Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations

by Robert B. Denhardt, Janet V. Denhardt, Maria P. Aristigueta

"This is a well-thought-out and well-researched textbook on human behavior and relations in organizations. . . .The extensive use of case studies and examples makes the material easy to grasp and apply."  —M.S. Kinoti, Ph.D., Regis University Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Fifth Edition is an established core text designed to help students develop their leadership and management skills. Bestselling authors Denhardt, Denhardt, Aristigueta, and Rawlings cover important topics such as stress, decision-making, motivation, leadership, teams, communication, and change. Cases, self-assessment exercises, and numerous examples provide students with the opportunity to apply concepts and theories discussed in the chapter. Focusing exclusively on organizational behavior in both public and nonprofit organizations, this text is a must-read for students in public administration programs. New to the Fifth

 

Increased attention to issues related to nonprofit organizations helps students develop a better understanding of the differences and similarities in public and nonprofit organizations, as well as the way they interact with one another and with the private sector.  Broadened coverage of issues related to ethics and diversity offers students a broader perspective on important issues to consider, such as the examination of implicit and explicit bias, generational differences, and power and privilege.  Additional discussions of collaboration, inclusion, and participation, both within the organization and with external constituencies, show students the value rationale for engagement and its practical effects.  Revised and updated information on emerging technology illustrates to students how an increasingly digital, connected, and networked environment affects our ability to manage public and nonprofit organizations. New cases, examples, self-assessments, and exercises cover recent developments in research and practice to engage students with relevant ways to practice and improve their management skills.   Give your students the SAGE edge! SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning.

Genres: Nonfiction, Grad School, Leadership

568 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2001

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grad school read. It needs more space or something to break up the text. It strains the eye seeing columns of tiny words not broken up.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dehardts defines organization behavior as the study of how people behave in public organizations. In organization behavior, the starting point is the individual. While organization behavior deals with the different areas of management and organizations, it views this study from the perceptive of people. This theory has five components - behavior is purposeful and can be managed by others; behavior is caused, not random, and if management studies patterns, they can gain insight to those individuals; behavior changes through learning; and people have value, regardless of their contributions to the organization. The remaining component is public service has its focus on serving others. This focus must realize people have a special calling to public service when observing organization behavior in public administration.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't anything earth-shattering in this book, and it spends most of its time rehashing existing theories and rubrics of everything from creativity to decision making to communication. It doesn't even seem particularly focused on public & nonprofit organizations, really, but appropriate for organizations of all kinds. What it does, though, is keep things simple, direct, and meaningful. Denhardt's characteristic writing style is clear without being overly folksy, yet endearing enough to be meaningful. It was a quick read, overall, and I did take away some important points from it, but mainly this felt like an exhaustive summary of other texts I've already had to read.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had the most carryover from public management to business management, so I'll be recommending it a lot to friends. I can tell that at least one of the authors knew a little bit about pedagogy. Some of the activities and questions were actually really good. And I found some dynamite material to use in my dissertation.

[Katherine Korte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book -- even outside a classroom. You can't manage people if you don't know who you are, and so there are a lot of self-guided quizzes that correlate to various topics in managing human beings: motivation, conflict resolution, task processes. A great read.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was awful, even by textbook standards. Dry and not interesting enough to read more than a few pages and I barely finished it because of that.
Tiny print and few charts or graphs to aid in comprehension.
If you have a choice, skip this one.