Customer Reviews

Treat People Right!: How Organizations and Employees Can Create a Win/Win Relationship to Achieve High Performance at All Levels

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

 

 

Global Business is deeply challenged by how best to make an organization attractive to the talent they need to compete in a dynamic and challenging world. Ed Lawler provides us with a clear set of guidelines in Treat People Right about how best to make our organizations 'winners' in the talent wars we will face in the decades to come. Leaders should make this a 'must read' for their next plane trip and provide multiple copies to those in their organization that can affect the directions to take to gain advantage through people.

What's attractive about this book is that is provides a total look at all the 'tools' organizations have at their disposal to encourage people to help them make their business a success. Treat People Right gives concrete 'how to' examples and case studies that bring Ed's advice home to a busy leader in a form they can put to work in their organization. The book goes beyond theory to execution . . . something that is key to creating the 'win-win' relationship business needs during trying times.

The time is exactly right for Treat People Right. Global organizations looking for ways to step forward and win the talent competition have their guidelines set for them by the world's leading expert on how best to align the performance of the best people with what your business needs to lead the pack in the next decade.

If we could give this book SIX STARS we would do it. This is the kind of book authors say, "Gosh, we wish we had written something as great as that!"

In a textbook style narrative, Professor Lawler opens this book with the argument that the talented individual (human capital) is the new competitive advantage, if combined with well designed organizations with the best management systems. He then introduces his Diamond Model of Organizational Effectiveness. This model is lead by strategy; centers on the organizational design elements of people, structure, rewards, and processes; which are surrounded by capabilities, competencies, and environment. Within this context of people at the center, the next chapter is devoted to 'what makes people effective', using the - performance = motivation x ability - equation to frame the discussion.

In the following 7 chapters Lawler introduces his 7 principles of Treating People Right:
1. Attract and Keep the Right People
2. Hire the Right People
3. Develop People Right
4. Design Work Right
5. Establish the Right Goals
6. Reward People Right
7. Lead People Right

Each chapter defines the principle, discusses the why of it, generalizes on how it might be implemented, and provides best practice examples. Lawler also provides an 'implications for the individuals' section with each principle.

It seems obvious that treating people right has its benefits, a more useful question may be, "How, or by Whom, should Right be Defined?" On these questions, the book adds nothing new to the conversation on how to motivate people. Although it may be unfair to suggest there is nothing new in a book written some 4 years ago, the test of time can be seen as a useful meter for determining a books real value.

As a career management professional, I strongly recommend human resource professionals sit up and read Lawler's book. Start treating your human resources as people in the 21st century. People are important to business success. Lawler has done a critical analysis and used highly illustrative examples to demonstrate the importance of treating people right as part of organisational success strategy. The examples quoted could easily be adapted for implementation in many organisations. I would encourage the CEOs of small and medium sized companies to read this book too. At the beginning of the 21st century, many managers and executives would realise their competitive advantage stems from the creativity, ideas, innovation and enterprise of their people.......so treat people right! Recommended reading for post-graduate programmes in Human Resource, Management and Organizational Behaviour.

This book is not worth the money. It is full of hypocrisy. And, the recommendation by Jim Madden isn't worth a wooden nickel. Jim's company EXULT is and has been instrumental in the outsourcing of US jobs, having outsourced Bank of America's HR personnel in 2000 and Prudential HR personnel in 2002. How's that for treating people right? Think for yourself - and if you can you don't need this book.

At last a noted and respected author has put the key to all successful work relationships in a book that anyone can read!.

great ideas that can help individuals manage their careers

Haven't read the book yet but respect the opinion of the reader from Beverly Hills!