Book Description

This popular book takes a combination strategic/systemsapproach to the studyof organization theory. Completely updated with currentcases and examples,the 5th Edition now offers the expertise of co-authorLawrence Gates whohas given the book a more simplified writing style. KEYTOPICS:Divided into five major parts, it begins by examining theorganization'soutside(macro) environment and the way that organizationsdevelop systemsto link up with and know this environment; studiesinformation management andstrategy formulation; considers such traditionalorganization theory subjectsas goals, design, and structure; concludes withan analysis of the more dynamicaspects of modern organization theory,culture, conflict, power, authority,politics, and change.Formanagement professionals. ... Read more

Book Description

Margaret J. Wheatley and coauthor Myron Kellner-Rogers explore thequestion: "How could we organize human endeavor if we developed differentunderstandings of how life organizes itself?" They draw on the work ofscientists, philosophers, poets, novelists, spiritual teachers,colleagues, audiences, and their own experience in search of new ways ofunderstanding life and how organizing activities occur. A Simpler Waypresents a profoundly different world view that can change how we liveour lives and how we can create organizations that thrive.

A Simpler Way explores fundamental new beliefs about organizations andlife. Like Leadership and the New Science, this new book is rooted inscience but breaks new ground by developing insights from literature,spiritual teachings, and direct experience. The authors challenge manyassumptions about life, organizations, and change, while providinginspiration and guidance for readers on their own journey to a simplerway to organize their endeavors.

The authors describe a new paradigm of life as self-organizing andcoevolving, drawing on sources that support modern science but predateits findings by thousands of years. They examine five major themes-play,organization, self, emergence, and coherence-each grounded in both thescience and philosophy of a world that knows how to organize itself. Eachtheme is explored in depth, and then applied to how we think about humanorganizations. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Good Read!
This beautiful work appeals to the part of you that is creative and artistic, the part that is always searching for new ways to look at the world. The book begins with a poem. The themes that follow - play, organization, self, emergence - each spin from the poem. The authors, Margaret J. Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers, weave in their bold, thought-provoking views on how life seeks to organize and diversify itself out of chaos. They explore scientific concepts by Charles Darwin, Carl Sagan and other scientists, interspersing quotes from mystics and philosophers. This is an excellent book, the kind you might keep on your desk to share or on your night stand for inspiration. The loose, circular writing elegantly expresses both philosophical and scientific ideas about organization. It is soulful without being too wishy-washy. ... .

Essential reading
It's late on a Sunday night and I've just finished reading "A Simpler Way" for the second time. It's one of those books that repays multiple readings as you delve deeper into what the authors are saying. It may be the best book I've ever read about creativity and organizational change, and I've read a bunch of 'em. It may change your life, if you let it. It's not "too New Age" at all - it's firmly grounded in the latest thinking in biology and other sciences. Basically, it says we are too controlled by inaccurate images of the world - specifically, the Darwinist belief in the "struggle" to survive and the machine metaphor. These two ways of looking at the world have predominated for decades now, and have percolated down into our lives, so that we think that such things as struggle, fierce competition, control, planning, rigidity, coercion, and so on, are the ways life is, and are the ways to organize our lives. WRONG, say the authors. The world actually is very different from what the Darwinists and the machine-as-metaphor people have said. According to the latest and best studies of evolution, biology, physics, nature, etc., the world is a lot more interested in cooperation, connections, synergy, alliances, freedom, etc., than we thought, and we can, if we're brave enough, allow THESE images of the world to pervade our lives and our companies.

Beautiful and Simple Way to introduce the Complex(ity)
This book is special for two reasons: #1 the book itself is beautiful in graphics, typography and shape, #2 the text pleasantly guides the novice into the realm of the subject of complexity.
This is the book I always advice to those who want to 'get into' the subject.

Simply...
This book is simply beautiful and life-inspiring. Thank you Ms Wheatly and Mr Kellner-Rogers.

Worth "reading"
I found this book hard to "read" but easy to own and "flip" through. The book gives us a good organizational view of systems theory and explores some of the most basic concepts of human and non-human organization. It has many photographs which are nice but not entirely related. The ideas are solid but not as well "organized" as they could be. I found myself wanting deeper explanations. But, in general, its a great coffee table style book that is fun to pick up and read a short bit, piece by piece. ... Read more

Book Description

Check out sample chapters by clicking on "additional materials" on the left.

The Handbook of Group Research and Practice is a unique, interdisciplinary resource that  emphasizes the connections among basic research and theory, applied research, and group practice to demonstrate how theory and research translate into methods for working with groups. The chapters in this Handbook have been written by world-renowned researchers and practitioners who work with teams and groups in a variety of settings. As a result, this Handbook provides students, academics, and practitioners with the most comprehensive understanding about the latest findings and issues in group research and practice to date!  

Key Features:  

• Offers a multidisciplinary and international perspective from international contributors
• Provides a historical overview of the development of research and group practice
• Identifies contemporary issues with an emphasis on the research agenda in the field
• Describes seven different theoretical perspectives on how groups function
• Addresses both traditional and new methods of studying group research
• Advances current efforts to increase the understanding of how groups are employed and operate to solve pressing social and individual problems

The Handbook of Group Research and Practice emphasizes the connections among basic research and theory, applied research, and group practice to demonstrate how theory and research translate into methods for working with groups. It is an excellent resource for students, academics, and practitioners in the fields of psychotherapy, psychology, sociology, management, communications, social work, education, and science and technology.

Book Description

This book provides readers with the needed skills in human relations that are becoming increasingly important for career success. It emphasizes the person in the organization and on the interactions between managers and other employees.Chapter topics include communication in the workplace; appraisals, promotions, and dismissals; conflict management; leadership; labor relations; intercultural relations; and more.For managers and other professionals in any field that want to learn the skills needed to interact most effectively with managers and co-workers. ... Read more

Book Description

This experiential, workbook-style text focuses on key skill sets necessary for personal and managerial success in organizations today.These skill sets are: · Intrapersonal skills – those skills essential for understanding oneself and one's personality: perception, awareness, disclosure and trust, value clarification, goal setting, identifying barriers to personal change and time-and stress-management.· Interpersonal skills – those skills necessary for working with others: conveying verbal messages, listening and non-verbal communication, giving and receiving feedback, communicating with diverse others and overcoming barriers to communication. · Team skills – those skills required for understanding and working in teams: forming, leading and facilitating teams, decision-making [including ethical decision frameworks], problem-solving, running meetings and project management. · Advanced interpersonal skills – those skills needed for leading and developing others: coaching and mentoring, empowerment and delegation, persuasion, networking, politicking, negotiation and conflict management. ... Read more

Book Description

In helping establish a new field of study in the organizational sciences, POS, this book examines a variety of positive dynamics in businesses and organizations that give rise to extraordinary outcomes. Positive Organizational Scholarship does not adopt one particular theory or framework, but encompasses any phenomenon that leads to positive, nurturing results. This collection of essays, written by established senior scholars, explains why and how these commonsense prescriptions work. ... Read more

Book Description

Concepts, Principles, and Practical Techniques for Improving Small-Group Performance

The authors of the phenomenal bestseller, The Wisdom of Teams, are back. This time Jon Katzenbach and Doug Smith focus on the issues of small group discipline and performance and the challenges presented by revolutionary technologies that enable the creation of virtual teams and global teams.

The Discipline of Teams helps small groups implement the disciplines, frameworks, tools, and techniques that enable performance. With detailed guidance and dozens of indispensable exercises, they present a regimen proven to improve performance and help groups adhere to the Six Basic Principles of Team Discipline:

• Keep team membership small

• Ensure that members have complementary skills

• Develop a common purpose

• Set common goals

• Establish a commonly agreed upon working approach

• Integrate mutual and individual accountability

The Discipline of Teams is an indispensable resource for any small group in any organization that wants to raise the bar by setting and achieving more ambitious performance goals again and again.

Katzenbach and Smith’s work on teams over the past decade has been called "essential", "path breaking", and "the best ever" by Business Week, Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Leader to Leader, Fast Company, the Financial Times, and other publications around the world. Tens of thousands of teams, from the executive suite to the front lines, have applied the Katzenbach and Smith disciplines to increase the performance of their organizations and themselves. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Discipline of Teams
As the sequel to The Wisdom of Teams, John Katzenbach and Douglas Smith return to uncover the tools, techniques, frameworks and disciplines required to unlock the performance potential that lie within today's teams and virtual teams.

Performance potential is not guaranteed, and you need to become an expert at the two disciplines - team and single leader and, you must be able to implement the right discipline to suit the performance need of your team.

Katzenbach & Smith identify and discuss the Six Basic Principles of Team Discipline: 1) keep team numbers to a minimum, 2) ensure that team members possess skills that compliment one another, 3) identify a clear performance purpose, 4) agree on outcome based goals, 5) provide clear roles and responsibilities and, 6) ensure mutual and individual accountability.

As a follow-up to their insights and strategies, Katzenbach and Smith provide practical exercises at the conclusion of each chapter for both team members and leaders to get them on the road to optimal performance.

The Discipline of Teams is easy to read and will provide the reader with tools, techniques and strategies to assist in becoming top performers within today's organizations. On a personal note, The Discipline of Teams provided me with some new techniques to help develop and maintain effective teams for today and in the future.

When and How to Use Teams Versus Single Leaders
The Discipline of Teams updates and extends the best-seller, The Wisdom of Teams. "The most important characteristic of teams is discipline; not bonding, togetherness, or empowerment." You are encouraged to be sure that you use teams only when they make sense as a performance unit, rather than having a single-leader approach. Using sophisticated Marine units as models, you begin to appreciate that some tasks are better suited to individuals and some tasks need to combine team and individual elements. In fact, complex tasks may require many teams focusing on subtasks. The book also looks at virtual teams and the impact of electronic communications on teams (concluding that nothing really changes -- you just have more ways to communicate and face-to-face is still important).

A team makes sense when you need to accomplish something more than what individual performances will give you. A good example comes in new product development. Each specialist can do a good job, and the project can easily be a bust. By thinking together, potential failure can become success by tweaking each perspective in new ways. The authors also point out that many times goals are set that sound like individual performance, but better goals would set directions requiring a team.

An effective team needs to have:

(1) an understandable charter

(2) communicate and coordinate effectively

(3) have clear roles and responsibilities for individuals

(4) use time-efficient processes and

(5) have a sense of accountability.

"Whenever a small group can deliver performance through the combined sum of individual contributions, then the single-leader discipline is the most effective choice."

The book provides many ways to make both teams and single-leader groups work better. In fact, it focuses on those areas that are most likely to cause problems, like poorly defined goals, keeping the size of the group as small as possible, not having the skills needed, time pressures, and using the wrong leadership discipline). I also liked the fact that the book looked at the question of when you should fold a team.

The authors clearly understand a great deal about making teams more effective, and anyone can learn from this book. I think those who liked The Wisdom of Teams will find it to be a useful refresher with some valuable new material.

The book contains many exercises and workbook questions that I happily endorse. They make the book much more practical and useful. If you just did the exercises and the workbook questions, this would be a five star book. The explanations are just icing on the cake.

After you have finished this book, I also suggest you think about whether you have set the right priorities in your organization. Realizing that you can only do a few things at once, what should they be? Be sure to give yourself a chance to pick tasks that will benefit from teams.

Find ways to make human cooperation more beneficial . . . for that's our strength!

... Read more

Book Description

Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work, 11e, was originally created 45 years ago by Keith Davis.This solid research-based and referenced text is known for its very readable style and innovative pedagogy.While minimizing technical jargon, Newstrom and Davis carefully blend theory with practice so that its basic theories come to life in a realistic context.As in previous editions, this edition will be filled with practical, applied advice. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Wrong book.
I have asked for The 11th edition. This is the 10th edition.
This is not what I have asked for.It also took 11 days to get here.

Critique of Organizational Behavior by Mr. John W. Newstrom
I like the book because it is complete and easy to understand.It gives a lot of insights on how one's behavior is manifested.The structured presentations are accompanied by real life experiences.It is an easyreference guide even for a novice in organizational set-up.The only partI would like to suggest is that the authors should show an answer chapterfor the quentions given in the end of the chapters especially in the casestudies.I find it very interesting to know how the authors would solvethe organizational problems. ... Read more

Book Description

The landmark study of cultural differences across 70 nations, Cultures and Organizations helps readers look at how they think—and how they fail to think—as members of groups. Based on decades of painstaking field research, this new edition features the latest scientific results published in Geert Hofstede’s scholarly work Culture’s Consequences, Second Edition. Original in thought and profoundly important, Cultures and Organizations offers vital knowledge and insight on issues that will shape the future of cultures and nations in a globalized world.

Reviews (8)

Cultural conundrums
Culture matters - that is surely the case, but the issue is whether it matters in the specific ways posited by this book, and it is not at all clear that it does. Setting aside the problematic nature of the notion of "national" culture in multiethnic societies (plus issues of class, generation etc.), Hofstede argues on the basis of surveys given to IBM employees circa. 1970 that national cultures can be understood along four (or possibly five) dimensions. He has a tendency to invoke anecdotes as ex post rationalizations of whatever statistical result he obtains. Although Hofstede must be given his due as a pioneer in this field, subsequent research attempting to validate this analysis has yielded mixed results, and by and large Hofstede's IBM data has been superseded by the more extensive World Values Survey data. Readers with a more scientific bent who want to examine in detail the evidence that underlies (or does not underlie) the arguments that Hofstede makes are directed to the companion volume, "Culture's Consequences." Nevertheless, it is a fast and easy read, presumably one of its attractions in management courses.

Great: The jargon only prevents perfection
Together with Nancy Adler's 'International dimensions' is one of the best sources of cross-cultural social and business behaviour.In some points, the jargon is excessive though. Highly recommendable for cross-cultural analysts.

Wow!!!!Headache....
This book is excellent on showing how countries and states where influenced by each other. The only problem I had with it was it was a college level book and I am still in high-school. So i did have to go back and reread paragraphs every so often. But this book asks many important questions and gives great insight on how and why the different world cultures spread.

The most insightful studies of cultural differences ever
I found this book to be of tremendous value. I have had some experience with different cultures -- Italian, French and East African. This book helped me understand all of them better, and gave me a much deeper understanding of the problems I had encountered.

Each of the cultural difference dimensions is based on real research -- not just a theoretical idea. Each of them is introduced with a telling anecdote, that is almost as powerful as the statistical study.

I found lots of new information here, lots of new understanding. Most amazing to me is the fact that relatively close cultures have profound differences -- such as France and Sweden. Also amazing is the fact that these differences are of extreme duration -- reaching back thousands of years.

The author recognizes the problems that these differences bring to business and politics in an international setting. There do not appear to be any easy answers.

I highly recommend this book!

develops individual skills for a multi-cultural environment
An important book for developing the skills needed for an individual for working in a multi-cultural environment. Through the course of reading the book i realized a few things (in fact a lot of things) that will help me work better in a global organization. It is also useful as a tool if one plans to work with people from different cultures. In all, this book gives you revelent information in uderstanding this topic! ... Read more

Book Description

Organization Development and Transformation is a paperback collection of 46 readings thatfocuses on how people and organizations and people in organizations function, and how to make them function better.This new edition includes coverage of classic OD articles, new cutting edge coverage of topics such as self-directed teams,centers of excellence and learning organizations. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A excellent collection of the classic readings.
The editors of the book have included in a single volume the classics. The articles include those authored by Kurt Lewin, Chris Argyris, Edgar Schein, Gareth Jones, C.K. Prahalad & Jeffrey Pfeffer besides many others. The latest edition published in 2000 include 16 new readings. Useful resource material for students of organisational behaviour and organisational change. The strategies described in some of the readings could be usefully applied in a variety of work settings. HR practioners and those in human resources development will find some of the articles valuable in crafting policies and renewal of training strategies. To sum it, in the words of the editors, "The field of organisation development is fun and exciting. We hope this anthology will convey some of that sense of excitement." I have discovered that sense of excitement when I read the articles in the book. I will continue to refer to them from time to time. ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for The EVA Challenge

"The EVA Challenge provides helpful insights for both the beginner and the advanced EVA practitioner. Its real-life examples illustrate how the practical application of shareholder value orientation can align the goals of all organizational levels, motivate management by linking compensation to EVA performance, and bring additional value to shareholders."–Dr. Karl-Hermann Baumann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board

Siemens,A.G.

"A very valuable book for practicing managers who must solve problems. The authors provide a wealth of information and examples not only on implementing EVA, but on performance measurement and compensation in general. Their analysis is first rate. They draw from their extensive experience and from real companies, problems and solutions. I especially like the chapter on EVA failures."–Michael C. Jensen, Managing Director, Organizational Strategy Practice, The Monitor Group, Jessi Isidor Strauss Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School

"Joel Stern knows this subject matter better than anyone. He adapted EVA so that we could use it to incent management at the United States Postal Service to greatly improve performance. We stopped losing billions and started turning profits."–Marvin Runyon, 70th Postmaster General

"The EVA Challenge is mandatory reading for any management in any business enterprise. Stern shows the way theory becomes practice and benefits not only management, but the shareholders and stakeholders alike. A must-read for management and shareholders."–Alfred G. Jackson, Global Head of Equity Research, Credit Suisse First Boston

"Joel Stern knows more about creating shareholder value than anyone in America. In The EVA Challenge you’ll learn how the master dumps rusty old accounting rules and hands managers a remarkable new yardstick for measuring success. Want to know the concept that made Roberto Goizueta great? Follow the Adam of EVA."–Shawn Tully, SeniorWriter, Fortune ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Highly Recommended!
Authors Joel Stern and John Shiely advocate a total revolution in the way companies are valued and measured. They make a convincing case for using EVA ("Economic Value Added") as the primary measure of corporate performance. The authors argue that the SEC's yardstick for corporate reporting, the "Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures" (GAAP), was designed to protect lenders by depicting a company's liquidation value. As such, GAAP provides an overly conservative and only marginally accurate picture of financial health. EVA principles - at least according to the consultants who advise companies on using them - evaluate intangible assets more realistically and correspond more closely to stock market performance. We from getAbstract recommend this book to executives who seek improved corporate financial and market performance, and to investors interested in understanding how value is created and maintained.

Aligning Shareholder and Manager Interests
One of the most difficult questions to answer is what a company's worth is. Two developments in American Capitalism have contributed to the question's complexity. First, shareholders have divorced themselves from the corporations operation, leaving the task to professional managers.

Second, generally accepted accounting principles do not align expenses with benefits, distorting economic reality. As a result, investors who want to compare the cash they can take out of a company with the cash they have invested are hampered.

The authors argue Economic Value Added (EVA) is a true measure of a company's economic performance, in addition to being a strategy for creating shareholder value. Properly implemented, they state, EVA frees the measurement of corporate performance from the vagaries of accounting principles and gives both shareholders and management a clear picture of the value the company creates.

EVA is the profit that remains after deducting the cost of the capital invested to generate that profit or EVA = Net Operating Profit After-Tax minus capital charge. Effectively implemented, the tool becomes the basis for an incentive plan that rewards managers for actions that increase shareholder returns and vice versa.

John S. Shiely, president of Briggs and Stratton and co-author of the book, notes this strategy provided the foundation of his company's turnaround. In 1989, the world's largest producer of air-cooled engines had an EVA of negative $62 million based on $1.3 billion in sales. By re-organizing and focusing its strategy while developing its EVA program, the company staged a dramatic turnaround. By 1999, it reported a record positive EVA of $50.9 million. Shareholders, who bought $100 worth of stock at the beginning of the program, saw it increase in value to $673 in 1999.

The authors claim EVA is ideal for knowledge-based companies making heavy infrastructure investments today for any anticipated return later. EVA treats cash outlays that represent investments as capital rather than expenses. The capital in these knowledge based industries consists of research, development, marketing, advertising and start-up costs. Accounts view these expenditures as expenses, but it is realistic to capitalize them and amortize them over their useful lives.

EVA from a Senior Management Perspective
EVA Challenge was OK. It is more geared towards senior managers who are thinking about EVA as a model for their companies. In that regard, this books does a fine job.

I was hoping the book would deal with more of the matamatics associated with defining EVA in relation to various projects and business decisions. This book contailed very little information in this regard.

What Is Your Organization's Net Worth?
Perhaps you have already read Ehrbar's EVA. He quite correctly points out that there can be many challenges to implementing a program based on EVA principles. He characterizes it as "a superior measure of corporate performance, one that is tied more directly to share than any other performance measure, by charging profit for the cost of all the capital a company employs, including equity."

More specifically:

"It is the framework for a complete financial management and incentive compensation system that can guide every decision a company makes...that can transform corporate culture, that can
improve the working lives of everyone in an organization by making them more successful, and that can help them produce greater wealth for shareholders, customers, and themselves."

Stern and Shiely (with Irwin Ross) focus on the specific challenges which will probably be encountered when initiates are taken to implement value-added change in an organization. They suggest all manner of strategies and tactics to achieve that objective, agreeing with O'Toole's key points in Leading Change when he analyzes what he calls "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom."

For the authors of this book, there have been two major developments in American capitalism which explain why "the opportunity cost of capital" has been miscalculated: "(1) the split between ownership and control of publicly held corporations and (2) the widespread acceptance of accounting measurements [i.e. GAAP] to gauge corporate value, a purpose for which they were never intended." Having defined and then analyzed various problems in Chapter 1, the authors proceed into 12 more chapters whose titles suggest their focal points: The Solution, The Need for a Winning Strategy and Organization, The Road Map to Value Creation, The Changes wrought by EVA, Extending EVA to the Shop Floor [an absolute imperative], Getting the Message Out: Training and Communications, EVA and Acquisitions, EVA Incentives, How EVA Can Fail [and it does...the authors explain why], New Frontiers: real Options and Forward-Looking Eva, 25 Questions [which must be answered fully or forget about EVA], and finally, a Recipe for Success. The book then provides its own value-added benefit: an Epilogue written by Gregory V. Milano which discusses EVA and the "New Economy."

Briefly, I would like to comment on Chapter 13 which offers a "Recipe for Success." The authors introduce and explain six key factors. Having already acknowledged various forms of resistance and resentment which implementation of EVA principles may well encounter, the authors understand full well that these factors may offer the promise of success but by no means guarantee it. They are:

1. "The company must have a viable business strategy and appropriate organizational architecture before EVA can boost performance."

2. To achieve full potential of EVA, a company should install all of EVA's components -- a measurement system, a management system, and an incentive system."

3. An EVA incentive plan is essential, and it should reach as far down in the organization as possible."

4. "A comprehensive training program is equally essential. It should not be limited to top executives but should infiltrate all managerial levels and, ideally, reach down to the shop floor."

5. "The EVA program must have the full and fervent backing of the CEO, who should chair all the all-important steering committee that puts EVA in place."

6. "The CFO and/or the controller should be equally committed. Because they have to deal simultaneously with standard accounting practices, these specialists may have an even greater problem focusing on value creation than a CEO newly introduced to EVA."

Stern and Shiely (with Ross) offer a comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective program which, after appropriate modification, can be of substantial benefit to almost any organization, regardless of its size or nature. Milano's insights are especially important in 2001 as so many organizations are attempting (with mixed success) to reconcile the basic principles of the so-called "Old" and "New" economies. (I hope they or Ehrbar next write a book which explains how EVA can be of greatest benefit to privately-owned smaller companies.) Drucker was right: "Until a company returns a profit that is greater than its cost of capital, it operates at a loss." We have all manner of mechanisms by which to determine the exact net worth of an individual executive. Properly understood, EVA principles can do the same for an organization IF if those who lead that organization are guided and informed by the aforementioned "six key factors." If you share my high regard for this book as well as Ehrbar's, you are urged to check out Fitz-enz's The ROI of Human Capital.

THE big picture of EVA concept
Joel Stern masters the art of explaining EVA in a simple manner. Co-authored by John Shiely, sharing his on-the-job experience using EVA at Briggs & Stratton, the book looks at strategic considerations of why to use EVA and how it is better than other performance measures and financial management systems to enhance shareholder value. I especially like the "How EVA can Fail" and the "25 Questions" chapters because they go deep into issues sometimes overlooked when one thinks about Value Based Management implementation. ... Read more

Book Description

“In a richly textured way, Howard Aldrich gives the reader a distinctive feel for the subject and a way to think about and understand emergence and change in organizations. This book is informative and engaging. It is playful and rigorous. It is scholarly and quite practical. Aldrich writes with confidence and wisdom. His book makes a fine contribution to the evolving field of organization studies.”
-Peter J. Frost, University of British Columbia

“Organizations Evolving is a gem. . . .This book is an exceptional accomplishment and is compulsory reading for all organizational researchers.”
-Joel A. C. Baum, University of Toronto

“This book pulls together an extensive array of information that focuses on emerging, rather than established businesses. Professor Aldrich presents the unique dilemmas faced by entrepreneurs in the creation of human resource policies and systems in a coherent and useful fashion.”
-Candida Brush, Associate professor of Management at Boston University

“Organizations Evolving is masterful. Aldrich cogently consolidates state–of–the art thinking and research on organizational evolution, a domain of inquiry that he helped pioneer 20 years ago with his classic Organizations and Environments.”
-Joel A. C. Baum, CN Chair in Strategy and Organization, Rotman School of Management,
University of Toronto

Organizations Evolving is a definitive account of organization in contemporary society. The book explains how organizations mirror the contexts or environments in which they are established. In contemporary society this means they come in a bewildering variety of forms reflecting changing boundaries, markets and technologies. In his exhaustive analysis of the multi-level dynamics governing organizations and society Aldrich provides an authoritative exploration of the key variables that shape each. Students and researchers will find here a rich source that charts the development of organizational forms and assesses the impact on these of external innovations such as changing technology and globalization. New theories of knowledge and entrepreneurship are woven into the analysis, together with fresh interpretations of data. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Towards the umbrella framework
Aldrich is a leading figure in organizational sociology. The organization is, with no doubt, a domain of sociology. But organization is not the object only sociology, especially because the company is the dominant form of organization under capitalism. The firm has been the object of various disciplines. Since the firm is an organization, if one studies the company, he participates in organizational studies. Organizational sociology has also zeroed in on the firm, rather than other form of organization. So now organizational sociology is not much discernible from economic sociology in the empirical research. Both have focused on the firm and the market as research domain. Most universities in the States offer both specialties as one course rather than separate course. Moreover, such a blending of field is intensified as more and more researchers from various disciplines take the firm and market as their research agenda. we¡¯ve seen the ascendance of organizational economics over past decades, breaking decades of ignorance of firm in economics. One-of-a-kind move could be spotted even in political science. ¡®Varieties of Capitalism¡¯ (2001), edited by Peter Hall and David Soskice, for instance, is a example of such a trend. In this book they examine the influence of national regulatory system on the business system and competitive advantage. Now the organizational study is increasingly interdisciplinary affair in social sciences. The more come into play, the more divergent the field become. Aldrich identifies seven perspectives in organizational studies: ecological approach, institutionalism, interpretive approach, organizational learning approach, resource dependence approach, transaction cost economics, and evolutionary approach. The diversity of approaches is not only tolerable but also necessary, given the interdisciplinary nature of organizational studies. But seven perspectives in only one field is too much. So Aldrich attempts to launch the overarching framework based on evolutionary approach, while preserving the value of other approach. The advantage of evolutionary approach lies in its simplicity. It consists of only 4 principles: variation, se4lection, retention, and struggle. Each relates to the other with if-then clauses. But they are abstract in nature. The specific accounts of events should be provided by other niche approaches. Evolution is the name of process, not of substance or what takes place in the field. This is the overall architecture of the book. It seems Aldrich succeeds in the ambitious project to provide the umbrella framework linking competing perspectives under one roof. In doing so, he reviews tons of researches to validate the effectiveness of his proposal. It seems to work with empirical studies. But the devil lies in details. He dumps too many into the limited space in cursory manner. So reader has some difficulty in following through the lines. Overall framework of the book is reasonable, and that it must be the breakthrough in organizational studies. But reading through it is another matter. It¡¯s a painful travail.

A tour de force
Howard Aldrich's ORGANIZATIONS EVOLVING is truly a tour de force. Those who know his 1979 ORGANIZATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTS are familiar with his sharp insights into the field of organizations and his lucid writing. In ORGANIZATIONS EVOLVING, Aldrich develops a compelling, broadly evolutionary, perspective on organizations that integrates the best ideas from diverse organizational theories. He makes the best, most sophisticated, case yet for an evolutionary perspective on the organization.

this book explains how and why organizations evolve.
this book will revolutionize the way sociologists look at (evolving) organizations...lots of examples and an excellent organization of topics.

A quallity contribution to the field of organization studies
First, I found the book to be highly "readable" in a number of ways, including its integration of literature and examples related to organizations of all sizes and ages. This approach created a dynamic "feel" to the book and a sense that the organizations we study are much more "moving targets" than stationary ones. Second, I confess that I am one of those readers who peruses the last section or chapter of a publication first to see where the author is going. I found that the final "invitation" section piqued my interest on a number of intriguing issues for future scholarly work (e.g., challenges of human resources in emergent organizations; the impact of collective organizational action versus individual organizational action) and I am confident others will find this section useful as well in contemplating future research programs. The "invitation" section also offers useful ideas that appeal to a variety of disciplines...for instance, I am already contemplating how I might collaborate with some of my academic colleagues in human resource mgt. and/or org. behavior. Third, since I am currently working on projects related to organizational legitimacy and legitimacy building, I focused my initial reading on sections related to these subjects, and found that Aldrich has, not surprisingly, extended the literature on legitimacy in some interesting and useful ways. For instance, at one point he discusses the potential for tensions to arise between, on the one hand, individualistic action that builds the legitimacy of a new firm, and, on the other hand, mutualistic or collective action that builds the legitimacy of a new population or community of rganizations. Finally, speaking of legitimacy, his purposeful attention throughout the book to organizations at all stages of development (e.g., emergent and existing) helps further legitimize scholarly interest in smaller and/or newer organizations. This is a quality contribution to the field of organization research.

A masteful contribution
Organizations Evolving is a gem. Writing with grace and clarity, Professor Aldrich establishes how diverse literatures ranging from transaction-cost economics to intepretive theory are premised on evolutionary foundations, and explores their convergences. He deftly synthesizes cutting edge research to illuminate how variation, selection and retention processes unfold at multiple levels within and outside organizations. This book is an exceptional accomplishment and is compulsory reading for all organizational researchers. ... Read more

Book Description

Inspire Persuade Lead by Paul H. Batz is the "How to Win Friends and Influence People" book of the decade. The concepts from the Ten Commandments of Leadership Communication are powerful in their simplicity and ease of application. Batz demonstrates a command of his craft with crisp, entertaining stories about leaders in real-world settings who understand that communication is their most powerful tool for effective leadership. You will learn how to: Motivate change and sell ideas; deliver powerful presentations; build consensus and work better with teams; avoid getting defensive. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Subject focus makes this book a winner
I've read a lot of leadership books, but this one stands out because of its focus on communication as a key leadership skill. It offered clear, easy-to-implement communication strategies that made an immediate difference with my team. It's amazing that such a basic concept--the best leaders are the best communicators--is overlooked or undervalued by many of the top MDA programs. This book will make a difference for individuals looking for ways to improve their leadership abilities. And, the real-world stories make it entertaining as well as educational. ... Read more

Book Description

The ideal customer defends, champions, forgives, and commits to a company or brand for the long term — but how can a business create such long-lasting loyalty? Chip and Bilijack Bell explain how in Magnetic Service, based on examples of real companies who have done just that. Written in a lively, accessible style, the book shows that loyalty comes not from allegiance to a product but from compelling experiences. Using case studies, the authors explain the concept of "magnetic service" that turns casual customers into loyal and enduring fans. The book unlocks the seven secrets of this phenomenon, from "Focus on Customer Hopes, Not Just Needs" to "Add ‘Charisma’ to the Mix" to "Empower Customers Through Comfort." ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Inviting and comprehensive, this introduction to industrial/organizational psychology emphasizes the connections between theory and practice across the full spectrum of personnel issues, worker issues, work group and organizational issues, and work environment issues. Coverage of career information, employee-centered issues, and cutting-edge research make the book ideal for those considering a career in the field.Research Methods in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Statistical Analysis of Research Data. PERSONNEL ISSUES. Job Analysis. Employee Selection. Employee Training and Development. Evaluating Employee Performance. WORKER ISSUES. Motivation. Job Satisfaction, Work Attendance, and Quality of Work Life. Worker Stress. WORK GROUP AND ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES. Communication in the Work Place. Group Processes in Work Organizations. Leadership. Influence, Power, and Politics. Organizational Structure, Culture, and Development. WORK ENVIRONMENT ISSUES. Human Factors in Work Design. Work Conditions and Work Safety.For anyone wanting an overview of the field of industrial/organizational psychology, especially as a career. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

not bad at all
This book is very good, but not for this topic. I'm really disappointed from this brand of sience. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

Comprehensive, Practical
Teams are everywhere-in all kinds of organizations. Some work beautifully to produce wonderful successes; others are miserable failures. Why? The authors conducted research with over 6,000 team members and discovered five factors that determine a team's success: collaboration, relationships, group processes, leadership, and the organizational environment. This book is a report of what they learned, loaded with plenty of advice for increasing team effectiveness.

After an introductory prologue, the book delivers five well-organized chapters that correspond to the factors of success. The first chapter explores what makes a good team member--abilities and behaviors that matter. What determines how collaborative someone will be in a team setting? The second chapter examines relationships among members of teams: what's most important, where are the greatest challenges, and how can you make it all work?

In the third chapter, the authors look into team problem solving. Included are the distinguishing factors of good problem-solving teams, dynamics and processes of solving problems and making decisions, and building systems that support results. Chapter four really digs into the team leader, reviewing six key dimensions of the role. This chapter alone is worth buying this book. Following the research-based model, the last chapter zeros in on the organizational environment. The authors evaluate management practices, structure and processes, and systems in an insightful look at how the environment affects team performance.

Each chapter is preceded by a one-page Snapshot that offers a valuable overview of the chapter. Two indexes and a half-dozen pages of notes add more value to this volume. Good flow, readable, and useful. Recommended as a good tool for team leaders, members, and encouragers in any organization.

A guide to the harnessing the power of cooperation
When Teams Work Best: 6,000 Team Members And Leaders Tell What It Takes To Succeed by Frank LaFasto (Senior Vice President of Organization Effectiveness for Cardinal health, Inc.) and Carl Larson (Professor of Human Communication, University of Denver) is a practical, "user friendly" guide to the harnessing the power of cooperation and teamwork for increased productivity and effectiveness. Individual chapters address what makes a good team member, what makes a good leader, problem solving methodologies, and how to best promote confidence and trust. When Teams Work Best is very highly recommended for anyone charged with the corporate responsibility for cultivating business group work skills!

WHEN TEAMS WORK BEST
LaFasto and Larson have composed a MUST READ guide for maximizing team effectiveness. Rich in content and advice, will give readers and indepth perspective on how to unleash the power of Teams.

When Teams Work Best
One of the most useful books on managing teams that I've read. It combines clearly articulated concepts with practical guidelines fo promoting more productive behaviors within my department and cross-functionally. The checklists, in particular, make this book a hands-on guide that I will pick up to use again and again.

Head of Marketing-Europe, Middle East (Financial Services Sector) ... Read more

Book Description

Culture, Leadership, and Organizations reports the results of a ten-year research program, the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness research program (GLOBE). GLOBE is a long-term program designed to conceptualize, operationalize, test, and validate a cross-level integrated theory of the relationship between culture and societal, organizational, and leadership effectiveness. A team of 160 scholars worked together since 1994 to study societal culture, organizational culture, and attributes of effective leadership in 62 cultures. Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies reports the findings of the first two phases of GLOBE.  The book is primarily based on the results of the survey of over 17,000 middle managers in three industries: banking, food processing, and telecommunications, as well as archival measures of country economic prosperity and the physical and psychological well-being of the cultures studied.    

GLOBE has several distinguishing features. First, it is truly a cross-cultural research program. The constructs were defined, conceptualized, and operationalized by the multicultural team of researchers. Second, the industries were selected through a polling of the country investigators, and the instruments were designed with the full participation of the researchers representing the different cultures. Finally, the data in each country were collected by investigators who were either natives of the cultures studied or had extensive knowledge and experience in that culture.  

A unique feature of this book is that while it is an edited book and many experts have written the different chapters, unlike other edited books, it is a fully integrated, seamless, and cohesive book covering the many aspects of the theory underpinning the GLOBE. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1995 The Boundaryless Organization showed companies how to sweep away the artificial obstacles-such as hierarchy, turf, and geography-that get in the way of outstanding business performance. Now, in this completely revised edition of their groundbreaking work, management experts Ron Ashkenas, Dave Ulrich, Todd Jick, and Steve Kerr offer an up-to-date version of their comprehensive guide to help any organization go "boundaryless"-and become a company with the ability to quickly, proactively, and creatively adjust to changes in the environment. With new examples, a new commentary on the developments of the last five years, and illuminating first-hand accounts from pioneering senior executives, the authors once again show why "boundaryless" is a prerequisite for any organization trying to succeed in the economy of the twenty-first century. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

"From Domestic Boundaries to Global Village of Tomorrow"
"Like Marko Polo discovering a new world of trade, organizations today are exploring vast new markets throughout the globe. The process is nothing less than a revolution, breaking down once sacrosanct boundaries of space, time, and nationality...In today's world, there is no longer a dichotomy between domestic and foreign. Global boundaries between companies, markets, and people have become irrevocably blurred...For companies such as Unilever, ABB, and SmithKline Beecham, globalization has become a natural part of their business, an integral part of their culture. For most companies, however, the goal to become truly global in mindset, staff, and market seems a stretch. Although the oportunities are tempting, the effort, knowledge, and skill required are much greater than for running a domestic operation, and the risks-once you probe beneath the surface-are equally enormous"(pp.261-262).

In this context, the authors, in Chapter 8, first put forward the following ten reasons why organizations might want to become more global: competitive survival, cost spreading, trailblazing, rule of three, domino effect, evolutionary forces, technological revolution, search for innovation, ripple effect, and benchmarking against other companies. Then, they discuss seven challenges companies face in making the global leap: (1)Establishing a workable global structure, (2)Hiring global supermanagers, (3)Managing people for a global environment, (4)Learning to love cultural differences, (5)Avoiding parochialism and arrogance, (6)Designing unifying mechanisms and a global mindset, (7)Overcoming complexity.

In Chapter 9, to overcome these challenges, they show action plans, and suggest ways of moving forward, from learner to launcher and from launcher to leader into the global arena as summarized as below:

I- From Global Learner to Global Launcher

1. Human Resources Practices

* Supply language/cultural sensitivity training.

* Standardize forms and procedures.

* Set up an overseas presence via joint venture, modest acquisition, or establishment of a headquarters.

* Engage in extensive cross-border relationship building.

2. Organizational Structures

* Arrange short-term visits and international assignments.

* Staff for more diversity in management and board of directors.

* Use e-mail and videoconferencing to maintain day-to-day contact.

3. Organizational Processes and Systems

* Establish worldwide shared values, language, and operating principles.

* Conduct fact-finding missions.

* Design ad hoc transnational teams.

* Hold global town meetings and best-practice exchanges of information.

II- From Global Launcher to Global Leader

1. Human Resources Practices

* Seek complete liquidity of human resources: recruit outside the domestic base; place foreign recruits within the domestic base; promote the best people to global assignments; rotate people internationally; use twinning.

* Aim for a global structure.

* Map global processes.

2. Organizational Structure

* Provide continuing global leadership trining and regular transnational training to reinforce the global mindset.

* Remove/minimize country managers and replace with global managers and focus on global customers.

* Routinize real-time global communications.

3. Organizational Processes and Systems

* Use global reward systems.

* Multiply ongoing transnational project teams.

* Work for global integration (for example, total global sourcing, global design, global engineering, and global purchasing).

Finally, they write that "Many tools are available to organizations, and we have described a good number of them here (as summarized above). But senior management must have the skill and foresight to use the right tools in the right way, at the right time, and in the right sequence...Each stage requires structures that enable the crossing of boundaries, systems and procedures that drive global behavior, and people who can learn to extend their thinking beyond their present outlook."

Highly recommended.

Yes and No
The title is a misnomer: Although the authors do indeed suggest how to "break through the chains of organizational structure", they provide an enlightening explanation of four different types of boundaries (vertical, horizontal, external, and geographic) which give definition to any organization. They do not advocate the total elimination of these boundaries (which is impossible, anyway); rather, they suggest how to rearrange them so that an organization can thrive. For the authors, there is what they call "A New World Order":

"In living organisms, membranes exist to give the organization shape and definition. They have sufficient structural strength to prevent the organism from dissolving into an amorphous mess....Like a living organism, the boundaryless organization also evolves and grows, and the placement of boundaries may shift....Because the boundaryless organization is a living continuum, not a fixed state, the ongoing management challenge is to find the right balance of boundaryless behavior, to determine how permeable to make boundaries, and where to place them."

This brief excerpt from the first chapter correctly suggests the purpose of this remarkable book: To explain HOW to meet that challenge.

The material is presented within four parts plus a conclusion. The first explains how to achieve "free movement up and down" by crossing vertical boundaries; the second explains how to achieve "free movement side to side" by crossing horizontal boundaries; the third explains how to achieve "free movement along the value chain" by crossing external boundaries; and in the fourth part, they explain how to achieve "free global movement" by crossing geographic boundaries." Then in the Conclusion, the authors discuss "Making It Happen: Leading Toward the Boundaryless Organization."

The authors also include a series of six questionnaires. By completing each in sequence, the reader is able to determine (a) where her or his organization is now located relative to "the boundaryless paradigm", and (b), what is needed to eliminate the "gap" between where it is now and where it should be. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to read The Boundaryless Organization Field Guide. It contains a a hands-on set of diagnostic instruments as well as exercises and tools, and a disk with presentation slides in Powerpoint format.

I agree with the authors: The most restrictive organizational boundaries are in the minds of those within an organization. Organizational as well as personal wounds are usually self-inflicted.

A triumphant crusade against fiefdoms
This is a forward-looking discussion of the paradigm shift from traditional pyramidal organizations to organic, dynamic enterprises that feature permeable boundaries. The book is a triumphant crusade against fiefdoms and for freedom in inter- and intra-organizational life. It demonstrates how "boundaryless" organizations can increase the ability to respond quickly, creatively, flexibly, and in an integrated fashion to market demands. Case studies of change efforts bring the main points alive. Adding to the value of this work are self-diagnostic instruments, charts, and tables. This book is a rich source of insights about organization plus savvy guidelines for taking action. We highly recommend it.

Checklists helpful in correcting organizational problems
Checklist can be used to help a manager transition an organization to overcome institutional barriers ... Read more