Book Description

This book explains how change is a functional characteristic of any organization. And, as organizations begin to understand the nature of change, they can still adapt and grow by incorporating change into their structure instead of trying to control it. To help you understand and grow in this ever-changing environment, this book covers four principal areas of thought on change.

Chaos, including chaos theory
Organizational theory and practice
Learning theory and practice
The general social environment
Executives, managers, and other organizational leaders will find this book invaluable as they refocus the direction of their organizations in order to realize the benefits of learning under changed environmental circumstances. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beautifully crafted book on a difficult topic
This book grounds theoretical notions of chaos and complexity into the realities of learning and organisational performance. And does so with exceptional clarity. The author leads you through the concepts and applications of technical and classical chaos theory in a pragmatic way. I found the descriptions of the various models of learning (such as social, cognitive, behavioural etc, although concise, very informative. The topics of 'Chaos' and 'Learning' are brought together with practical examples and suggestions on how to lever new thinking to produce improved organisational performance. An excellent book that is full of content and helpfully chunks this into manageable sections and chapters. The chapter references are commendable. ... Read more

Book Description

In today's knowledge-based society, where intellectual capital is an organization's most competitive asset, learning is serious business. But to insure that learning actually happens takes more than a few clever activities and trendy techniques. Effective Training Strategies offers a comprehensive approach to creating a focused philosophy of learning, choosing the best approach to planning programs and activities, and developing appropriate systems for assessing results.

Authors Davis and Davis draw on their own experiences as educators, their broad-based conversations with trainers, and a synthesis of the latest research from such diverse fields as psychology, sociology, philosophy, and communications, to describe seven powerful training strategies-each providing an easy-to-understand framework for thinking about a particular kind of learning. They provide a detailed description of each strategy-the well-researched learning theory behind it, illustrative examples of it in practice, its strengths and weaknesses, and practical guidance to its appropriate use-and demonstrate the strategy in action, showing how the facilitator can use it effectively to maximize learning.For managers, supervisors, trainers, engineers, and consultants alike, Effective Training Strategies demonstrates how to facilitate the many types of learning required to ensure that individuals, groups, and teams do their jobs more effectively, efficiently and, sometimes, even more creatively. This compendium of solid theory and current practice challenges the quality expectations that organizations have for learning, and offers a rich set of real-world examples of how to set new standards of excellence for knowledge-based performance, take the guesswork out of training, and contribute to increasing the overall effectiveness of organizations. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

If you only want to read a book about training....
The authors write about different strategies that can be used to maximise learning in the organizations with key emphasis on learning theories, current trends in training and relevant examples from companies all around the world.

This book has a very strong grounding in basic learning theories and its relevant applications to the training arena. It also relates it in a easy to read approach that can make trainers like us learn from the authors.

This has been my most effective and enjoyable read in this area. Like the authors would say, it has maximised my learning experience!

Intereresting case studies, but weak in theory
The book is filled with interesting examples of training programs around the world; however, the strategies overlap and are lacking in solid theory and substance.

Substantive and Relevant
I really like two things about this unique and practical book. The first is that the seven training strategies come from a solid analysis of the learning challenges facing adults in organizations. The second is that substance of the seven strategies comes from solid learning research-- unlike the gimmicks and games featured in many training books. ... Read more

Book Description

Knowing what’s going on in your company isn’t just a requirement—it’s power

How much do you really know about what’s going on in your workforce and organization?

Good information is essential if managers are to manage well. Yet, too often, the right information does not get to the right place in the right form at the right time. That’s because information often is spread throughout the organization—and hidden from management

This book will change all that. Learn how to establish a system that enables you to gather, process and make available internal information in your organization—quickly, easily and inexpensively.

Making your "best call" or going with your "gut" isn’t good enough. Avoid the high costs of poor information:

Poor quality
Resistance to change
Lack of commitment to strategic initiatives
Turnover
Lack of motivation
Misdirected reward systems

The book is packed with techniques and tools to enable you to:

Gather information, using mini-surveys, focus groups, interviews, performance reviews and records
Understand what people do by studying work processes, using process mapping, flow charts and block diagrams
Design, administer and analyze internal surveys
Develop an information utility that allows management to connect to and analyze internal information—such as information circles or an office of performance improvement.

Part I addresses information and management success:

Why organizations need solid internal information to achieve competitive success
The critical role of information in effective and predictable management
Common approaches to managing information
Organizational rationality—a requirement for management success
How managers can determine their own information needs and strategies
The need for consultants and how to use them effectively

Part II introduces the art and science of information:

Comparing the various ways to gather internal information
The most common methods of gathering information
Ways to ask the right questions
How to administer a survey
Analyzing data to identify internal conditions and operations needing improvement

Part III covers how you can manage information:

Management systems that can generate, store, and distribute information
Organizing and using your own management system for performance improvement
How to overcome stumbling blocks to enjoying an information advantage ... Read more

Book Description

This book will show the reader how training groups (trainers, training managers, other training decision makers) and their organizations (leaders and other decision makers) can provide the support and encouragement necessary for the independent learner to be successful. The book includes practical "learning assignments" at the end of each chapter that the reader can use to put the author's advice to practical use.

This book will challenge you to: * Develop new strategies to deal with the increasing number of independent learners in organizations * provide guidance not abandonment to employees transitioning to independent learning and to evaluate how technology is used to enhance independent learning* create a positive learning environment that emphasizes the importance of learning from the top to the bottom of the organization * manage knowledge in a comprehensive way to facilitate and encourage independent, self-directed learning ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Blueprint for Organizations Adopting eLearning
I highly recommend "All Learning Is Self-Directed".

It is very timely given the interest in distance learning, web-based training, and the Internet as a delivery medium for all types of education. When leaders like John Chambers of Cisco say "eLearning is the next Killer App", "eLearning will make email look like a rounding error", and "the Internet and learning are the great equalizers", organizations have to take notice.

This book provides a blueprint of what an organization has to do to create a "positive learning environment". It addresses the roles of senior management, middle management, trainers, and learners in adapting to "independent, self-directed learning". It's just under 200 pages and an easy read.

Please feel free to contact me at joewehr@aol.com. ... Read more

Book Description

The Knowledge Evolution offers a unique and powerful road map for understanding knowledge creation, learning, and performance in everyday work.This book reframes current thinking by delving into the hidden world of knowledge supporting both individual and organizational performance, laying the foundation for the emerging art of knowledge management.Packed with best practices from leading edge companies, essential guidelines, design principles, analogies, and conceptual frameworks, it serves as a practical guidebook for mastering the Knowledge Era.It will help managers make more intelligent decisions about knowledge creation, reduce wasteful technology investments and lead to new ease and confidence in applying knowledge and learning principles for themselves and for their organizations.

Verna Allee delves into current thinking and practice to unravel the genetic code of knowledge itself. This revolutionary approach has surfaced a simple and elegant knowledge archetype.She demonstrates how this archetype can help us deal with complexity and suggests ways of self-organizing that make profound sense in today's networked enterprises.From strategies for core knowledge competencies to the key components of individual expertise, The Knowledge Evolution zeroes in on the critical success factors for the knowledge-based enterprise.What emerges is an approach to knowledge management that is simple enough to communicate at every level of the organization, yet rich enough to encompass all the complexity of modern enterprises.

Verna Allee is the founder of Integral Performance Group, a consulting practice in California that specializes in the learning organization, knowledge competencies, organizational systems change, systems thinking, total quality and learning, benchmarking support, best practices research, and strategic development.She holds a degree in the Study of Human Consciousness and her work is informed by a deep interest in intelligence, human development, cognition, intuition and consciousness.She is the author of Learning Links: Enhancing Individual and Team Performance, Pfeiffer and Co-Jossey Bass, 1996.

Explains the best practices from leading edge companies.Contains a learning guide for TQM tools.Gives navigational aids for the Knowledge Era. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A good book for leaders of knowledge-rich organizations.
It should come as no surprise that without knowledge, systems fail. In The Knowledge Evolution, Verna Allee focuses on an analysis of the role knowledge plays in contributing to the success of an organization. According to Allee, knowledge becomes of greater and greater importance as the validity and strength of an organization is called into question. Without a doubt, the availability of a strong knowledge base has, in many corporations, played a fundamental role in the company's survival.

Presently, workers at numerous companies are struggling with the concept of how knowledge becomes a driving influence within their organization. Because it is intangible and hard to grasp a common understanding of what organizational knowledge is, leaders are finding it hard to capture, organize, and use knowledge as a tool. Verna attempts to establish a frame-work which lends itself to this understanding and provides today's corporate leaders with the tools to better make decisions regarding organizational knowledge.

Allee provides a general understanding of how advancements in technology define corporate culture and how learning is effected by the widespread use of available technologies. Community relationships are also influenced by technology and leaders are being forced to rethink how organizations are structured and how knowledge is used to influence decision-making processes.

Current conditions indicate that the future of companies -- how well prepared they will be to compete in the global economy -- will be determined by how well they understand and use knowledge. Allee provides a management road-map to get companies where they want to be regarding knowledge.

Like it or not, the Knowledge Evolution is upon us. Allee identified some effective ways organizations should create, adapt and apply knowledge. This book is essential reading for leaders who want to win!

Comprehensive, introductory text.
At times, The Knowledge Evolution delved too much into semantics and ontology, in an attempt to develop a "common language". At the time of publication (1997) this may have been relevant but the prevalence of "knowledge management glossaries" reveals that indeed a common language has emerged, making this specific content a bit of an arduous read. Perhaps a second edition is needed, especially since the proprietary value of this book is still not being addressed in current knowledge management (KM) literature. Current KM books almost exclusively focus on data, information and knowledge (DIK). The Knowledge Evolution visions past DIK and adds complex dimensions of meaning, wisdom and philosophy to the knowledge framework.

If you do purchase this selection, I recommend writing unabashedly in the margins, or keeping a notebook on hand, connecting the theoretical constructs of knowledge and it's management discussed in the book to a personal context. By and large the scope of the book is very broad, looking inclusively at the field of KM. Since the writing of this book, specific sub-fields within KM have emerged i.e. data mining, group memory technologies, knowledge mapping etc. A reorganization of the content in this book along those lines (i.e. "procedural knowledge" with data mining, "functional knowledge" with knowledge mapping) was a worthwhile endeavor of this reader and would be a tremendous value-add to a second edition.

By and large The Knowledge Evolution is a readable and comprehensive introductory text to the field of KM. The book is broad and encompasses so much of the theory and principles behind KM that the actual industry has yet achieve or implement everything discussed. With the enormous influx and popularity of KM books in the past two years I hadn't heard anything about The Knowledge Evolution and now having read it, I realize the book that all these current authors must have also read.

Excellent Framework for building and creating knowledge.
An excellent treatment of the subject matter. Provided insigts on knowledge learning and performance. Prepares us for the knowledge era, where knowledge is king. I wish she had included some material on creativity, having knowledge is nice but being creative is better.

A penetrating look at the knowledge-organization connection.
Taking an organic systems view, the author explores how organizations acquire, manage, and transfer knowledge. Covers: the nature, role and order of knowledge; best practices; types of organizational structures that support knowledge sharing; technologies for knowledge building; developing knowledge strategies; and efforts to measure results. An very impressive gathering and integration of ideas about organization in the Knowledge Era. A first-rate book on a cutting-edge subject.

Impressive integration of theory, innovation & practicality!
Verna quickly brings us all up to speedon the field of knowledge. As she reviews it, she compares and contrasts the current working theories and then integrates them into a working template that links knowledge, learning and performance. This template/model allows us to quickly apply the information to the organizations in which we live or to which we consult. She presents a developmental process for the different levels of knowledge that compares in scholarship and in practical use with Piaget's developmental intelligence, and Kolbergs developmental morality. She then follows up with 6 practical chapters where she more fully explores each level, helping us all to identify where our organization is, where it should be, and some methods to use to get us where we need to be. She writes in an exciting, clear and creative style giving us the basis for understanding more thoroughly what has gone before (giving consistent credit to the many minds that have worked in this field), what links knowledge management does and should have with other crucial systemic concepts such as systems thinking, organization learning, and organizational sustainability, and including us in the innovative ideas that occurred to her as she was doing such scholarly research. The bibliography and references are worth the price of admission themselves. ... Read more

Book Description

Increasingly, the challenge of management is to create and supply knowledge in order to sustain organizational performance. However, few books on management strategy have been written using this concept as a foundation. This unique volume adopts a knowledge-based approach that will complement and perhaps supplant other perspectives. Editors Nick Bontis and Chun Wei Choo look at the literature through the lens of strategic management and from the vantage point of organizational science. The thirty readings have been carefully selected and commissioned to provide the best literature available--from articles newly written for this book and from existing publications. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Essential Compendium for the Serious Strategist
Not a faddish management consultant recipe book. This reference tome contains an important selection of the latest thinking on organizational management. The authors' various perspectives on managing from a knowledge perspective lead the reader to do some serious thinking. I find myself returning to it again and again for further insights. ... Read more

Book Description

Business has never been this good!

Make Quantum leaps in your business and career by discovering:

Book Description

The Pursuit of Organizational Intelligence brings together the writing of one of the best-known academics in the field of decision making and organizational theory. It acts as a sequel to March's earlier Decisions and Organizations. The essays published here reflect the shift in March's thinking, and therefore the shift in teaching of organizational theory generally, towards a "softer", more European approach since the late 1980s. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Performance opened up
This book is a gem for anyone thinking about how organizations work. The chapter on organizational performance alone is well worth the price of the whole book: For example, "It is not clear tht organizational purpose can be portrayed as unitary, or that the multiple purposes of an organization are reliably constant." This opens the door for intelligence, as interpretation in context, rather than simply as the result of the detached number-crunching rampant in today's organizational studies. Other chapters are very "quotable" also; March has enough status in the field to have attracted notable and articulate co-authors for various sections. I am personally interested in how March and colleagues discuss the role of storying in organizations. I wonder to what extent March et al. still hold out for a truth beyond the stories, or whether they are able to see the truths within them. That just goes to show that this book is capable of clearly describing the essential concerns of organizations in general, and management in particular, while also sparking ideas and debates. Read it, please, then let's engage the ideas by sharing our own stories. ... Read more

Book Description

The results are in. The evidence has been analyzed. Research shows that the lack of enterprise-wide training is the biggest reason for ERP implementation failures. It is the single most important precursor to achieving success. Integrated Learning for ERP Success is the first resource to offer a specifically defined, comprehensive method for planning, delivering, and evaluating ERP training efforts. It even includes formulas for determining training return on investment. The Learning Requirements Planning (LRP) process presented involves a six-step enterprise-level instructional design model that when implemented correctly assures success.If you would rather have a root canal than oversee an ERP implementation, you are not alone. But like avoiding a root canal, avoiding ERP implementation only causes more pain. This book eases the implementation pain. It shows you how a formal plan for learning will increase the productivity of the ERP implementation team, shorten overall implementation time, and substantially decrease implementation costs. It also provides a discussion on how an ERP implementation can be used as a catalyst for lifelong organizational learning. Implementing an ERP system can cost three to ten times the actual software purchase price. You can't afford to waste money or time in the areas of ERP education. Integrated Learning for ERP Success shows you how to create learning-focused ERP implementations that provide substantial savings and the competitive advantage. ... Read more

Book Description

Knowledge and Communities is the first book dedicated to a major new knowledge management topic. "Communities of Practice" are cross-organizational groups of people sharing knowledge, solving common problems, and exchanging insights and frustrations. Knowledge and Communities, a collection of authoritative articles, describes the dynamics of these groups and explains how they enable organizational knowledge to be creating, shared, and applied.

The book teaches how organizations can empower both traditional and on-line communities and make them a cornerstone of a general knowledge management strategy. Readers will learn how communities can help unify an organization and its external stakeholders, such as customers and suppliers, and how they can critically support an e-commerce strategy. Knowledge and Communities will help readers understanda primary vehicle for building an organization's social capital and competitive advantage.

Hot-topic - addresses how virtual/on-line communities drive an organization's e-commerce and knowledge strategies
Establishes best practices for building and maintaining traditional and virtual communities ... Read more

Book Description

Following up on the stunning success of her previous bestseller, NLP at Work , internationally acclaimed trainer, speaker, and consultant Sue Knight fills a major gap for a practical, real-world guide to making NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) work in business today.In her characteristically clear, jargon-free, and reader-friendly style, Knight has written the most comprehensive fieldbook to what is truly the heart of NLP:how any organization can achieve excellence by "modeling" companies and individuals who have achieved success by being true to who they are. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Lacking Direction
It is not that I didn't like this book, as I always find tidbits of information in most books I read. As far as NLP books go, this one swims through some fresh ideas though never reaching shore. It is suppose to cover how to model what works in business, though I doubt I could model one after reading this book with out getting lots of additional information elsewhere

Are you ready to go to the heart of NLP....?
Are you ready to go beyond the basic skills to the heart of NLP and learn how to model? In reading NLP Solutions Sue Knight guides you on a journey of discovery. Sue brings to life the fascinating experience of how you too can become aware of the difference that makes the difference in successful businesses today. NLP Solutions is accessible, well written and jargon free. Sue offers real insights into how successful organisations have translated the concepts that many of us have learnt in our training and applied them to the real needs facing many businesses today e.g. High-performance Coaching, Personal Selling Skills and Managing and Improving the Relationships. Sue shares her discoveries of patterns of experience and behaviours in ways that are easily understood, encouraging you to think about your own patterns and choices. By reading NLP Solutions you will quickly grasp what already works in other businesses today. Prepare to have your own learning accelerated and your confidence raised in knowing how you can expand on the models presented to create exceptional performance in your own life and the business in which you work.

Intellectually sloppy, lacking in substance
No citations, no references, few concrete recommendations or techniques...just one big warm and fuzzy "sell job" on NLP. A weak, weak book.

A marvellous book for business leaders.
Most business leaders are acutely aware that the quality of their leadership is increasingly crucial, not just in strategic terms but as role models of excellence for every member of their team. Leading edge organisations of the future will be those so called 'Learning Organisations' where every member is organically adding increasing value to the business daily. And if you really want to know how to get there, this book captures it beautifully. Sue explains how NLP is currently being applied in organisations in many different ways and contexts and with exceptional results. She does this with amazing ease and pragmatism despite the fact that she is describing a revolution in the development of our organisations. If you want to know how to make giant leaps in the development of your leadership, your people and your business, this is a must.

Neither fish nor flesh ...
Ought to make it clear that I bought this book in order to help me advance my business career, and I have a technical background. People with different backgrounds will probably form different impressions...

There are a lot of good ideas held in this book, and modelling can certainly help you be successful in a lot of areas but...if you are looking for an outsiders or layperson's guide to the subject, this ain't it. On the one hand, it didn't have the level of intellectual rigour to make you sit back and think "ah - what a good idea, I can see that" - on the other hand it didn't seem to give you practical tips of the kind that make you more effective at work straight-away. For the tecnically minded trying to make it in business - try "How to Win friends and Influence People" and "Influence - the Psychology of Persuasion" and leave this on the shelf. If it's NLP that interests you, there are a lot of better books than this. ... Read more

Book Description

This book describes why, for the past twenty-five years, Japanese productivity has been growing more rapidly than productivity in the U.S. Unlike other books on the subject of the Japanese success in manufacturing, it looks at what actually happens in factories. The author brings his experience of working at the Yanagicho Works of the Toshiba Corporation, in Kawasaki City. Like so many Japanese factories, this one is highly productive, efficient, and flexible. While the factory is ordinary looking on the outside, its workers are anything but ordinary as they constantly strive to improve the way they work and the quality of the products they produce. The key to this is the continuous creation and application of knowledge throughout the factory, from workers on the shop floor, to research and development engineers, to top management. Fruin explains how Japanese culture and religion prepare workers for their role in this process of creating and disseminating knowledge. us applies a kind of ... Read more

Book Description

Contemporary organizations face the challenge of helping their workforce develop and maintain a complex set of dynamic skills and knowledge if they are to gain and maintain a competitive advantage and fight skill obsolescence.This book introduces the concept of effective learning environments as a solution to the skill development and maintenance challenge.It**
*provides strategies for the appropriate use and successful implementation of learning environments in the workplace
*shows you the components of effective learning environments
*shows you how to develop the skills necessary to design, develop, implement, and orchestrate an effective learning environment
*illustrates the roadblocks to the successful creation of a learning environment, and discusses the effective learning environment's impact on business
*shows you the significance of considering business consequences. ... Read more

Book Description

Learning organizations, where staff are encouraged to learn and develop skills that may not be directly relevant to their particular job, are viewed by many as the model for the successful organization of the future. The concepts have long been appreciated but many organizations have found it difficult translating theory into practical strategies. Learning Unlimited combines the best of recent thinking on positive workplace transformation with practical exercises and proven techniques for bringing about achievable change within organizations of all types. Beginning by offering a critical and comprehensive explanation of the 'learning organization' and workplace learning, the author goes on to explore the basic concepts that enable an individual, team or organization to begin the process of workplace learning transformation. Detailed strategies for bringing about customized change are provided while the final part of the book provides a comprehensive tool kit of activities to help readers to identify the particular needs of their organizational and to construct a workable action plan for creating a learning environment ... Read more

Book Description

Harness the Boundless Power of Knowledge

Take a fascinating glimpse into the not-too-distant future. In The Infinite Resource, seventeen visionary thinkers explore knowledge--the only inexhaustible source of competitive advantage--as the juggernaut of an remarkable new order whose advent is fast rAndering today's business conventions obsolete. Their incisive observations include up-to-the-minute examinations of knowledge-change initiatives currently under way at Bell Atlantic, MCI, Lufthansa, and other forward-thinking companies. Filled with fresh ideas, perspectives, and voices, it's a state-of-the-art appraisal of emerging organizational forms vital to anyone grappling with the challenges and possibilities posed by the Information Age.

... Read more

Reviews (6)

Passages from Control to Entrepreneurial Freedom.
William E. Halal, editor, writes, "This book brings together the views of prominent leaders in the trenches of the Information Revolution to examine the revolutionary new principles for managing knowledge. Here's a quick overview of these confusing but exciting management heresies.

Principle 1: 'Complexity Is Managed Through Freedom': Success is no longer achieved by planning and control-but through entrepreneurial freedom among people at the bottom.

Principle 2: 'Cooperation Is Economically Efficient': Economic strength does not come from power and firmness-but out of the cooperative flow of information within a corporate community.

Principle 3: 'Progress Is Guided by Knowledge and Spirit': Abundance is not the result of material riches-but of understanding the subtle workings of an infinitely complex world.

There are the new laws governing institutions today, the economic imperatives that determine who succeeds and who fails, the keys to pioneering an unexplored frontier of boundless knowledge-The Infinite Resource" (from the Introduction).

In this context, Halal organizes this invaluable collection into three parts that each focuses on the principles outlined as below:

1. Halal writes, "Part I shows that today's hierarchical structures are being replaced by an emerging foundation of management based on enterprise. The complexity of a knowledge era has made our old command-and-control systems obsolete, and so entrepreneurial freedom is now crucial, not only in economic systems but also to permit free enterprise in organizational systems." Thus, authors of this part, S.Goldsmith, R.L.Ackoff, J.P.Starr, W.Gable, and M.Lehrer mainly focus on decentralized structures, self-supporting units, entrepreneurial freedom, internal competition, and accountability to clients.

2. Halal writes, "Part II illustrates how entrepreneurial organizations must also use cooperation to form collaborative communities. Knowledge differs from physical resources because it increases when shared, making collaborative working relations productive not only in strategic alliances but between buyer and seller, employee and employer, business and goverment, and other stakeholders." Thus, authors of this part, G.H.Taylor, R.E.Miles, J.Lipnack and J.Stamps, T.Holbrooke, and R.Oklewize mainly focus on virtues of teamwork, networking among internal units, shared knowledge, spherical organization, collaborative alliances, and corporate communities.

3. Halal writes, "Part III descibes the intelligent infrastructures now being built to guide this corporate community in creating powerful forms of knowledge." Thus, authors of this part, R.W.Smith, D.Walters, M.Malone, G. and E.Pinchot, R.Kuperman, and W.A.Owens mainly focus on global information networks, free flow of information, knowledge society, employee training, virtual organizations, strategic direction, and vision.

Finally, Halal writes that "the message my colleagues and I want to stress is that the world is entering such an uncharted new frontier, an epoch so fundamentally different that the old rules no longer apply. The conventional wisdom of the past must be replaced by concepts that conform with the new realities of infinite knowledge:

* Order can be best achieved-not through control and planning-but through entrepreneurial freedom.

* Strength comes-not out of power and firmness-but through cooperative community.

* Abundance flows out of-not material riches-but a subtle frontier of boundless understanding, meaning, and spirit."

Strongly recommended.

Excellent Multi-disciplinarian Approach
There are far too many books out there that focus on 'knowledge' as if it existed in a vacuum. These tend to be one person's opinion; a single 'flavor of the month,' if you will. This collection of essays explores the impact that the free sharing of information will have: changes in management, changes in employee relations, changes in the free enterprise system itself. As an unforeseen bonus, a very few of the articles are now a bit dated (the "Information Superhighway" article by the CEO of Bell Atlantic was doomed to be old as it was penned), a fact that only reinforces the tremedous speed of change many of the essayists speak to. The many references provide one the ability to more deeply research a particular area.

Excellent Multi-displinarian Approach
There are far too many books out there that focus on 'knowledge' as if it existed in a vacuum. These tend to be one person's opinion; a single 'flavor of the month,' if you will. This collection of essays explores the impact that the free sharing of information will have: changes in management, changes in employee relations, changes in the free enterprise system itself. As an unforeseen bonus, a very few of the articles are now a bit dated (the "Information Superhighway" article by the CEO of Bell Atlantic was doomed to be old as it was penned), a fact that only reinforces the tremedous speed of change many of the essayists speak to. The many references provide one the ability to more deeply research a particular area.

Enjoyable and informative collection of thoughtful writings.
This stimulating work consists of nineteen insightful and engrossing essays that convey perspectives on the emerging forms of strategy and organization in the information age, focusing on knowledge as the competitive advantage. The contributors present thinking that is truly big picture, regarding the shape of today's and tomorrow's enterprises in a world that is changing at an exponentially increasing rate. This work delves into the new and emerging realities of the internal enterprise, corporate cooperation, and leveraging knowledge. In many cases the contributors talk about the experiences of their own organization; an enlightening and enlivening approach to gaining an understanding of this new, networked world driven by knowledge-the infinite resource. An enjoyable and informative collection of thoughtful writings. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, hrconsultant.com and Stern & Associates.

An Invaluable Guide to the Coming Knowledge Economy
Dr. William E. Halal is a George Washington Universitybusiness school professor and expert on the Knowledge Economy. In arecent GWU conference, "Creating the New Organization," he brought together 17 representatives the public and private sectors to address how information technology has transformed their worlds, creating unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Their insights are shared directly with readers in this extraordinary and concise volume. "The Infinite Resource" refers to knowledge itself. Unlike raw materials, knowledge is inexhaustible: "the more you dispense, the more you generate," writes Dr. Halal. The marginal cost of duplicating knowledge is trivial and its value increases when shared. Halal writes: "Knowledge is the most strategic asset in enterprise, the source of all creativity, innovation, and economic value." That, in itself, is nothing new. Knowledge was no less "strategic" when mankind communicated via cave paintings. What has revolutionized knowledge over the past 15 years or so, however, has been extraordinary advances ["32 orders of magnitude"] in information technology. I can share my thoughts on this book with the world with the click of a mouse. And the world can return to my e-mailbox with critiques of my opinion. We now may draw "silicon paintings" for the enjoyment of audiences of 6 billion who never could have fit into those caves. Some bullet points serve to highlight the advances of the information technology age: + IBM itself once predicted market demand for computers to be 55. Worldwide. As of 1997, there were 1 billion computers in operation on planet earth. + In 1977, 50,000 computers existed in the entire world. In 1997, 50,000+ personal computers are sold every 10 hours. + Soon, 1 billion transistors will fit on a single chip: the entire computing power of NASA's Apollo Space Program will fit in a wristwatch.

It was, then, inevitable that the extraordinary advances in - and ubiquitous distribution of - information technology would in turn revolutionize the workplace. Dr. Halal breaks the presentations of his conferees into three sections: 1.) Creating the Internal Enterprise System; 2.) Forming a Network of Cooperative Alliances; 3.) Leveraging Knowledge with an Intelligent Infrastructure. The innumerable insights offered by Dr. Halal and his conferees would never fit in this review. Suffice it to say that the most successful organizations today long ago recognized that information technology created opportunities to broadly disseminate organizational information on the one hand and the more elusive [and hence invaluable] "tacit" or personal knowledge of their employees throughout their organizations, conferring upon all employees the ability to leverage all available organizational knowledge into innovations benefiting the organization, its employees, and its consumers. This leads the trend toward cutting-edge "mass customization." But it does not stop there. No sooner did organizations realize that they could unleash the power of knowledge internally than some recognized that the sharing of knowledge could greatly enhance relationships with customers, suppliers, and, yes, competitors which could be leveraged via coopetition - strategic alliances established to meet particular needs of individual clients at any one point in time. For decades, the rise of technology has created nightmarish visions of "1984" and HAL of "2001." Ironically, and perhaps - at first - counterintuitively, advances in information technology, by enhancing access of anyone in any organization with anyone else, anywhere, will make trust all the more important in public and private enterprises alike. Several conferees address the critical importance of disseminating all available information to employees to encourage innovation because, in fact, "the innovation cycle is now shorter than the planning cycle as customers are moving faster than companies' ability to manage." In short, if you cannot entrust your employees with your most sensitive information, you will be overtaken by another company that can. Another conferee notes: "Technology alone is inert. Trust develops and relationships crystallize in interactions over time and in moments of crisis. No trust without real relationships. No network without trust." It might, therefore, be one of the greatest ironies of the coming Knowledge Economy that technology will "re-personalize" relationships in the workplace while allowing all workers increased opportunities to make their own measurable [and thus rewardable] contributions to their organizations and alliances. Technology, as a tool, will free organizations and their employees from the more mundane business and governmental functions of measurement to engage their minds, individually and collectively, on an infinite course of creativity and innovation. Some provocative closing thoughts from this excellent book include the following insights from leaders of our continuing Knowledge Revolution: Bill Gates: "Two years is as far as long-term planning should go; anything beyond that is long-range dreaming..." General Electric: "The only way to be more competitive is to engage every mind in the organization." Ad agency Chiat Day: "Develop the ability to change faster than your competition or fail..." Dr. Halal: "The perfect company today is almost structureless. All that holds it together is its culture.

I cannot more highly recommend The Infinite Resource to all who are interested in understanding the enormous challenges, opportunities, and rewards - both personal and professional - to be realized as the Knowledge Economy reshapes our world. ... Read more

Book Description

This book offers a practical, hands-on, pluralistic approach to building organizational and team learning capability that is consistent with OD principles and that carefully explores the links between learning, corporate strategy, and knowledge management. Through a systematic series of applied exercises, it shows readers how learning in, of, and among organizations can be recognized, analyzed, and put into practice through a variety of learning actions and styles that improve organizational performance. It introduces the diagnostic Organizational Learning Inventory and provides guidance on how to use/benefit from it in assessing ANY organizational unit--e.g., department, workgroup, task force, or a company subsidiary.The Competitive Edge: Learning for Strategic Advantage. Assessing Learning in Your Team or Company: Learning Orientations. Assessing the Conditions for Learning: Facilitating Factors. Recognizing Your Best Possible Learning Profile.Ways to Enhance or Shift Learning Orientations. Promoting the Conditions for Learning. Learning across Team and Corporate Boundaries. Making Learning Investments: Learning Portfolios and Architectures. Critical Challenges in Learning “Best Practices.” The Learning Horizon.Chief Learning Officers, Chief Knowledge Officers, Directors of Organizational Development, Effectiveness, Training. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

short and practical
This book emphasizes the importance of developing learning organizations and then proceeds to outline a 3 step approach to actually doing so in your own organization. The chapters are very specific and lay out the process so just about anyone could analyze where their organization is to start (the first step), where they'd like to go and how to get there.

For knowledge officers, this book is a must read: it's easy to follow and clearly laid out with enough charts and examples to lead you through the process.

Learning Practices: Assessment and Action for Organizational
How to build the learning capability of an organization? Some researchers and consultants describe in details how learning organization should work. They advise to shape an organization according to their prescription. Approach presented by Dr. Anthony DiBella in his book is different. The first step in developing learning capability of a team or a company is to assess how it learns. After that we will be able to describe our "best possible" learning profile of the organization and start to make changes. This approach is rooted in OD theory and consulting practice. I would recommend this book becouse it is written for practitioners. DiBella presents very usuful tools to diagnose learning of a team, organization unit or even entire firm or institution. He also describes what to do when we have done our assessment. This book is of high value for people who would like to build or strengten the learning capabilities of an organization or a team. ... Read more