Book Description

"Leading the Learning Organization" provides students, executives, and managers with vital resources to lead their organizations to higher levels of performance. Using examples from companies such as General Electric, IBM, Kodak, and ABB, "Leading the Learning Organization" integrates the latest advances in strategic change, managerial leadership, continuous improvement, and learning and development. Belasen provides insightful and provocative views of how high-performance leaders use organizational learning to achieve breakthrough performance. He strongly argues that managers who avoid questioning their operating premises today will find themselves without market share tomorrow. "Leading the Learning Organization" is an insightful examination of a variety of modern corporate issues, including adjusting to the marketplace; linking the value chain; living with corporate downsizing; leading self-managed teams; communicating, learning, and developing competencies; managing the value-based organization; and initiating transformational learning. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent Book
I was impressed with the author's complete gasp of this difficult topic. This book is a must for any manager or would be manager. One of the finest books in the field and well worth the money. ... Read more

Book Description

The next step in organizational development, showing companies how to integrate all areas of human resource practice to drive continuous learning.

Beyond the Learning Organization will help executives, managers, and human resource professionals put the concepts of the "developmental organization" into practice. Experts in the field of human resource and organizational development, Jerry W. Gilley and Ann Maycunich examine how the latest advances in HR principles and practices (including recruiting, training, planning, career development, performance management, job design, and compensation and benefits) can be integrated to drive corporate renewal and growth. Ultimately, they outline a process for creating an organizational environment that is able to address a wide variety of competitive and strategic challenges, adapt to internal and external changes, and recognize and reward employees at all levels for contributing to corporate goals. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not just another pretty face.....
This book gets serious about the process of integrating HR into the fabric of the organization and creating a true learning culture. Very easy to process text and yet has tremendous depth of analysis. ... Read more

Book Description

Peter Scott-Morgan, author of the best-selling, The Unwritten Rules of the Game, and his colleagues at Arthur D. Little have discovered that Fortune 500 companies are currently spending twice their profits on change initiatives; yet they are only satisfied with half the results.The obvious question is How can we stop this?

The paradigm–shifting answer, based on a six year study of Fortune 500 companies, is:concentrate on maximizing stability within a changing environment--don't fixate on change.This book explains how by developing the six competencies needed to achieve dynamic stability--the management stabilizers of strategy, tactics, operations, and the enabling stabilizers of teamwork, quality, and communication--companies can avoid being swamped by the disruption of unending turbulence. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

the accelarating organization
very updated, helpful in managing change in big organizations

It's people, people, people!
I have always been interested in culture and human aspects of the firm. This book was highly recommended by my teacher on strategic management as his favorite on change management. It's an easy read on the human aspects of change and is helped by a novel structure in the book (each subsection of the chapter reads like an individual chapter, which assists the dropping and picking up). It's no nonsense. Anyone who liked 'The Fifth Discipline', will much appreciate this as well. I hope to read more of this type material.

A "do-able" resource on the constantly learning organization
The Accelerating Organization is an excellent resource of ideas on how to develop a constantly learning organization. Maira and Scott-Morgan provide many clear and concise concepts in developing a new organization or moving an existing organization into a learning system. Every point is illustrated from a plethora of international business situations. Not only is "The Accelerating Organization" informative, it is "do-able."

It is a must! A Classic! The theme of the new Century!
If the Business environment is as smart as it should be this book should be a Best-Selle ... Read more

Book Description

Winning the Knowledge Game focuses on the thinking and attitudes required to remain knowledgeable, competitive and high performing.
Topics include: having a winning strategy, improving collaboration and teamwork, creating a smarter business, competitive intelligence, protecting intellectual property, keeping talent, leveraging the latest digital technology, increasing customer loyalty and measuring the impact of your people on performance, market value and society.


Winning the Knowledge Game provides practical advice on the strategies, tactics and systems you need to remain capable and agile in this rapidly changing business world.

To help you meet this challenge, Winning the Knowledge Game explores three questions:
* How do you open the hearts and minds of people to
smarter learning?
* How do you grow competitive advantage?
* How do you sustain and ensure lasting success?

All managers need to learn the skill of acquiring and putting knowledge to work if they are to successful. Most of all they need to learn how to play the knowledge game every day of their life.

Do not leave things to chance discover the ideas and tips that will deliver a measurable improvement to your business leadership, performance and career. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sound coverage of basic
This is an overview of the issues in building business success, with a focus on human resource and knowledge management issues. It provides breadth rather than depth of coverage and is set out as a series of issues which require attention rather than providing an understanding of the processes needed to bring about systemic and continuing change.

The 16 chapters are arranged in three parts: Opening Hearts and Minds; Growing Competitive Advantage; Ensuring Lasting Success. Each chapter gives an overview of an issue area (e.g. recruitment and retention, managing intellectual property) and summarizes key actions needed to bring about success in that area. The presentation of each area is direct and straightforward, and illustrated with useful examples.

To use a cooking metaphor, it is nearer to a list of ingredients and how to prepare each, than a full recipe for organizational success. Selecting the ingredients and handling each well is necessary, but not sufficient to produce a delicious end-product. This is in contrast to Sydänmaanlakka: An Intelligent Organization, which takes the opposite approach of focusing strongly on the recipe, while treating the preparation of some of the ingredients rather more impressionistically. ... Read more

Book Description

Organizational learning matters now more than ever. In today's hypercompetitive business environment, successful excecutives must be able to discover opportunities, face problems, and pursue innovative ideas, then turn those ideas into action throughout an organization. Based on both empirical research and practice experience, this book gives managers the tools to do just that.Organizational learning capability is the capacity to generate and generalize ideas with impact. Managers generate new ideas in four basic ways: experimentation, in which organizations learn by trying many new products and processes; continuous improvement, in which they learn by constantly improving what they have done before and mastering each step in a process before moving on to other processes; knowledge acquisition, in which they learn by encouraging individuals and teams to acquire new knowledge continuously; and benchmarking, in which they learn by studying how other groups do things and trying to adapt their techniques.Each learning types leads to different performance consequences.Managers must also be able to generalize information through technology, movement of people, incentives, and learning processes.By both generating and generalizing ideas with impact, managers have a blueprint for making learning happen.

Learning may not be sustained, however, unless it is congruent with the larger business context--the organization's strategy and culture and the industry's characteristics. Unfortunately, just as organizations develop learning capabilities, they also suffer from certain learning disabilities.This book outlines common disabilities and the means to overcome them.The authors assist practicing managers by providing several examples of successful and unsuccessful organizations and describing the ways in which they have helped organizations improvelearning capability in their consulting practices. Based on detailed case studies, a review of past literature, and data gleaned from a worldwide survey of companies,Organizational Learning Capability is an accessible and useful guide for managers competing in the information economy.This book turns abstract ideas into practice, offers tools that managers can use, and presents a simple yet profound road map for making learning a reality. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Insightful!
Drawing the reader's attention with ample real-business examples, the authors discuss corporations as entities that must adapt, generate ideas and act upon new information. The writing team - Arthur K. Yeung, David O. Ulrich, Stephen W. Nason and Mary Ann Von Glinow - delve into learning styles, basing their work on research and material gleaned from a widespread survey of corporations and organizations. They stack up the building blocks necessary for organizational learning, the corporate ability to generate and implement ideas. Although based on scholarly research, the book is concisely written in an easily accessible, conversational tone, and comes to life with corporate case studies. We [...] recommend this book to managers, executives and owners whose organizations might need to learn a thing or two.
... Read more

Book Description

Expanding opportunities for learning, as well as the choices involved in learning, are a part of our national agenda, a focus of families with children, and a core mission of businesses committed to building learning organizations. From the digital elite of Silicon Valley to innovative school districts around the country, organizations are becoming catalysts for new ideas and processes that widen the circle of opportunity for lifelong learning.

The New Managerial Mentor provides the tools and guidance to make learning happen through supportive, interdependent, and collaborative mentoring relationships. With state-of-the-art assessment tools, case studies, and practical examples of collaborative mentoring in action, Patricia Fritts shows how to master the four key competencies of the new learning leader and how to balance the conflicting roles of facilitator, producer, innovator, and integrator.

Fritts demonstrates that effective mentoring is no longer a teacher-learner relationship but rather a collaborative learning experience based on connection and mutual influence. Her book is a chart for navigating a course between leading and learning that focuses on the reality of the past alongside the limitless possibilities of the future. Drawing on stories from health care, insurance, banking, and other industries, The New Managerial Mentor shows how individuals and organizations are developing workplaces that celebrate partnership learning, positioning themselves for growth and prosperity in the future, and advancing a more stable and fulfilling world of work. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Improving your Learning Leadership skills
The New Managerial Mentor Becoming a Learning Leader to Build Communities of Purpose

This book is an excellent resource for helping to assess and to give you ideas on how to build your skills to become a better learning leader. Fritts creates a "learning moment" by having you take inventory your Learning Leader Role Preference and assess for yourself what areas are strengths and which need more development. I also liked the way it was clearly laid out. Each role was clearly defined, followed by focus of that role and the competencies needed. In addition to defining each competency, Fritts gives you an example of it in practice. Then you have an opportunity to assess your level in this competency with an exercise. The exercise was followed by ideas and/or suggestion of how to develop a plan to improve your level of learning in that competency. The way this book is laid out makes it a very practical read and a good learning resource.

As Fritts says on page 158 "To increase productivity in a knowledge economy, managers need to focus more on people than on technology". Fritts puts the mentor role in a new light, one of needing to fully develop a diverse set of roles, collaborator, innovator, producer, and integrator. Traditionally mentoring described a relationship of an "older individual imparting their wisdom to younger associates" (pg. 169). However, as Fritts states, "the new model calls for people at all levels to create reciprocal learning relationships and develop the technical and interpersonal competencies needed to thrive in the new economy", working in any business today requires us to be able to learn on the fly and be flexible, while meeting the marketplace needs. I think that Fritts hits the nail on the head with this book.

I enjoyed this book so much that I have purchased copies for my team and we are planning to use these concepts at our next offsite to see how we can continue to build our skills as learning leaders.

The New Managerial Mentor : Becoming a Learning Leader
The New Managerial Mentor book places emphasis on learning as a collaborative effort. The focus is partnering and the importance of an organization's success over the next decade. It encourages manager to welcome change, encourage employees to take charge of their destiny and to find their work rewarding. The Managerial Mentor is essential for any company to prepare for changing times, as companies must become more competitive than ever with the advances in technology. The book guides managers in the facilitating process, as they support and encourage their employees to become lifelong learners. The book begins with an assessment exercise to identify the characteristics of your organization. The book is a good tool for any manager that desires effective methods to meet the demands and challenges of an unstable and chaotic environment. The emphasis is placed in learning in a continual process to bring about new ideas to sustain a competitive edge in uncertain marketplace.

The author divides the book into three sections - (1) Mentoring in the learning organization addresses the role that managers play in mentoring relationship and the diverse competencies of the learning leader. (2) Becoming a learning leader addresses the different learner styles - collaborator, innovator, producer and integrator. These four managerial mentoring roles help to provide individual competency assessment. Assists in focusing on the strengths and abilities. (3) Putting your plan together steps the reader through the process to become a learning leader by leading with a purpose. The book is equipped with exercises and checklists throughout the book designed to step you through the different processes, preference inventory and scoring sheets help you focus your development effort.

The book is concise, easy to read and flows well. Pat Fritts has skillfully put together the tasks and processes essential for identifying innovative ways to engage in collaborative learning. Use this book as a guide to step you through the processes. The exercises and checklists will ensure a successful plan for mastering new learning competencies. I would highly recommend this book for any manager who wants to ensure the success of his organization as well as the success of its employees by partnering and co-learning. A word of caution, this book is not for every organization. Its' methodologies and approach is aggressive and requires organizations to build its foundation on mutual trust and collaboration. It requires employees to empower themselves and take risks. It requires a transformation at every level of the organization.

This is a practical and easy to use guide.
The exercises in the chapters focus on the practicality of this book. Dr. Fritts presents the information in an easy to follow and and easy to use form. Since the scenarios depict the workforce of today, a manager can see herself or himself in various situations then use the exercises to assist in thinking through the problematic areas. Helps one to determine areas of strength in the managerial arena. The lessons of the book cross all types of business situations. The book is relevant to all managers regarless of their experience level.

Excellent learning vehicle for business/nonprofit managers
I found this to be an extremely helpful book. The author provides an innovative mentoring model for managers and professionals in all types of organizations. Most importantly, she includes practical tools for individual and organizational development. I highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Book Description

The success of highly theoretical and anecdotal books on learning organizations has fueled the need for a practical and easy-to-apply guide to the topic. In the best-selling style of the 500 Tips series, this books offers up-to-the minute advice for managers wanting to develop their organization into one that is focused on individual learning as a route to organizational success. With expert tips for all types of organization this inspirational guide provides a no-nonsense summary of how to create a learning organization. ... Read more

Book Description

`This body of knowlege should be of interest to human resource management specialists. ...[and] to those who are interested in developing their knowledge and understanding of corporate learning and what a learning organisations is. Indeed, [it]... will appeal ...to academics as it offers a useful introduction ....and offers some pointers for devising human resource management strategies' - Peter Trim, University of London, British Academy of Management News

`Drs Richard C Huseman and Jon P Goodman set forth a strategic model for conceptualizing and leveraging knowledge that is invaluable for executives who want to capture, share, and leverage the power of knowledge assets.' - Thomas Sattelberger, Corpora

Based on a landmark study of over 200 of the largest companies in the United States, this book examines how the intellectual assets of a corporation can be leveraged to create `knowledge organization'.

The book includes an overview of corporate evolution from the classic formally structured organization to an adaptive, knowledge-based model. It details the forces of change which contemporary corporations must respond to, and describes techniques used to restructure organizations. Readers are presented with real-world examples that offer insight into the best organizational practice and blueprints for implementation.

Reviews (1)

A Must Read for Managers!
This is an extremely well written explanation of one of the latest and best management theories. One of the things I liked best about this book is the explanation of the major management trends of the past and how they brought business to the point it is today. Most management books simply tell one what to do, but this book tells the background of the problems we face, then goes on to explain very clearly how they can be solved.

Leading With Knowledge is a thought-provoking read! ... Read more

Book Description

Whether they've got increased responsibilities, new colleagues, or a brand new job, managers and specialists are bound to face unfamiliarsituations. Although most smart professionals eventually adapt to new circumstances on their own, the truly savvy ones know the value of -- streetsmarts: the ability to assess environments quickly and make adjustments -- both subtle and radical -- on the fly. This timely book is a must read forprofessionals who want a portable skill set they can use in any situation and within any organization. With frank insights on the realities of professionalinteraction, the book helps readers to:

* Work in unfamiliar situations with an inquiring and strategic mindset. * Use universal skills across industries, work sectors, and cultures. * Influence organizational outcomes and change the status quo.

Plus, the mini-cases, tools, and challenging exercises will help professionals get in shape for the actual games of organizational life. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Valuable Street Smarts for Organization Men...and Women
The expression "street smarts" describes the "feel," the savvyness, the sensitivity, and the skills to survive in the fast-moving, rough-and-tumble world of the streets. Business, personal-it doesn't matter. You have it or you don't. And if you have it, your chances of being on top are consistently better than if you fall haplessly into the category of the clueless.

An amazing number of people show up for work each day, go through the motions, do what they think is right, and go home. They simply "attend" work. Then there are those who mysteriously "get it" and move through the bureaucratic maze like a knife through butter. They seem to have something special, something that sets them apart. Out in the real world, we'd call it "street smarts." In the closed world of the workplace, it's "organization smarts." Got it? If not, read this book.

David Brown has been there, done that, and probably still wears the tee shirt-but it won't show where you can see it. He's moved from job to job in the fast moving worlds of corporations, politics, government (Deputy Mayor of New York), and higher education. If you wanted to find a mentor, a coach, to draw from, here he is. So, curl up at his feet and learn the secrets to success in the organizational environment.

Five chapters. Organized, tight, together. Not complicated. Chapter 1 takes us right into Understanding the "Real" Organization. Moving from sources of information (official and unofficial), Brown dives right into the culture, the customs, and the power. Now that we know the territory, Brown shifts to us: Establishing a Credible Reputation. Learn about things you should know-like first impressions, who you're seen with, and living your reputation so you're real. Chapter Three delves into Understanding What Others Want, a powerful concept in organizational success. Meetings, negotiations, commitment from others.

Chapter 4 addresses an interesting aspect of organizational maneuvering: working with experts. Brown emphasizes the importance of learning from experts, gaining and building on knowledge and skills from all sources. Chapter 5 explores the most difficult application of organizational smarts: changing the status quo. Changes often have to be made to move an organization ahead. Identifying needs for change and engaging in the conversations and tasks to accomplish those changes in ways that everyone is happy can put you in an influential position in an organization.

This book is recommended for college graduates entering the real world of work, for people who have been "floating" in organizations without realizing their potential, and for up and coming leaders who want to "up-and-come" faster and more effectively. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, published by Baker College System - Center for Graduate Studies on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 6206 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Designing and evaluating E-learning in higher education: a review and recommendations.(online learning)
Author: Chee Meng Tham
Publication: Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Baker College System - Center for Graduate Studies
Volume: 11Issue: 2Page: 15(11)

Distributed by Thompson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

For the first time in one volume, the leading proponents and practitioners of action learning define their approach, and describe how action learning and executive and organizational development are practiced in the public, private and 'not-for-profit' sectors around the world. Described in detail are the experiences of General Electric, Merck, Volvo, Japanese and Korean multinationals, as well as the Canadian Civil Service and The World Council of Churches, among others.
... Read more

Book Description

A nifty addition to the list, this book applies the techniques of the U.S. Army's After Action Review as a model for any organization to use in learning from what it has done--both its successes and its failures. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Today's business leaders must always know what their stakeholders are thinking--be they customers, employees, constituents, or competitors--and act upon that information in a timely and appropriate manner. How companies collect, decipher, and utilize this knowledge, in fact, may be the real determinant of their long-term viability. Harvard Business School professor David A. Garvin's Learning in Action authoritatively dissects these activities as practiced by so-called learning organizations, then clearly outlines the steps necessary to build one of them. "Sweeping metaphors and grand themes are far less helpful than the knowledge of how individuals and organizations learn on a daily basis," Garvin writes. "The key to success is mastery of the details, coupled with a command of the levers that shape behavior." His book's core offers a practical examination of the three primary routes to corporate learning: collecting intelligence from outside sources (via interview and observation, for example); accumulating data through targeted actions (such as postproject reviews and special programs); and experimenting with alternative outcomes by manipulating variables (including prototype creation and exploratory design testing). Combining research from myriad fields, detailed studies of successful models such as Xerox and the U.S. Army, and snapshots of specific practices at additional firms such as Intel and Wal-Mart, he succeeds in providing "a broad, integrated view of the topic that is grounded in scholarship." --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I learned something about learning!!
In Learning in Action, David Garvin lays out the concept of learning in a straightforward and easy-to-read manner. He defines the process of learning and the types of learning, and then ties it together in coverage of the challenges organizations have in establishing a paradigm or continuous learning (which includes action). While non-fiction is by its very nature often not the most exciting material in print, this book is able to keep the reader's attention through the use of real-life examples and a steady progression from the basics to the more complex. I read this in one sitting on a coast-to-coast flight and was never even close to falling asleep!! If you are interested in a practical approach to the subject of Learning, this book is worth a look.

Learning in Action
Learning is an innate nature and can be obtained by doing. But most HR people faced a hard situation in the fast changing world. "Learning in Action" tell us a brand new direction for people who doesn't have extra time to learn new things. When individuals can learn in action, the model also can be implied and amplified in teams and organizations. ... Read more

Book Description

The pro- and anti-globalization forces may be logically at odds, but there's little dispute on the inevitability of globalization's forward march. And as Michael Marquardt, Nancy Berger, and Peter Loan explain, the real issue is not stopping or promoting globalization, but rather how to minimize the negative effects of globalization and leverage its powerful, positive effects. Human Resource Development will play a key role in determining this transformation. At no time in history has HRD been more critical in solving urgent economic and social problems faced by a wide array of groups, communities, organizations, and nations. HRD in the Age of Globalization explores the best HRD programs in twelve geographic regions and their impact on culture, the global environment, and other geopolitical and demographic elements. This book not only answers all the questions that exist concerning this burgeoning field-it tells us what questions we should be asking. ... Read more

Book Description

The Politics of Ethics examines the obstacles to behaving ethically in organizations. The book provides several methods of overcoming these obstacles to ethical behavior--punishment-based ethics compliance codes, win-lose or win-win negotiating, due process systems--and the strengths and weaknesses of each. ... Read more

Book Description

Must reading for anyone who has to foster innovation, but finds that people resist new ideas. Implementing change means extra effort, and who wants more work when they feel stretched, as people do in today's "lean" organizations?

But even in these organizations some people have a knack for getting others to embrace change. Managing the People Side of Innovation reveals how these "naturals" tap some powerful sources of motivation through what they do with ideas. ... Read more