Social Style/Management Style [Paperback]

Robert Bolton (Author), Dorothy Grover Bolton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 1984

"What is social style, and how can you make it work for you in a business situation? Your success at any management level depends largely on your ability to deal with other people. In this business-oriented approach to interpersonal relationships, management experts Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton show you how to assess various behavior patterns and how to use that knowledge to capitalize on your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, and get the results you want from others. Are you predominantly an Amiable, an Analytical, an Expressive, or a Driver? Nearly everyone, according to Boltons' extensive research, uses on of the four basic social styles more often than the others. No style is better than any other, but each does bring with it a unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses. This book shows you not only how to recognize your particular style but also how to use that knowledge to manage others more effectively, set appropriate life goals and career paths, plan a sound self-improvement plan, increase your creativity, and more. Te best managers, claim the Boltons, excel at being what they are rather than at trying to be what they are not. If you feel that your effectiveness at work could be increased by better interpersonal skills but are tired of theories that want you to overhaul yourself to fit some uncomfortable, impersonal ""management style,"" then let Social Style/Management Style improve your dealings with others and still let you be yourself."

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

"What is social style, and how can you make it work for you in a business situation? Your success at any management level depends largely on your ability to deal with other people. In this business-oriented approach to interpersonal relationships, management experts Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton show you how to assess various behavior patterns and how to use that knowledge to capitalize on your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, and get the results you want from others.

Are you predominantly an Amiable, an Analytical, an Expressive, or a Driver? Nearly everyone, according to Boltons' extensive research, uses on of the four basic social styles more often than the others. No style is better than any other, but each does bring with it a unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses. This book shows you not only how to recognize your particular style but also how to use that knowledge to manage others more effectively, set appropriate life goals and career paths, plan a sound self-improvement plan, increase your creativity, and more. Te best managers, claim the Boltons, excel at being what they are rather than at trying to be what they are not.

If you feel that your effectiveness at work could be increased by better interpersonal skills but are tired of theories that want you to overhaul yourself to fit some uncomfortable, impersonal ""management style,"" then let Social Style/Management Style improve your dealings with others and still let you be yourself."

About the Author

"Robert H. Bolton, Ph.D. is President of Ridge Consultants, where he develops, tailors, and conducts course for people whose success is largely dependent on interpersonal skills. Prior to founding Ridge Consultants, he designed training programs for the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene and founded a psychiatric and outpatient clinic. Dr. Bolton is the author of one previous book, People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts, and over 70 magazine articles.

Dorothy Grover Bolton, M.A. is Vice President and General Manager of Ridge Consultants where she is in charge of the ""Training of Trainers"" program and of counseling programs for executives. Prior to co-founding Ridge Consultants she worked as a school psychologist. Ms. Bolton earned her master's degree in school psychology at Syracuse University and has done graduate work in the applied behavioral sciences at the University of California."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Paperback: 171 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (October 25, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814476171
• ISBN-13: 978-0814476178
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Bolton, Ph.D., is president of Ridge Consultants in Cazenovia, New York, a firm that specializes in improving human performance in industry, health care, education, and government. His staff has taught communication skills to thousands of managers, salespersons, first-line supervisors, secretaries, customer-relations personnel, teachers, members of the clergy, health-care workers, couples, and others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Newer Version of This Book Exists, March 31, 2003

By 

J. W. Bolton (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Social Style/Management Style (Paperback)

First of all, my rating is biased--I'm the son and colleague of the authors. But the purpose of this "review" isn't to promote the book. It is to let you know that the publisher, AMACOM, has published a newer, more accessible edition of this book entitled "People Styles at Work." That book was originally planned to replace "Social Style/Management Style," but both remain in print. My personal opinion is the the newer work is more user-friendly: it was streamlined to help readers better relate with colleagues of other styles. That said, "Social Style/Management Style" has been well received for nearly 20 years and has been translated into many languages. Either one is useful, but if you buy both books, you'll find a lot of redundancy.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, June 4, 2002

By 

Jamie Nettles "information sponge" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Social Style/Management Style (Paperback)

Assigning someone to one of the four social style quadrants does not provide a complete picture of an individual, as the authors would be the first to admit, but social styles do provide a convenient and useful starting point for understanding your own and others behavior. The book also contains much practical advice for improving relationships and your own effectiveness within the context of the social style theory. Social Style/Management Style is a great little book. However, Bolton and Bolton's later book on styles, People Styles at Work, contains much of the same material and more.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Social style/management style, June 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Social Style/Management Style (Paperback)

This is an excellent tool to use in any business that will enable anyone to communicate better with colleagues. It gives you information and cues that will help to better deal with many different types of people in the business sector. I use this book, and actually came across it in a Masters (Human Resources) Course, many years ago, and its contents are still very valuable to me. I keep referring back to its theories. But, its use isn't for the work place only, as it is helpful for communicating in intimate relationships, as well. Happy reading!