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- "HeroZ!: Empower Yourself, Your Coworkers, Your Company", William C. Byham,
- Ph.D. and Jeff Cox, published by Harmony Books (201 East 50th Street, New
- York, NY 10022) 1994, 201 pp, $18 (list)
-
- A Book Review by Norman C. Frank, PE, CQE, CQA
- CER Corporation, Washington, DC
-
- "HeroZ!" is the story of Art, Mac, and Wendy, who work in medieval Lamron
- Castle making magic arrows for the knights to use in defending the citizens
- >from fire-breathing dragons. Through the imaginative story the book shows
- the application of a set of principles, given in the form of "spells", that
- can be applied in many situations to ensure people communicate in a positive
- way to reach their goals.
-
- This book is easily read and easy to understand. The story format makes
- learning the principles of continuous improvement, empowerment, and teamwork
- fun. The errors Art, Mac, and Wendy make as they learn to use the principles
- show that it is OK to make errors as you work to learn.
-
- Step by step the authors walk you through the application of continuous
- improvement principles, from the setting of goals to the involvement of
- everyone in decisions. It shows that even if you don't have management's
- full acceptance, you can begin the process by setting goals for your own
- improvement.
-
- The strengths of the book are its imaginative approach to teaching the skills
- and approaches needed for empowerment, and its readability. Although
- somewhat simplistic, this same simplicity allows the principles to be taught
- without the complexity or confusion of other interactions. The book is a
- refreshing change from the dry presentations of many books.
-
- The authors make the process of empowerment understandable for everyone. It
- would be useful as a handout to everyone in the company as a supplemental
- text before, during, or after beginning a continuous improvement program. It
- is for everyone who wants to do better in their job and in their personal
- lives.
-
- ---------------------
- Mr. Frank has over 25 years experience in the field of quality, in the areas
- of nuclear quality assurance, research and development, and consulting. He
- is currently in Washington, D.C., with CER Corporation out of Las Vegas,
- Nevada.
-