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Working Relationships

The Simple Truth About Getting Along with Friends and Foes at Work

by Bob Wall

Davies-Black, 1999

Category: Career & Self-Development

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Working Relationships

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In this summary you will learn

  • Why it takes a great deal of effort to work as a team
  • Why it is important to recognize the fundamental differences between professional and personal relationships
  • How to deal with problem people

Why you should read Working Relationships

If you’ve been at loggerheads with a co-worker, calm down and read this. Bob Wall takes a close look at why the ubiquitous "personality problem" persists at work. His conclusions boil down to basics: Co-workers mix professional and personal relationships, confuse organizational roles and expectations, and simply clash due to dislike or incompatibility. He offers a number of familiar solutions to workplace conflict, advising you to pick your battles, agree to disagree and consider the possibility that you might be at fault. Not exactly rocket science, but Wall’s book is fresh, easy-to-read and reader-friendly. getAbstract recommends this book primarily to supervisors, who will find the dissection of professional relationships useful in managing your sometimes-hard-to-understand employees.

About the Author

Bob Wall is an organizational-development and training consultant. For more than 20 years, he has worked with multinational corporations, small- to mid-sized companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. He is the co-author of The Mission-Driven Organization. His upcoming book is The Handbook for Interpersonal Skills Training.

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