Research from a diverse array of organizational settings and occupations is included, from the education of medical students to the promotion of salespeople and from the adjustment of camp counselors to the retirement of CEOs. Role Transitions will appeal to scholars and students in the fields of orgainizational behavior, human resource management, and social, developmental, and industrial psychology."--Jacket.

The concept of role transition refers to a wide range of experiences found in life: job change, unemployment, divorce, entering or leaving prison, retirement, immi gration, "Gastarbeiten," becoming a parent, and so on. Such transitions often produce strain and hence a variety of problems for the transiting individual, occu pants of complementary social positions, and other members of one's social group and community. In spite of the diversity of role transitions that occur, however, it is important also to realize that many basic psychological processes can be discerned in ostensibly different instances. Research on role transitions has been dispersed across many different subdisci of the social sciences; the problem can be investigated from several points of plines view and levels of analysis. As modern societies become ever more complex, role transitions can be expected to increase in number and diversity, with a concomitant increase in detrimental consequences for the individual and society. Hence, for rea sons of both theory and practice, improved conceptual models and new empirical data are needed. The chapters in this book are the outcome of a N.A.T.O. symposium convened for the purpose of discussing aspects of role transitions from international and inter disciplinary perspectives. The meeting was designed to be a working conference to facilitate as much intellectual exchange and debate among participants as possible.

"Whether you're going for that promotion, looking to jump ship, or change careers entirely, Michael Watkins' Your Next Move is a book you'll want to read." So starts the positive review of Your Next Move on the influential 800 CEO Read website. It's true that all leaders--no matter how seasoned--need guidance through the professional changes that define a career. In fact, transitions into new roles are the crucibles in which leaders get their toughest tests, and they're the defining factor in professional careers today. Yet far too often, leaders fail to transition effectively into new roles. The resulting costs are high, for individual careers and for organizations. In Your Next Move, leadership-transition guru Watkins shows how you can survive and thrive in all the major transitions you will face during your career-including promotions, leading former peers, on-boarding into a new organization, making an international move, or turning around or realigning an organization. With real-life examples and case studies, Watkins illustrates the defining hurdles associated with each type of transition. He then provides the insights, strategies, and tools you'll need to accelerate through these crucial turning points and continue moving up in your career. The necessary complement to the author's bestselling guide The First 90 Days, which has been translated in more than 20 languages worldwide, Your Next Move offers the keen observations, tried-and-true management wisdom, and practical good sense Watkins is renowned for. It's a vital resource for any manager or executive seeking to maintain career momentum. To quote the reviewer from above: "It's not just about "moving" but about what happens when those actions are taken. Success or failure are the two options, and which option you emerge with will determine what happens going forward. Watkins' book definitely has the research and insight to equip you for the better of the two paths."

This text provides a comprehensive overview of the development of the field of organizational behavior. It covers the foundations of the scientific method, theory development, and the accrual of scientific knowledge in the field.

As nonprofit organizations mature and grow, their staffs and programs expand, their operations and dynamics become more complex, and the climate they operate in changes and presents new challenges. If they are to move to a new level of effectiveness, they must periodically adjust their leadership, management, structure, governance, and operating style to fit their changed circumstances. Author Susan Gross calls these adjustments ""turning points."" The author's forty years of work with nonprofit organizations has shown that turning points are most likely to arise at seven predictable times in a group's life. Recognizing these turning points and taking action can ease the adjustments necessary as your organization pivots in a new direction. The seven turning points are: 1) When a loose, family style of operating leads to disorganization and a lack of professionalism or accountability; 2) When the management needs of an organization outstrip its executive director's management skills; 3) When a founding volunteer board hires its first executive director but finds it hard to delegate and adjust to a less involved role; 4) When opportunistic, unplanned growth results in an absence of focus and priorities and spreads an organization too thin; 5) When strong central direction becomes micromanagement, top-down control, and over-dependency on the leader 6) When decentralization goes too far, splitting the organization into autonomous units that have little or no connection, coherence, or coordination; and 7) When a longtime, cherished executive director must prepare to step down. This lively text includes charts, illustrations, and an engaging graphic design to help readers assess the state of their organizations and decide what changes to make.

This book addresses the role of communication in cultural change efforts within organizations, especially during periods of transition, mergers, technological innovations and globalization.

We live in a world of contradictions. Paradox is a central dimension of the life in organizations. Decision-making in organizations is becoming more and more paradoxical with the increasing amount of uncertainty and stress in the environment, shifting priorities and conflicting objectives. We constantly need to deal with the tensions between the old and the new, the individual and the collective, process focus and flexibility, performance and development, internal and external demands, and, change and stability. Paradoxical thinking enables us to respond creatively to the challenges in organizational life and to find more meaning and fulfillment. This book is an exciting journey through the paradoxes, dilemmas and possibilities in the various aspects of organizational life, including joining the organization, getting things done, building capability, planning careers, rewards and recognition, finding meaning and purpose, creating ownership and the sense of belonging, leadership and followership, and, exiting the organization. It will help the readers to respond effectively to the complex challenges in organizational life by leveraging the principles of paradoxical thinking. This book will be of interest to anyone who works in business organizations. It also provides additional insights for business leaders, people managers, and human resource professionals.