Cary L. Cooper

Contracts in employment are of two kinds: the formal, written contract and the equally important, informal and unwritten psychological contract—how people think they should be treated. Both involve rights, obligations and expectations on the part of the employer and the employee, and a breach in one can have important effects on the other. For example, how people feel they are being treated by the organization can affect their perception of their levels of pay. Organizations and the Psychological Contract has two main aims in exploring these issues: to act as a handbook for practicing managers, and as a basic text in management courses. Organizations and the Psychological Contract has two main aims in exploring these issues in the organizational context: to act as a handbook for practicing managers, and as a basic text in management courses. Relevant theories are explained and developed using practical examples, self-assessment exercises, and case studies. This is a revised and much expanded version of Managing People at Work, with the addition of chapters on Selection and Career Development, Understanding and Coping with Change, Empowerment and Self-Management, and the Behavioural Approach to Motivation. As well as undertaking research into many aspects of organizational life, the authors have many years' experience as consultants, acting for industrial and commercial organizations in all sectors of the economy.

Mergers, acquisitions, and alliances continue to be almost an everyday feature of the contemporary business scene, yet at least half prove to be unsuccessful. The authors show the contribution that psychology can make to our understanding of the merger phenomena - how it affects organizational performance, and how it affects the managers and employees involved. Mergers, Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances is intended as a guide to successful organizational marriage. Great emphasis is placed on the issue of cultural compatibility as it concerns partner selection, integration practices and venture outcomes. The book also focuses on cross-national mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. With the increasing economic activity within the European Union and between the unions of other countries, there is a need to know more about the corporate and national cultures in these strategic alliances. The authors have drawn upon an extensive body of research based on recent cases in a wide cross section of industries across Europe. The book is unique in showing the actual effect mergers and acquisitions have on people, and consequently on the performance of the 'new' organization. It will be particularly relevant for decision makers - those who are involved in planning and implementing a large organizational change, and those responsible for ensuring successful integration afterwards. It would also be extremely useful for postgraduate management students, personnel executives and management consultants.

Managing People at Work is a comprehensive guide to the latest theory and research in the area of industrial and organizational psychology. Written for managers as well as business students, it presents easily understood concepts without using technical business jargon. The book focuses on both day-to-day and strategic problems in areas such as management styles, group decision making and organizational change. Information is enhanced with case studies, questionnaires, and exercises throughout the book. HR Magazine Managing People at Work is both a practical guide for managers and a valuable introduction to management issues for students in business, professional, and technical programs. Comprehensive in scope but easily accessible to a wide audience, the volume distills the latest theory and research in industrial and organizational psychology, presenting workable concepts and techniques with a minimum of jargon. The authors place particular emphasis on helping managers deal successfully with day-to-day and strategic problems in the workplace, examining issues such as appropriate management styles, group decision-making, organizational change, and more. Exercises, case studies, and questionnaires are included throughout to help managers further develop their skills. Divided into three principal parts, the volume moves from the micro aspects of managing people to the macro or organizational aspects of people management. In the first section, the authors concentrate on dealing with individuals by exploring personality and individual differences, motivation, leadership potential, and management styles. Part Two focuses on people working in groups and addresses questions about the differences between group and individual decision making, the effects of group decision making processes on individual motivation, the causes of intergroup conflict, and the ways in which conflict can be minimized. Organizational problems and the effects of organizational change are treated in Part Three, while a final chapter considers an important, yet usually neglected aspect of management: how to manage your boss. Numerous explanatory figures and tables accompany the text.