In 1998 and in conjunction with AFS Consulting, we completed our first electronic Organizational Effectiveness Survey. It involved both facilitated focus groups and a written survey. We purchased software that allows us to customize 360 degree feedback surveys, employee climate surveys and customer satisfaction questionnaires for respondents from 5 to 500. Here is a wonderful site that will answer your questions about surveys: http://www.expertss.com


What book do you recommend when someone asks you for the name of a good non fiction book? Well here are what others seem to think are worth reading:

  # of Votes

Title

Author

1

17

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey

2

9

The Fifth Discipline

Peter Senge

3

9

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman

4

7

The Holy Bible

 
5 5

Built to Last

James Collins and Jerry Porras

6 5

First Things First

Stephen R. Covey

7 5

The Celestine Prophesy

James Redfield

8 5

The Road Less Traveled

M. Scott Peck

9 4

Man's Search For Meaning

Victor Frankyl

10 4

Transitions: Making the most out of life's changes

William Bridges

11 4

Leadership and the New Science

Margaret Wheatley

12 3

A Return to Love

Marianne Williamson

13 3

Seeing Systems

Barry Oshry

14

3

Margin

Richard A. Swensen

15 3

Productive Workplaces

Marvin Weisbord

16 3

Stewardship

Peter Block

17

3

Learned Optimism Martin Seilgman
18 3

Type Talk

Otto Kroeger and Janet Theusen

19 3

Your Money or Your Life

Joe Dominguez

20

3

The Artist's Way Julie Cameron


Statistics:

In 1991, the Library of Congress surveyed more than 2,000 readers and crafted a list that it grandly called "25 books that have shaped readers' lives." The list included many of the usual suspects: The Bible, of course. "Don Quixote." "The Catcher in the Rye." But there at the bottom, lodged alphabetically between "War and Peace" and "The Wizard of Oz," was a business book -- the only such book on the list, and the only volume, fiction or nonfiction, whose title poses a question: "What Color Is Your Parachute?" It wasn't mentioned once by our participants even though a large contingency were professional coaches.

Roberta read somewhere else that 70% of Americans never read another non fiction book after finishing their formal education. We don't know if this is a fact or fiction but the response to our survey has been encouraging. About 25% of those we solicited responded.

The survey ran from the first of August 1999 through the month and into the first week of September. Our thanks to those who participated.

The Participants:

118 individuals participated in our survey and made recommendations for 217 different books. Three quarters of the participants submitted their responses via our e-mail request. Consequently, about two thirds of the respondents come from a background or interest in Organizational Development, Managing Change, Coaching, the MBTI and the Enneagram. Perhaps that is why The Fifth Discipline showed up as the number two book that had an impact on individuals.

The Authors:

At least three different books of the following authors were mentioned: Deepak Chopra, Peter Block, Stephen R. Covey and M. Scott Peck. In total, they garnered 43 of the 321 votes or 13%.

Roberta would like to send thanks to the following three friends: Dorothy - otherwise Peter Drucker would not have been mentioned. Carol - otherwise Warren Bennis would not have been mentioned. Keith - otherwise Charles Handy would not have been mentioned. Doug - otherwise Geoffrey Bellman would not have been mentioned. (Well actually, Handy's The Age of Unreason and Bellman's The Consultants Calling were two of my four. Yes I decided to pick four.)

Only one of my choices was not recommended by someone else. It is James Gleick's CHAOS - Making a New Science. Although published in 1988, I read it in early 1990 or 1991. It took me forever to get through it and what a sense of accomplishment when I finished. It really helped me when I read the excellent book on our list: Leadership and the New Science by Margaret Wheatley.

Gleick has a new book out that looks very interesting. You can read Chapter One of FASTER by clicking to get to Dateline's web site.


Notice:
If you would like more information or a copy of the excel spreadsheet with the results, please e-mail us at:


survey@wghill.com

 

 
     

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