Book reviews 305

make this book useful for two applications. First, it would be a good text for a business or 1/0 psychology course that thoroughly covers job analysis. Presented here is a good description of one approach, with enough detail to give the student a thorough understanding in how it is conducted. Second, this book would be a good reference to professionals who might wish to use the WPSS method and who might wish to use the WPSS programs. Part One of the book would be most useful for the first purpose and Part Two for the second.

There is one danger with this book. It may give the impression that it can stand alone as a guide to conducting job analysis. While the explanation of job analysis is thorough and detailed, it is doubtful that someone without considerable relevant experience or training would be very successful at such a massive endeavour. An experienced job analyst could apply WPSS with only this guide but there are too many pitfalls and nonobvious problems for the uninitiated. This book would be invaluable to individuals who participate in conduct- ing one of these analyses, but under direction of an expert to review all steps of the proce- dure and give feedback. For example, it is difficult to train somebody in interviewing through a manual alone. Interviewers may think they are doing it right when they are making serious errors. While the information in the book may be thorough, using it alone to conduct a job analysis is another story.

Despite its general title,Job Analysis is not a general text about job analysis. It has little to say about techniques other than the WPSSS, although many of the procedures and sugges- tions do apply to other methods. Overall, this book serves as a good and thorough guide to WPSS job analysis and the WPSS programs. There is enough detail here for an experienced job analyst to apply this method and it would be a good text for a course in job analysis, giving the details of one particular method, the Work Performance Survey System.

PAUL E. SPECTOR Departmen1 of Psychology, University of South Florida, U.S.A.

THE HUMAN SIDE OF ORGANISATIONS, Stan Kossen, Harper and Row, 1983. No. of pages: xxi + 568. Price: f13.95.

This is a text book which is written with the American Community College clearly in sight as its target readership. It seems to be constructed primarily to be the basis of a taught course. Each of the eighteen chapters has the same format:

A statement of learning goals 0 A discussion of the issues and the evidence

A summary Further reading (a very parochial list) Applications (case studies) Questions to answer in revising the chapter content

It covers the normal range of topics in what is now generally referred to as Organizational Behaviour. The overall structure of the book is idiosyncratic, though relatively easy to take an overview of, with its four main parts. The first covers the individual, followed by a section on leadership. The third part is titled ‘Organisational Constraints’ and focuses on some very specific issues including unions, problems of minority groups and alcohol and drug abuse. The final part tackles the notions of change, enrichment and societal responsibilities. The examples, the humour, the style and the construction are clearly American.

It is difficult to see who the intended audience for this book would be in Europe. It is too repetitive, shallow and lacking in reference to substantial further work for the serious stu- dent of organizations. It is probably too long, and culturally inappropriate for the manager or intending manager who wants a glimpse into the knowledge and theory base of human behaviour in organizations. It may find its place on more general courses on Human Resource Management, in the hands of the relatively inexpert teacher who is seeking a teaching framework, with well prepared goals, content and revision prompts.

306 Book reviews

On the positive side, this book brings together a wide range of material, in a simple way, for the non-specialist. It is well constructed, easy to find one’s way around and thus quick to use as a reference text. If it is used as a course base, it is an excellent preparation for examinations with the well organized internal structure of the chapters.

On the down side, it peddles information in a prescriptive fashion, with little attempt to induce the reader into conceptual understanding, or further questioning. Its length and modest conceptual depth make it difficult for the reader’s interest to be sustained. It is condescending, except to the students who see themselves as a blank page to be written on by the expert.

JOHN DUNN Rohrer, Hibler & Replogle, Inc.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PERIODICALS ON THE QUALITY OF WORKING LIFE, International Labour Office, Geneva, 1983. NO. of pages: 188. Price: 15 Swiss francs.

This bibliography is a review of journals published in the field of the quality of working life throughout the world. It includes not only academically-based journals, but also information abstracts, regular international reports, monthly reviews and news bulletins from trade union organizations.

It is a very useful document for people who are trying to collect information within countries or between countries in the area of QWL. Of course, the overwhelming number of periodicals are from the English speaking countries, but there is also a very good selection of journals from the developing and other developed countries as well.

Unfortunately, there are only two documents from Eastern Europe, one from the USSR (Ekonomika I Organizatsiya Promyshlennogo Proizvodstva) and the other from Czechoslovakia (World Trade Union Movement).

CARY L. COOPER University of Manchester

Institute of Science and Technology

MANAGING ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE, Michael Nash, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1983. No. of pages: xviii + 362. Price: f16.00

This book presents an approach to establish, implement, and achieve the goals of the organization through planning, measuring, and controlling organizational performance. The purpose of the book is to offer advice on how to get everyone in the organization working to achieve organizational goals. The author’s thesis is that successful organizations adopt an integrated approach to managing performance by translating the mission of the organization into goals, unit objectives, and individual efforts. In short, corporate performance is written basically for ‘thinking’ managers, with some attraction for corporate specialists and some appeal to faculty and students of business management.

Although advocating a participative approach to managing performance, the framework adopted by the author is essentially hierarchical. Top management decides on the mission of the organization and then everyone is encouraged to contribute to its realization. In keeping with the top-down philosophy the book is divided into three parts: Part I deals with strategic business planning (Chapter l), organizational image (Chapter 2) and climate (Chapter 3), together with measuring performance in business firms (Chapters 4 and 5) and non-profit