Book can help people find satisfaction

With high unemployment and rising workplace dissatisfaction, Kailua resident Richard Brislin shares his expertise in psychology and management in a revealing book to help people find satisfaction in the workplace and thrive in an imperfect work environment. Brislin is a professor at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. His book, The Undreaded Job: Learning to Thrive in a Less-than-Perfect Workplace, is organized around common issues facing individuals in the workplace. Topics include imperfection in leaders and colleagues; a look at how people think; power and politics in the workplace; worker motivation, development and change; prejudice and diversity; social skills; and communication challenges. According to Brislin, finding satisfaction, self-efficacy and a sense of self- fulfillment in the workplace is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s sense of happiness and contentment with life. The Undreaded Job The Undreaded Job examines various issues that lead to a greater understanding of leadership, power, motivation, group dynamics, social skills, and other topics central to an understanding of human behavior in organizations. The book also features research- based findings, specific steps, vignettes and case studies to make it easier for individuals to understand the underlying problems associated with the workplace. “I have known people who awaken in the morning, day after day, with a feeling of dread because they have to go to their despised workplace,” said Brislin. “I hope this book contributes to a decrease in the number of people who get no satisfaction from their work. Most workplaces are imperfect in one way or another, but people can take steps to improve the possibility of a good person-situation fit.” Richard Brislin is a Shidler Distinguished Professor of Management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business. He has spent nearly 40 years studying and researching intercultural behavior and has helped many individuals and organizations deal with different attitudes and values in their workplace. He has contributed to several journals and authored a textbook in cross-cultural psychology. Over the years, Brislin’s books have been widely praised for their practical application in the workplace. His published works include Working with Cultural Differences, Dealing Effectively with Diversity in the Workplace, and The Art of Getting Things Done: A Practical Guide to the Use of Power, which was a book-of-the-month club selection in 1992. The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Astablished in 1949 as the College of Business Administration, the College was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation's top 25 graduate schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the College is a professional school offering a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawai‘i accredited by AACSB International. For more information, read about us. The University of Hawai`i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students matriculate in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu.