Organizations Books

This Handbook is a valuable, broad scope look at public and private sector systems currently engaged in change iniatitives around the world. Relatively free of jargon and untried theories, these field-tested case studies will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers from organization leaders and HR professionals to business school students. I came away with some important new ideas for my work and avoided a few pitfalls after reading the book.

Through the many cases presented, Barbara and Billie were able to present to the reader how the different Large Group Methods actually can be applied, and, specially, how they form part of a larger roadmap for systemic change. Interesting also how all cases have a reflections session, which is very usefull in giving actual or to-be practitioners concrete tips for implementation.
The combination of cases with theory about the methods and innovative ideas (for example, on the use of Technologies and Graphic facilitation)resulted in a superior learning experience and complements very well their first book ("Large Group Interventions: Engaging the Whole System for Rapid Change").
Last but not least, I was happy to note how there was a shift in attention from method to challenges that organizations or communities are facing - so a focus on impact and change. A book worth reading for those that are facing or will face large scale changes.

Trust Alban and Bunker to use their social science prowess and rich professional experiences to create an eminently pragmatic handbook for leaders of systems change. To their credit, the entire construction of the book also employs the very principles espoused by the contributors: inclusion of stakeholders, engagement of multiple perspectives, search for common ground, transparency, and appreciation for diversity. After soliciting cases from around the world, the authors organized them into helpful categories of interventions around "six challenges for the 21st century" and added their views on the issues created by those challenges. These chapter inputs are perfect executive summaries for clients who are mired in these dilemmas daily and are looking for solutions and they will help introduce the large group engagement methods the consultant is offering. Also invaluable is the authors' matrix of each case that delineates the organizational sector, the situation addressed, and the methods used--truly makes the text handy.

Although the book stands on its own merits for the sophisticated organization consultant, reading their previous Large Group Interventions (Jossey Bass, 1997) would give the appropriate context for the creative adaptations of the original methods that their latest book so well describes. The Handbook has not only added new methods (Appreciative Inquiry Summit, World Café and AmericaSpeaks) but, more importantly, it describes combinations of traditional methods along with new twists which are thoroughly described. Appropriately, there is a greater reliance on engagement principles for a change process instead of previously prescribed recipes for events in their prior book.

The consultant contributors have been generous with details, for the most part, so that seasoned organization development consultants will feel comfortable employing these tested methods of engagement. On the other hand, there also could also be a warning sticker that reads: "Don't Try This Alone in your Ballroom!" because much of the success comes with years of experience working with diverse groups and learning what doesn't work. Partnering with such experts is the wisest way to dive into whole system change.

As a trainer of large group principles, I particularly appreciated the enhancement tools this handbook describes--Polarity Mapping (B. Johnson), Gestalt therapy, coaching theory, using professional actors for storytelling, graphic facilitation and more. I look forward to the 2017 iteration Bunker and Alban offer to keep us on our toes!


Elizabeth K. Olson
Preferred Futures, Inc.

In the complex, interconnected, global environment that most organizations work in daily, it is no longer possible for a few people "at the top" of the organization to have all the knowledge, expertise, and perspective needed for its success. At NovaLearning, we have used large group methods with colleges and universities for about fifteen years. I have constantly seen how institutions become better -- more focused, more strategic, but also more humane -- as they incorporate ideas and insight from across the system into their operation. When Bunker and Alban's earlier book was published, I was delighted because it captured well the range of large group approaches that had developed by 1996. This new handbook goes much further.

These are substantive case studies exceptionally well framed by Bunker and Alban's insight and experience. The diverse case study authors are generous in sharing at a level of specificity that makes real learning from their experiences possible. Each chapter is organized around the presenting challenge, the context and methodology (and why chosen), a detailed description of what actually happened, and perhaps most importantly, a set of reflections and insights that give the reader the chance to share in the authors' learning. I also found valuable the examples of how the innovative use of communication technologies can provide new opportunities as well as sometimes create unexpected limitations. I strongly recommend The Handbook of Large Group Methods to consultants who use or want to use large group methods. Individual chapters will also be important and provocative for corporate, academic, social, and political leaders and change agents.

I agree with the reviewer who notes that something may be missing (other slices of large group imagination and so on) but what I see in this book is a 5 star original updating the first original work. I am also impressed by the manner in which the author-editors have engaged a total of 49 collaborators.

Despite its size this is an easy to read and appreciate book, and in my own limited experience within this literature, stands in a class by itself.

Key Point: Must recognize and engage ALL stakeholders, including those that may be "external" to "the system" but are either inputs or outputs or victims, etc.

Key Point: This literature has developed from the 1960's focus on the social psychology of organizations, to the social psychology of networks.

Key Point: Many Small Groups = a Large System (susceptible to whole systems methods) = Future Search and Shaping.

Key Point: Real time strategic change is now known as whole-scale change (I am reminded of Kirkpatrick Sale's seminal work, Human Scale

Five methods for planning the future:
+ Search Conference
+ Future Search
+ Whole-Scale Change
+ ICAA Strategic Planning Process
+ Appreciative Inquiry

This book was published before Jim Rough's pioneering work at the Center for Wise Democracy or Tom Atlee's Co-Intelligence Institute. See:
Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All

Large Group Methods (LGM) is very ably presented by the authors and collaborators as being ideal for working with diverse groups that have different cultures, structures, and priorities. I am reminded that we live in a world dominated by pyramidal organizations that still believe in top-down elite "command and control," and this book is therefore a revolutionary handbook for enabling bottom-up sense-making and localized social resilience.

Key point: whereas the first book focused on methods, this book focuses on challenges, the challenges rather than the methods are driving the practices.

Here are my fly-leaf notes. Some books I read to learn in depth, others I read to learn what I do not know and persuade myself the authors are essential future consultants. This is such a book. In my lifetime I cannot learn what these 49 collaborators articulate so capably.

WIDELY-DISPERSED ORGANIZATIONS
+ Defining and holding the vision
+ Tolerance for Ambiguity
+ Relationship-building

WHOLE-SYSTEM ENGAGEMENT WITH COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY
+ 10% technology, 90% human interaction
+ Higher quality goals and strategies result
+ Faster decision making
+ Rapid global stakeholder alignment
+ Enhanced organizational readiness for implementation
+ New model for governance as well as participation

ORGANIZATIONS IN CRISIS
+ Focus
+ Timeline
+ Openness
+ Involvement
+ Preferences stimulate engagement
+ Seek coherence
- Directional
- Relational
- Task
- Contextual

POLARIZED AND POLITICIZED ENVIRONMENTS
+ LSG methods are more respectful of differences
+ Trust & Transformation
+ Multiple competing interests accomodated
+ Clearing the air
+ Working with tensions
+ Seven Principles
- Focus on common ground
- Rationalize conflict
- Manage conflict
- Expand individuals' view of the situation (beyond egotistic)
- Acknowledge history of group conflict and feelings
- Manage public airing of differences
- Reduce hierarchy as much as possible

COMMUNITIES WITH DIVERSE INTEREST GROUPS
+ Different from organizations, less structured, more ambiguous
+ Need sponsorship and sustainability of effort
+ Need representative planning groups from across the community
+ Skilled facilitators are essential
+ Conclude by recognizing, recording, and tracking commitments

WORKING CROSS-CULTURALLY
+ Be aware of what you do not know
+ Relationship-oriented, NOT "USA Work Before Pleasure"
+ Respect desire to maintain distance and privacy
+ Pace of decisions can be very slow
+ Respect desire to be part of a collective voice instead of an individual on the spot
+ Four Worlds
- North = intellect
- South = feeling
- East = intuition
- West = pragmatic
+ Conversations are for:
- Relationships
- Possibilities
- Action

EMBEDDING NEW PATTERNS
+ Patience
+ Respect self-organizing tendencies
+ Keep it simple

The resource section contains three additional contributions. The middle one, on graphics, captured my attention.

GRAPHICS:
+ Engage participants
+ Focus and ground energy of group
+ Provide space where participants feel heard
+ Bridge cultures
+ Surface unheard voices
+ Provide summative and integrative function
+ Provide continuity and enhance sustainability

I have personally witnessed the effectiveness of graphics at Nexus for Change and Bioneers. It is a hugely impressive technique for eliciting, capturing, and visualizing the disparate contribution of many individual minds. Those who are able to execute this function are gifted.

My eye was also caught by Covision's fast feedback cycle (bottom to top):
+ Ambivalence
+ Awareness
+ Understanding
+ MUTUAL Understanding
+ Alignment
+ Buy In
+ Commitment

The book ends with a reading list (part of what persuaded me it is better to engage these talents than try to replicate their knowledge), short bios of the very impressive collection of 49 collaborators, and a first-class index.

This is an important book. See also:
The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Today's Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems
The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition
The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World
One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

I am limited to ten links. See also Group Genius, Five Minds, Smart Mobs, Wisdom of the Crowds, Wealth of Networks, Revolutionary Wealth, Infinite Wealth, Wealth of Knowledge, Army of Davids, etc.

Kudo for the author.

Simply excellent. A real gem. One book one should be without if you are a Bible reader and if you are of thinking mind. Just click and get one copy to enjoy. I've read once; I'm planning to read again (possible again.)

His easy prose style of English is so smooth; one feels like reading an exciting fiction. I'm glad it is not a small book; it gives so much to fill your heart's desire.

You are not interested in early Christianity? Well, if you don't know your own root (biblically speaking), then you cannot be a Christ-believer and are not really reading the New Testament to hear ITS message but getting someone's messages and being happy to be their copycat. (It doesn't matter whether you do attend a church regularly and enjoy all its programs and get involved in lots of its activities).

This book is a gold-mine of practical information about the application of Policy Governance®. Boards will find a wealth of wisdom from former issues of Board Leadership, as well as a number of articles published in industry-specific journals that were not previously easy to find, now all in one convenient, easy-to-use package. Articles are short, easy-to-read, and of practical "hands-on" value. The FAQ section permits the reader to zoom in on particular areas of interest. As a consultant in Policy Governance® , I find the book to be a very user-friendly reference. For boards using the model, it is an invaluable resource. This is a book that can be read cover to cover, or can be "dipped into" to address specific issues facing a board at any given point in time. A must for your board's reference and on-going development.

While there are more and more books available on making boards effective, no other author seems to bring together anything more than miscellaneous ideas. John Carver, on the other hand, lays out a full system for board clarity and accountability.

I read his "Boards That Make a Difference", and was thrilled to see someone finally offer a way to make sense of boards. As a consultant, I've become an avid advocate of his Policy Governance model, which when used, virtually assures elevated governance.

With this new book, Carver continues to impress. Rather than a conceptual text, this collection of over 100 articles addresses nearly every conceivable structural issue boards face, as well as the myths surrounding Policy Governance.

To have all of this relevant information in one place is an incredible gift, another great addition to Carver's contributions to the nonprofit world, and any others interested in making boardroom activity meaningful and productive.

John Carver On Board Leadership is a collection of articles that demonstrate the Policy Governance (R) model in board leadership, as written by its creator, John Carver, a man who has over twenty years of experience working with a variety of corporation boards. Addressing how to use the model of governance to improve communication and overall effectiveness, the role of committees, means for resolving disagreements, and much, much more, John Carver On Board Leadership is a solidly written, reader accessible, and effectively useful title recommended for anyone charged with the often difficult and complicated task of coordinating or leading a governing board.

WOW! This compendium of more than 100 of John Carver's articles would be useful enough if it only collected these important articles on Policy Governance into one volume. This publication goes several steps further - by starting with a Frequently Asked Questions Guide, the reader is directed to his or her most urgent concerns. These FAQs appear throughout the book along with pull-out quotes that focus the reader's attention on key issues in the section. Both these features make the book easy to navigate and consequently, a richer resource.

It's great to have these articles combined into one resource since many have been previously published in hard to access journals. This will be a great resource for those new to Policy Governance as well as to experienced practitioners.

If you have read John Carver's books and watched his videotaped lectures, you have just begun to scratch the surface. In addition to "Boards That Make A Difference," "Reinventing Your Board," and "A New Vision of Board Leadership," Carver has produced an amazing array of short pieces designed for those who want to use Policy Governance. This book, "On Board Leadership," is a convenient compendium of these articles. It's well organized with a reliable index, an understandable table of contents and a list of "frequently asked questions" with references to the articles.

What this means is that my frequent trips to the file cabinet to riffle though my file of Carver's occasional writings are a thing of the past. From now on, I'll grab "On Board Leadership" and turn right to the article I need. If, for example, I am struggling with the concept of "cost," the index sends me to page 96 where I read that a board can only do so much. So the board must satisfy itself that by giving up end X in order to accomplish end Y, it is doing what its "owners" would want. The only tool I now lack is a "Carver Concordance."

Wide ranging discussions well organized. Just what every Policy Governance advocate can use. The book belongs in every association executive's library.

Gary Davis
Executive Director
Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Avenue, Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701

this book is great for leaders looking for emerging leaders, it analyzes the
key aspects of todays leader subordinate relationship, and how it is changing and evolving.
Despite the authors optimism it provides great insight
al nymc

I enjoyed all aspects of this book. For me it was the perfect read. The way the author drew you into the facts and the storyline was interesting and a real page turner. I highly recomed this book to everyone.

I believe this book about leadership, challenges and generational gaps, should be read by all leaders past old and emerging new leaders. I enjoyed reading this book and hope many more generations to come will do so as well. Carucci's points are logical, as he accurately describes a younger generation of managers as highly mistrustful of their own managers and averse to taking on leadership positions because of a very strong perception of risk. Carucci's central theme is that emerging leaders have already decided against following a traditional management style, so long-established managers must break specific habits in order to retain the needed talent. Each chapter focuses on a specific management trait and is framed by a fictional case study that Carucci admits is a best-case scenario. It is up to the new emerging leaders to define the preferred management style, and make the most of their life experiences to be successful. They also need to take what they have learned from their past and past leaders to inspire and motivate future leaders of the next generations to come.

Ever have the gut need to just be inspired? To read material, especially on an over-serviced subject like leadership, and want to exclaim with conviction, "YES!" Leadership Divided is the book that will take you there. As an emerging leader in a major government organization, I spend many days wondering about my future and the leadership career that will unfold for me. I hear over and over that there is a "shortfall" of leaders for the future, and as such, my development is essential for the sustainability of my organization. Yet my experience doesn't match that belief. What I have found is that there is definitely a crisis, but its not one of shortfall. (Diane at Harvard Business review who wrote the review above clearly never cracked open her copy of the book - had she, she would have known the quote she references was from the TV show "The Office." She completely missed the point! That's the kind of integrity shortage that makes us emerging leaders so cynical about leadership!). The crisis is one of relationship. Page after page, I was able to locate myself in the words and stories of Leadership Divided. I am being "developed" as a fast-tracked leader, and find myself fighting not to roll my eyes at some of the empty platitudes being put forth as leadership. In the wake of such leadership trash, I have finally come across a book that rises above the noise and says something of great substance. Don't miss this one!

Working for a large monopolistic organization, you tend to experience the worst management has to offer. I found this ground-breaking book revelatory in explaining why traditional approaches to leadership have failed. More importantly, Carucci powerfully and poignantly offers an alternative that can work. Too often, those of us in the management ranks of organizations, daily grinding out ways to "make it work," are invited to cynicism through the callous and insensitive behaviors of leaders who believe in the rightness of their actions. I would strongly urge anyone tasked with the development of leaders in their organizations to make Leadership Divided the centerpiece of their theory and practice.

Through the exploration of six relational patterns, Carucci blends the practical and profound in both hard-hitting research and a gripping novelette. The story is compelling as it captivates you with believable scenarios and characters you come to love and resent. Leadership Divided is truly a "must-read" for anyone claiming to be serious about their own leadership development.

This book provides a useful look into leadership theory primarily as it relates to transformational leadership. A key responsibility of any leader looking to improve their career longevity is to understand how to embrace change management as a key success metric. In my book Leadership Matters...The CEO Survival Manual: WHAT IT TAKES TO REACH THE C-SUITE AND STAY THERE I spend a great deal of time addressing leadership as it relates to change, innovation and performance. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of leading change.

In a world of quick fix leadership books touting the latest fad du jour, the Sashkin's have provided a series of leadership lessons that work. Unlike other fad books they have grounded this approach in both theory and thorough research. More important, they have done this in a direct, easy to understand style and structure that lends itself to action. If you want to
know the current leadership fads so you can hold your own at a cocktail party, this book is not for you. If you want to lead in a dynamic environment and build a culture that thrives on change, this is the book for you.

Dr. Brad Lafferty
Synergy Inc. Washington DC

I am a doctoral student organizational leadership and have thus read many books on leadership as well as current academic literature, so I know the difference between a fadish popular leadership book and one that is well grounded and sound. This is the latter. Yet, it is still very accesible to non-academics. I assigned this book for an undergraduate class on leadership and the students absolutely loved it. The authors have not broken any new theoretical ground with this book. Sashkin and Sashkin are great synthesizers; they have taken the best of current transformational leadership theory and have combined it into a workable and cohesive approach to leadership that is grounded in the current leadership literature and is easy to read (not an easy task). This book only slightly works as an overview of leadership studies in general. They leave out in depth discussions of too many other current important leadership ideas. Instead they focus primarily on the transformational leadership approaches, and support it well with many theoretical strands. For a comprehensive and more systemative overview of leadership theory, try Peter Northouse: "Leadership Theory and Practice" or Gary Yukl: "Organizational Leadership." For a good one-stop approach and synthesis of TL, get this. While not groundbreaking, it is practical and useful for leaders and thus I recommend it.

This book is great! Feedback from my Advanced Leadership Studies graduate students at the Johns Hopkins University was unanimous. The mostly MBA students felt it was easy to read and understand, without a lot of jargon. The text presents a sound research base, yet many students described it as a good "how-to" book that includes clear methods for putting leadership concepts into practice in the workplace. Students gained helpful strategies for becoming and helping others become transformational leaders.

This book presents an excellent synthesis of the major theories that have defined the framework within which leadership is currently explored and practiced. Furthermore, it offers a clear and well defined stream of logic that will provide readers the opportunity to identify and implement some changes in their lives that could make a difference in the way they lead and follow. The crisp and concise presentation, the smooth flow, and the nice balance of theory and practice embedded within its content makes this book a valuable resource for students, researchers, consultants, and managers alike - as well as anyone else who would like to enhance and broaden their views on leaders and leadership.

Leading at a Higher Level is an excellent book that really "puts it all together" related to leadership and Blanchard's principles. I highly recommend it for a comprehensive book about leadership. I am using the book with our management/administrative team. Each person is reading the book and then facilitating the discussion of one chapter. The website resources are an added bonus. I am very excited about the individual and team development possibilities. Thank you!

Dramatic changes have altered the workplace over the course of the past 25 years, but many executives stick to outdated scripts even as corporate directions shift. Fortunately, The One Minute Manager guru Ken Blanchard offers insightful coaching exercises that give leaders new ways to proceed. Using straightforward language, Blanchard provides templates, examples and guidelines for employee education, performance reviews and promotions. The reader may become impatient with the repetition of key points and with Blanchard's slightly jarring habit of referring to himself in the third person, but despite these minor annoyances, this book is an excellent primer about modern leadership roles. In fact, Blanchard says that it "pulls together the thinking from the Ken Blanchard Companies for the past 25 years." We recommend this leadership overview to managers, board members, team leaders and every employee in a cubicle who aspires to reach higher levels.

I've been reading Dr. Ken Blanchard since The One Minute Manager came out. Perhaps you have been, too. While I haven't read all of his collaborations, I've usually read the books where the title seemed relevant to my interests.

More than once, I've wondered how I should fit all the pieces of his views on leadership into one finished jigsaw puzzle. Clearly, the views are humanistic, idealistic and inspiring. But how do we combine them all? My confusion was eliminated by reading Leading at a Higher Level which does an excellent job of integrating three decades worth of writing into one coherent set of ideas and directions for implementation.

If you tried to boil down this book into one idea, it's that of having the right target . . . what Dr. Blanchard and his partners and associates call the triple bottom line -- being the provider of choice for customers, the employer of choice for employees, and the investment of choice for investors. I'm not inclined to quibble, but in the rest of the book it's clear that other stakeholders are supposed to be considered (people who use the offerings, partners, the community, suppliers, and those affected by the company). I wonder if the triple bottom line doesn't need to be expanded to have more bottom lines.

Here's how the book is organized:

I. Set Your Sights on the Right Target and Vision

1. Measuring leadership performance -- the HPO SCORES model which is:

a. Shared information and open communications
b. Compelling vision
c. Ongoing learning
d. Relentless focus on customer results
e. Energizing systems and structures (ways of getting things done that fit with the vision)
f. Shared power and high involvement

As you can see, this is a highly participative concept of leadership where everyone has a role.

2. The Power of Vision

II. Treat Your Customers Right (Raving Fans created by Gung Ho people)

III. Treat Your People Right (Direct, Coach, Support, or Delegate depending on how prepared your people are for the task, and use one minute praisings and redirections and apologies)

IV. Have the Right Kind of Leadership (Servant leadership and diagnosing your own leadership perspective and style)

The bulk of the book is focused on the third topic, treat your people right, which is Dr. Blanchard's key operating philosophy.

The most interesting aspect of the book for me, however, was Dr. Blanchard's occasional revision of his philosophy. For instance, I could never understand why Dr. Johnson and he emphasized one-minute reprimands as much as one-minute praisings in The One Minute Manager. Dr. Blanchard makes a long-needed shift in that view to point out that one-minute redirections and one-minute apologies are needed much more often than one-minute reprimands.

Who will gain the most from this book? Someone who wants to see a process spelled out that can be used for being a humanistic leader and who hasn't read many books on the subject. If you've already read everything that's ever been written and feel comfortable with how Dr. Blanchard's many books fit together in application, you probably won't gain much additional knowledge from this book. But if you would like a friendly review of books you've enjoyed, you'll find the reading to be a pleasant experience. I enjoyed learning more about Dr. Blanchard's various colleagues.

If you haven't read anything by Ken Blanchard, just buy and read this book. It tells you everything you need to know about the other books. You could then expand your appreciation selectively by reading the fables that go with those books where you want to have a deeper understanding . . . by adding a story to go with the leadership lessons.

Be the leader you would like to have! That's the advice of Norman Schwarzkopf. I'm sure he would approve of this book.

Management expert Ken Blanchard has spent more than 25 years helping individuals and organizations become and stay great. Known for his co-authorship of The One Minute Manager, for the first time Blanchard combines his collective wisdom to show managers and leaders zero in on the right target and vision.

Blanchard argues that in high performing organizations everyone's energy is focused on three issues:

1. Being the provider of choice. To keep your customers, you must go beyond satisfying them, you have to turn them into raving fans.
2. Being the employer of choice. Workers seek opportunities where they feel their contributions are valued and rewarded.
3. Being the investment of choice. Money flows to organizations that provide viability, visibility and performance over time.

To achieve these goals, Blanchard argues, your organization must become a HPO - a high performing organization. The author employs the acronym SCORES to illustrate the six elements found in every HPO:

1. Shared Information and Communication.
2. Compelling Vision.
3. Ongoing Learning.
4. Relentless Focus on Customer Results.
5. Energizing Systems and Structures.
6. Shared Power and High Involvement.

In an HPO, Blanchard writes, every thing starts and ends with the customer. Each organization member is passionate about developing sophisticated knowledge of customers and sharing the information throughout the organization. This is accomplished three ways:

1. Decide. If you want raving fans, you do not announce it. You plan for it.
2. Discover. After you decide, it's critical to ask your customers' for suggestions to improve their experience with your organization.
3. Deliver + 1 per cent. Excite your people to deliver this experience, plus.

Enablement is the key to beating your competition day-after day. Allowing your people to pit their brains and allowing them to use their knowledge, experience and motivation is critical. To guide this transition to an enablement culture, leaders must use three keys:

1. Share Information.
2. Declare the Boundaries
3. Replace old Hierarchies with Self-Directed Individuals and Teams.

This requires a special leader: the servant leader. Leadership has two parts: vision and implementation. They need to find out what their people need to be successful and they make a difference in the lives of their people and in the process, their organization.

Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, and his colleagues at The Ken Blanchard Companies have spent more than 25 years helping good leaders and organizations become great and stay great. In this book, they describe how leaders can empower people and unleash their incredible potential. This book must be required reading for everyone who wants to become a better leader.

A better definition of leadership, according to the author, is the capacity to influence others by unleashing the power and potential of people and organizations for the greater good. Leadership should not be done purely for personal gain or goal accomplishment: It should have a much higher purpose than that. Leadership can be defined as the process of achieving worthwhile results while acting with respect, care and fairness for the well-being of all involved. When that occurs, self-serving leadership is not possible. It's only when you realize that it's not about you that you begin to lead at a higher level.

Being a successful leader is not only about leading your organization, but your customers as well. According to the author, to keep your customers, you can't be content just to satisfy them; you have to create raving fans. Raving fans are customers who are so excited about the way you treat them that they want to tell everyone about you. A good example of how this works is Domo Gas, a full-service gasoline chain in Western Canada, cofounded by Sheldon Bowles. Back in the 1970s, when everybody was going to self-service gasoline stations, Bowles knew that if people had a choice, they would never go to a gas station. But people have to get gas, and they want to get in and out as quickly as possible. The customer service vision that Bowles and his co-founders imagined was an Indianapolis 500 pit stop. They dressed all their attendants in red jumpsuits. When a customer drove into one of Bowles' stations, two or three people ran out of the hut and raced toward the car. As quickly as possible, they looked under the hood, cleaned the windshield and pumped the gas (p. 42).

A successful leader must also have a workable vision, and be able to clearly communicate and share this vision with his organization. When Louis Gerstner Jr. took the helm of IBM in 1993-- amid turmoil and instability as the company's annual net losses reached a record $8 billion -- he was quoted as saying, "The last thing IBM needs is a vision." In an article in The New York Times two years later, Gerstner conceded that IBM had lost the war for the desktop operating system, acknowledging that the acquisition of Lotus signified that the company had failed to plan properly for its future. He admitted that he and his management team now "spent a lot of time thinking ahead." Once Gerstner understood the importance of vision, an incredible turnaround occurred. In 1995, delivering the keynote address at the computer industry trade show, Gerstner articulated IBM's new vision -- that network computing would drive the next phase of industry growth and would be the company's overarching strategy. That year, IBM began a series of acquisitions that positioned it to become the fastest-growing company in its segment, with growth at more than 20 percent per year. This extraordinary turnaround demonstrated that the most important thing IBM needed was a vision (p. 24-25).

Leaders must also know how to lead their workforce. Giving people too much or too little direction has a negative impact on people's development. Situational leadership is based on the belief that people can and want to develop, and there is no best leadership style to encourage that development. You should tailor leadership style to the situation. This is pretty much common sense. But leaders should also train their people in self leadership. For example, Bandag Manufacturing experienced the value of self leadership after a major equipment breakdown. Rather than laying off the affected work force, the company opted to train them in leadership. The company began holding their managers accountable and asking them to demonstrate their leadership capabilities. They were asking managers for direction and support and urging them to clarify goals and expectations. Suddenly, managers were studying up on rusty skills and working harder. When the plant's ramp-up time was compared to the company's other eight plants that had experienced similar breakdowns in the past, the California plant reached pre-breakdown production levels faster than any in history. The determining factor in the plant's successful rebound was primarily the proactive behavior of the workers, who were fully engaged and armed with the skill of self leadership (p. 104-105).

Leaders must also encourage team work, and be part of the team themselves. Teams provide a sense of worth, connection and meaning to the people involved in them. A study of 12,000 male Swedish workers over a 14-year period revealed that workers who felt isolated and had little influence over their jobs were 162 percent more likely to have a fatal heart attack than were those who had a lot of influence in decisions at work and who worked in teams. Data like this -- combined with the fact that teams can be far more productive than individuals functioning alone --provide a compelling argument for creating high involvement workplaces. Furthermore, according to a 2003 Gallup study, "actively disengaged" people -- workers who are fundamentally disconnected from their jobs -- are costing the U.S. economy between $292 billion and $355 billion a year. The Gallup survey found that 24.7 million workers (17 percent) are actively disengaged. These workers are absent from work 3.5 more days a year than other workers, or 86.5 million days in all. Statistics show an even less engaged work force worldwide.

When people lead at a higher level, they make the world a better place because their goals are focused on the greater good. Making the world a better place requires a special kind of leader: a servant leader. Robert Greenleaf first coined the term "servant leadership" in 1970 and published widely on the concept. Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela are examples of servant leaders. Servant leaders feel their role is to help people achieve their goals. They try to find out what their people need to be successful. They want to make a difference in the lives of their people and, in the process, impact the organization (p. 249).

Research shows that effective leaders have a clear, teachable leadership point of view and are willing to teach it to others, particularly the people they work with. If you can teach people your leadership point of view, they will not only have the benefit of understanding where you're coming from, but they'll also be clear on what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. They may also begin to solidify their own thinking about leadership so that they can teach others too. Some say that learning, teaching and leading should be inherent parts of everyone's job description.

The world needs more leaders who are leading at a higher level. Perhaps the day will come when self-serving leaders are history, and leaders serving others are the rule, not the exception.

I enjoyed reading Rae Lindsay's book. I really like her writing style. It was a light read and anyone interested in lefties should read this book!!

I enjoyed reading Rae Lindsay's book. I really like her writing style. It was a light read and anyone interested in lefties should read this book!!

It's about time someone wrote a great book for us lefties! WOW! This book is so fun to read and is so informative that I would recommend it to anyone. Yes, even right-handers! You can't imagine how much cool and interesting stuff is packed into this book.

I really liked LEFT IS RIGHT because it provided excellent information for lefties, ranging from humorous anecdotes and helpful history to easily understood explanations for why people are left-handed...and lists and lists of famous lefties. Right on! for this special book for lefties.

Left-handers know they have it tough in the world, but for all those non-believing right-handers, this is the book you need to read. It is a thorough examination of left-handedness, including word origins, derivations of "left is evil" myths, famous left-handers, relevant anatomy, historical and cultural concessions to right-handers, and even a list of retail stores who cater to southpaws. Very well-done all the way around.

This truth about how to learn still stands, while so many notions have drifted away and died. As someone who adores children and has mentored many, I've observed again and again the demonstration of Papert's points. And because he's such an odd duck -- having expertise in both technology and learning/development -- the book can offer practical examples of how this understanding can be actually applied. I'm so grateful that people are still seeing the value of this landmark book.

Mindstorms is not just about the programming language called Logo. It is about Turtle Graphics and it's application to education. The author explains Turtle Graphics which is combination of programming and geometry. He then puts Turtle Graphics to use explaining how to do draw complicated shapes with it. Finally the author explains the theory behind his insights which is built on the contributions of Piaget a important researcher into the way children understand the world. I greatly enjoyed this book. Papert explains how to combine the process of programming with the process of learning. He shows how to make what is cerebral into a concrete process that children can understand.

This is a book that anyone interested in present-day education of children everywhere should find time to read. For a few weeks, in the summer of 2001, I introduced teenagers in the W. E. B. DuBois Scholars' Program, held on the campus of Princeton University, to the Logo computer programming language invented by the author of this book, MIT professor, Seymour Papert. A leader in the DuBois program sought me out to congratulate me and quoted the students as having repeated over and over that they were ecstatic about what they were learning in my class and that it alone was worth their live-in participation. Indeed, I saw the glow in their eyes and a strong desire to be explorers with Turtle Graphics. Ditto for when I joined fellow volunteers from the MIT Alumni Club of New York City to employ Lego to guide the learning of robotics at Hunter College Elementary School for gifted students in upper Manhattan.

There is something engaging about the constructivist learning philosophy advocated in Professor Papert's books, beginning with the first edition of this book, [1980]. The open secret was that these students directed their collaboration with the computer in their own journey to discover knowledge and this book explains the confluence of ideas from science, mathematics and modeling that brings about this immersion. When a child can learn, in one week, how recursion works in mathematics, a topic normally taught in graduate courses in computer science, someone has donated a gift!

The challenge to teachers looking for traditional instructions for students in this setting is that this approach is relatively rule-agnostic and that makes some people feel uncomfortable. There is a chapter titled "Instructionism versus Constructionism" in a book, The Children's Machine, Papert's follow-up progress report on learning, after more than three million computers had been employed in American elementary schools, thirteen years after the ideas in Mindstorms were first published. For more adventurous K-12 students, opportunities to use legions of turtles, acting simultaneously, to model and simulate complex, dynamic systems like traffic jams are provided within a related language, StarLogo, and the results are startling and sometimes paradoxical.

At the risk of being immodest, I volunteer that one of my sons started his education in an atmosphere implementing Papert's ideas -- MIT's Tech Child Care Center -- in 1977 and went on to graduate from Stanford University in 1996. This environment galvanizes and sustains the curiosity, creativity and imagination of children - preach it to all who would listen!

This book provides an introduction to Papert's thinking concerning the learning and teaching of math. Prior to developing the LOGO language described in this book, Papert worked closely with Piaget in Switzerland for 5 years. While in Switzerland, Papert observed many of Piaget's experiments with children and the development of their understanding of mathematical concepts. Following Piaget, Papert believed that the math learning that the child comes to know best and that stays with the child always comes from experience and cognition, not from explicit teaching or rote practice. He noted, however, that there were certain mathematical concepts that children should come to know, but that they wouldn't ordinarily learn from experience alone because they might not come across these ideas in ordinary life. This is why he invented the programming language LOGO--a toy that children could play with, experiment with, manipulate, and through doing so, gradually come to call their own the mathematical concepts needed for their games.

To make LOGO attractive to kids, he included a "turtle" as the central figure of the language. The turtle carried a pen that could be used to trace the turtle's movement through the play area or on a computer screen. The challenge was for kids to write programs in LOGO that would instruct the turtle how to move and when to use the pen so that it would draw shapes in the forms that they wanted. When the turtle didn't make the shapes they wanted, they were instructed to "be the turtle," in order to understand the turtle's perspective, and to figure out how they needed to adjust their programs. According to Papert, even kids who showed no interest in math in the regular classroom began showing dramatic improvements in their math skills when given a chance to play with the turtle. Unfortunately, when turtle math was first introduced, many teachers tried teaching a turtle math class the same way they taught regular math class, with lectures and assignments. In doing so, they lost the playful aspects of the program, and kids didn't relate to it as well as they might have if the teachers had followed Papert's guidelines.

When turtle math was first invented, Papert's team created a small robot turtle that kids could play with and program. In the years that followed, the programmable turtle eventually developed into the Lego Mindstorms programmable brick, which doesn't quite sound as cute and fuzzy, but actually allows even more creative play than the turtle, since kids can choose what kinds of forms the robot should take. One of the more fascinating aspects of this book is the historical documentation it provides of Papert's thinking at the time, and his reasoning behind LOGO and turtle math. When an idea for a revolution in teaching methodology goes from just an idea, to a system that is being used for teaching engineering and science in classrooms around that world, and is even being sold successfully in regular commercial channels as a toy, it's worth getting to know better, as can be done through reading this book. Teachers in classrooms using Lego or other robots could benefit greatly from reading this classic book detailing the early history behind programmable robots and the way Papert envisioned them being used for learning.

This is the best book I have ever read on how to assist people to learn for themselves. Papert began his work by collaborating with Jean Piaget, and then applied those perspectives in a self-programming language designed to help children learn math and physics.

Papert explains Piaget's work and provides case studies of how the programming language, LOGO, can help. He provides a wonderful contrasting explanation of the weaknesses of how math and physics are usually taught in schools.

I learned quite a few things from this that I did not know before. People are very good at developing theories about why things work the way they do. I knew that these theories are almost always wrong. What I did not realize is that if you give the person a way to test their theory, the person will keep devising new theories until they hit on one that works. What is usually missing in education is the means to allow that testing to occur.

An especially imaginative part of this book were the discussions of how to create theory testing solutions that are much simpler and easier to apply than any school problem you ever saw in these subjects. Papert works from a very fundamental and deep understanding of math and physics to reach the heart of the most useful thought processes for applying these subjects. It is thrilling to read about what you have known for many years, and to suddenly see it in a totally different and improved perspective.

Another benefit I got from this book were plenty of ideas for how to help my teenage daughter with her math. She is very verbal, and Papert points out that math seldom teaches a vocabulary for talking about math. As a result, she memorizes a lot and gets dissociated from the subject. I got a lot of ideas for how to encourage her to personalize the concepts and problems by moving her own body. From that I realized that I often solve the same kinds of problems by recalling physical situations I have been in. But I have failed to help her make that connection because I was unaware of it on a conscious level.

If you want to improve as a learner, help others learn better and faster, or simply want to understand more about different ways to think, this is a great book. I hope that all teachers get a chance to read and apply it.

Enjoy learning more!

This is a book you must read. I gave the previous outing of the Moospath league "Cordelia Underwood" a deserved 5 stars but this book is even better. The storyline has more dramatic tension (If Cordelia Underwood had a nod to "The Pickwick Papers" then "Molly Peer" has a sideways glance at "Oliver Twist") but the characters are as delightful and the laughs come just as readily. I was reading it in bed and tried to read the episode with the Blue Hubbard Squash out loud to my wife but was reduced to side-splitting laughter with tears rolling down my cheeks. A great read for anyone who likes good words, good people, and a good laugh.

I sincerely hope Mr. Reid keeps writing more adventures of the Moosepath League. This second novel has a more serious tone than the first, but the same detail of characters and plot, as well as the same likable characters who triumph in the end - which is exactly what we want! A real refreshing change, in this day of skimpy plots and shallow characters, with text filled up by expletitives. Thank you so much Mr. Reid!

As with his first book introducing the Moosepath League, I couldn't put this one down. It is fun and quirky and totally amusing how the Moosepath League can always find trouble but never really seem to grasp the depth of danger they are in. Van Reid has created a wonderful series that is fun to read. I can't wait until he publishes another.

'Mollie Peer' is the second installment in the adventures of the Moosepath League. If you have not read the first installment, 'Cordelia Underwood', you should do so now.

Once again, Van Reid gives us a charming, funny and altogether delightful romp through historic Maine. This time around the story is a little more tense and fast-paced, but Reid still manages to infuse enough humor and romance to keep the reading light and breezy. Reid also includes a great piece of New England folklore when he recounts the Riddle of the Needle, Rock, and Mirror. This anecdote alone is almost enough to justify reading this book.

The members of the Moosepath League are some of the most enjoyable characters I have ever come across in my reading, and I have complete confidence that you will feel the same.

Another great book by Van Reid. Mollie Pier was even better than Cordelia Underwood, though perhaps not quite as good as the Daniel Plainway book. Let's hope Van Reid continues with more Moosepath books. These novels are absolutely terrific!

I bought this book with the apprehension that it might not be the same one I'm looking for.But Amazon made me feel so satisfied.I got the exact book and that too new and in much lower price than the market.

"Organization Theory and Design" is a book every corporate member that has aspirations to better understand and contribute to his organization should own.

I used this book studying a basic course of organizational behavior after the professor had referred to it as "the best text on the market". I found out he was right - the book is extremely well-written and its contribution to my understanding of the subject is invaluable.

As it happened, I partly read older versions of the book to find out how every few years Mr. Daft updates his analysis, insights and examples of the ever changing and evolving world of organizations; for instance, the past example of IBM that served as the major opening example of an organization that has gone from the top of the world to the brink of disintegration in the beginning of the 90's (and since then regained leading position in its areas of expertise), is replaced in this 8th edition with Xerox. Mr. Daft continues and presents the most recent developments in organizations' design - structures and management methods that have only emerged lately in response to the turbulences in the environments and competition worldwide.

By making the changes and improvements in every edition "Organization theory and design" wins the title of this review - "the learning book" - that mirror images the main theme of this work - "the learning organization". Almost no organization can stand still in today's reality - managers and workers have to constantly think of better ways of doing things and learn from every source that bears knowledge and can give the organization a better competitive advantage. Things have never moved so fast and threats and opportunities have never been so immense. Competitors have to be efficient and different to survive and stay on the top.

The structure of the book is designed to convey its ideas in the best possible manner: Each and every chapter opens with an example illustrating its content, then an introduction to the subject. Theory and examples from today's organizational world followa and are interwoven throughout the text in the "in practice" section. A fascinating section is "leading by design" in which Mr. Daft highlights top-of-the-line companies that have managed to materialize the theory and consequently lead their industries. Yet another remarkable feature is "bookmark" in which the autohor recommends and actually reviews the content of other books that further develop the subject the chapter dealt with. For me, the magnitude of this behavior is unprecedented; I haven't read a book that is so much interested in advancing and advertising works of fellow authors. This is a code of conduct every author can learn from in pursuing the ultimate goal - to better inform and educate his/her readers.

Some of the material the book covers include the organizational environment, organizational structures, organizational decision making processes, ethics, organization-decline and organizational politics.

As is the norm in many books, Mr. Daft integrates case studies directly connected to the content of each chapter in its end. They add all the more to the reality dimension that is so strong throughout the book.

Lastly, the price of this book is somewhat expensive but well worth the money and will certainly prove to be a wise investment. Years after its reaing and studying it may serve as a reference source when the reader will stumble across situations covered in the book and learn to appreciate even more the lessons insights Mr. daft offers.

This is a well-designed and comprehensive book in the area of organization theory. From introduction to the end, this book aims to teach the foundations of organization theory to readers.

There is a great awareness of new developments in the area of organization theory. The new developments such as team-based management models are integrated into the conventional wisdom wonderfully in the book. We are living in a world in which globalization and stiff competition dominates. We name this age as Information Age and corporations need new mentality and practices to adapt to challenging conditions this era brings about. This book presents some new approaches in global competition perspective to readers.

A Look Inside, Bookmark, In Practice, The New Paradigm and Case for Analysis are excellent peculiarities of the book.

Diagrams and other visual characterizations involved in the book give readers a big opportunity to digest topics recounted. Since this book is a detailed investigation of organization theory, you may miss some parts and feel confused. I can recommend another book, that is, Designing Organizations (Robey, D. and Sales, Carol A.), which is a summarized organization theory book with excellent cases.

If you want to understand organization theory with its basic foundations and details, this book is a must. You must exploit the rich knowledge of Professor Daft.

Strongly recommended.

Daft out did himself in this edition of his text. He includes book reviews and company profiles throughout each chapter to illustrate the theories he's describing. I read this for an MA course and found it easy to learn from. I'm even putting the information into practice at work! Not all textbooks are that helpful. *grin*

Application of organization design about Team-Based Structures and The boundaryless Organization.