in a dysfunctional organization as long as the dysfucntion doesn't rub off on you! A must for every bookshelf---one that needs to be kept near the "Quick Fix" section since the more quick fixes you embrace, the more you'll need this book!

Thanks to Tom Jones for providing an invaluable resource for today's Managers -- both in Government and Private organizations -- for advice on addressing today's workplace problems.

Those of us who are not CEO's or even at management level will find this book useful. It helped me recognize the signs of dysfunction in our organization, as well as identify methods to affect change or influence work behavior from a lower-level employee's perspective. I especially like the personality profiling information, which gives an explanation and a tolerance for the ways my fellow workers perform their work and react to pressure in the workplace. We don't all have to be the same to function as a cohesive and productive unit. Our strengths, weaknesses, and uniqueness can be useful when combined to make powerful teams and successful changes. I recommend this book as a helpful tool for any level of employee.

I've had great results consulting organizations, both domestically and throughout Russia and the NIS, utilizing the highly practical advice Tom Jones' book provides. It's facinating, it works and I heartily recommend it!

If you're an executive, manager, or in any position to make a difference, and you want to or even need to, then this book is for you. The ideas are sensible, more importantly useful, like a tool you can pick up and put to work immediately. While you read these pages, you'll find yourself nodding your head about something you recognize from experience and your mind racing ahead to application. The material is presented in a practical manner, yet couched in humor and reality. It's fun to read and when you apply the principles, you'll also realize their truth and wisdom.

Anyone who has ever been in a leadership position knows that most of the time people have to struggle to learn how to work together. This book greatly helps to reduce the struggle. Simple but effective tools and ideas are abundant, and any manager can put them to work today, regardless of his/her level of experience, education or skill. What the reader will particularly enjoy is Jones' informal and lighthearted look at the crazy world of the workplace. Have a few laughs while picking up some very valuable management tips!