Customer Reviews (1)

not as comlpletely illustrated as I had hoped for
We have been searching for a guide to wildflowers specifically for New York State and this is the first such book we have found.While it does show and describe at least 350 varieties, we have found 2 wildflowers sofar on our own property that do not seem to be in this book.The colorphotos show the flowers of the plant clearly but we feel that there shouldhave been more effort to include the leaves of the plant in the photo or apencil and ink drawing of the leaf next to the photo.The writtendescription of each plant inlcudes a description, i.e. basal, etc. of theleaf and the plant growth but this is rather difficult to understand wherea photo or drawing would have been easier. ... Read more

Book Description
An essential guide for any small group that must deliver team performance.

With the demand for project-oriented work and faster, more nimble responses, successful small-group performance is more crucial than ever. Katzenbach and Smith, authors of the international bestseller The Wisdom of Teams, have again joined forces, revealing how to implement the disciplines, frameworks, tools, and techniques required for team- and small-group performance. Combining their insights and practical strategies, they offer concepts and pragmatic, doable exercises for team leaders and team members to deliver results. Hot topics covered include: why small-group performance demands expertise at two disciplines, team level and leader level, instead of one; virtual teams; and global teams. This book combines practical exercises with cutting-edge insights, and both authors are authorities on the subject.

Attend a featured author workshop at the 13th International Conference on Work Teams: Collaborating for Competitive Advantage, September 23-25, 2002, in Dallas, TX. For information, contact the Center for the Study of Work Teams at 940 565 3096 or visit them online at www.workteams.unt.edu.Download Description
An essential guide for any small group that must deliver team performance ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A very useful sequel to "wisdom of teams"
"The discipline of teams" is the sequel of "Wisdom of teams" by the same author. Wisdom of teams is considered to probably be the standard on teams, so making a sequel that's as good as wisdom, is pretty hard.

One of the key messages in the book is that a group of people will need to chose between either the team disciple or the single-leader discipline. It's not just a matter of which one is better since that depends on the type of work. Some work is better done using team disciple and some work is better done using single-leader disciple.

The first four chapters were a disappointment for me. The first chapter was talking a lot about the choice between team discipline and single-leader discipline. The second chapter was an introduction to virtual teams. The third and the fourth talked about setting goals and performance of teams and groups. I felt the book didn't really add anything to wisdom or other team literature.

Luckily things changed in the 5th chapter when the focus switched from the choice between the two disciplines to how to get the team discipline to work. Chapter 5 talked about the cross-learning that will need to happen within a team to make it work well. The sixth chapter about agreeing on a common purpose and on shared working agreements and chapter 7 talked about the hard topic of shared responsibility and individual responsibility. For me, these three chapters made the book worthwhile and a worthy sequel to Wisdom. Chapter 8 then talked again about virtual teams, chapter 9 about helping teams to get unstuck and the last chapter is about the change (as always...)

In the end, I felt the book was worth reading and a worthy sequel to Wisdom of teams. It taught me some more about teams and also gave me some tools and exercises. Worth reading.

Wisdom?
This book left me wanting more...more of the "Wisdom of Teams" the predecessor of this book.It was bland.They touched on some real world examples but not enough in my opinion.It was a quick read and felt that it could have been deeper.This book could have developed more specifics into developing single-leader or team disciplines.

Sparks great ideas!
This was a great read! 15 pages into the book I came up with a great idea for my restaurant. I continued to the read the book and within 2 days, I completed it and had written an Executive Summary for my business. Very motivational and provides tons of information. I'm glad I purchased the book.

A 'must have' for any consultant who works with teams.
I won't write a detailed review, here's what I found helpful:
- the distinction between performance and activity goals.

A re-cap of their original research into the five basic elements fo effective group work.
1. Have or develop an understandable charter.
2. Communicate and co-ordinate effectively.
3. Establish clear roles and responsibilities.
4. Create time-efficient processes.
5. Develop a sense of accountability.

Clear distinction between when a single leader 'discipline' is warranted or when a real team discipline is warranted.

Great re-cap about establishing clear outcomes.

Once the background is set-up, it becomes an issue of delving deeper into the application of their recommendations.It is great stuff!But you'll have to buy the book to 'get it'!

They do a good job in dissecting how virtual teams are different and similar to teams with co-located members.

Finally, I really like their road to getting a team 'unstuck'. Their observation that teams that become stuck revert to single-leader leadership is absolutely true.They posit that it's necessary for a good team to become stuck. As pain as it might be, you have a great opportunity to:
- clarify goals
- identify missing skills
- address attitude issues
- grapple with changing members
- address time pressures
- work on lack of discipline

The chapter on change is pretty decent, the rest of the content is golden.

I've rated this five stars as it's a must for anyone who works with teams.

Damien Faughnan

Skip the text and go to the exercises
This so-called sequel to The Wisdom of Teams is a "workbook" with exercises.It offers no new insights/guidance for readers of the 2002 paperback update of The Wisdom of Teams.

I am a fan of Katzenbach and Smith.As a business consultant, I have introduced clients to their work and worked to adapt and apply their insights.Wisdom of Teams is a great foundation.Their other books--Peak Performance and Why Pride Matters More than Money--offer useful new insights even though they are better understood if readers are familiar with The Widdom of Teams.

... Read more

Book Description
The bestselling book that explores the remarkable benefits of teams at all levels of the organization. A look at the 30 virtues of good business that have inspired success in thousands of leaders, by the man voted Boss of the Year, 1994 by the National Organization for Women. ... Read more

Book Description
The practice of modeling is best learned by those armed with fundamental methodologies and exposed to a wide variety of modeling experience. Ideally, this experience could be obtained by working on actual modeling problems. But time constraints often make this difficult. Applied Mathematical Modeling provides a collection of models illustrating the power and richness of the mathematical sciences in supplying insight into the operation of important real-world systems. It fills a gap within modeling texts, focusing on applications across a broad range of disciplines. The first part of the book discusses the general components of the modeling process and highlights the potential of modeling in practice. These chapters discuss the general components of the modeling process, and the evolutionary nature of successful model building. The second part provides a rich compendium of case studies, each one complete with examples, exercises, and projects. In keeping with the multidimensional nature of the models presented, the chapters in the second part are listed in alphabetical order by the contributor's last name. Unlike most mathematical books, in which you must master the concepts of early chapters to prepare for subsequent material, you may start with any chapter. Begin with cryptology, if that catches your fancy, or go directly to bursty traffic if that is your cup of tea. Applied Mathematical Modeling serves as a handbook of in-depth case studies that span the mathematical sciences, building upon a modest mathematical background. Readers in other applied disciplines will benefit from seeing how selected mathematical modeling philosophies and techniques can be brought to bear on problems in their disciplines. The models address actual situations studied in chemistry, physics, demography, economics, civil engineering, environmental engineering, industrial engineering, telecommunications, and other areas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb collection.
An excellent, must-have collection for all who study Norris, this collection of early work has an informative introduction.It should be read in conjunction with McElrath's _Frank Norris and 'The Wave'_.Readers would appreciate an index (there isn't one) but the book is well worth the price just as it is. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
According to the linguistic category model (Semin & Fiedler, 1988, 1991), a person's behavior can be described at varying levels of abstraction from concrete (e.g., ''Lisa slaps Ann'') to abstract (e.g., ''Lisa is aggressive''). Research has shown that language abstraction conveys information about the person whose behavior is described (Wigboldus, Semin, & Spears, 2000). However to date, little research has examined the information that language abstraction may convey about describers themselves. In this paper, we report three experiments demonstrating that describers who use relatively abstract language to describe others' behaviors are perceived to have biased attitudes and motives compared with those describers who use more concrete language. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Army Doctrine and Training Bulletin (French edition), published by Canadian Army Journal on March 22, 2003. The length of the article is 1880 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Commentaire sur l'article intitule << Rapport des caporaux >> redige par le Caporal W.C. Gomm et le Caporal R.K. Moran.(Tribune libre: commentaires, opinions et contestations)
Author: Douglas K. Loader
Publication: The Army Doctrine and Training Bulletin (French edition) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2003
Publisher: Canadian Army Journal
Volume: 6Issue: 1Page: 56

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Amazon.com
Object-oriented databases should get a big boost with the emergence of the new Object Data Management Group (ODMG) 3 standard. Written by its inventors, The Object Data Standard: ODMG 3.0 provides an up-to-the-minute reference on this important new way of working with databases through objects. Any C++, Java, or Smalltalk programmer can benefit from this compact yet very useful reference work.

With ODMG 3 you can program databases using your favorite object-oriented programming language, and objects can be saved to an underlying database transparently.

After some material on the philosophy and design principles behind ODMG, the book delivers a practical reference to important aspects of this new standard, beginning with data types and the Object Definition Language (ODL) for defining objects. One of the best parts of this text has to be its nicely comprehensive guide to types of query operations available using the Object Query Language (OQL). (The examples show you how to start exploring the capabilities of OQL, with samples that use a hypothetical college course registration database.)

The most immediately useful chapters here look at the bindings for C++, Smalltalk, and Java in ODMG 3. Each section lists the data types, database operations, and collection classes in each language used to communicate with object databases. (Working programmers should be able to use these chapters as a reference once ODMG 3 support arrives in actual products.) Overall, this text provides a necessary source of vital information on the latest in programming strategies for object-oriented databases. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Object Data Management Group (ODMG) 3 standard for object-oriented databases, history of ODMG specifications, object model, types, literals, properties, operations, metadata, locking, transactions, database operations, Object Definition Language (ODL), Object Interchange Format (OIF), Object Query Language (OQL), polymorphism, query tips and syntax, C++, Smalltalk and Java bindings for ODMG, ODMG 3 vs. OMG Object Model, formal syntax with EBNF notation, and sample ODMG code.Book Description

This isn't a book about the Object Data Standard; it's the complete,
fully authoritative version of the standard itself, presented by the
researchers who developed it.This book provides all the details
comprising ODMG 3.0, making the latest version of the specification
the most mature and most flexible yet.

When it comes to storing objects in databases, ODMG 3.0 is a
standard with which you need to be familiar-whether you design,
develop, or implement object database products, object-to-relational
database mapping products, or applications based on these products.

* Presents authoritative, completely up-to-date information not available anywhere else.
* Documents all the changes found in version 3.0, including enhancements to the Java language binding, greater semantic precision, and various improvements and corrections throughout the standard.
* Pays special attention to the broadening of the standard to support recent developments in object-to-database mappings (ODMs) that allow objects to be stored in relational databases.
* Provides a way to write Java, C++, or Smalltalk code that works with the entire spectrum of database products, while taking full advantage of your organization's preferred platform.
* Continues to cover everything retained from version 2.0, including key details relating to C++, Smalltalk, and Object Query Language.
* Establishes a level of stability for this increasingly important specification. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A valuable resource
A well-written, concise reference covering a diverse range of topics that will be of interest to all who know the frustration of cramming complex OO systems into relational tables.

From a complete design pattern for Object and Object Relational database systems, to design patterns for declarative language symantics; from C++ and Java to SmallTalk bindings; from BNF grammars to compiler models; the book proved invaluable at overcoming the myriad problems presented to the developer implementing an object-relational DMBS.

As a direct result of this reference work I have implemented ORDBMS systems in Java and (can you believe it) JavaScript. The JavaScript implementation provides a complete persistence layer for JavaScript objects running in an ASP environment.

As a result, systems with complex data relationships that would curl the hair on a relational database programmer's head have been implemented simply and with the minimum development time.

I await with anticipation emergence of the JDO from the work of the ODMG. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Supposed 'Next' Travis McGee
I have read Clayton Douglas' monthly news magazine, The Free American, and I enjoy it very much. Mr. Douglas is a good writer. However, I can't say Ilike his book. It's about a guy whose name was originally Trevor Hamilton,but he changes it to Trevor McGee(sound familiar). It's quite obvious fromreading The Free American magazine and webpage that Mr. Douglas is a bigfan of John D. MacDonald, but in my humble opinion his character is arip-off of Travis McGee. Just the similiarity in names tells you that. BothTrevor and Travis live on a boat in Floirda, and both embrace their beleifspassionately. Not to mention that "One Bloody Alabaster Eye"sounds alot like the Travis McGee title "One Fearful Yellow Eye".But the two also differ. They are like exact opposites. Travis clings totraditional morals and values no matter how modern the world gets. Trevoris more of a hippy. He smokes pot whenever he can get away with it, andsleeps with any woman he can get his hands onto. Not to mention that Travisis a private eye, and Trevor really doesn't have a job(he gave up hisreal-estate career). Mr. Douglas is a good writer when it comes to newsarticles but as a novelist, he kind of lacks. ... Read more

Book Description
Some of the most significant figures in evangelical theology explore the traditional view of the doctrine of salvation and its impact on evangelism in this age. Beginning with the doctrine of God as the author of salvation, pressing issues such as the exclusivity of the gospel and modern evangelism strategies, are examined. It's a forceful, clear presentation of how to stay true to biblical doctrines and faithful to the Great Commission in postmodern times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Evangelicals Who Believe In Calvinism!!!!!!!!!!
Given the present theological dynamics surrounding queries into the natureof God and human destiny, it saddens me to encounter Christian thinkers whoare determined (no pun intended)to retreat into the fetid bowels of atired, stale Reformed Weltanschauung instead of bravely engaging thechallenges presented to dogmatics and hermeneutics as we approach the newcentury. What is lacking in these essays is the belief in a personal deitywho can transcend our expectations (cf. Deut. 23 and Isaiah 56) - even ourexpectations regarding the extent of God's saving activity - and whosemercy can defeat our most entrenched theological prognostications!Viva lagrace!

Evangelicals Who Believe in God!
Edited by a long-respected OT theologian and a rising-star young theologian, this volume is a welcome tool for pastors and laypersons perplexed by the growing horde of "evangelicals" seeking toredefine the doctrines of God and salvation. The contributors (Carl Henry,R. Albert Mohler, D. A. Carson, et al) are unabashed in their commitment toa biblically-robust classical evangelical theology. Thornbury's concludingarticle contributes much to this discussion by joining his critique of"post-conservative" evangelicalism with a self-critical analysisof the theological reductionism found in some sectors of traditionalistevangelicalism. The shelf of every evangelical pastor and church leadershould make room for this volume. ... Read more

Book Description
In Plants and the K-T Boundary, two of the world's leading experts in palynology and paleobotany provide a comprehensive account of the fate of land plants during the 'great extinction' about 65 million years ago. They describe how the time boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene Periods (the K-T boundary) is recognized in the geological record, and how fossil plants can be used to understand global events of that time. There are case studies from over 100 localities around the world, including North America, China, Russia and New Zealand. The book concludes with an evaluation of possible causes of the K-T boundary event and its effects on floras of the past and present. This book is written for researchers and students in paleontology, botany, geology and Earth history, and everyone who has been following the course of the extinction debate and the K-T boundary paradigm shift. ... Read more