Affiliation in the Workplace : Value Creation in the New Organization

Rating:
Summary: Better than the title
Review: A friend saw this book, Affiliation in the Workplace, on my desk, and commented to me, "That's not the kind of book I would expect you to be reading." That's true. The title conjures up a variety of visions. However, the book is not an irrelevant academic treatise, it isn't about dating people at work, and it isn't advocating a blind faith proposition that treating employees well will result in wonderful benefits for an organization. The secondary title, Value Creation in the New Organization, comes closer to expressing the focus of the book for me: Thoughtful approaches for strategizing and then maximizing the impact of people. In short, Elsdon makes a business case for the value of developing and retaining people.

The book is targeted to leaders and senior HR strategists. You don't need to go to Chapter Six which is chock full of calculus and models to realize this is something different. Also, there are no overly simplistic answers provided, no silver bullets that any organization can employ. Elsdon clearly points out that many variables determine what solution is best, such as the type of business (people or capital intensive), the life stage of the organization (Early Growth or Maturity), etc. He tells you which approaches may be most appropriate, given the characteristics of your organization and workforce.

Basically, the book suggests that organizations choose wisely when defining the relationship that they want to have with their employees. He points out that in many cases we are paying a large price for the "free agent" mentality that has been fueled by many recent organization practices, such as downsizing. However, we cannot in most cases go back to traditional, paternalistic relationships either. He argues for an energetic, inspiring work environment coupled with employee participation and strong support for focused employee development. This will in turn result in the broad-based creative and intellectual contributions that are required from employees today together with organization commitment and increased employee retention. It will help create what he describes as a "highly efficient internal job market."

This really is an interesting book, and you can "get through it" relatively quickly. I recommend it to anyone charged with making the most of an organization's human resources.

Rating:
Summary: Better than the title
Review: A friend saw this book, Affiliation in the Workplace, on my desk, and commented to me, "That's not the kind of book I would expect you to be reading." That's true. The title conjures up a variety of visions. However, the book is not an irrelevant academic treatise, it isn't about dating people at work, and it isn't advocating a blind faith proposition that treating employees well will result in wonderful benefits for an organization. The secondary title, Value Creation in the New Organization, comes closer to expressing the focus of the book for me: Thoughtful approaches for strategizing and then maximizing the impact of people. In short, Elsdon makes a business case for the value of developing and retaining people.

The book is targeted to leaders and senior HR strategists. You don't need to go to Chapter Six which is chock full of calculus and models to realize this is something different. Also, there are no overly simplistic answers provided, no silver bullets that any organization can employ. Elsdon clearly points out that many variables determine what solution is best, such as the type of business (people or capital intensive), the life stage of the organization (Early Growth or Maturity), etc. He tells you which approaches may be most appropriate, given the characteristics of your organization and workforce.

Basically, the book suggests that organizations choose wisely when defining the relationship that they want to have with their employees. He points out that in many cases we are paying a large price for the "free agent" mentality that has been fueled by many recent organization practices, such as downsizing. However, we cannot in most cases go back to traditional, paternalistic relationships either. He argues for an energetic, inspiring work environment coupled with employee participation and strong support for focused employee development. This will in turn result in the broad-based creative and intellectual contributions that are required from employees today together with organization commitment and increased employee retention. It will help create what he describes as a "highly efficient internal job market."

This really is an interesting book, and you can "get through it" relatively quickly. I recommend it to anyone charged with making the most of an organization's human resources.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Leaders of Organizations
Review: Leaders of successful organizations in the next century will need to understand and implement the priciples contained in this outstanding book.

The author sets forth concepts that challenge current thinking about how to lead successful and competitive organizations. But he does much more. What makes this a significant work is clear-cut demonstration of value. Implementation of these concepts will become increasingly important as baby boomers retire in the next few years; organizations that learn how to build workforce affiliation will attract and retain human assets and will be more successful.

Dr. Ron Elsdon has already been awarded the Human Resource Planning Society's Walker Prize for advancing state-of-the-art thinking in human resources. This book clearly advances thinking about how to be successful in leading organizations in the next century.