reviews
By Alyson Nyiri, CHRL
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THE OUTWARD
MINDSET: SEEING
BEYOND OURSELVES
By The Arbinger Institute
Berrett-Koehler, 2016
In the preface of The
Outward Mindset, we are
asked to think of three people
we like most, two who’ve
had a positive influence on
us, our best boss, someone
who inspires us to do our
best, three favourite coworkers
and an acquaintance we
respect. The point of this exercise?
The people we choose
have this in common: you feel
seen by them. The Arbinger
Institute believes that an
other-inclusive mindset
(rather than a self-focused,
inward mindset) will help
guide us in building more innovative
and collaborative
teams and organizations.
Point of interest:
Once a leader – or anyone,
for that matter – outlines a
purpose, they step away and
allow others to exercise their
human agency and initiative.
The Outward Mindset
offers tips on how to develop
performance evaluation
and management systems to
match an outward mindset.
THE OSTRICH
EFFECT: SOLVING
DESTRUCTIVE
PATTERNS AT WORK
By William Kahn
Routledge, 2016
Dysfunction in the workplace
can take years to develop,
arriving with stealth and embedding
itself into much of
the organization’s programs,
people and divisions. In The
Ostrich Effect, Kahn surfaces
how dysfunction occurs, using
detailed examples in each
chapter to illustrate the process
and demonstrate the fix.
Kahn explores his view of human
behaviour, which he calls
the “Ostrich Effect” – when
individuals are not simply the
source of troubling issues, but
are signals of disturbances in
relationships, groups and organizations.
Kahn offers an
absorbing look at how organizations,
large and small, can
halt the damage and begin to
reverse its effects.
Point of interest:
Leaders must frame and tell
stories with meanings that
employees find compelling
enough to engage them in
moving forward in their collective
work.
Point of interest:
Madame Justice L’Heureux-
Dubé of the Supreme Court
of Canada said this about the
Act: “The least that can be said
is that the Act is not a model of
clarity and, consequently, its interpretation
is not an easy task.”
As with any Act, interpreting it
accurately is essential.
Point of interest:
The Code saw major amendments
between 2012 and 2013
that included additions such as
“gender identity and gender expression,”
“sexual orientation,”
“harassment in employment”
and “sexual harassment.” The
legislation in this edition is
current as of October 2015. ■
THE 2016 ANNOTATED
EMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE ACT
By T. Stephen Lavender
Carswell, 2015
Reviewing the Employment
Insurance Act is a tall order,
and so having an annotated
version lessens the burden.
Lavender organizes the volume
into EI Act, EI Regulations,
EI Fishing Regulations,
Insurable Earnings and
Collection of Premium
Regulations, Reconsideration
Request Regulations, SIN
Regulations and Appendix
(A, B, and C). The legislation
is current as of August 2015
and all relevant Federal Court
of Appeal decisions are updated
to June 2015. Having
the annotated version can offer
quicker access to qualifying
for regular or special benefits,
such as compassionate care,
and how to calculate premiums
for employers.
THE 2016 ANNOTATED
ONTARIO HUMAN
RIGHTS CODE
By T. Stephen Lavender
Carswell, 2015
Getting it right when faced
with a Human Rights Code
violation is critical. While legal
counsel will be involved, having
access to an annotated version
of the Code can help ensure
that your policies and procedures
meet the standards and
that you have an understanding
of the application and adjudication
procedure of the Ontario
Human Rights Tribunal. In response
to the passing of Bill
107, the Ontario Human
Rights Commission rewrote
their policies and on June 30,
2009 the direct access system
for alleged violations of the
Human Rights Code came fully
into force. The new Human
Rights Tribunal is developing
substantive and procedural jurisprudence
and this volume
contains most of the decisions
made during that first year.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ SEPTEMBER 2016 ❚ 55