Operations Management: The Art & Science of Making Things Happen

What the business schools don't teach you to survive and flourish. Putting management theory into practice faces some major challenges. Some of the raw realities of modern work environments require a high level of intuition and judgement over and above scientific methodology alone. This book sets out the hard learnt experience of a senior Scotland Yard officer and centres on three themes: How to develop and look after yourself as an individual manager; how to make operations happen and work successfully; how to develop a high performance team around you. This book has many important messages for new managers, enabling them to survive and eventually flourish whilst guiding more experienced Directors to secure the holy grail of truly exceptional performance. It has equal relevance to those in the public, private and voluntary sector who have to translate strategy into action.

Table of Contents:
Reviews Foreword Introduction What is Operations Management and Why is it Important? Who This Book is For Summary of Main Themes How to Use This Book Section 1 You as an Individual Manager Knowing Yourself Inside Out Values and Beliefs Crucible Test Life Moments What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses? What is Your Leadership and Management Style? How to apply your style of leadership and Management Arming Yourself for Success Looking After Your Health and Wellbeing Your Mind Set Developing your Skills and Awareness Promotion and Selection Position Yourself for Success The Need for Clear Roles and Responsibilities Becoming a Key Person of Influence (KPI) Section 2 Making Things Happen and Work Successfully Awareness Environmental Scanning Problem Solving Managing Sudden Events and Crises Navigating the Politics Response What Needs Doing and How Design a Clear Outcome Total Quality Management Planning and Organising The Organisational Action Plan Schedules of Activity & Responsibility Setting up an Appropriate Legal Entity Additional Funding Sources Human Resources Joint Ventures and Partnerships Monitoring and Review Evaluation and Constant Improvement Section 3 Developing Your Team Choosing the Right Type of Team Types of Team Work Team Dynamics The Leader and Manager Individual Team Members How Individuals Must Complement Each Other Gender and Cultural Considerations Joint Ventures and Partnerships Mixing and Matching Individuals to the Team Selection for Success Team Engagement and Performance Managing Conflict Individual Development and Appraisal Conclusion All Pull Together You as an Individual Manager Making Things Happen Developing Your Team Motivation, Momentum and Synergy References Books Websites About the Author

About the Author :
James Cooke is an experienced Operations Manager having just completed a 33 year police career at Scotland Yard. He was latterly responsible for developing several pioneering programmes of work to counter the growing threat of gun and gang crime in London. He has now established a new business, Standing Start Solutions, which provides operations training and VIP Close Protection security services. James is based in London.

Review :
If you're having to manage and lead in the tough conditions that dominate everywhere today, you need James Cooke's guidance. He's crammed more than three decades of coal-face experience into a book that is destined to become a touchstone for anyone who wants to succeed in business, public service or life in general. -- Patrick Mercer OBE, Member of Parliament for Newark Clear, concise and informative, each chapter comes alive with examples, stories and case studies. You can read it from cover to cover or jump in at any point for pearls of wisdom that will help you take your life and business to the next level of success. -- Bev James, Best Selling Author of Do it or Ditch it! CEO of The Coaching Academy Essential reading if your personal and professional goal is long term effectiveness and high performance as an Operations Manager. -- Andrew Priestley, Business Coach & Ecademy advisor Leadership and management starts with the 'self' and Cooke has rightly brought this in to context within the needs of the individual, the team and the task. He is more than an ex-police officer. He is a leader, a manager, a coach and businessman. He uses his experiences from his public and private life providing a well-balanced, informative and insightful book that captures the essence of operations management. This is a must have book for any aspiring or current leader. -- Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Hill, Professional Leadership Speaker and former Army Officer (severely injured in Afghanistan) This is a book full of wit, wisdom and professional clout. It's written by a former high ranking police officer who has been in the thick of it and knows what he is talking about. This is not another run of the mill management tome but a sharp and intensely, practical book. It is sprinkled with small learned gems that send out the right message to various audiences such as wearing a uniform cap when exiting a police vehicle at an incident. Some will miss the value of such tiny details of wisdom but they are the nuggets that mark James out as a consummate professional. He also throws in vivid funny scenes such as a drunk woman resisting arrest and leaving James having his keys caught up in her stockings. Every manager who reads this book will be a better manager for it. Switch off the television and get stuck into Operations Management. It's worth it. Highly recommended. -- Paul Marsden, Former Shadow Transport Minister and Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury