Business School book series a must for summer reading lists

EDITORS: If interested in obtaining copies of the books, contact the U-M Business School Communications Office, (734) 936-2150.

ANN ARBOR—Books offering solutions to business problems may not be high on everyone’s summer reading lists, but for those in the world of business, a new book series offered by the University of Michigan Business School is a must for seasonal light reading.

“The University of Michigan Business School Management Series: Innovative Solutions to the Pressing Problems of Business” is a series of short books written by U-M Business School faculty that provides practical solutions to universal business problems—from effective networking, hiring good people and getting high-performance results to creating sound compensation plans, increasing customer satisfaction and improving the bottom-line.

Topics for the series were developed from a multi-year survey that asked participants in the U-M Business School’s Executive Education Program about their most critical business issues. The thousands of responses yielded 45 basic problems, each of which will eventually be the topic of a book in the series.

“The series provides concepts and tools for people who seek to make a significant difference in their organizations,” says Robert E. Quinn, U-M professor of organizational behavior and human resource management. “The books draw on the research and experience of the U-M Business School faculty. Reading them is like enrolling in an executive education course—without the time and cost commitments associated with taking an on-campus class.”

Published by Jossey-Bass, the series’ first nine books are now available. The two most recent books, “A Company of Leaders: Five Disciplines for Unleashing the Power in Your Workforce” by Gretchen M. Spreitzer and Quinn and “Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity” by Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe, were released this month.

Other books in the series include:

“Becoming a Better Value Creator: How to Improve the Company’s Bottom Line—and Your Own” by Anjan Y. Thakor.

“Achieving Success through Social Capital: Tapping the Hidden Resources in Your Personal and Business Networks” by Wayne E. Baker.

“Improving Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Profit: An Integrated Measurement and Management System” by Michael D. Johnson and Anders Gustafsson.

“Strategic Interviewing: How to Hire Good People” by Richaurd Camp, Mary Vielhaber and Jack L. Simonetti.

“The Compensation Solution: How to Develop an Employee-Driven Rewards System” by John E. Tropman.

“Getting Results: Five Absolutes for High Performance” by Clint Longenecker and Jack L. Simonetti.

“Creating the Multicultural Organization: A Strategy for Capturing the Power of Diversity” by Taylor Cox.

Business SchoolExecutive Education ProgramRobert E. QuinnJossey-BassBecoming a Better Value Creator: How to Improve the Company’s Bottom Line—and Your OwnAchieving Success through Social Capital: Tapping the Hidden Resources in Your Personal and Business NetworksImproving Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Profit: An Integrated Measurement and Management System