Read Roberta's Bio

Westwood Dynamics Home


| Home | Learn With Roberta | Consulting Services | Contact Us |
| All About Orientation | E-Learning Central | Articles by Roberta | Online Resource Centre | Roberta's Blog |
| vancouverlearning.net |

 

All About Orientation

Roberta's Focus on Orientation

What's New

Best Practices

Our Surveys

Orientation Articles by Roberta

ASTD Info-line:
"Take Orientation Online"

Workshop:
"Employee Orientation: Building Commitment That Lasts"

Orientation Resources
- Articles -
- Books -
- Websites -
- Tools -

 

 


Orientation Resources: Books

 

In keeping with our goal to provide the most comprehensive list of new employee orientation resources available anywhere, this is a list of all books on orientation that we are aware of.

  Our Top Picks of Orientation Books
Orientation Books Focused on Leaders - contains new listings
Orientation Books Worth Considering
Books on Other Subjects That Contain Good Orientation Info
Orientation Books Not Reviewed

 
     
   
  OUR TOP PICKS OF ORIENTATION BOOKS
   
  New Employee Orientation Training
Karen Lawson, ASTD, Alexandria, VA., 2002
It's nice to see some new books on orientation coming onto the market, and Lawson's book is a welcome addition. Provides a broad view of orientation design and implementation.
   
  Creative New Employee Orientation Programs
Doris Sims, McGraw Hill, 2002
This is a great book, full of practical ideas and options for designing orientation. Sims makes it easy to adapt the ideas you find here to your organization's unique situation. One of our favourites.
   
  Take Orientation Online
Roberta Westwood and Leanne Johnson, Info-line, ASTD, 2002
16 practical pages. For more info, click here.
http://store.astd.org/product.asp?prodid=1633&deptid=

   
  Successful New Employee Orientation:
Assess, Plan, Conduct & Evaluate Your Program

Jean Barbazette, Jossey-Bass / Pfieffer, 2nd Edition, 2001
Barbazette has recently updated her work which, for years, this was the only comprehensive guide on designing orientation. A bit pricey, but contains good information.
     
  Return to top  
     
  ORIENTATION BOOKS FOCUSED ON LEADERS  
     
  The First 90 Days:
Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
- New!
Michael D. Watkins, Harvard Business School Press, 2003
Watkins is co-author of "Right From the Start: Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role", an excellent book written for the new leader. This new book focuses on the organization's role.

     
  Assimilating New Leaders:
The Key to Executive Retention

Diane Downey, Tom March and Adena Berkman, American Management Association, 2001
While most books on orientation focus on the broad context of all employees, this book focuses in on executives, and approach I find compelling. A solid book, with some great tools.
   
  Right From the Start:
Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role

Dan Ciampa and Michael Watkins, Harvard Business School Press, 1999
This book is written for the new leader, rather than the organization, but it's an enlightening read for those with an interest in designing orientation for new leaders.
     
  Return to top  
     
  ORIENTATION BOOKS WORTH CONSIDERING
   
  New Employee Orientation:
A Practical Guide for Supervisors

Charles Cadwell, Crisp Publications, Inc., Los Altos, California, 1988
A great little book. While more relevant to smaller or single-location organizations, it's a timeless and useful guide for supervisors.
   
  The Induction Pocketbook
Ruth Sangale, Management Pocketbooks, 2000
So small it really does fit in your pocket. This is a nice little book of the basics. While directed at the front-line supervisor or smaller/single-location organizations, for the price it's a handy reference for all.
     
 

Successful Orientation Programs
Cat Sharpe (editor), Info-Line, ASTD, 1999
This short guide is good, however it's a bit dated and it's principles are hard to apply to large, complex organizations.
Note: Roberta Westwood and Leanne Johnson will be re-writing this Info-Line for ASTD in 2004
http://store.astd.org/product.asp?prodid=1297&deptid=

   
  Return to top  
     
  BOOKS ON OTHER SUBJECTS THAT CONTAIN GOOD ORIENTATION INFO
   
  The Learning Paradox:
Gaining Security by Rediscovering the Joy of Learning

Jim Harris, Strategic Advantage, 1998
Contains a good section on the impact of formal vs. informal training on productivity of new hires (pages 170-176)
   
  High Performance HR:
Leveraging Human Resources for Competitive Advantage

David S. Weiss, John Wiley & Sons, 1999
Contains a good section on orientation (pages 58-61)
   
  Return to top  
     
  ORIENTATION BOOKS NOT REVIEWED
   
  Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees
Dianne Arthur, AMACOM, American Management Association, New York, 3rd Edition, 1998
   
  Not So Basic New Hire Orientation Kit
Suzanne Gust, Not So Basic Training & Consulting Inc., 2000
http://www.notsobasictraining.com/products.htm
   
  On-The-Job Orientation and Training
Larry R. Smalley, John Wiley & Sons Canada, 1999
   
  New Employee Orientation:
A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians

H. Scott Davis, How-To-Do-It Manuals for Libraries, No. 38, Neal Schuman Publishers, 1993
   
  New Employee Orientation & Safety Onboard - Cruise Industry
Dr. Alfred Boyd Filos, International Jobs Publishers Inc., 1999
http://www.internationaljobspublishers.com/cruise/index.phtml
   
  New Employee Orientation Manual - Offshore Oil & Gas Industry
Dr. Alfred Boyd Filos, International Jobs Publishers Inc., 2000
http://www.internationaljobspublishers.com/oil/index.phtml
   
  Helping Your New Employee Succeed:
Tips for Managers of New College Graduates

Elwood F. Holton III and Sharon S. Naquin, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001
   
  The Ultimate New Employee Survival Guide
Edward Holton, Peterson's Guides, 1998
This guide is written for the new grad as new employee, but may provide insight.
   
  Breaking In: Socialization to Work
John Van Maanen, Handbook of Work, Organization and Society, Rand McNally, Chicago, 1976



| Home | Learn With Roberta | Consulting Services | Contact Us |
| All About Orientation | E-Learning Central | Articles by Roberta | Online Resource Centre | Roberta's Blog |
| vancouverlearning.net |

© Copyright Westwood Dynamics

www.westwood-dynamics.com