Ulrich D (Ed.)Aims to justify the existence of the HR function and to define the changes that it must undergo in order to survive. Suggests that HR must deliver benefits to the organisation and that it should focus on outcomes rather than activities. Measures the HR practitioner against other professionals, such as lawyers, doctors and airline pilots, to highlight the significance of the decisions with which they are faced, and the importance of making the choices. Uses case studies to put the various theories into context.

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By Anthony Harrison and Bill NewThe authors argue that the national waiting list diverts attention away from the issues that matter most to patients. By focusing simply on the number of people waiting for treatment after seeing a hospital consultant the list ignores the time people are waiting and the severity of their need. They propose that the list should be replaced by a new system which sets out NHS priorities clearly and ensures people with the most pressing needs are treated most urgently. They outline how a framework should be built with a national system of thresholds that could be used to determine how quickly a person should receive treatment when the need is diagnosed.

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This Audit Commission update on the 1995 report looks at the changes hospitals have made to the storage, archiving, structure and content of health records. It includes the results of a recent survey with feedback from 225 trusts. It notes improvements in retrieval rates of casenotes for use at outpatient clinics, fewer libraries storing hospital records, and an improved standard of record keeping. The higher status of records managers has helped bring about improvements. Some 80 per cent of trusts use or are planning to use electronic casenote tracking, and some trusts have invested in document image processing. Almost two-thirds of trusts have plans for electronic patient records. The update also highlights failures to get records available in time for clinics and a variable standard of record keeping.Setting the Records Straight: a Review of Progress in Health Records Services (ISBN 1 86240 188 is available from Audit Commission Publications on freephone 0800 502030, price 5 pounds. Link www.audit-commission.gov.uk

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David HusseyThis useful and concise book provides essential information for managers and practitioners of strategic management, particularly those requiring a bird’s eye view of the whole subject, who have neither the time nor inclination to read the encyclopaedic tomes currently available. The style is practical, without sacrificing integrity, and references are made to important sources in the literature. The steps and methods outlined in this book will help managers to develop a sound strategy.

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by Arun Maira and Peter B. Scott-MorganPeople are any organization’s principal enablers or disablers of change. Not processes. Not technology. That’s the uncomplicated – some would say radical – premise at the heart of this book. And it will show you how pragmatically embracing the human face of change not only generates results and improves performance but also builds an accelerating organization that thrives in a world in which rapid and unpredictable change has become the norm. Based on the far-reaching and forward-thinking curriculum of the executive education programs being conducted by Arthur D. Little and Innovation Associates, The Accelerating Organization offers a balanced, holistic approach to managing change that recognizes the vital importance of intelligently designed structures … and of the capacity of people to learn and respond effectively to whatever happens.

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Report by the Comptroller and Auditor GeneralDelays in issuing passports earlier this year led to much anxiety and inconvenience for members of the public hoping to travel. By June, the Passport Agency had around 565,000 applications awaiting processing. The initial cause of delay was the introduction from October 1998 of a new passport processing system to replace an ageing computer system. Siemens Business Services is responsible for providing the new system.

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Richard Lewis and Steve GillamThe days of a single national contract for general practitioners are over. Personal medical service pilot projects are bringing forward new forms of primary care that may overcome the weaknesses of the single national contract. Initiatives such as nurse- led practices and salaried GP schemes mean that the needs of people who often miss out on traditional primary care arrangements will now be met. The book examines how local contracting is beginning to work. It shows that many pilot projects are changing traditional relationships in primary care. NHS Trusts can improve planning for local needs and overcome the obstacles of the single national contract.

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2Ginsburg, Sigmund G.Provides special advice for people who are demoralized by downsizing, rightsizing, lateralizing, and seeking to make work meaningful. A timely theme for the legions who want to arrange their work-life and put their heart into it. Excellent for those seeking early retirement and those juggling both family and career.

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Donald G. KrauseThere are many theories of leadership. Some may be very good indeed, but none of them has passed the test of time. On the other hand, the wisdom contained in this book, time and again over 2500 years, has worked and continues to work. The first chapter, “The character of leadership”, is an introduction to the leadership philosophy of Sun Tzu and Confucius as it applies to business. The next seven chapters guide the reader through the seven principles of leadership which work together to form the character of an ideal leader. These seven principles are: self-discipline, purpose, accomplishment, responsibility, knowledge, leadership and example (SPARKLE). Each chapter contains a discussion of how famous leaders throughout recent history successfully applied the principle under discussion to achieve personal or organizational success.

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Tim Pickles and Penny SharlandThis is a flexible resource from which individuals can extract materials as appropriate. The pack includes background material and 11 issue-focused chapters each with an introduction and practical activities designed to assist in applying the material to specific situations. It provides a range of accessible and relevant strategies that will assist managers and staff teams in public sector agencies and not-for-profit organisations in preparing for and surviving change.

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