Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment: How to Improve Quality, Productivity, and Employee Satisfaction [Paperback]

William Byham (Author), Jeff Cox (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 11, 1997

Most managers know that revitalization in their companies must occur from the ground up. But how to get that message to employees without applying the kind of pressure that makes them even less productive? The answer is empowerment. In this motivating book, you will find specific strategies designed to help you encourage responsibility, acknowledgment, and creativity so that employees feel they "own" their jobs. It's all here, in an accessible guide for the successful managers of tomorrow.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Most managers know that revitalization in their companies must occur from the ground up. But how to get that message to employees without applying the kind of pressure that makes them even less productive? The answer is empowerment. In this motivating book, you will find specific strategies designed to help you encourage responsibility, acknowledgment, and creativity so that employees feel they "own" their jobs. It's all here, in an accessible guide for the successful managers of tomorrow. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dr William C. Byham is President and founder of Development Dimensions International (DDI), a world-leader in human resource training and development. An internationally-known educator, consultant and trainer, Dr Byham has authored more than 100 articles, papers and books. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Revised edition (November 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449002829
• ISBN-13: 978-0449002827
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Human Resources & Personnel Management

More About the Author

WILLIAM C. BYHAM, Ph.D. is Chairman and CEO of Development Dimensions International (DDI), a leading-edge Human Resources consultancy that specializes in the identification and development of leadership talent. He co-founded DDI in 1970, and has worked with hundreds of the world's largest organizations relative to executive assessment, executive development, and succession management. His work on executive succession has been featured in Fortune, the Los Angeles Times, and many other leading publications. Byham is co-author of Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment, a groundbreaking book on empowerment that has sold more than 4.5 million copies since its 1988 publication. He has co-authored 18 other books, including seminal books on the assessment center method, which established the effectiveness of assessment centers as a method of executive selection and development-needs diagnosis. His best-selling business book HeroZ:Empower Yourself, Your Co-Workers, and Your Company offers step-by-step techniques for making meaningful decisions, measuring progress, and working effectively in teams.AUDREY B. SMITH, Ph.D. is consulting vice president of the Staffing and Assessment Consulting group and Executive Succession Management group at DDI. In this role, she directs the activities of consulting teams that deliver executive development and succession management consulting services and leadership assessment center technology. Her work has focused on the design, implementation, and validation of Acceleration Pool systems; selection systems, including executive team reengineering applications; development assessment; and executive coaching. She has worked with many clients throughout the world, including General Motors, Northern Telecom, BMW, PPG Industries, the U.S. Postal Service, Steelcase, Whirlpool, the United Nations, United Airlines, Toyota, and Unisys Corporation. Before joining DDI, Dr. Smith worked for Rockwell International as a training and management development specialist. MATTHEW J. PAESE, Ph.D. is manager and practice leader of DDI's Executive Development practice and is responsible for designing executive coaching, selection, development, and succession management systems that align with clients' strategic objectives. He has designed executive selection and development systems for General Motors, Steelcase, and Cisco Systems; and has consulted on executive succession throughout the pharmaceutical, health care, manufacturing, financial, and service industries. He formerly served as an internal HR consultant for the Anheuser-Busch Companies.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Communicate Better! April 19, 2000

By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Many people fail to focus on whether or not their message is received. More effective people focus on whether the message is received as they attempt to improve communications so their company can be more successful. ZAPP! also focuses on WHAT message is received. As the book shows, a perceived message can be dispiriting or empowering.

I liked the fact that the book spent as much time on explaining about bad communications as it did on good ones. That is a great way to help people improve.

The only thing I did not like about the book was that the end led into a sales pitch for consulting rather than tips for how to pursue this on your own. It seemed out of keeping in a book about empowerment. Skip the last 2 pages, and you will be left with a better taste in your mouth.

Buy, read, think about, apply, and share this book and the lessons above with your colleagues. That will help you get heart-warming results to go with the heart-warming feeling that reading this book provides. Enjoy!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent tool for leveling up the people who work for you August 27, 2006

By David C. Seeholzer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Zapp! is a book that my company uses in the management training seminars we give to employees who are taking on management responsibilities for the first time. Lessons on empowerment are told through a fictional (even science fictional) story of managers at a large company coming to understand why their organization is so disfunctional. The story, although initially pretty hokey, serves nicely as a landscape upon which to illustrate extremes of highly successful and highly unsuccessful management techniques. The people on my team who have read it have learned quite a lot and are applying the learnings regularly. It is not at all uncomon for one of them to raise a concern over some a counter-productive management incident by describing the "Sapp!" that occured. And it is rewarding to hear one of them respond to a positive and empowering interaction by smiling and simply saying "Zapp!"

I highly recommend this book for people managers and leaders who want to build a healthy business organization based upon ownership and leadership.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down February 14, 2000

By Adam F. Jewell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Written in the form of a fairy tale, this book provides situational examples of issues that greatly affect employee performance, attitude, and motivation. It's a quick easy read, one that details situations most readers have undoubtedly experienced at work. It's wacky, funny, enlightening and entertaining. Once you get zapped you'll remember just how simple empowerment and motivation can be, and have some tools to improve your organization.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, Practical, Helpful and FUN! January 18, 2006

By Jill Guntur VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This short book is really one of the best I've found for winding a manager through the dynamics that can disrupt a team. I went through an 18 month management training course and still come back to this book more often. Managers can inspire their teams or deflate their will to keep giving their best. This book uses a fictional world to illustrate how to do that.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The most fun required reading I ever did. July 9, 2000

By Nick Bensema

Format:Paperback

For our leadership class at college, this was one of the books we had to read, along with "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People." I remarked, upon receiving it, that it was quite a thin book. But it demonstrates such an economy of information that it is certainly the equal of books many times thicker.

This book illustrates good management practices with a wonderful story that I think may be as great a benefit for educators and authors as it is to managers. It employs an educational principle that I had only seen before in foreign language teaching: that wild, vibrant, creative imagery can make things easier to remember. And the more ridiculous, the more memorable. Also, it illustrates the importance of metaphors. Indeed, the Ralphalator described in the book is, in fact, a metaphor generator for interpersonal relationships. These metaphors put the reader on the same track of discovery as the characters, who find themselves with a wonderful new way to explore their options and examine the results. I'd even go as far as to say that this book could be used in high schools to explain what metaphors are, and what makes them such a strong literary element.

With that in mind, I'd really really really like to see the Ralphalator used to examine the world of dating. The third dimension is almost certainly inadequate to explain such a concept.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Zapp!: Lighting of Empowerment November 27, 1999

By Mark Lavorini

Format:Paperback

Great, super, couldn't put it down! I carried it in my car with me in case I had time between sales calls. I have used this book for the whole company, sales, store operations and office staff. It was perfect. It started a real conversation between my associates. The best thing that happened was we all saw a differnt side to what we do. This book does more for staff attitude and performance than any of those trainers/speakers ever did.

It is the perfect tool for non-profit groups. Get more done with your community service time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An allegory for leaders November 18, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book got a big build up by my prof, so it's not surprising it didn't quite measure up, thus no 5 star. You have to like allegorical illustrations, you have to have a bit of an imagination, and you should have some work experience. Don't go into this book looking for data or illustrations from life or statistics. It's a morals tale for the new business world--you may learn something from it as you would reading Aesop or Brothers Grimm, but don't look for an epic or a treatise. Good readers can finish it in under 2 hours. The hard-headed should probably not waste their time (enpowerment, bah, humbug!) The rest of you, relax and enjoy.