Management of Organizational Behavior (9th Edition)

Used by more than a million people throughout the world, this highly readable book provides a comprehensive examination of the applied behavioral sciences, and focuses on fundamental ideas which have stood the test of years of application in academic, business, not-for-profit and administrative environments. Complete coverage of motivation and behavior, situational leadership, building effective relationships, planning and implementing change, leadership strategies, the organizational cone and integrating situational leadership with the Classics. For individuals interested in expanding their knowledge of, and proficiency in leadership strategies.

Sure, the price seems like a lot of cash to shell out at first. But trust me, it is worth it. I had to read it for a Management class, and it started of like a typical OB text, illustrating the history of management studies (Taylor to Maslow to Mayo to Likert to ...). Good stuff, but pretty dull. Then, Hersey et al went where most scholars, even the supposedly worldly MBA types, fear to tread: real-world application!

The text covers all of the material covered Blanchard's "One Minute Manager," "Putting the One Minute Manager to Work," and a shelf load of other books. It also does a great job introducing Blanchard and Hersey's Situational Leadership, where the manager matches leadership behavior to a report's ability level and motivation. This replaces "Leadership and the One Minute Manager," and delves much deeper into the topic.

Hersey et al also cover:
- Behavioral shaping, and positive and negative reinforcement quite nicely
- Communications skills necessary to lead reports
- Power building, and using effective power bases ...
- The list literally goes on and on.

I use the concepts I was first exposed to here day in and day out. They work. My OB professor told us that, if he would be limited to just one book on management, he would choose this one. And, five years later, I agree. I am very glad that I did not sell this book back to the campus bookstore. I consult the book at least once a week while pondering both thorny and maundane problems with my employees.

You see, Dr. Davis? Some of us do listen.


Organized!   December 28, 2001
Brian Minton (Acworth, GA USA)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

I was first introduced to Situational Leadership in the military quite a few years ago. This book did a great job of dusting off the cobwebs in the memory and proving that Situational Leadership is still a viable means of leading your people.

The book provides an overview of various management and human behavior theories, such as Maslow, Herzberg, Schein, Argyris, and McGregor. Then, fits them into a nice model deemed Situational Leadership. I must say that I've read the majority of the theories already and they do fit. Plus, if followed, the model is very effective in helping a leader in real world situations.

If you buy this book, you receive a host of valuable information. I think, besides involving you with the Situational Leadership model, the best attributes are the extensive lists of additional reading that are provided to you at the end of each chapter, and at the end of the book. If you're on a journey to better yourself as a manager and leader, the exhaustive list is well worth the price of the book. It saves you from buying the duds and "fadish" management/leadership books on-line without the ability to have them in your hands prior to purchase. Plus, the book gives you a good preview to the information contained in a book before you buy it.

All in all, if you're going to invest some time and money in a management/leadership book, definitely buy this book. You need to know this information and have it at your fingertips if you're going to survive in the organizational human behavior world as a leader.


All about Leadership!!! Must read!   June 12, 2003
David J. Richards (Winston-Salem, NC USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book is one of my favorites! It leads you first through a complete review of management and leadership theories, then introduces the authors' famous SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP model and theory. This book goes into great depth about the sit-lead model and theory, and is a great read. Want to be a better leader??? Read the book by the experts! ...


Call this book the Management Bible   September 19, 2007
K. Mark Nissley (Pensacola, FL)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Ken Blanchard went on to become the management guru of the 90s, writing countless books that can be found right here on Amazon. However, this text book is where is all began. I call it a text book because it is. This text has been used and is still used in management schools around the nation. Written with Hersey and Johnson, this book is the definitive foundation text on how to manage organizational behavior as it pertains to managing people. Following are a couple key points:

1) Diagnosis: It is a manager's job to modify their management style to employee needs. Evaluting employee needs and corresponding management styles can be easily done using Situational Leadership tools (found in book).

2) Intervention: Performance can be managed using the fundamental postive reinforcement psychology. Further, by consciously indentifying needs, performance can be improved more rapidly.

3) Evaluation: If behavioral change does not occur, the individual may not be in the right role.

This sounds dry and obvious by today's standards, but it wasn't when the first edition of this book was published (1980s). Further, most modern organiztional and management theory is based on this book. There is still gold to dig from its pages.






A 'must have' for all leaders.   June 17, 2006
AAJ de Graaf (Tilburg, Netherlands)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

If you take your job as a business leader seriously, this book is a 'must have'. As a business coach I use it in my practice with great success. For leaders (and managers who think they are leaders) and their teams it's an eye-opener. It gives insight in what it takes to turn a good team into a great team, and what great leadership is all about. If you want to be more effective as a leader and take your team to the highest level of readiness, read this book. It will change your life....and of those you lead.