Book review: Dave and Wendy Ulrich – The Why of Work

Dave Ulrich is, without question, an HR guru: as with any guru, it’s difficult to know whether to approach them on bended knee or with a degree of trepidation. Having read “The Why of Work”, the best approach is with an open mind, a small pinch of salt – and with sufficient time to take on board what Ulrich (writing with his wife, Wendy, a psychologist) has to say. There is much of immense value here, and much that has the potential to enable leaders and organisations to generate immense value in more than one sense for themselves (and, importantly, both their customers and their shareholders). Like many of the best books in the ‘how to manage business better’ arena, my biggest qualm is that those who stand to gain most from reading it are those least likely to read it.

 

Leadership and Ethics- Myth or Reality?

[This post is a guest contribution by ASK Associate, Barbara Hocking. You can read Barbara’s biography on our Guests page, which also provides a link to her Personal Learning Profile.]

Is the time for ethical leadership really here? Has the global economic climate created conditions for a radical rethink in the way we do business? Will we see a different set of values being pursued by those in positions of influence in the major corporations around the world? Business schools across the globe are certainly questioning how they should be developing leaders of the future in the light of criticism from many quarters following the worldwide economic crisis.