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In light of ever-changing approaches to learning and in business conditions, keeping current is essential. The highly reputable publisher Pfeiffer produces a series of annuals to keep corporate learning practitioners abreast of the latest developments.

The 2009 Pfeiffer Annual:  Management Development keeps management developers on their toes with new "frameworks for understanding" and "opportunities to change our thinking." Contributors are internal and external specialists from the US, Australia, and Israel, as well as management professors at colleges and universities.

DESCRIPTION
The 2009 Annual, a large hardback book, contains three sections:  Activities, Assessment, and Articles.  The eleven Activities include icebreakers, simulations, and discussions for topics such as "Managers as Change Agents," "Getting Courage on the Front Burner," and "Getting in Touch with One's Own and Others' Moods."

Most activities require only basic materials. Handouts and worksheets are downloadable from the web. All activities fall into one of four "Facilitating Risk" ratings: low, low to moderate, moderate, or medium.

The goal of the Assessment is to help leaders identify their communication style preferences: Supportive, Reflective, Directive, or Emotive, as determined by scores on Responsiveness and Assertiveness scales.

The 12 Articles cover a wide range of content such as the higher turnover of people with disabilities, history of affirmative action with guidance for firms, leaders as talent managers, and human resources concerns for expatriation and repatriation.

EVALUATION
Of much value is the expertise of editor Robert Preziosi in selecting cutting edge topics with practical applications. Dr. Preziosi has appropriately chosen articles on the growing importance of networking, the effectiveness of outplacement services, and strategic management in the new economy.  The Summary section preceding Activities and Articles is a nice feature.

There are a few very familiar topics, and the teambuilding activity does not seem to offer anything new. Another activity contains a self-assessment of opinions and generalizations, without research data to refute or support the stereotypes.

The Assessment has some innovative twists, but there already exist a plethora of similar assessments, and this one did not stand out as significantly different or better. Unlike the Articles, the majority of this section’s references are from the 70s through mid-90s; only one source was from the last seven years.  The strength of this section is the constructive suggestions for improving communication.

Recommendation
I recommend The 2009 Pfeiffer Annual:  Management Development to new and veteran managers as well as to management developers. Its content offers timely and generally well-researched learning opportunities. The Annual's $95 list price is fair, given the editor's research and judgment to screen, prioritize, and select current issues of concern. Although I would not consider the Annual a must have, it is nevertheless a worthwhile addition to one's toolkit.

THE 2009 PFEIFFER ANNUAL: MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT Rating