Recommended Resources Introduction

Posts in this category highlight the many print, audio, video, webcast, and seminar resources that have significantly contributed to the successful business planning and execution activities of StrategyDriven contributors. We highlight the topics covered by each resource and why we believe the benefits will outweigh your time investment.

Please note that whenever possible, a link is provided to expedite access of the recommended materials. In some cases, the providers require registering with their site. In other instances, the product link is directed to Amazon.com where the item can be purchased. StrategyDriven does receive a nominal contribution for products purchased from Amazon.com via our link which we then applied to our web hosting costs.

Essentials of Strategic Management

Essentials of Strategic Management (4th Edition)
by J. David Hunger and Thomas L. Wheelen

About the Reference

The Essentials of Strategic Management (4th Edition) by J. David Hunger and Thomas L. Wheelen focuses on the founding principles and methods employed in both strategic planning and execution. Topics include strategy formulation, implementation, and control.

Benefits of Using this Reference

StrategyDriven contributors like this reference because its presentation is concise and direct while at the same time providing the detail needed to give the reader a fundamental understanding of strategic planning and execution. This book provides a full array of easy to follow tools and instructions that are ready for use by organizations of any size.

Bringing Out the Best in People

Bringing Out the Best in People
by Aubrey C. Daniels

About the Reference

Bringing Out the Best in People by Aubrey C. Daniels illustrates how executives and managers can motivate their workforce to goal achievement through a system of positive reinforcement. Dr. Daniels’s process shapes worker behaviors by identifying an individual’s recognition and reward reinforcers, establishing a fair performance monitoring system, and providing effective, continuous feedback.

Benefits of Using this Reference

An organization only becomes truly StrategyDriven when all of its members share a common vision, maintain focus on that vision, and continuously exhibit a commitment to successfully achieving the vision. StrategyDriven contributors like Bringing Out the Best in People because it provides a very direct means of gaining and maintaining employee commitment to the organization’s goals. The system of positive reinforcement presented by Dr. Daniels is powerful because it is readily actionable. Many of the best practice recommendations found on the StrategyDriven website compliment the programs prescribed in Bringing Out the Best in People; making this book a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Good to Great

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
by Jim Collins

and

Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
by Jim Collins

About the Reference

Written by Jim Collins, co-author of Built to Last, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t identifies the common qualities of companies that have been able to make the lasting transition from average corporate performer to industry standout. In Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great, Jim Collins shares his insights to the corollary behaviors of social sector organizations that have achieved superior performance.

Benefits of Using this Reference

StrategyDriven contributors like Good to Great not only for its revealing and sometimes surprising findings but because these findings are based on hard data and direct interviews from both the good to great and comparison companies. We found the insights presented in Good to Great and the Social Sectors highly valuable in translating the for-profit company findings of the original text to the behaviors and programs supporting great government and not-for-profit company operations. Many of the best practice recommendations found on the StrategyDriven website exemplify behaviors and practices of companies seeking to move from good to great as described by these books.

Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes

Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes
by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton

About the Reference

Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton reveals how an organization can link performance measures covering the areas of operations, customer relationships, innovation, and regulatory and social processes to its mission and then leverage these ’strategy maps’ to drive performance improvements.

Benefits of Using this Reference

StrategyDriven contributors like this reference because it illustrates how an integrated performance measurement system can be leveraged to drive organizational performance toward desired outcomes. This book is thorough in its discussions and provides the visual aids needed to make the concepts real to the reader.

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