A group of graduate students in the San Fernando Valley have written a book titled “People Practics: 17 Practical Tactics for Business & Nonprofit Success.” The students at the Phillips Education Center of Campbellsville University, formerly known as Phillips Graduate University in Chatsworth, studied together in a 2017 class about organizational behavior. Professor Arnie Dahlke asked class members to each write a book chapter as their final assignment. Deborah Jackson, a graduate of the program, acted as editor and compiled the chapters as the basis of the book. Jackson coined the word “practics” as a combination of “practical” and “tactics.” She wrote a chapter on how to structure a business with the distribution of power and communication in mind. “The communication part is really practical,” she told the Business Journal. It helps you understand people’s behavior. Once you have that, then you adjust your communication style to theirs.” Kristyl Smith, who wrote a chapter on research in organizations, said “‘People Practics’ is the book I wish I’d had when I served as the executive director for a small nonprofit.” Other chapters offer tips on employee motivation, teamwork, conflict resolution, process improvement and strategic planning. The authors include business consultants, mental health professionals, marketers, academics, small business owners and nonprofit executives. “People Practics” retails for $19.99.
