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Ever since Hewlett-Packard emerged from one in 1939, a "garage" has come to symbolize the no-holds-barred mentality that fosters the kind of creativity that drove this company--and the dozens more it spawned--to heights theretofore unknown. Bernd Schmitt, a Columbia Business School professor who has written several well-received marketing books (Experiential Marketing, Marketing Aesthetics) takes this image to the next level in Build Your Own Garage by relaying strategies that readers can adapt to their own enterprises whether they are housed in a converted parking structure or not.

As one might suspect from a book that advocates the unorthodox, Schmitt chooses to deliver his ideas in an unconventional manner. Each chapter begins with an elaborate short story by Laura Brown that encapsulates its central concepts (such as a vampire tale based on Bram Stoker's Dracula that illustrates how "the strictures of traditional corporate culture are enough to suck the life energy out of anyone"). Also sprinkled throughout are photographs and images by graphic artist Gail Anderson, which simultaneously reinforce the book's themes (on topics including technology, branding and "customer experience management") and distance it from buttoned-down management tomes that espouse the very group-think Schmitt is trying to eliminate. Those seeking new ideas who are not turned off by unique presentations should find this intriguing. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Clever stories but no handbook
The book benefits from amusing anecdotes but is very light on actual help for putting in place a workable framework for managing business innovation.

Wake-Up Call for Traditional Marketing Literature
Finally somebody tearing down the "dusty" rules and old-fashioned formats of how to write a marketing book. This book is not only creative, well thought-out, and informative it is especially fun to read.
An absolute must-read!

Build Your Own Garage
Another brilliant book fom Bernd Schmitt (the man behind "Experiential Marketing"). Very creative, great ideas about managing and adding creativity to yr organization. I loved the website too --buildyourowngarage.com. Very creative, hand-drawn design!

Sparking Corporate Creativity
Having read Schmitt's books on marketing, I was very interested to see him branching out into the field of corporate creativity. "Build Your Own Garage" is a really interesting, quirky book that sparks the imagination and also offers practical, concrete tools that managers can use.

I believe that "Build Your Own Garage" is the first business book on creativity that really expresses the complexity of the creative process. Encouraging and managing creativity in a large organization is not a simple job. Schmitt and Brown approach the topic from different angles--analyzing the role of creativity in business organizations, detailing real-world examples of creative initiatives, and also offering creative "business parables" to show different facets of creativity in the workplace. (Look especially for the vampire story about "the Corporate Undead"!)

For all its quirkiness, "Build Your Own Garage" deals with corporate creativity in a down-to-earth way. This is not a giddy, dot-com, anything-goes approach to creativity. The book fully acknowledges the importance of business fundamentals and proposes a variety of realistic techniques to improve performance through creativity. Not surprisingly given Schmitt's background, the chapter on Branding is particularly strong.

"Build Your Own Garage" is a quick and enjoyable read that offers some useful insights into corporate creativity. I highly recommend it.

Excellent!
I found this book very fun, and very practical (an unusual combination!). The authors show how to make even an established legacy business more creative and dynamic. The book is timely, and applicable to the real-world, „post-interntet-boom era ˆ managers still need to bolster their bottom line with innovation. I‚ve ordered copies for all my line managers. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

different thinking, different book..........
Not only being a student of Rolf's School for Innovators, Thinking Expeditions, as well as a reader of his first edition of The 7 Levels of Change........this 2nd edition is REALLY a significant mindshift and a MUST read for anyone truely wanting to understand the change process......I am a Personal Life Coach and work with individuals in achieving their goals which are always based around SOME change if not RADICAL change and I use the 7 Levels constantly.......I have used them to develop programs that not only explain change but navigate you through the maze that most books get lost in....there are so many examples, so many tools, so many new ideas in the 2nd edtion that I agree with Rolf when he said " I should have written this book the first time around"....great luck on your journey, you are being guided by the best!!!!!!

Thinking Differently for different, better results.
I have been working as a Corporate Creativity Champion for about 8 years. If I could only read 3 books on how to become more productively creative, both from an individual & corporate perspective, Rolf's book would be one of them. 7 levels of change is one of the most thought provoking, stimulating books I have encountered. It doesn't matter whether you are a neophyte to the domain of creativity, or if you are an expert in managing change & use such tools as Meyers - Briggs or Kirton Adaption Innovation Theory, you will learn much.

Rolf guides you through the concepts & steps to move from thinking about how to do things better (evolutionary change)to thinking about how to do things differently (revolutionary change).
The book is packed with tools & techniques. It is not just about thinking differently, it is about DOING Differently to get better results. Try it, you'll like it.

A Field Guide for Change or...how to avoid INSANITY
Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over all the while expecting different results with each repetition of the same old action. Think about that thought. No....REALLY THINK about that thought!
For what area of your life have you wanted different results, but you have not been able to change your actions/behaviors in a way that enabled you to achieve the results you desire? Wouldn't it be great if you could create the results you dream about obtaining? Something at home? At work? On your softball or bowling team? In your avocation? Same actions same results, same actions same results, and therefore no change in the results.
What do you have to do, how do you have to think differently, and why do you have to think differently to get different results?
In Rolf Smith's second edition of "The 7 Levels of Change," he goes way beyond introducing readers to his proven methodologies and tools to achieve different (read desired) results that he covered in the first edition. He augments his basic description of the Seven Levels of Change with a lot of new information and success stories that will help his readers to successfully adapt, innovate and survive in the chaos that is the "information age."
I particularly like the twenty pages he added under the heading: "Getting Ready for Change (Individuals)." This is a concise review of the sixteen Myers Briggs preference types and the Kirton Adaption-Innovation inventory. These two tools provide every reader a powerful insight into their individual preferences and strengths, while also providing an eye opening insight into why family members/coworkers/teammates tend to behave and perform the way they do. Knowledge is definitely power in the information age, and the Second Edition of "7 Levels" is a must have knowledge source or "field guide" for every leader's library.
For those who find the book stimulating and want even more insight into the '7 Levels' tools, I strongly recommend attending Smith's School For Innovators (SFI). KMF! (Keep Moving Forward)

Seven Insights into Innovation
Rolf Smith's first edition was a good, original primer on the subject of change. In his second edition, he has managed to take the basic theme and turn it into a significant work that should become essential reading for anyone who is interested in or involved with innovation.
Easy to read and original. If you are the sort of person who can do this, please follow his advice and jump around the book from one shiny little jewel to another. Even try reading the chapters from the back to the front. In this way you can experience the insights into common sense and the unknown in just the same manner that Smith and his contributors cobbled the ideas together.
Definitely recommended for those who are interested in a difffernt approach to how change and innovation affects our lives - and vice-versa.

Synchrodipity,
Houston, Texas

Author's Observations
-
So what's diffferent about the 2nd Edition?

It's much more of a "Fieldguide for Innovators" focused on Thinking Diffferent for Diffferent Results:
• There is a copy of a corporate Innovation Strategy Paper developed for the first Air Force Office of Innovation
• New Chapter: Getting ready for change (individuals) - Much more depth on the implications of Meyers Briggs type and Adaptor-Innovator style in dealing with change and stress.
• New Chapter: Getting ready for change (teams) - Examines how teams react to and deal with change and stress, and includes a brief study of a May 1999 Mt. Everest Expedition.
• Index to more than 75 innovation tools and techniques for thinking diffferent and for getting diffferent results - and expanded explanations (How To's) for many of the tools.
• Updated and expanded "slide show" of 115 PPT graphics

There are some completely new chapters:
• Transitioning to Level 4 (out of normal 1-sigma thinking and doing): The Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model
• Transitioning to Level 6 (out of "interesting" 2-sigma thinking and doing): Case Study of a major Procter & Gamble Thinking Expedition (article from FAST COMPANY Magazine written by Anna Muoio)

There are some completely new sections and as well as updated appendices:
• Following each Level of Change there is a summary of the kinds of Fear and kinds of Stress that that particular level tends to bring out
• Case Study of a major Texaco Knowledge Managment Expedition
• Case Study related to International Project Management written by Kent Malone of Halliburton Company
• Case Study on a Change Plan for Dentistry written by Ronal Konig, DDS, of Houston, Texas.
• Case Study of Campbell Junior High School, Cypress, Texas, has been updated by Gwen Keith (principal) to reflect the changes and results of the last five years
• Detailed description of School for Innovators Expedition XXXVIII (December 2001) written by the participants - a collection of personal insights in step-by-step account mode.
• Easy-to-read Chart developed by Elvira Stestikova, a Conoco research chemist, that analyses each Level of Change in terms of Habits & Characteristics, Thinking about Thinking, Mindshifts, Pros & Cons, and Levels of Fear. This is essentially a content analysis index to the book.
• Me, Inc. - The How To's at the end of each chapter have been expanded.

And... the 2nd Edition increased in size by 50%, from 213 pages to 320 pages - all good ones!

Me? This is the book I should have written the first time. I think it's great - and I think it's both much better and significantly diffferent from the 1st Edition (1997).
- Rolf Smith, July 2002 ... Read more

Book Description

Explores the psychological impact of change for employees. Provides managers with strategies necessary for successful transitions. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best book on change that I have read
This book is so wonderful that I have ordered copies for my clients.It is probably most useful to people with some background in Myers Briggs, but even without that information, it is a solidly written, insightful book.

I highlighted so much that I had to have a triage approach --highlighter, blue stars, and dog-earring!

Innovative use of MBTI information but what's the so what?
This book has a really neat idea - use the wagon trail west as a metaphor for the challenges people face in changing organizations.It then discusses how people with different Myers Briggs Types respond in these situations,and how when managing change you should take account of thesedifferent preferences.Trouble is that there are no clear implicationsfrom the book - I'm not sure what change managers should do differently asa result of the information provided by the authors.Where there arerecommendations they are so bland that you could have got there withoutMBTI.Maybe, this is an example of stretching psychological type beyondwhere it is useful. ... Read more

Book Description

"A good balance between theory and practice . . . it definitely fills a void in the [lack of] texts in the area and the change literature in general . . . a good fit for my graduate class on ‘Managing Organizational Change.’"

—Anthony F. Buono, McCallum Graduate School of Business, Bentley College

 

"Like Gareth Morgan’s Images of Organization, this book is a superb blend of theory and practicality. It demystifies chaos and paradox, and it encourages the understanding of organizational dynamics from multiple perspectives. It is refreshing to read a book that presents diverse theories and interventions so even-handedly."

—Andrea Markowitz, Ph.D., President, OB&D, Inc.

 

Learning to Change: A Guide for Organizational Change Agents provides a comprehensive overview of organizational change theories and practices developed by both U.S. and European change theorists. The authors compare and contrast five fundamentally different ways of thinking about change: yellow print thinking, blue print thinking, red print thinking, green print thinking and white print thinking. They also discuss in detail the steps change agents take, such as diagnosis, change strategy, the intervention plan, and interventions. In addition, they explore the attributes of a successful change agent and provide advice for career and professional development. The book includes case studies that describe multiple approaches to organizational change issues.

 

This book will appeal to both the practitioner and academic audiences. It can be used as a text in graduate courses in change management and will also be a useful reference for consultants and managers.

 

Features:

• Discusses the abilities, attitudes, and styles of successful change agents
• Describes five fundamentally different ways of thinking about change
• Presents a state-of-the-art overview of change management insights, methods, and instruments
• Summarizes an extensive amount of organizational change literature
• Supplies readers with useful insights and courses of action that will allow them to design and implement change professionally

 

Learning to Change became a bestseller upon its initial publication in the Netherlands. The color-model on change is very popular among thousands of managers and change consultants and presents a new approach to change processes and a new language for change.

Reviews (1)

Powerful metaphors`
The way colours are used to represent different approaches to change is a powerful metaphor. Combined with the models presented in the book this offers managers a guideline to succesfuly implement change. The plentiful notes in the book lead to more background reading material. Do not skip the introductory chapters, I found them very interesting. ... Read more

Book Description

or the first time ever, the acclaimed author of the phenomenal #1 bestsellingbusiness book In Search of Excellence presents the same provocative, challenging, and sometimes scary seminar that attendees pay $2000 to hear delivered in person. Peters shows how to understand and thrive in the face of the crazy demands the business world makes upon us. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

"Where's the Beef?!!"
Nothing here that is implementable. This tape contains one message: CHANGE EVERYTHING. The entire book and tape revolve around this single message. Mr. Peters provides no implementable plan or suggestions on how to adapt this message to you, your department, or company. In fact, you have to ask yourself, "Is it truly necessary to change everything?" Most of us would have to say "No." In fact, this is more often than not a recipe for f-a-i-l-u-r-e. Instead, A RETURN TO BASICS is what is needed in 90-95.0% of the cases. However, my biggest complaint isn't that I believe Mr. Peters is wrong, it is that his recent books and tapes are filled with superfluous and outragious statements that fail to advance the listener's or reader's understanding of the concept. When I buy a management book or tape, I want information and concepts that I can quickly take to my company and implement to our mutual benefit. Unfortunately, Mr. Peters' recent works appear to be nothing more than pep-talks and cheerleading sessions. You have to ask yourself: "Where's the beef?"

Tom Tom Club
With a Copyright of 1994, its a little dated, but the basic message remains clear. Innovate or become extinct. Tom's enthusiam is apparent with each chapter.

If you can overlook the examples of corporations that are no longer around, and listen to the concepts, ( refer of course to the audio version) its a great program.

For true members of Tom's movement, this book remains a variation on a theme. A must have for the "Work Matters crowd" a cheap substitute for his live programs. Or a great refresher course for someone that has been to one.

The entrepeneural spirit of Tom Peters is here
Beyond review, I read this book first in 94 and just re-read it again in july 97, It is still wonderfull and give a lot of insight to business. I wish I can see him LIVE in THE SEMINAR someday, most of Tom books are good and worth reading. Read it.

Tom Peter's $1,500 a day seminar in a $14.00 book. Buy it!
Since the publication of In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters' books have consistently provided a much needed kick in the seat of the pants to would be entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. His messages related to the need for innovation and a focus on excellence provide a refreshing challenge to the "business as usual" school and to those with a typical short term survival management philosophy. In The Tom Peters Seminar (subtitled "Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations") Peters uses his $1,500 a day seminars as the basis for a quick, concise analysis of the problems and solutions associated with the new, scary, and impossible to stop information economy. As Peters relates in the book, "Do something. Make things happen. It's inaction that kills you." This book is the place to start ... Read more

Book Description

An Inside Look at the Process of Innovation—and How to Make it Work for your Business While the need for innovation is widely recognized, the practices that nurture it elude many executives. Winning the Innovation Race examines the three dimensions of innovation—people, processes, and technology—and provides vivid examples of practices that encourage innovation. This comprehensive book describes the forms that innovation takes in industrial organizations and how superior companies manage to sustain innovation through effective management. The practices of PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contributions to Excellence) Award-winning companies are used to illustrate how truly innovative companies make the most of their employees, how they treat product development as a "perfectible process," and how they create reward systems that build cultures of innovation. Some of the vital lessons you’ll learn in this unique resource:

• The virtue of "cheap failures"
• Why organizational discomfort is needed
• The role of executive leadership
• How to sustain a culture of innovation

Book Description

Methods of improving business processes are developed on an ongoing basis, but few are successful. Common problems encountered include the failure of processes to meet expectations and the inability to sustain or replicate these business processes.Involvement of personnel at grassroots level, as well as at management level, is essential in implementing effective process improvement methods.

The authors present a step-by-step approach to the issue of effective process improvement, offering more than 200 tips and guidelines as well as addressing specific common problems and issues. The strategy presented is to take a broad and intuitive, but learned view of process improvement methods, and the tactics expounded are based on guidelines, common faults, and lessons learned. The authors disparage process improvement operations that depend on jargon and the support of just upper management, and promote grassroots involvement and self-sustaining measurement, making this an essential guide for all with involvement in process improvement.

*Presents a step-by-step approach to effective process improvement
*Offers more than 200 tips and guidelines
*Addresses specific problems and issues, outlining common faults and lessons learned ... Read more

Reviews (1)

very useful advice and tips for improving processes
Six Sigma is a very good methodology but expensive and difficult to apply in many cases. This book gives an approach that can be employed by organizations with limited resources. Some good features about the book-- practical tips from a wide variety of experiences, addressing process change after improvements have been made, and dealing with political, social and cultural factors that restrict and affect change. The authors clearly have had a wide range of different companies to draw upon. Many six sigma books offer only methods that apply to someone with a lot of resources--this book is much more realistic. The book has separate chapters dealing with management, business, and work issues as well. Easy to read. ... Read more

Book Description

Companies don't innovate - people do!

With today's markets changing at warp-speed, no existing business believes it has a future without a strong focus on innovation. Companies with bold leadership are attempting to create a culture in which innovation can flourish. To do so, they need radical innovators and business activists.

This is what Lessons in Radical Innovation is about. There are many books on innovation, but this is the first to take the debate from the corporate level to the individual. It's about real people who took risks, who set themselves extraordinary goals against almost impossible odds.

These are stories about out-of-the-box thinking; about passionate individuals and the different kinds of companies they created.

The book provides a structured way to think about innovation and gives practical examples of how individuals are doing it. Share their ideas, attitudes and tools - real world examples of real people making a real difference - and build your own context for thriving as a business radical.

Reviews (1)

Practical And Thought-provoking
From the back jacket of the book reads " This book provides a structured way to think about innovation and gives practical examples of how individuals are doing it. "

In my opinion, this book offers more!

My first reaction to this book is a sense of excitement: the author actually sets aside generous amount of space for readers to write their thoughts. This is very thoughtful as this book bring exciting concepts that enthralls and demands a second reading. Note-taking is a must.

I am also impressed by way Chapter 1 handles "Catalysts of Change". This concept is very complex and dynamic: however, Wolfgang handles it expertly.

Chapter 9's Strategic Thinking and Strategic Action provides leaders and decision-makers the necessary tools to conceptualise their corporate strategy. I am amazed by the simplicity of presentation.

This book is a must read for all who want a grasp of developing an innovative mind... ... Read more

Book Description

When it comes to sustained success, vision matters more than strategy. Scores of studies have proven this statement, and millions of business leaders believe it. Yet few executives understand what vision is. They embrace the idea, but ignore the implementation - a disconnect that threatens companies striving for growth in a volatile marketplace.

Organizational expert Mark Lipton argues that this "believing-doing" gap exists because today's fast-paced world demands short-term fixes-pressuring executives to make tactical decisions that ultimately create larger strategic problems down the road. But Lipton shows that vision has more substance than leaders think-and that it is an essential factor in building scalable organizations that last for the long haul.

Based on extensive research and real-world consulting work with executives implementing the scaling process, Guiding Growth provides fresh examples of established and new firms that have developed powerful growth visions. Moving beyond token "mission statements," Lipton outlines a step-by-step process for establishing an actionable vision, presenting it to the company, and embedding it into the organizational fabric.

Illustrating how visions become guiding forces for day-to-day behavior and overall company direction, Guiding Growth reveals how companies can stay their course, even as they grow. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I'm a Convert!
Ah, corporate vision statements. Before reading Guiding Growth I did not put great faith in them. I, as the author, Mark Lipton, was not convinced of the power of corporate visions at the beginning of his research. Visioning to some extent has been a management fad that has come and gone. However Lipton's research finds that for companies who truly have a vision that helps their companies stretch and grow, and is deeply embedded in their organizations; the market returns are demonstrably better.

Vision, in Lipton's model is composed of three elements: raison d'être, strategy and values. In Guiding Growth Whole Foods Market is quoted as saying 'our vision statement reflects the hope and intentions of many people. We do not believe it always accurately portrays the way things currently are at Whole Foods market so much as the way would like things to be. It is our dissatisfaction with the current reality, when compared with what is possible, that spurs us toward excellence and toward creating a better, company and world.' Strong stuff indeed. And in ManyWorlds' experience, for many companies the articulation of a vision is often based on their heritage, not to where they want to grow, and not what differentiates them.

Lipton also examines the role of executive groups (not teams) and the alignment of people processes with vision, to bring the vision alive, real and accountable. The book is as much about leadership and organizational culture as it is about growth and vision, which are of course the fruits and seeds of each other, within the organizational greenhouse. He writes, 'Organizations rocketing through extended periods of growth. To succeed, they need a combination of all the right ingredients and they must be in near-perfect alignment. If one element is missing, or out of alignment, then the potential for failure rockets as well...all organization share the same need to have the right ingredients in place and to ensure they are aligned and that is what the executive group accomplishes through the vision framework.'

Peppered with examples from a range of companies and with deeper analysis of high-growth organizations such as Oakley, Lipton has done an excellent job of presenting both a visioning framework and insights into culture and leadership into a practical and usable work. Helpful lists of questions, checklists and exercises bring this already enthusiastic text to a more approachable and actionable level. Highly recommended for executives and managers from a variety of functional areas including business unit heads and 'service lines' such as HR.

Vision - beyond the hype
Reading "Guiding Growth" has been a joy - finally a practical book about vision. Like Lipton, I was suspicious about the whole vision industry, but his book has helped to look at the concept in a different light.
The distinction between the 3 principles - raison d'etre, strategy and values is most insightful (especially since raison d'etre and strategy are often mixed up).
Despite all good intentions, the reality is that the vision process often ends with the communication of a vision statement. Lipton shows how the real impact can go far beyond just an energising event: it is pivotal in guiding and sustaining growth.

In my own experience vision is often treated with more suspicion in Europe than in the US. Lipton's book, however, is as valuable for those who are in charge of building or changing an organisation in the US as in Europe (or any other part of the world) - Guiding Growth goes beyond the hype. It asks some tough questions and invites you to think about how you can unlock the wholehearted commitment of your workforce by providing meaning to the existence of the organization. A must.

Read this book -- then give it to all your direct-reports
Yippee! No academic psycho-babble, overly complex diagrams, or overly simplistic management fables in this one. "Guiding Growth" is smart, witty, and engaging - a must-read for business leaders concerned about sustainable competitive advantage.

Lipton begins by admitting something few other professor/consultant/authors would ever dare: he was wrong. Convinced that the link between vision and growth was over-rated, that vision statements were just a passing fad, Lipton was surprised when his research proved exactly the opposite. Now, readers can reap the benefits of Lipton's change of heart. In "Guiding Growth," he leads us through the journey of understanding how valuable a clear vision can be when articulated and acted upon in a powerful way.

Mark Lipton's writing voice is passionate and profoundly personal. While this book is well-grounded in research and experience, it is Lipton's use of stories and metaphors that will have a long-lasting effect on you. Yes, he makes you think; more important, he makes you feel something in your heart and in your gut. It is this quality that sets this book apart from other business books.

Be forewarned: the feelings "Guiding Growth" provokes can be very uncomfortable at times. Throughout the early chapters, I stopped often to think and jot down notes about my own vision, my own raison d'etre, as Lipton raised "Why?" questions over and over again. By the end of Chapter 4, I was saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!" as the vision for my work became clearer. Reading Chapter 5 brought tears to my eyes as he described the strong connection between vision and deeply held values based on life experiences.

The second half of the book holds valuable advice for all business leaders: how to put that vision into action, overcome obstacles, and avoid pitfalls. Lipton's Vision Framework has been tried and tested - he proves his points with examples drawn from well-known companies.

Kudos to Mark Lipton for having the guts to publicly concede that he was wrong and for taking the time to share his lessons learned with us in this book. -- Cynthia C. Froggatt, author of "Work Naked: Eight Essential Principles for Peak Performance in the Virtual Workplace" (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2001), ...

From the Perspective of an Entrepreneur
I was the founder and CEO of a small software company ..., and was approached by a much larger technology company ... . After making an acquisition offer I could not refuse, I sold my business to them and agreed to run it for four years.

If only we had read this book about using vision to guide growth during our transition. Ultimately, the acquisition failed within two years for the buyer. This book offers three components of a well-developed organizational vision: raison d'etre, strategy and values. The buying company never took the time to go beyond a "bumper sticker" for a vision statement. Although it did seem on track with my company's reason for being, there was never an agreement on the strategy. The tension and disagreement (not to mention the time taken) related to these differences effectively crippled my previously highly motivated and productive staff. The key values of the two companies could not have been more different. The centerpiece of our values before acquisition involved doing whatever it took to make our customers happy-most of which had on-going consulting contracts with us. The executive from the buying company literally told my staff that this philosophy was both unnecessary and an expensive luxury.

This book struck a real chord with me because it made it so clear where the gaps were. It obviously would have taken more than a book to convince the buying company to think more carefully through their plan, but having it all documented could've made the upcoming potholes in the road more obvious. And if we had actually implemented an agreed vision, I am sure the business could have continued on its previous success.

The first half of the book lays out how vision is important and why it is not just another buzzword, but how it is a crucial element to grow a company. The second half gives more guidelines on the details of implementation. It took some patience to pull all the ideas together in Part I-it is much more conceptual than Part II-- but stick with it-its worth it. The anecdotes are great and the corresponding checklists and appendices give it a lot of substance. The second half is an easier read and filled with practical management advice-some related directly to vision and some just good solid management practice guidelines.

As a seller of my business, I was very successful. I would have preferred to make the buyer even more successful and watch my company flourish with their greater resources. This book came four years too late for me. I will certainly recommend it to current clients in my consulting practice and keep it handy for my next venture. ... Read more

Book Description

Drawing on her own long-term research and extensive work experience, Janice Klein reveals how the power of people (insiders who are able to see problems from outsider's perspective), approach ("pulling change"), and system (support infrastructure) combine to turn new ideas and concepts into institutionalized practices. In particular, certain people inside organizations "outsiders on the inside" are key to driving innovation, adaptation, and real change. Using examples from leading companies in MIT's Leaders for Manufacturing (LFM) and System Design and Management (SDM) Partnership -- such as Boeing, Intel, Motorola, Alcoa, Ford, Kodak, and others -- she shows how employees at all levels can learn how to become "an outsider on the inside," and be in the right place at the right time to discover opportunities to "pull" into their organization. Throughout, we grow to understand the perspectives of numerous "outsiders on the inside," by hearing their voices and observing their actions. The strategy Klein provides is relevant for any company that hopes to build a change capability, rather than attempt only to manage change. ... Read more

Book Description

In an almost novelistic style, respected management expert Delorese Ambrose profiles organizations--representing manufacturing, media journalism, academia, and health care--as downsizing unfolds. Through interviews with CEOs, managers, and employees, we learn how management effectively led the change process, how "survivors" were enabled to regain momentum, and much more. ... Read more

Book Description

Many business functions have been significantly improved through the use of a variety of quality techniques, but for the most part office and administrative functions have not kept pace. Most companies find it difficult to reduce costs in the office without noticeable sacrifices in performance. Some progressive companies are seeing improvements in their office environments through the use of Office Kaizen™, which emphasizes making continuous improvements over the long haul. Office Kaizen: Transforming Office Operations Into a Strategic Competitive Advantage presents a unified, consistent approach that enables businesses to establish a strategic competitive advantage by significantly improving the efficiency, quality and productivity of their office and administrative processes. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Fills a serious Gap
After nearly 4 years experience as a 6 Sigma Black-belt leading projects centered on the commercial side of a Fortune-500 enterprise---sales, marketing, marketing services, customer service, HR, etc.-I was pleased to see the emphasis on implementation tactics at the level where most of the detailed work of an organization gets done. It fills the gap left by bigger programs.
It is not so much a "How to" book as it is a "WHY to" book of logic meant to motivate and provoke thought. It fills a gap where other, bigger name programs can fail to deal with the sustaining power of changing human behavior. But with Office Kaizen there appears to be a proven path forward.
Much of the 6 Sigma work I have seen in transactional projects often fails to meet expectations and truly improve outputs in ways that last longer than the 'official' measurement period. Such projects often encompass arenas of business activity in which no formal process map has ever existed, even less the mere idea that a process exists. Lacking a consensus understanding of work flow, it follows that NO standards for output exist; NO metrics are captured to qualify those standards; little consideration for the customer's expectations of quality is built into the process; and clearly NO discipline is needed where there is NO process structure. Not surprisingly, little sense of ownership is evident. It's a steep slope that only leads to status quo and mild, but constant chaos!
Modifying the human aspects of process change is often challenging for 6 Sigma methodologies that better fit finite manufacturing, logistical and similarly tangible processes. In my experience of completing 'soft' projects, 6 Sigma methods simply don't have as many tools for dealing with the level of granularity and immediate application at the individual behavior level as are found in Office Kaizen. The proposed methods directly treat the realities of getting work done at the molecular level. Regardless of all else done to improve business process, there is still a key implementation step remaining- changing the human behaviors embedded in work processes.
Visual displays (PVD's), Lean Daily Management Systems (LDMS), 20 Keys and the whole treatment of 'surface waste' are very instructive for the business leader seriously pursuing process improvement. That leader will greatly benefit by reading the logic, described by Mr. Lareau in "Office Kaizen", that clarifies the reality that the enabling key to all change in business process is leadership.
Sustainability only derives from leadership---leaders who understand that improvement really comes from the bottom up; and that procedure by procedure, paper by paper, person by person, load by load, part by part, and day by day improvements converge to yield sustainable gains. The LDMS assures that change endures. And leadership assures that LDMS and other LEAN office procedures endure. Their focus on reducing waste via correct structure, discipline and power of ownership, all fixed first at the granular level of an enterprise, will produce sustainable gains. And that is the detail most difficult to implement in other programs -- the human behavior at the core of business activity. Changes to machines, flow patterns, wire diagrams, office layouts, floor arrangements, schematics, etc. all can help; but changing the human processes is most difficult. From page 7: "Office Kaizen is an implementation path, management philosophy, leadership structure, and set of tools, all wrapped into one consistent package." That is a great recipe for sustainability.
I recommend the book highly, especially for application in business functions not traditionally viewed through 'process eyes'. While it seems to have plenty of strength to stand alone, PVD's, LDMS and the other adminstrative LEAN ideas could also be great companion pieces to the more general tools like 6 Sigma. At least that's the opinion of one who has practiced some of the popular methods and only now has read about Office Kaizen. I look forward to seeing it first-hand. It fills a serious gap.

Filled With Munda
In this book, as well as "Lean Leadership: From Chaos to Carrots to Commitment," William Lareau provides some of the rudimentary tools and theories of Lean practices. However, both books fall seriously short of providing the comprehensive, straight-forward lean techniques and philosophies that both management and their employees require to introduce, improve and sustain lean processes over the long-term. In short, I found that his books actually violate Lean principles in that they contain hundreds of pages of "Munda" (waste)!

Lareau correctly argues that for any business to successfully integrate a Lean program into its structure, it needs to develop and sustain overwhelming employee acceptance and involvement in the program. Unfortunately, Lareau's psychological foundations for his theories on human motivations are outdated. Much has been revealed in the field of psychology in the past 15-20 years with which Lareau clearly needs to acquaint himself.

Lareau makes repetitive attempts to motivate the reader to his way of thinking through tiresome war characterization analogies and often unfounded attacks to minimize or discredit past business improvement programs and their proponents in favor of his own.

He attempts to develop and reinforce the belief that Lean requires such levels of training and business restructuring, that the reader must conclude that to successfully implement and sustain Lean, they must invest heavily and for a lengthy duration, in an outside Lean consultant. His books are essentially marketing tools for his own consultant firm.

It's so obvious that everyone misses it!
Finally, a book written to address the "hidden wastes" inherent in all companies lead by people. Anyone who leads people and wonders how to keep them focused on "the goal" should read this book. You can start to put the concepts to work that day.

An excellent all-around cost-cutter
Office Kaizen: Transforming Office Operations Into A Strategic Competitive Advantage by William Lareau (co-owner of Implementation Services, a management consulting firm specializing in implementation) is a solid and imminently practical guide to streamlining and maximizing the efficiency of routine and exceptional office operations. Individual chapters adroitly address minimizing and eliminating wasteful redundancy, provide pointers to keep in mind when planning mentorship and training programs, and descriptively explain the SLIM-IT system for achieving positive change. An excellent all-around cost-cutter, in terms of both time and money, Office Kaizen is especially recommended for the novice office manager, and has a great deal of value to offer even the more experienced business administrator or supervisor.

Bullseye!
Dr. Lareau's book is clear, readable, strategically oriented and detailed enough to get anyone with common sense off and running. Lean management, including lean office management, requires a discipline that can only come from confidence that the approach is on target - right management structure, right information to the right people at the right time, right teamwork and tools and metrics, etc. Office Kaizen provides that confidence, showing how to get the fat off and keep it off. ... Read more

Book Description

Advance praise for: One Size Fits One "It’s a book that should be read every year. With customers today having more choices than ever before, how you serve them could be the difference between keeping or losing those valuable customers and your business. One Size Fits One will help guide you." —Chandler Barton, Chairman, Coldwell Banker Corporation "A powerful, must-read map for discovering a valuable and elusive treasure: customer loyalty. One Size Fits One will transform you into a demanding consumer and passionate service provider to customers, associates, and employees." —Chip R. Bell, Author, Customers as Partners and Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service "One Size Fits One will show your organization how to treat every customer like they’re your only customer." —Roger Dow, Vice President and General Sales Manager, Marriott Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Co-author, Turned On "If you are in the service business you have to read this book! Gary is one of the few people in this field who truly understands that the environment you create for your employees largely dictates the quality of service your customers will receive." —Kim Jeffery, President and CEO, Perrier Group of America "Profound and powerful, One Size Fits One lays out a convincing argument for the ways in which we need to build our organizations to better serve our customers, our employees and our communities." —Patrick O’Donnell, Chief Executive Officer, Apsen Ski Company "In a world where relationships are the currency of the future, this book sets the standard for the next generation of service. Witty, informative, and highly entertaining, One Size Fits One will help you navigate through this highly personalized customer revolution." —Sandra Kurtzig, Founder and former Chairman, ASK Computer Systems ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Outstanding resource
This book will be a great resource to my workplace and our efforts to find a style of management that will take us into thefuture.Gary Heil seems to have a finger on the pulse of what will work in the workplace today. ... Read more

Book Description

Find out what it takes to become an effective consultant!

In order to succeed as a change agent and consultant we must clarify our own purpose, motivation, and relationship with our careers. The Conscious Consultant--a book in The Practicing Organization Development Series--offers a much-needed road map and powerful tool that consultants can use to perform a personal assessment of foundational principles in order to achieve greater integrity and alignment with personal values and career. The book's Active Change Model creates an understanding of what it takes to become an effective consultant who practices wisdom by making conscious choices in a thoughtful and wholehearted manner, choices that will positively influence the work that is done with all clients.

"At last! A much-needed book primarily and effectively focused on the consultant's continuing quest for personal awareness--both looking deeply for one's true inner self and outward for that self in relation to clients. I do strongly agree with the author's basic thesis that we cannot expect our clients to embrace change unless we personally embrace it ourselves."
--Bob Tannenbaum, emeritus professor of the development of human systems, Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA, and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National OD Network ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great Book!
This is a great book for anyone, not just consultants. It clearly explains the value and process of personal and organizational change. The material is useful, practical, and immediately applicable. I highly recommend it as a book that you will use again and again.

Great Book!
You don't have to be a consultant to enjoy this book. It's a wonderful explanation about personal change and how it is accomplished. One person told me that it contained everything she had learned through years of therapy, in an elegant, enjoyable style. I will use this book over and over. My business has already expanded because of what I have learned from it.

Effective Consulting
I have always focused on the client, but this book deftly describes how my own thoughts and process help or impede a positive outcome. It is correctly titled because it truly does bring the "conscious" to the consultant. I highly recomended it. ... Read more

Book Description

Today's business environment is constantly changing: New customer requirements or products, an evolving competition, new IT solutions like EAI or web services, outsourcing opportunities or changing legal requirements are just a few reasons for this change. Therefore enterprises have to ensure an efficient and effective change management in order to stay competitive and survive on the long term. This is a precondition to achieve and maintain business process excellence.The book defines business process change management as information, communication, and training that enable people to make change and improvements happen. It shows using case studies from organizations like American Meter, the US Navy, or Amway how this change management is applied in practice using a framework like the ARIS House of Business Process Excellence or software tools like the ARIS Toolset.  ... Read more

Book Description

For more than two decades, businesses have been warned to "change or perish." Yet a growing number of companies are perishing because of change. What's going on?

Columbia Business School professor Eric Abrahamson argues that while change is necessary for companies to grow and prosper, many organizations have blindly taken the mandate too far. The "creative destruction" advocated by change champions has resulted in a painful cycle of initiative overload, change-related chaos, and widespread employee cynicism.

To reverse this cycle, Abrahamson says, companies must learn to change how they change. Drawing on a decade of research and dozens of company examples, this book offers a positive new approach to change called "creative recombination." Rather than obliterating and then reinventing anew, creative recombination seeks sustainable, repeatable transformation by reconfiguring the people, structures, culture, processes, and networks the company already has. Abrahamson offers a broad toolkit of techniques for achieving smoother, more cost-efficient, less painful organizational change-and helpful guidance for how and when to implement each tool.

A refreshing paradigm for change has arrived-and companies don't need anything new, revolutionary, or radical to make it happen. The inspiring result: Change will actually work, for a change.

... Read more

Reviews (11)

Finally, something we can use
Finally some good old common sense about how to manage change - but common sense is so bloody uncommon.

The approach in this book is so compelling because it is how most of us manage change successfully day to day. Not by bringing in expensive consultants to rip everything apart and start over. But rather, by finding what we are good at and leveraging our strength to make things happen.

We were doing it all along, we just did not have a name for it, a way to think about it, and a set of techniques to systematize it.

no pain, much gain
I've only read part of this book but wish to share that it offers some fresh ideas that all managers should be able to relate to, regardless of their field. Many of the titles in this field are vague, idealistic rantings from academics. On the contrary, I've found this book to be cognizant of the real-world pressures and challenges that managers face.

Too add to what a previous reviewer said, the negative reviews seem more like personal attacks on the author than anything else. They are not substantiated and in my mind, fall short of being useful. My initial impression upon reading them was that the author must have done something right to elicit such impassioned responses. In that sense, maybe an academic's perspective is not so distant as some might think...

Clarity and Common Sense
As someone who has worked in both the public and private sectors (for a number of years heading my own business), I found Abrahamson's book to be a breath of fresh air. He provides a clear, non-dogmatic approach to management that is rooted in real-life situations and behavior. His clear and accessible writing style helped to give this reader the insights needed to effectively analyze management situations and envision their solution. This is a useful and accessible piece of work.

Fraud
Anyone else notice that Amazon.com deleted all of the negative reviews and only kept the positive ones? This is complete fraud and discounts the entire structure of online reviewing.

(...)

A poorly written book on an important topic
The ability to manage organizational change is a crucial element of being a good manager. Unfortunately, Abrahamson's book does not do an effective job of teaching the lessons needed to learn change management skills. In his book, Abrahamson makes it apparent that he is a career academic with no real experience as a business leader. His examples are trite and unhelpful, and the lessons he tries to teach are either painfully obvious or too theoretical to ever be of any real help in a business setting. For a good book on this topic with solid advice and relevant examples, try either "Change Management" or "Strategic Organizational Change." ... Read more

Book Description

AI identifies an organization's successful qualities, and then connects visions, plans, and structures to this positive foundation to heighten energy and inspire action for change. Appreciative Inquiry Handbook explains in-depth what AI is and how it works, and includes stories of AI interventions and classic articles, sample project plans, interview guidelines, participant worksheets, a list of resources, a glossary of terms, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An Extraordinary Tool For Leaders
Appreciative Inquiry Handbook offers a rich, navigational guide for industries across the spectrum. Appreciative Inquiry Handbook reflects a new paradigm in American and global industry; a must-read for industry leaders!

Appreciative Intent
This handbook guides you in applying appreciative inquiry methods in a variety of settings. We have had good results conducting two facilitation assignments with "Appreciative Intent".

In our most recent assignment, our client was impressed with the quality and quantity of the information gathered. Additionally, members of the client's leadership were also impressed with the level of participation from some of the more "quiet" people in the organization. The one-on-one questionnaire technique levels the playing field for people with a more introverted personality. Also, if you like applying a "Theory of Constraints" approach to operations you will observe that using the interview/questionnaire approach creates a multi-channel process when brain storming. (i.e. more conversations can be carried on simultaneously, thereby creating a larger stream of information or ideas in less time)

The CD alone is worth the investment!

Provides AI Tools and Resources
The Appreciative Inquiry Handbook: The First in a Series of AI Workbooks for Leaders of Change is a "must have" guide for organizational development practitioners and facilitators. Whether you are a leading change at a Fortune 500 or creating transformation within a small community organization, this volume provides an excellent consolidation of AI tools. If new to the technique, this book is particularly helpful because the process is laid out in an easy to understand and easy to deliver format. The authors begin with a review and background of the process, and then introduce you to AI-step by step. The resource section is very generous, providing templates for course outlines, handouts, overheads, and exercises. For seasoned users, this book is a splendid reference tool you'll want on your practitioner shelf. Again, the resources provided can serve as a tool chest for stimulating new ideas. While the authors worked to clearly define and explain the process via cases and narrative, they also help the reader to understand why the process is more than typical organizational development techniques. The AI Handbook is clearly written and will help change agents on their journey to create, generate, and cultivate learning cultures within their organization.

a not yet discovered gift
For anyone interested in appreciative inquiry, this book has cases, worksheets and presentation materials that can be used right now. What a novel idea to give away the tools on the CD. Well organized and readable, I keep it handy at my desk.

Excellent resource.

Appreciative Inquiry Handbook
This book covers all the bases needed to understand appreciative inquiry and apply it in your own organization. The sample interview guides, worksheets and resources provided are very helpful and big time-savers. Appreciative Inquiry is a paradigm shift toward a mindset of helpful and constructive dialogue that seeks to get at the heart of issues and work towards creating an environment that is built on trust, hope, and collaboration. I highly recommend this approach as well as this book! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jeffrey A. Rosensweig is a capitalist with a heart. In his book, Winning the Global Game, Rosensweig takes a long look at the Third World--Africa and East Asia--and sees both tremendous economic opportunities and vast, untapped human potential. A professor of finance at Emory University in Georgia, Rosensweig makes the case that foreign investment can improve people and businesses. He writes that if managers follow a careful plan for development in fast-growing parts of the world, fewer people will starve, the environment will be spared, and women will enjoy more power and equality.

To show how multinationals can impact the developing world, Rosensweig gives us a taste of what Coca-Cola alone is generating in Africa. "New industries are popping up all around Coca-Cola," he writes. "The company estimates that every one job it creates directly produces another eight to ten jobs as a result of local economy growth." Winning the Global Game is painstakingly researched and organized. It's critical reading for students, community leaders, and businessmen. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Excellent reading for the corporate leaders of tomorrow
Rosensweig's book offers a new perspective on the "global game" that corporations will play in the future. It provides an insightful peak behind the curtain of the global markets of the future. The early chapters focus on the traditional triad of industrialized regions. The author provides details of the growth in the markets of Norht America, Western Europe and Japan. He then forecasts population growth for all the regions of the world and opines that the "populous south" will be an emerging economic region that offers great potential. As a corporate executive, I found his perspective extremely refreshing and insightful.

A fresh approach to global economy.
Winning the Global Game Jeffrey A. Rosensweig

The book presents one great discovery, what is well above the average. So it is worth of reading. But if you want to learn how the global economy is structured in next 50 years and if your business depends on global developments the reading is vital.

Rosensweig likes models, what the readers not speaking about students, normally do not like. But he also likes clarity and simple sentences. So what you have in the book, is a lot of figures and scientific accuracy, but all of it in clear and easy to follow form.

The conventional knowledge is that the population of developed nations compared to developing nations is declining. And if you take the standard population and output statistics then you have to agree with it. But if you forget the national statistics and try to look on the world as set of economic regions the result is different. And this is what Rosensweig actually does.

Few years ago US former labor secretary Robert Reich in his book "The Work of Nations" and Japanese management thinker Kenjiti Ohmae in his book "The End of the Nation State: The Rise of National Economies" argued that thinking in the terms of nation states is not valid any more. Economic regions are more important to describe the new world economic development. Now we see Rosenswig to use the concept. His discovery is that if by year 2000 the share of developed regions in the world population is 33,8%, then by year 2010 it will be 44%. Why so? Simple, you just have to ignore the nation states and look on huge emerging countries as China for example just as set of regions. The result is that you see some of regions belonging to almost developed industrial world and some of them to rather poor agricultural world.

Rosenswig also briefly desribes how it is possible for the nations to get out vigorous circle of generating the poverty. But what is especially important he presents the examples of the nations who could do it.

Unbridled Optimism vs. Reality
Time has shown the theories in this book to be flat out wrong. There is a difference between being an optimist and a realist. The optimism in this book ignores reality, implying that third-world countries can participate in the global economy without the years and dollars it will take to build crucial infrastructures, while