The Peter Prescription (How to be creative, confident and competent), Peter, LJ, MD: New York: William Morrow & Co, 1972, 224 pp, $5.95.

Lawrence J Peter, MD, author of The Pefer Principle ("in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence"), has done it again.

As in "Principle", The Pefer Prescription i s written in the same unique style; a seri- ousness with classical satire, highly humor- ous and laced throughout with famous quo- tations for emphasis and to provide additional interest. It also seems to have a more positive approach to life, perhaps due to some direct results of efforts in re- search. This has provided a new science, "Hierarchiology", which i s the study of hierarchies.

The Peter Prescription i s simply stated as "Forward to a better life", and its purpose i s to achieve happiness in all aspects of life.

This can be accomplished, Dr Peter says, by knowing your objectives, thereby get- ting satisfaction out of life and by avoid- ing the "escalation trap". This is accom- plished by finding out what we can do, where we enjoy ourselves, and then stay- ing there. This prescription shows the way to improving the quality of life through ful- filling our best potential while avoiding the pitfalls of incompetence.

The author offers 66 prescriptions to help people see themselves, often through a smile or even laughter, and frequently uses true statements and realistic examples to help people see themselves. He adds, "True progress can be achieved through moving forward, not necessarily upward."

Adding another bit of interest are the illustrations, dated 1876-1 890, taken from Punch magazine, proving classical satire endures. Even the dedication of the book i s unusual and humorous.

The author does have a serious intent in writing this book with his stated ambition

"to save mankind". Perhaps he will "save" mankind, not in the way we understand the phrase, but in helping people find their place in life so they can be happy in their private lives as well as in their careers,

Mabed Crawford, RN Los Angeles

Every Employee A Manager, Myers, MS, PhD: New York, etc: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1970, 233 pp, $8.95.

The purpose of this hard cover book i s ex- pressed in its subtitle, "more meaningful work through job enrichment". It contains a wealth of information in its five chapters which are presented in a challenging and easy to read style.

The chapters dedicated to human effec- tiveness explore the needs of the individual in relation to his personal and professional goals, and the effects of authority orienta- tion versus goal orientation in supervision.

Dr Myers uses case studies to demon- strate his theories that iob enrichment may result when opportunities are provided for employees to share in problem solving and goal setting responsibilities. He shows how the challenge of reality can stimulate the worker to a responsible expression of initiative and creativity.

The "Involvement" type of organizational climate i s stressed, for the complexity of modern problems requires the competence of a synergistic team to achieve common goals.

The importance of this book lies in its emphasis on the individual, i t s acknowledg- ment that there are vast resources of talent and potential in the nation's work force which are classified as hourly, nonexempt employees. The author's greatest challenge to management i s to bridge the gap be- tween management and labor by creating a climate in which people enjoy a sense of working for themselves.

Sister Vincent, RN Indianapolis

80 AORN Journal