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#Workout: Games, Tools & Practices to Engage People, Improve Work, and Delight Clients
This book is out-of-print. It is rereleased as Managing for Happiness in June 2016 by John Wiley & Sons.
"Can our organization be a little bit more like Pixar, Spotify, Netflix, Zappos, Virgin, Valve or IDEO? Is there something I can do to get a better company culture? Better collaboration? Better management?"
The book #Workout offers concrete games, tools, and practices for all workers so they can introduce better management, with fewer managers. It addresses many common questions, such as:
- How can we measure team performance?
- How can we decide on salaries and bonuses?
- How can we define job titles and career paths?
- How can we replace performance appraisals?
- How can we motivate our workers?
- How can we change the organization’s culture?
In modern organizations, people are expected to be “servant leaders” and “systems thinkers”, but nobody explains exactly how to do this on a Monday morning. “Empowering workers” and “delighting customers” is crucial, but it’s not concrete. Managers, and everyone else, need to know “how” because most organizational problems are management problems.
Management is too important to leave to the managers!
This book offers you:
- Serious games to help improve organizational culture
- Simple practices that increase employee engagement
- Creative stories that inspire teamwork and collaboration
- New ways to achieve team accountablity and responsibility
- Easy workout exercises to make the business more agile
- Modern tools that enable people to enjoy a happy Monday
When you implement the games, tools, and practices in this book, you can move the organization toward better management with fewer managers.
"Jurgen's book is practical and fun, but most of all, it's subversive. If you care enough to get started, you'll discover that these tools will transform everything about your organization."
- SETH GODIN, author of The Icarus Deception
"Brilliant, counter-intuitive, and creative approach to management. Very insightful and humanistic. Highly recommended!"
- DEREK SIVERS, Founder of CD Baby, TED speaker, author of Anything You Want
"In our always-on, real-time world, the nature of work has changed, potentially for the better. While people can be more autonomous and more productive, they can also self-destruct easier. Jurgen tackles these important changes in his fun and interesting book."
- DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR
"Engage people, improve work, and delight clients: these are the tenets of this amazing book, which will show you how to transform the entire layer of management in your organization into a wellspring creativity, productivity, and engagement. Excellent!"
- MARSHALL GOLDSMITH, a Thinkers 50, Top Ten Global Business Thinker and top-ranked Executive Coach
"Today all managers are marketers. You need to sell your ideas, your plans, and your solutions. Management 3.0 #Workout sets you on a path to success in a world where we are each responsible for managing our own career and our own contribution to the world."
- PENELOPE TRUNK, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
"Want to know what the next stage of management may look like? Do yourself a favor and take a look at Management 3.0 #Workout by Jurgen Appelo. Chock full of management nuggets as well as exercises and activities, Management 3.0 #Workout provides insights into how to engage the next generation workforce.
"Can our organization be a little bit more like Pixar, Spotify, Netflix, Zappos, Virgin, Valve or IDEO? Is there something I can do to get a better company culture? Better collaboration? Better management?"
The book #Workout offers concrete games, tools, and practices for all workers so they can introduce better management, with fewer managers. It addresses many common questions, such as:
- How can we measure team performance?
- How can we decide on salaries and bonuses?
- How can we define job titles and career paths?
- How can we replace performance appraisals?
- How can we motivate our workers?
- How can we change the organization’s culture?
In modern organizations, people are expected to be “servant leaders” and “systems thinkers”, but nobody explains exactly how to do this on a Monday morning. “Empowering workers” and “delighting customers” is crucial, but it’s not concrete. Managers, and everyone else, need to know “how” because most organizational problems are management problems.
Management is too important to leave to the managers!
This book offers you:
- Serious games to help improve organizational culture
- Simple practices that increase employee engagement
- Creative stories that inspire teamwork and collaboration
- New ways to achieve team accountablity and responsibility
- Easy workout exercises to make the business more agile
- Modern tools that enable people to enjoy a happy Monday
When you implement the games, tools, and practices in this book, you can move the organization toward better management with fewer managers.
"Jurgen's book is practical and fun, but most of all, it's subversive. If you care enough to get started, you'll discover that these tools will transform everything about your organization."
- SETH GODIN, author of The Icarus Deception
"Brilliant, counter-intuitive, and creative approach to management. Very insightful and humanistic. Highly recommended!"
- DEREK SIVERS, Founder of CD Baby, TED speaker, author of Anything You Want
"In our always-on, real-time world, the nature of work has changed, potentially for the better. While people can be more autonomous and more productive, they can also self-destruct easier. Jurgen tackles these important changes in his fun and interesting book."
- DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR
"Engage people, improve work, and delight clients: these are the tenets of this amazing book, which will show you how to transform the entire layer of management in your organization into a wellspring creativity, productivity, and engagement. Excellent!"
- MARSHALL GOLDSMITH, a Thinkers 50, Top Ten Global Business Thinker and top-ranked Executive Coach
"Today all managers are marketers. You need to sell your ideas, your plans, and your solutions. Management 3.0 #Workout sets you on a path to success in a world where we are each responsible for managing our own career and our own contribution to the world."
- PENELOPE TRUNK, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
"Want to know what the next stage of management may look like? Do yourself a favor and take a look at Management 3.0 #Workout by Jurgen Appelo. Chock full of management nuggets as well as exercises and activities, Management 3.0 #Workout provides insights into how to engage the next generation workforce.
505 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2014
68 people are currently reading
1178 people want to read
About the author
Jurgen Appelo
9 books963 followersRedesigning the future of work—no hype, no hierarchies, no hegemonies. Aiming for open systems, responsible autonomy, and decentralized power.
Jurgen Appelo is a radical synthesist, resolute unfixer, and unabashed rule-breaker. He not only brings together diverse perspectives in organization design and development—he tears them apart and rebuilds them for the Age of AI, without permission.
As an author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Jurgen helps leaders stop managing like it's 2001 and start rewiring their organizations for AI-driven leadership, autonomous digital agents, and algorithmic management. Through stories, games, tools, and practices, he shatters conventional thinking and gets his audience to experiment with human-AI teamwork, anti-fragile structures, and the unpredictable nature of customer and employee experience.
Inc.com recognized him as a Top 50 Leadership Expert and Top 100 Leadership Speaker, but he's most interested in redrawing the boundaries between opposing worldviews: human ingenuity and artificial intelligence, inspiring leadership versus strong governance, organizational stability with relentless innovation, and individual growth fuelling collective success.
His books tackle everything from the role of agile managers (Management 3.0) to change and transformation (How to Change the World), and from employee engagement (Managing for Happiness) to innovation and intrapreneurship (Startup, Scaleup, Screwup). Even his novel Glitches of Gods explores the chaos of human-machine interactions. His latest work, Human Robot Agent, plunges into the AI-powered future of leadership and algorithmic management.
As founder of The unFIX Company (and previously founder of Management 3.0 and co-founder of the Agile Lean Europe network), Jurgen keeps pioneering the future of work.
Jurgen Appelo is a radical synthesist, resolute unfixer, and unabashed rule-breaker. He not only brings together diverse perspectives in organization design and development—he tears them apart and rebuilds them for the Age of AI, without permission.
As an author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Jurgen helps leaders stop managing like it's 2001 and start rewiring their organizations for AI-driven leadership, autonomous digital agents, and algorithmic management. Through stories, games, tools, and practices, he shatters conventional thinking and gets his audience to experiment with human-AI teamwork, anti-fragile structures, and the unpredictable nature of customer and employee experience.
Inc.com recognized him as a Top 50 Leadership Expert and Top 100 Leadership Speaker, but he's most interested in redrawing the boundaries between opposing worldviews: human ingenuity and artificial intelligence, inspiring leadership versus strong governance, organizational stability with relentless innovation, and individual growth fuelling collective success.
His books tackle everything from the role of agile managers (Management 3.0) to change and transformation (How to Change the World), and from employee engagement (Managing for Happiness) to innovation and intrapreneurship (Startup, Scaleup, Screwup). Even his novel Glitches of Gods explores the chaos of human-machine interactions. His latest work, Human Robot Agent, plunges into the AI-powered future of leadership and algorithmic management.
As founder of The unFIX Company (and previously founder of Management 3.0 and co-founder of the Agile Lean Europe network), Jurgen keeps pioneering the future of work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 28, 2015
OK, so I learned that GoodReads allows authors to review their own book. Well, after reading it 20+ times I must admit I was rather sick of it. But that has passed. Now, I'm merely proud. :-)
August 6, 2016
Being a proof reader for the book was one of my best experiences of reading a book. Not only I got the content first but I got to express my comments and see them processed by Jurgen. It also gives me the honour of being among the first to give a review here.
As a person who has spent more than 15 years in the IT industry with roles spanning from development to management, I have found so many "A-HA!" moments in Jurgen's pages. All of the practices and ideas to improve work are applicable to the businesses I see daily. Of course, don't apply them all at once!
This book is the funniest, most down to Earth and energy giving book on management I have read. Oh, and it's logical. You get what it says!
So, happy reading! And, start applying and sharing your experiences with the practices.
As a person who has spent more than 15 years in the IT industry with roles spanning from development to management, I have found so many "A-HA!" moments in Jurgen's pages. All of the practices and ideas to improve work are applicable to the businesses I see daily. Of course, don't apply them all at once!
This book is the funniest, most down to Earth and energy giving book on management I have read. Oh, and it's logical. You get what it says!
So, happy reading! And, start applying and sharing your experiences with the practices.
June 8, 2014
Reading this book was a lot of fun! Jurgen's writing style is awesome.
The book has lots of good stories and ideias for to you apply in your company and teams right away. No bullshit, direct to the point.
I really recommend you to read if you want your organization to be a place where people are engaged and have fun while doing a great job.
I learned that it is about making all stakeholders happy: customers, shareholders, employees, suppliers, community etc.
The book has lots of good stories and ideias for to you apply in your company and teams right away. No bullshit, direct to the point.
I really recommend you to read if you want your organization to be a place where people are engaged and have fun while doing a great job.
I learned that it is about making all stakeholders happy: customers, shareholders, employees, suppliers, community etc.
November 18, 2014
Once again Jurgen delivers.
I leave this book filled of a great feeling and injected with plenty of ideas. Building a company that trusts on the people that are part of it is not easy. But the examples here exposed are great points to experiment. Both for those already doing it and those that wants to start.
For me the highlights are the "merit money" idea and the "reward effort" concept. Both are answers for some issues that I've struggled for some years with career plans.
I leave this book filled of a great feeling and injected with plenty of ideas. Building a company that trusts on the people that are part of it is not easy. But the examples here exposed are great points to experiment. Both for those already doing it and those that wants to start.
For me the highlights are the "merit money" idea and the "reward effort" concept. Both are answers for some issues that I've struggled for some years with career plans.
November 26, 2014
This book was truly worth reading. Gives you lots of ideas how to improve your work environment.
February 15, 2016
Great survey of modern practices of organizational management. I liked how the author emphasized management being everyone's responsibility and too important to leave out to managers.
February 8, 2017
I have just finished reading Management 3.0 Workout. I felt that Jurgen has done a mind meld and presented what I had been thinking for much too long. Thank you for presenting and extending management thoughts with grace, elegance and humour. Though we may not agree on the Apple iPhone or Barbara Streisand ( my hearing may not be the most crisp) your thoughts and ideas on management, complex adaptive systems, systems thinking, et al, supported by your many pragmatic suggestions, are excellent. Your book gave me foundational thinking so I have learned much and will experiment ( so I can learn al lot more) on my next Organizational Change contact project.
December 31, 2021
Ok I'm biased because I love the style of Jurgen Appelo.
Like his other books (Management 3.0 or how to change the world), it's like a summary of many (mostly modern) management books and full of references to them and articles.
As always, Jurgen adds his personnal and condensed view around many topics like happiness at work, employees engagement or how to create an learning organisation.
He also propose very interesting tools like delegation poker or moving motivators.
The printed "landscape" version is especially well designed !
It's a book to speed read to have some ideas of what's inside it and to keep on your desk to deep dive into the topics when you need it.
Like his other books (Management 3.0 or how to change the world), it's like a summary of many (mostly modern) management books and full of references to them and articles.
As always, Jurgen adds his personnal and condensed view around many topics like happiness at work, employees engagement or how to create an learning organisation.
He also propose very interesting tools like delegation poker or moving motivators.
The printed "landscape" version is especially well designed !
It's a book to speed read to have some ideas of what's inside it and to keep on your desk to deep dive into the topics when you need it.
October 31, 2017
Visually the most beautiful (business-related) book I've ever held in my hands.
Contains many handy tools for improving the workplace. I've already successfully experimented with some of them.
Jurgen continues to be one of my heros in modern management principles. Every time I pick up one of his books, it always inspires and challenges me to do better.
Highly recommend!
Contains many handy tools for improving the workplace. I've already successfully experimented with some of them.
Jurgen continues to be one of my heros in modern management principles. Every time I pick up one of his books, it always inspires and challenges me to do better.
Highly recommend!
July 8, 2018
It took me a while to get around to reading it (mostly because I had already read quite a bit of it as blog posts), but it's a lovely book and I put in quite a few markers on page containing ideas I want to try out.
November 19, 2018
Lots of good ideas.
July 26, 2015
I'm a bit ashamed of myself. I've owned #Workout: Games, Tools & Practices to Engage People, Improve Work, and Delight Clients by Jurgen Appelo for already half a year and now I finally was able to finish the book. Book is a real gem and I will definitely be using it regularly for my work.
I actually had met Jurgen Appelo years ago in Finnish agile event before he had written any books. From those days onward I've been reading his interesting thoughts from his blog and his books. This book I bought directly from him in Dare Festival last fall. So I could say I'm a fan.
I believe he is one the leading management thinkers in the world right now. What I especially like is the realism in his thoughts. There are so many people who are much too idealistic about different practices that they seem to forget the laws of business, that relies behind it all. Jurgen seems to always remember the reality in his thoughts.
The book itself is really valuable from cover to cover. For myself there were quire many things I've either run into in other sources or read from Jurgen himself earlier, but it is always valuable to get good recap on things.
Book is quite long and thick, it is over 500 pages. That made it bit scary to start with. Fortunately it is filled with colorful illustrations and good examples. So it isn't that long to read as it seems to be. And like said earlier, the whole book is full of important topics, so I recommend to give it a try.
There are too many important topics in the book to start raising any special ones tot the actual review. All the subjects concentrate on improving workplaces and organizations. It talks lot about management, but management doesn't mean actually supervisor management, but more managing ourselves, our peers and the full organization.
It is important and enjoyable book and highly recommend everyone to read it. Hearing and understanding these ideas will eventually lead in to better organizations and better work places.
This review was originally published in my blog - here
I actually had met Jurgen Appelo years ago in Finnish agile event before he had written any books. From those days onward I've been reading his interesting thoughts from his blog and his books. This book I bought directly from him in Dare Festival last fall. So I could say I'm a fan.
I believe he is one the leading management thinkers in the world right now. What I especially like is the realism in his thoughts. There are so many people who are much too idealistic about different practices that they seem to forget the laws of business, that relies behind it all. Jurgen seems to always remember the reality in his thoughts.
The book itself is really valuable from cover to cover. For myself there were quire many things I've either run into in other sources or read from Jurgen himself earlier, but it is always valuable to get good recap on things.
Book is quite long and thick, it is over 500 pages. That made it bit scary to start with. Fortunately it is filled with colorful illustrations and good examples. So it isn't that long to read as it seems to be. And like said earlier, the whole book is full of important topics, so I recommend to give it a try.
There are too many important topics in the book to start raising any special ones tot the actual review. All the subjects concentrate on improving workplaces and organizations. It talks lot about management, but management doesn't mean actually supervisor management, but more managing ourselves, our peers and the full organization.
It is important and enjoyable book and highly recommend everyone to read it. Hearing and understanding these ideas will eventually lead in to better organizations and better work places.
This review was originally published in my blog - here
March 25, 2017
I'll write the review as a Feedback Wrap.
Context:
I write this a week or so out from a Dare conference and #Workout event in Melbourne. I'm really looking forward to that.
For me this is a milestone book. I read a lot of Management books but few have the impact that this book had. The ones where you think "Wow, this is gold!". My first experience of that was with Peopleware in the early nineties - and not too many in between. So #Workout goes to the top shelf.
Feedback:
Practical, innovative practices you can start using straight away (Feeling: gratitude, not just theory practice too).
Innovative: Very intelligent, deceptively simple solutions like Merit Money (Feeling: excited to give that a go)
Well written with humour! (Feeling: Happy - these books don't have to be boring!)
Well researched, you can dig much deeper using the references if you wish (Feeling: Gratitude that Jurgen has done the hard work).
No filler, too many good books are spoiled by being 300+ pages when 50 would have done it. (Feeling: Happy that my time is not wasted).
Suggestion:
If you work in an organisation with more than one person then.
Buy this book.
Read this book.
Share it with your colleagues.
Implement it!
Context:
I write this a week or so out from a Dare conference and #Workout event in Melbourne. I'm really looking forward to that.
For me this is a milestone book. I read a lot of Management books but few have the impact that this book had. The ones where you think "Wow, this is gold!". My first experience of that was with Peopleware in the early nineties - and not too many in between. So #Workout goes to the top shelf.
Feedback:
Practical, innovative practices you can start using straight away (Feeling: gratitude, not just theory practice too).
Innovative: Very intelligent, deceptively simple solutions like Merit Money (Feeling: excited to give that a go)
Well written with humour! (Feeling: Happy - these books don't have to be boring!)
Well researched, you can dig much deeper using the references if you wish (Feeling: Gratitude that Jurgen has done the hard work).
No filler, too many good books are spoiled by being 300+ pages when 50 would have done it. (Feeling: Happy that my time is not wasted).
Suggestion:
If you work in an organisation with more than one person then.
Buy this book.
Read this book.
Share it with your colleagues.
Implement it!
September 10, 2014
Call it intimate or egocentric, Jurgen's writing style is ultimately personal. Being renowned as one of the top influencers in the Agile community, he uses himself as an example or reference all over the book.
Personal marketing aside, as the book is sold as a compilation of management best practices, the amount of learning and enjoyment you can take out if this book will really depend on what you have already experienced. Some chapters may read as old news, shallow cognitive psychology, or blunt statements lacking evidence. But others may look as the path to enlightenment, a stroke of genius, a collection and wise and well-thought advice to empower you and your business. Just remember Jurgen's own warning: Apply the practices in your own unique way.
Personally, I found the Metrics Ecosystem chapter really useful. Salary Formula, Merit Money, and Yay! Questions and Celebration Grids were also informative and inspiring. I also got curious about playing the Moving Motivators game.
His closing thoughts about value stream vs. value network, and customer-value principle vs. a social network of people generating value for each other are by themselves worth a new book!
Personal marketing aside, as the book is sold as a compilation of management best practices, the amount of learning and enjoyment you can take out if this book will really depend on what you have already experienced. Some chapters may read as old news, shallow cognitive psychology, or blunt statements lacking evidence. But others may look as the path to enlightenment, a stroke of genius, a collection and wise and well-thought advice to empower you and your business. Just remember Jurgen's own warning: Apply the practices in your own unique way.
Personally, I found the Metrics Ecosystem chapter really useful. Salary Formula, Merit Money, and Yay! Questions and Celebration Grids were also informative and inspiring. I also got curious about playing the Moving Motivators game.
His closing thoughts about value stream vs. value network, and customer-value principle vs. a social network of people generating value for each other are by themselves worth a new book!
September 25, 2014
In order to excel in my consultancy work I continuously learn about new methods and techniques to support my customers. So I expected to find some new practices and some argumentation to improve my work. Usually I read the book travelling by train or plain and created a huge Mindmap to learn about the interfaces of the several chapters.
In total I learned some useful practices which I can include in my daily work, e.g. the delegation boards, feedback wraps or the kudo box :-) What really freaked me out is the topic about rewarding the behavior, which I already knew – it is just nice to see that there are some people who share the same thoughts :-D The matrix Behavior x Outcome makes sense. Yet one must not forget that a “failure” or “success” is relative to the point of view and the conclusion of the observer. That means talking about the result afterwards is quite easy, knowing about the result when starting is miraculous . Especially when “good practices” do not work anymore :-/ Last but not least text is simple and clearly structured :-)
In total I learned some useful practices which I can include in my daily work, e.g. the delegation boards, feedback wraps or the kudo box :-) What really freaked me out is the topic about rewarding the behavior, which I already knew – it is just nice to see that there are some people who share the same thoughts :-D The matrix Behavior x Outcome makes sense. Yet one must not forget that a “failure” or “success” is relative to the point of view and the conclusion of the observer. That means talking about the result afterwards is quite easy, knowing about the result when starting is miraculous . Especially when “good practices” do not work anymore :-/ Last but not least text is simple and clearly structured :-)
May 21, 2014
When I started my first (and still the only one) job 10 years ago I had no idea what an organization is. Jurgen's book showed me not only how complex organization as system is but also how lucky I had been for all these years. When new employees were joining our company they often claimed that we are completely different than others, that we do care about people and healthy culture and that they haven’t ever seen this before.
Now I see that there are many more organizations focused on better management and these all examples described in the book confirm this. There are many people all over the world who really care about it.
If you do feel that there is something wrong in your organization, just read this book and try one of the solutions presented by Jurgen. We all can change something and now we all have a tool. The only step we should take is simply use it.
Now I see that there are many more organizations focused on better management and these all examples described in the book confirm this. There are many people all over the world who really care about it.
If you do feel that there is something wrong in your organization, just read this book and try one of the solutions presented by Jurgen. We all can change something and now we all have a tool. The only step we should take is simply use it.
April 13, 2015
I read many books with many concepts and definitions about management, but little about what really can be done. And all doable only by managers.
Of course it would be wrong to prescript "formulas" or " good practices" in such a broad and complex context, but this book brings them explaining that they're just ideas or suggestions to begin to change or improve your environment and team, taking complexity into consideration. And it's not just for managers. As it repeatedly says "management is too important to be left only to managers".
And it has the right amount of theory, it's easy to read and fun. It's about GOOD management.
I really loved it and I sure recommend Jurgen's book (also his blog, talks, courses etc.) - for managers, all team members and specially inspired Human Resource Professionals (or People Management Professionals).
Of course it would be wrong to prescript "formulas" or " good practices" in such a broad and complex context, but this book brings them explaining that they're just ideas or suggestions to begin to change or improve your environment and team, taking complexity into consideration. And it's not just for managers. As it repeatedly says "management is too important to be left only to managers".
And it has the right amount of theory, it's easy to read and fun. It's about GOOD management.
I really loved it and I sure recommend Jurgen's book (also his blog, talks, courses etc.) - for managers, all team members and specially inspired Human Resource Professionals (or People Management Professionals).
July 31, 2014
The book Management 3.0 workout by Jurgen Appelo provides many practices, games and tools that enable organizations to improve the way they manage themselves and how they treat and support their employees. Where Management 3.0 already provides the backgrounds and insights on better management, this new book gives concrete examples on how to implement it.
Here’s a set of 15 quotes summarizing the first eleven chapters of the book, which I also have tweeted using #mgnt30.
Here’s a set of 15 quotes summarizing the first eleven chapters of the book, which I also have tweeted using #mgnt30.
May 19, 2014
I have also had the honor to be a reviewer of the book as it was being written. I soon went from being a reviewer to a huge fan of the book awaiting in my inbox for the next chapter to arrive. it gets you hooked. I would get back from work and keep the light on till i finished the chapter that arrived
Being a agile coach for organizations, I only wish each and every manager or leader gets to read this book. There are great discussions on day to day issues like how to manage salaries, The kudos box, delegation board . Really good tips that almost all of us can apply to our work.
I highly recommended this book to each and every role . If you are working with more than two people, you should read this.
Being a agile coach for organizations, I only wish each and every manager or leader gets to read this book. There are great discussions on day to day issues like how to manage salaries, The kudos box, delegation board . Really good tips that almost all of us can apply to our work.
I highly recommended this book to each and every role . If you are working with more than two people, you should read this.
June 4, 2016
Great set of tools and techniques for everyone
I am writing this review whilst lying on the coach having finished this book during a full day of heavy rain and no real ability to exercise. I am a little tired as it is 11:30pm, but feel motivated having finished this great book.
This is a great book to read for everyone who works in any organisation. The chapter on performance appraisals was one I immediately shared with my team.
What was most amazing was as soon as I shared it a member of the team sent an email response using the exact techniques of the chapter (I.e. setting context just as I did with this review).
I truly encourage everyone to read this book. Of course not all sections and concepts are for everyone, and that will be up to each of us to decide.
I am writing this review whilst lying on the coach having finished this book during a full day of heavy rain and no real ability to exercise. I am a little tired as it is 11:30pm, but feel motivated having finished this great book.
This is a great book to read for everyone who works in any organisation. The chapter on performance appraisals was one I immediately shared with my team.
What was most amazing was as soon as I shared it a member of the team sent an email response using the exact techniques of the chapter (I.e. setting context just as I did with this review).
I truly encourage everyone to read this book. Of course not all sections and concepts are for everyone, and that will be up to each of us to decide.
Currently reading
October 18, 2016"We work harder when we are happy." (University of Warwick)
"I see this classic image of 'the boss' as a total anachronism. It may work in certain connotations like 'organised crime boss', 'union boss' or 'pit boss', but being bossy per se is not an attribute that I have ever seen as desirable in a manager or anyone else for that matter." Richard Branson, Like a Virgin
"No matter whether there are managers or not, everyone should feel responsible for management."
"The practice of Gemba states that a person ought to be where people are working in order to understand how well they can do their jobs and what they need from you." [Markovitz, "Go To Where the Actual Work Is Getting Done."]
"I see this classic image of 'the boss' as a total anachronism. It may work in certain connotations like 'organised crime boss', 'union boss' or 'pit boss', but being bossy per se is not an attribute that I have ever seen as desirable in a manager or anyone else for that matter." Richard Branson, Like a Virgin
"No matter whether there are managers or not, everyone should feel responsible for management."
"The practice of Gemba states that a person ought to be where people are working in order to understand how well they can do their jobs and what they need from you." [Markovitz, "Go To Where the Actual Work Is Getting Done."]
December 29, 2014
I can't find the words to describe how this book - alongside with Management 3.0: leading agile developers, developing agile leaders - changed my mind. From complexity theory to modern management workout exercises: this material completely blew my mind.
Jurgen Appelo is a fantastic writer and I had a lot of fun reading this one. The content is perfectly organized, full of concrete practices and filled with lots of useful stories.
I had already implemented many M3.0 practices in my company, but now I have much more work to do!
I recommend you to take the two-day course to get even more inspired (http://www.management30.com/events/).
Congratulations, Jurgen!
Jurgen Appelo is a fantastic writer and I had a lot of fun reading this one. The content is perfectly organized, full of concrete practices and filled with lots of useful stories.
I had already implemented many M3.0 practices in my company, but now I have much more work to do!
I recommend you to take the two-day course to get even more inspired (http://www.management30.com/events/).
Congratulations, Jurgen!
November 28, 2014
Another JA's book, another quality stuff. The overall idea for the book appeared a bit messy (for me), but the truth is that I've enjoyed the ride a lot. Best chapters: the about career progression, metrics & merit money. Obviously there were also some ideas I wasn't that enthusiastic about, but it's a subjective matter, I guess.
So, why should you read this book?
1.) Because of author's unconventional approach to management - even if you're not going to use it, make your own opinion at least
2.) Because the are many war stories mentioned & referred to
3.) Because you can get an e-book version (PDF) for free - yes, Jurgen is giving it out freely
Recommended.
So, why should you read this book?
1.) Because of author's unconventional approach to management - even if you're not going to use it, make your own opinion at least
2.) Because the are many war stories mentioned & referred to
3.) Because you can get an e-book version (PDF) for free - yes, Jurgen is giving it out freely
Recommended.
January 16, 2015
One of the best book I ever read. I tried already a lot of ideas and each worked and was highly applauded by my teams.
I used the Kudo Box to give and receive feedback, merit money to show my team mates who is helpful and who's not and the board from the Yah! Questions for the retrospective which lead to better insights and discussion without clustering and dot voting.
Even if some ideas are already good practice I love to take this book out of my shelf and browse through it and be inspired by the pictures and the texts.
Some ideas like the personal map go to far from my perspective because some of the collected information is private and has to stay private.
I used the Kudo Box to give and receive feedback, merit money to show my team mates who is helpful and who's not and the board from the Yah! Questions for the retrospective which lead to better insights and discussion without clustering and dot voting.
Even if some ideas are already good practice I love to take this book out of my shelf and browse through it and be inspired by the pictures and the texts.
Some ideas like the personal map go to far from my perspective because some of the collected information is private and has to stay private.
February 24, 2015
Workout is a very untypical management book since it is rather a collection of best practices with guidelines to start right away. This hands-on mentality helps a lot to put recommendations into practice right away. A good example are the moving motivators which give you a good understanding of your coworkers/team members and their motivation towards work. In addition, they help a lot to reflect on your own motivation with respect to work or any other community you are in. In conclusion, workout is a great read for anyone who has understood that our current way of management is outdated and needs urgent change.
April 25, 2015
Fantastic book full of both practical tips and ideas to reflect on the the type of manager you want to be. Not having had the luxury of having a good manager as an example to learn from in the past, I found this book amazing for helping me understand what a good manager would look like.
The book is written in a very easy to understand style. It's simple and fun to read. I only have one small complaint: by the time I finished reading it the cover of the book had completely detached (glue not strong enough?). It might just have been a problem with my copy though. The book is well worth reading anyway!
The book is written in a very easy to understand style. It's simple and fun to read. I only have one small complaint: by the time I finished reading it the cover of the book had completely detached (glue not strong enough?). It might just have been a problem with my copy though. The book is well worth reading anyway!
September 7, 2014
I really love this book! It's a really super book that is worth its price. I have tested most of the tools sharp at customer workshops but also internally, and these simple tools work fully. Extra bonus for simplicity! I have fw the book to my collegues that work as Agile coaches, these tools can be used for all types of workshop and eg even for personal development. I have avsked all my staff to use the moving motivators prior to their personal development dialog ;)
Thanks for providing this great tool kit! ;)
Thanks for providing this great tool kit! ;)
February 7, 2015
One of the most memorable book that I've ever read before. I truly believe that is worth its price. I've being reading a variety of books regarding leadership however none of them gave me such practical advices, tools and games to lead engineering teams. I used almost half of the practices presented in the book and I got great outcomes. Teams started to ask me for more and more building team activities, they became committed and happy to work in our projects. Moreover, it's an easy reading and very enthusiastic, I love it, it's my holy management bible :)
February 2, 2015
Since about 2 years I've been trying to encourage people in my company to start little change initiatives to see how we can bottom-up help to increase motivation throughout the company. It's needed after years of reorganization. When I first got my hands on this book I immediately knew I was offered the tools to give yet another impulse to my efforts. The first, which I can recommend to anyone trying to invoke change from the lower layers starting tomorrow, was the Kudo Box and Cards. So simple, so effective!
March 12, 2016
A very inspiring book with some good ideas and thoughts. What I really like is the practicability and the common sense of what is written and proposed.
What I miss are concepts and thoughts if you have to deal with big companies. Introducing agility in a company with a few hundred employees is a completely different story from introducing it in a company with a few thousand or even a hundred thousand employees.
Overall the practicability and inspiration predominates and read with care, the book is absolutely valuable. That's why I rate it with five stars.
What I miss are concepts and thoughts if you have to deal with big companies. Introducing agility in a company with a few hundred employees is a completely different story from introducing it in a company with a few thousand or even a hundred thousand employees.
Overall the practicability and inspiration predominates and read with care, the book is absolutely valuable. That's why I rate it with five stars.
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