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Joseph
M. Sussman
JR East Professor
Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
and Engineering Systems
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
June 5, 2006
Building
on our three-year tradition of an ESD faculty summer reading
list, here we go for a fourth year. This year we highlight
three books by ESD faculty, published during the past 12
months. They represent the broad sweep of intellectual activity
in ESD, ranging from two different takes on enterprises—Joel
Cutcher-Gershenfeld’s commentary on the McGregor classic
on enterprises from the human perspective and Yossi Sheffi’s
view of the “resilient” enterprise that can
operate effectively in the complex environment of natural
and man-made disasters—and Tom Kochan’s book
on the need for effectively coupling the worlds of work
and family, in a sense considering that as a broad integrated
enterprise.
Take
a look at these insightful views of contemporary society
from your ESD colleagues!
 Joel
Cutcher-Gershenfeld—The
Human Side of Enterprise, Dr. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld
has updated and provided new commentary for this annotated
edition of The Human Side of Enterprise by
Douglas McGregor, McGraw-Hill, 2006.In the book, Dr.
Cutcher-Gershenfeld illustrates how today’s
leaders have successfully incorporated McGregor’s
methods into modern management styles and practices.
He also identifies the management challenges –
illuminated by McGregor – that remain central
to managerial and societal success.
Dr. Cutcher-Gershenfeld is Executive Director, MIT
Engineering Systems Learning Center and Senior Research
Scientist, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Co-director
of the Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial
Development (CTPID) project on Labor Aerospace Research
and of CTPID’s Working Group on Lateral Alignment
in Complex Systems. |
 Yossi
Sheffi—The
Resilient Enterprise: Overcoming Vulnerability for
Competitive Advantage. A business book best-seller,
The Resilient Enterprise received rave reviews
from the Wall Street Journal,
New York Times and The
Economist, as well as dozens of trade
journals. It was also recognized by the Financial
Times as one of the best business books of 2005. The
Resilient Enterprise provides a clear plan for
managing corporate disaster and disruption. From fires
and earthquakes to labor strikes and terror attacks,
Dr. Sheffi provides a rich set of lessons on how to
prepare for and manage the many business shocks of
today's global market.
Dr. Yossi Sheffi is Professor of Engineering Systems
and Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director
of the Center for Transportation and Logistics, and
Director of the Master of Engineering in Logistics
(MLOG) Program |
 Tom
Kochan—Restoring
the American Dream: A Working Families' Agenda for
America. Publisher's Weekly called this an "earnest
and meticulous volume...in which...(Dr. Thomas) Kochan
argues that Americans need to view work and family
as 'tightly coupled issues' so that the former can
be managed to complement the latter...(Its ideas)
await a candidate and movement ready to translate
Kochan's 'vision for the longer term' into a workable
plan."
Dr. Thomas Kochan is George Maverick Bunker Professor
of Management and Professor of Engineering Systems.
He is also Co-director of the Institute for Work and
Employment Research at MIT Sloan School of Management
and Co-director of the MIT Workplace Center. |
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