Customer Reviews

The Maslow Business Reader

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This collection assembles Abraham Maslow's most instructive, intuitive thoughts and essays into one important volume. Gleaned from the wealth of behavioural research and analysis Dr Maslow left upon his death in 1970, the selections reveal a man comfortable with his position in history, tireless in his efforts to better understand what truly makes humans strive to reach their potential, and gifted in his ability to translate the most profound concepts and realities into entertaining, thought-provoking prose.

The timeless ideas of Maslow resonate with unimpeachable insight and clarity. Maslow innately understood that the goals and passions that so impact humans in their everyday life could be just as applicable in the work environment.

Editor Deborah C. Stephens introduces Maslow's published and unpublished works to readers unfamiliar to Maslow's management breakthroughs. From recognising and warning against management's natural progression to mechanise the human organisation to brilliant discussions of human motivation, Maslow never fails to instantly recognise the heart and soul of each encounter and provide direct, across-the-board solutions.

This book provides Maslow's outlook on management and leadership issues such as customer loyalty, entrepreneurship, and the importance of communication. Learn ways to build a work environment conducive to creativity, innovation, and maximised individual contributions as well as techniques for finding comfort in change and ambiguity, and using them to spur creativity and innovation.

The late Abraham Harold Maslow is still regarded as the world's most widely renowned, articulate and insightful authority on human behaviour and motivation. Dr Maslow has contributed seminal works to the literature of business, applying his ideas on human behaviour, personality, and motivation to the workforce. Deborah Collins Stephens is a cofounder of the Centre for Innovative Leadership. She is the coauthor of One Size Fits One and Douglas McGregor, Revisited and a collaborator on Maslow on Management.

The key element of Abraham Maslow's work, especially as it applies to the business world is that while organizations and economies change, people and psychology remain relatively constant. Mr. Maslow's work was about his desire to better understand what truly makes humans strive to reach their potential.

Mr. Maslow wasn't a business specialist; he was a psychologist and revolutionized behavioral sciences with seminal work on the "hierarchy of needs." Mr. Maslow's work began being preached to business students in the early 1960's through Douglas McGregor's work.

This book is a collection of published and unpublished articles and thoughts by Mr. Maslow, edited by Deborah Stevens.
This book provides insights from Maslow on fostering entrepreneurship, enhancing creativity in the workplace and maximizing the organizational effectiveness of individual workers through self-actualized work.

If you are looking for a good business book GO ELSEWHERE but if you want to learn about the hierarchy of needs or Abraham Maslow this book may be the book for you.

As a general rating I give the book 3 stars. Why? Because, outside of the basic framework on the hierarchy of needs and the evolution of man within it I found the book boring and I consistently found myself searching for groundbreaking or extremely applicable comments in various sections to the realm of business. Yes, business is about creativity and innovation (even more so in today's information age) but other books provide more insight into those areas. Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen is such a book.

Don't get me wrong, if you have never read Maslow you need to as it is REQUIRED READING at all the top MBA programs and truly is essential in understanding business and managing a business. Business is about people and understanding what makes them tick. However, as it pertains to reading material I found myself searching for great commentary and not getting much. I like to read a book and find myself completely absorbed by it reading 50-60 pages at a time (with this book I could never do it and I love reading heady stuff.) I read primarily business books, even some economic philosophy stuff, which is deep stuff, but it was far more thought provoking than this book.

A regrouping of works that provides a good collection of the insight(s) into Maslow's work in psychology, his values and his strong belief in community and the interdependence of people as foci: Who we are and why we exist.

Maslow provides strong argument of the relationship necessary for well being. People develop and grow not independently or alone, but are part of a richer set of relationships; relationships to help grow the individual through the development and growth of other people; as part of meeting and fulfilling needs of life's experience within a richly complex community. The collection of works argues a central role of both the individual and the collective. A theme that all people have as their responsibility, as part of their innovation and their creative capacity the development and growth of a good community: A set of propositions for understanding of individual development and the development of all people.

Maslow provides discussion and example of individual needs, growth and development of people through their interaction with other members of communities in the conduct of organised day-to-day activity. He provides insight into the embedded nature of interdependence in the creation, maintenance and growth of the individual and the important role of organisation -- Organisations formed for profit, not-for-profit, social and government reason. Maslow illuminates the interrelationship of organisation and the people who make up those organisations. Maslow discusses the critical role of organisation - the people who comprise the organisation - in helping to foster a healthy environment for growth and development of their members and ultimately their society, through the interlocking nature of these roles: Individual and collective roles of providing for good and sustainable community.