Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
REGION IV- CALABARZON
Division of Cavite
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY
Pulo II, Cavite City

BOOK REVIEW
In
Principles of Guidance and Counseling

Submitted by:
. Nerissa A. Bocalan

Submitted to:
Mrs. Cristina Baesa
Professor

March 28, 2015

About the book

The title of the book is “Transformative Interventions in Managing Effectively (Human Resources). The author of this book is Gabriel G. Uriarte, Ph.D. The author also called his book in an acronym T.I.M.E. It was distributed and published by San Gabriel Archangel Publishing House Inc. and was copyrighted by the author and the said publishing house in the year 2009. Its publishing house was located, its main office at Lot 26, Block 13, Area E Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Philippines, with a telephone number (044) 760-0397; (044) 760-0301 and cellphone number 0921-231-1379. The book has its International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-971-0513-1379 to control and facilitate activities within the publishing industry. It was printed by MMRC Trading located at 88 Buklod ng Nayon Street Sangandaan, Caloocan City with telephone number 324-6440 and 285-1285.

The author, Gabriel G. Uriarte, Ph.D has secured his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Intellectual Property Right of the Philippines. All rights have been reserved for him. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

The foreword of this book explained about leaders needed nowadays. According to the author, “At present, it is a fact that modern business requires modern management and this means well-trained mangers. Even today, as commonly observed by people holding positions, most managers undertake their first management position with little or no formal training. As a result, they adopt the styles by which they themselves were managed. Often this perpetuates poor or discredited management techniques which, perhaps, they have no place in today’s world”. For this reason, the author inspired to write this book, for he wanted to share his best in the art of management education.

The preface of this book tackled about the principles on how to process behavior in the workplace, needed in attaining the goals of any institution. The book upholds the basic principle to change the unwholesome behavior of an individual in the workplace to wholesome behavior, PROCESS should take place. According to the author that this book affirms that if the principles are well processed by the managers or the significant others in the workplace, employees will become WHOLESOME INDIVIDUALS meaning socially responsible, inter-independent, functionally productive and godly.

Lessons/Insights Learned

According to the book, “The effective manager is both well-organized and a highly adept administrator in understanding people’s basic needs and behavior in the organization and in the workplace”. The manager itself is not only a title but a relation towards his people. Meaning in order for a manager work effectively, he should established an open communication with his people and he should have put his trust on the delegated task he assigned for his subordinate. I learned from this that I should approach the people concern about the specific department or group of people and discuss with them whatever issues, problems and failures arise within their workplace as well as the accomplishments they encountered in order for him to build an open communication with his employee. They will not also feel that every time that you ask them for a conference, problems is presently occurred. They will feel excited to meet you every conference meeting because they know that you will not tell them merely they mistakes made but also give at least a compliment phrase that will boost their intellectual and emotional ability.

Moreover, I learned that our modern business requires modern management and according to the book the modern management means well-trained managers. It is really hard to find managers or leaders or people holding of positions possess an excellent ability in terms of managing a company, institution, school, community, even a country. Most of the time, managing a group of people is an experiment especially for those who are firs timer. The first management position with little or no formal training usually adopts the styles or the routinely works of their former managers or significant others in terms of handling his people. As a result, this perpetuates poor or discredited management techniques. If this will be the case no institution or business will become successful. In finding a good leader that will handle a group of people should be well-trained managers, a manager who is a model, someone who is worth to emulate, and someone who could become a liberator of oppression in the society. A good management is committed to the development of the individual worker to his fullest potentials.

In this book the author discussed all the meanings and principles underlying of ones’ behavior. I learned the two concepts on behavior, the Wholesome Behavior and Misbehavior. These two behaviors became the results of one’s managing approach of a leader. The book discussed that the success of one company or institution is based upon how the managers or the significant others handle his company. If the managers keep bullying and hurting the emotions of his workers, the said worker became humiliated, resulting of low self-esteem, feeling unimportant or useless and having a rebellious mind. Through this kind of manager’s treatment to his coworker promotes a negative response, a negative behavior. In addition to this, the workers will not inspire to do his job diligently and purposely. Unlike if the manager who is likely directed and guided his employees to their goals and objectives. In spite of mistakes and failures which encountered by his employees, he is there to give a word of encouragement, keep them boosting up of their ability to do their task and maintaining his harmonious relationship with them despite of their weaknesses. This kind of manager’s tactics in dealing their people will result positive response from their employees and promotes positive behavior in the workplace.

One of the principles, I learned also in this book is to understand the individual differences of people. Every individual is unique and has special talents and abilities. Meaning, in a workplace, everyone is considered necessary as a part of a whole. Like for example our body, it has different parts but each and every part has different functions in order to the body to move the way God designed it. No one can boldly say that there is a part of our body that has no function which it contributes its purpose as a part of it. Every part of the body has its own unique way of role in maintaining the life of one’s individual. The same with one’s company, everyone is a part of the company yet has a different designated or assigned work for every worker in order to one’s company became successful. The significant others should look every part of the company as special as he is. He ought not to see himself alone important because he cannot do all the works in a company all by himself. He needs his employee’s part; he heeds his employee’s ability. For this reason, the managers should treat his coworkers with love and respect as they wanted also to treat them by others in a manner that acceptable and pleasing.
Additionally, I learned from the book the different Ego Structure, the Parent Ego Structure, the Child Ego Structure and the Adult Ego Structure. These three Ego Structures are the approaches usually used by most of significant others in dealing problems with their employees. I learned that in using of each Ego Structure by managers effects occur, it could be either negative or positive. In using of Parent Ego Structure in tackling problems with their employees somewhat results negative outcomes. For in this structure the manager, as parent, is authoritative and most of the time does not accept other’s opinions. He alone is right and his idea alone is the most significant one. In this approach he considered his employees as child, the Child Ego Structure, who is not able to stand and act of what is right for itself. This method stimulates bias structure. The Child Ego Structure himself does not give a chance to explain their side in terms of problems encountered. The Parent Ego Structure only emphasize his authority as the head or the backbone of a company, his position itself manipulates the thing happened. It advocates not having a principle of social equality, the freedom to express your own will, thoughts and opinion. This ego structure will not help managers to advocate an ideal and successful company. I can say that the significant others will use the Adult Ego Structure in solving conflicts and problems in company using the transactional analysis. Transactional Analysis is providing better understanding on how people relate to one another so that they can develop or improve communication and healthy human communications, according to the book. In this approach the significant others give the opportunities or the chance his employees to explain and express their thoughts and ideas in solving problems encountered. Meaning the managers endorse to his company the rights has owned by the individual as human being and being a part of the company. This approach also give an opportunity to the managers to know his people well, their attitudes as well as the qualities possessed by his coworker. It also establishes rapport between the significant others to their employees. This approach is more healthy and fruitful one to use.

Life Application

As individual, I gained a lot of insights and principles in this book. Stating each one by one is not as ideal to write comprehensively for this requirement. One thing I knew and bulls eyed my thought all through reading of this book is the word CHANGE. This book tackled about approaches the significant should do in solving issues and behavioral problems in the workplace, the different responses and objectives of employees based upon the attitude of their superiors, the varies explanations of behavioral problems of every individuals, the explanations of conceptual frameworks that explains the discussed topic and so on. Moreover, one poem, “An Attitude of CHANGE by EXAMPLE”, the one who inscribed this poem on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in Westminster, Abbey about 1100 A.D. says that once in his youth he dreamed to change the whole wide world. As he grew older and wiser, he discovered that he would not change the world, so he decided to change only his own country. Moreover as he grew in his twilight years he realized that even his country is immovable to change, so he settled for himself to change only his own family but they none of them change. Furthermore, as he is on his deathbed, he suddenly realize if he had only changed himself first, by example, maybe he would then have been able to better his country and who knows, may have even change the world.
If there is one thing I want to apply from the principles I learned from this book is this to CHANGE my attitude first. We do not such enough power to change things especially to change other’s behavior. The only thing that we can able to change is our self. In order for us to have harmonious relationship with other people is to accept them as who they are. I should adjust my own attitude in accordance that other’s will benefit. I should be the first of CHANGE agent so that people around me inspire to work with me. So, in time that God will give me an opportunity to handle a position, I ought to change myself first before changing other people.

Suggestions for Improvements

All chapters of the book are useful in understanding one’s individual behavior within a workplace. Moreover, on its preface it is almost well explained the whole content of the book. Through this, it seemed that the proceeding chapters became redundant part of the brief explanation of the preface part. Also, because of its promising book introduction, me as reader expect much deeper topics dig on the succeeding chapters. Unfortunately, that almost half of the number pages of the book allotted in its Appendices, which is not normal. Too much pages allocated in Appendices made me upset. The book also much focus on conceptual framework of every topic that in some way helping greatly the readers to understand the explanation easily. But through this, I thought I am reviewing a research or thesis, in addition to this, the used many related literature. I suggest to the author to minimize the used of much related literature and presenting ample Appendices in his book, rather, focus enough of what are essential topics from simple to challenging one in its introduction to conclusion.