Organizations Books

The Irresistible Growth Enterprise: Breakthrough Gains from Unstoppable Change, by Donald Mitchell and Carol Coles, is an excellent book, completely different from the other business books because it does not simply give to the reader a simple idea or practice as a recipe to apply to a company and achieve astonishing results. It goes further... The purpose of this book is to change the reader's way of thinking and to teach a way of achieving irresistible business success. It is divided into two parts; the first part contains ten chapters in which the causes of and solutions to irresistible force stalls are determined, while the second part contains eight chapters in which the authors explain irresistible force management and the 8-step process of identifying and aligning ourselves with irresistible forces to maximize our advantage. It is an excellent choice!

The authors lay out a pattern of all the ways companies choose to deal with "irrisistible forces and unstoppable events" in their businesses. As the phrase implies, these events happen in all businesses, and the authors explain how, if leveraged correctly, these can often be a catalyst to greater growth in your business.

They describe irrisistible force stalls and their causes - useful if your small business isn't performing as you'd hoped - they offer solid advice that will give you a plan of action and get you back on track.

They detail common stalls and how to deal with them - "stallbusting" they call it. The stalls they find most common (and certainly these sound like familiar "stalls" used by some of my small business marketing clients when they come to me for help) are:

The directionless stall
The wishful thinking stall
The helplessness stall
The defensiveness stall
The independence stall
The overoptimisim stall
The cover up stall
The underestimation stall

As a means to understanding what could be stopping your small business from achieving its full potential, and what actions to take - I highly recommend it. It's packed with information, so it's not a quick read, but well worth the time investment for the success of your small business.

This book, with the significant stall busting tools and theories, enabled me to understand stall busting and develop new habits. It enabled me to understand the process of irresistible force management and importance of measuring performance to achieve exponential success. It helped me to develop 2000 percent solutions for the organization's future best practice to become the world's leading company in delivering its product at low cost.

Irresistible forces are unstoppable events and forces that shape our opportunities and callenges. This remarkable resource will enable you to move rapidly ahead of competitors by utilising powerful trends to best advantage. Learning to be flexible is one of management's toughest challenges. The Irresistible Growth Enterprise shows you how to be adroit and energised by unexpected changes. Tomorrow's leaders will be those who excel at using all irresistible forces to best advantage. The Irresistible Growth Enterprise offers you the key to grasping your full potential for immediate and sustained breakthroughs. Rather than living optimistically in the vague hope that neither negative job events will happen to you, you should always be prepared to see the events for what they are - opportunities for you to flourish. The fundamwental premise of the book is that no matter how successful you and your organisation are, you are performing at a modest level compared to the potential you can unleash through adopting the irresistible growth enterprise. The barrier to irresistible growth is not unstoppable, uncontrollable external changes, but fixed and frequently unexamined ideas of how to respond to these changes. Companies that have ridden such forces well in the past have grown from start ups to billion dollar sales corporations in ever-shorter periods of time. Making quick and best use of rapid changes in powerful conditions noone can control is the key to becoming an irresistible growth enterprise. By utilising the processes presented in this book, you can learn to catch the full benefit of today's volatile and rapidly changing forces and spur your enterprise on to greater and rapid growth than ever before.The Irresistible Growth Enterprise has a serious and important purpose: to make you and your organisation much more successful by having you ask and answer new and better questions than you have been using to analyse and plan your activities. Unlike most business books the Irresistible Growth Enterprise on what new things to do rather than on how to improve existing practices. This book shows you how to harness the key lessons and other useful concepts and tools in one integrated process, that will improve your performance across a broad range of activities from creating a vision to leadership and implementation. Changes is an inevitable consequence of staying in business these days. This book leads you to an understanding of the drivers of that change and provides guidance in turning changes into sustainable competitive advantage.

The authors lay out a road map for managers that, if followed, will permit them to take advantage of forces beyond their control. The book explains and teaches how senior managers can benefit from flexibility when they confront irresistible forces and provide a set of principles for shaping vision, strategy, tactics, management process and organizational structure. You will be able to identify external factors and obsolete ways of thinking that may be limiting your progress and success.

This is a brilliant and thought-provoking book that discusses the nature of irresistible growth enterprises, that is, those able to routinely employ the momentum of unstoppable external forces, such as technology advances and shifts in markets. Such agile organizations can use these forces as sources of power or energizers for creating and implementing 2 000 percent solutions, namely ones that produce 20 times or more the benefit or speed of the average person.

I saw a smaller version from a local bookstore, bought the large version from Amazon, the fonts are much more comfortable to read. I am using the book as a reference, feel very satisfied. The book is also good for random browsing, the paper and printing are both of very high quality.

THIS IS GREAT BOOK WITH A LOT OF INFO. MY TEENAGER LOVES IT AND SO DOES MY HUSBAND

This book was a Christmas request from my 6th grader who is very curious about earth sciences. He was genuinely excited to see it when he opened it. In some ways it is more like a coffee table picture book than a reference book. It is lavishly illustrated with detail-captioned photos and charts. This is not the kind of book you're going to sit down and read cover to cover, but instead are going to use like a good encyclopedia of earth science. My older child, who is interested in astronomy, received the companion book "Universe" and the two make a beautiful pair of additions to the reference library.

The book is chock full of pictures and explains many concepts in a very easy to understand fashion. However, it has many typos and factual errors that should have been remedied before it went to press. Overall, I highly recommend it as a reference book and as an introduction to geology and various aspects of earth science.

A great book with a nice balance of pictures (including some full page) and informative text about, well...about nature!

The book really speaks to the most urgent problem in todsy's workplace in my view: lack of trust. As we are all asked to do more with less (time, people and money), it is more important than ever to establish and sustain trust in the workplace. The techniques and skills set forth in the book are applicable to every walk of life. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to improve their relationships with others, as well as with themselves.

Hi - this book has helped me explain to my employees and colleagues the importance of trust in the work place and how we can enhance it.

We've probably all experienced that really bad job that drained every bit of creativity, energy, and enthusiasm we had. Perhaps you had that overbearing boss who had unrealistic expectations or that supervisor who wouldn't just trust you do your work. Maybe you worked in a place where suggestions or attempts to solve problems were quickly quashed or met with anger.

Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace unequivocally illustrates that such situations not only make the job a hassle but also inhibit the potential productivity of all employees. Basically, as the employee realizes that he or she (or others around them) is being devalued, he or she becomes less committed to doing the best job possible.

Dealing with the resulting morale issue is extremely challenging. Even if the actual problem is addressed, often lost trust is difficult to repair. For instance, if the company attempts to encourage employees to report potential problems, few will likely come forward because they can't possibly believe that they won't get yelled at or have their issues ignored once again. Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace explains that this situation need not be futile. There are ways to rebuild trust and address past issues to create a stronger, more productive business.

This is an excellent work that cuts through the typical babble that fills many pages of others books on the subject of trust. The content is exceeding meaty. The organization of the material is first-rate. One of the very best books on the subject. Highly recommended!

The Reina's develop understandable definitions and offer a well researched and thought out framework for both the development and practice of trust. They also offer practical and accessible vignettes and case studies illustrating the 'trust behaviors' that are so crucial to effective organizations and relationships.

Probably the most powerful part of the book is the section on Betrayal. Betrayal is a huge factor in our lives and we rarely talk about it. This book offers a language, method, and solution for both talking about betrayal and beginning the process of healing from it.

This is an important book for people interested in getting to the root of systemic problems in institutions, families, and relationships.

I highly recommend it!

This is an excellent book. Focused more on the overall art of problem solving as opposed to specific problem-solving techniques/algorithms, this is one of those rare books that can change the way you approach a general discipline...that of problem solving in this case.

The organization of the book, the level of detail into which each section delves and the overall pace of the writing are all well-suited for a general reading audience. For those readers interested in specific algorithms related to problem solving, Numerical Recipes 3rd Edition: The Art of Scientific Computing may represent a better choice.

I highly recommend this book to all readers interested in problem solving in general.

Every researcher's first reference book is a comprehensive treatment of the methods, designs and analysis strategies needed for their discipline. This book is a complement rather than a substitute for such a basic research reference. It covers the tactics, organizational strategies--even attitudes--that are needed on a practical level to get research done.

I suggest using this book to do a quick "needs analysis" of your research style. Turn to the Preface and read through the annotated table of contents to identify the research tactic you most need to improve. (Mine was "Establish a Filing System.") You can assimilate the corresponding chapter in a few minutes and begin improving your skills.

With 38 different chapters covering topics that range from overcoming "Beginner's Mind" to "Use the Internet" there is something for every researcher. I can envision an undergraduate research methods professor leading beginning researchers through a needs assessment discussion and assigning them to both remediate their top weakness and sharpen their top strength--knowing all the time that many will be enticed into reading most of the other chapters, too. (I can also imagine a surly senior professor hurling it at his new research assistant with "Don't bother me until you have read this!" I suppose that teaching strategy would work, too. But I won't recommend it.)

The chapters are well organized and easy to learn from. Resources include both recommended books for in-depth exploration of each topic and a large number of relevant web sites for fast-click discovery. The book's own web site is a great place to start.

A great resource to sharpen your research abilities and an enjoyable read, this book is worth its place on your bookshelf.

It is different from, and for many purposes, better than a science textbook. More than enough science books have been written, but TNIK is better because it teaches readers how to think about the data on which science is built. Its fresh approach to understanding the natural world as well as human-made systems is a noteworthy improvement over the plug-in, grind-out perspective that academic classes typically offer and that turns off students.

I expected the author to talk much about statistical analysis and related "technical stuff". I had been very wrong. In fact, the book can be regarded as a warning to common people about the "irrelevancy" and "inaccuracy" of data or information we encounter or process so that we can perform better analysis of on our own. As from pg 197, "of primary importance from this book are the following lessons:-"

- Don't be intimidated by anyone (esp those know-it-alls)
- Be a critical thinker
- Don't confuse what's countable with what really counts
- Get organized
- Question authority
- Dig into the numbers
- Focus on the essential
- Document, document, document
- Use the internet
- Remember that others don't care as much about your work as you do
- Synthesis follows analysis

In short, a good read. Dont miss it.

p.s. I like the following quotes from the book very much. (The author did use over 31 quotes with at least one for each chapter)

Just because I use a study to refute another study does not mean my study is right. It just means I believe it. Caveat Emptor. - Cynthia Crossen

Whether or not someone else knows it all isn't really relevant; the only thing that's relevant is what you know and what you do. - Robert Ringer

While no doubt I've heard many of nuggets contained in the book over the course of my high school and college days, I found Koomey's book a pleasurable read and useful synthesis of approaches and tips for completing quality research and analyses. Internalizing Koomey's advice is going to help most readers be more discriminating consumers of published research and better authors of their own research. It's a reference source I've already gone back to myself in just a few weeks and a great training resource for new consultants my company hires.

I'm a firm believer that when you're facing a big life transition like a wedding, it takes away a TON of stress when you have all the other facets of your life running fairly smoothly. So as a bride looks into the future, she'll know that she's in great shape when she has actual, useful, organized and entertaining steps to take to bring some order into her world. I just got married in April, and Jennifer Louden's books have always brought me a deeper sense of peace -- this book is the PERFECT book for brides-to-be. You're giving them a better chance at a happy life. That's way better than a blender!

I bought this organizer on the basis of the other reviews here.

At the time, I was looking for a way of planning and reflecting that enabled me to be more flexible about both what matters to me and more respectful of the range of mood and other influences that are part of life. I've been dipping into the organizer and thinking about how I can integrate Ms Louden's suggestions into my own experiences.

This is not so much a book describing a linear journey as it is a variety of maps for the journeyer to choose from.

And now, it is 2008, I am ready to start! In the meantime, I have purchased two additional copies of the Organiser as gifts.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Whether you are organized or unorganized, this book provides a way to get in touch with your deepest values and goals. This is a great starting place for anyone wishing they had more balance in their life and the author's emphasis on treating yourself with kindness and respect is refreshing and encouraging.

I cannot tell you how rough this year has been. I felt like I was drowning in "have to do" and "I wish I coulds." This book helped me connect my true wishes, secret desires and priorites. I was free to let go of the rest. I was even able to deal with conflicting emotions surrounding a romance. I have had this book for awhile and have used it at different points, but 2008 marked the first time in a long time I was in overload mode. I happened to notice the book "waiting" for me on a side table in my living room. I picked it up and I have felt better since that day.

I ask myself, why does a woman need a life organizer? What has happened to create a need for us to seek answers through various devices and advice gurus? We've become so goal-oriented we can't even listen to our own intuition. Simply lying on the earth should give us any answers we need, but we're too busy, too stressed, to do even that. So we turn to today's guidance, often in the form of books, to find out how to come home to ourselves.

One of our helpers is Jennifer Louden, also known as "The Comfort Queen." Louden is the author of several books including the bestselling The Women's Comfort Book and is devoted to nurturing women to express their "true creative power." I love books and look to them for inspiration and, frequently, affirmations of what I already know. This one is a heart-based, spirit-directed approach to listening to ourselves.

The Life Organizer is glossy, full of color and original artwork, and is written in Louden's warm, over-the-back-fence, casual style. She doesn't offer advice, but rather, "a collection of possibilities to inspire you in creating your way of participating with life and with your gifts."

Those possibilities are ways to stop and "tune in to what you really want and what you really know." She notes five main steps that make up the life-organizing process: connect, feel, inquire, allow and apply. Louden cautions readers not to focus on the five steps, but rather on your own life experiences, posing questions to assist you in getting in touch with your life experiences.

Besides the main steps to help you "create your optimum life day by day, moment by moment," Louden offers six "life-planning concepts." All of these suggestions grew out of Louden's busy life experiences and the intuitive planner she created for herself, which she shared with her coaching clients and those who attended her workshops and retreats. The results, and the stories of several of those women, are included.

"Shadow Comforts and Time Monsters" is one of Louden's life-planning concepts and refers to those comforts that masquerade as self-care techniques, but in fact drain your energy. For example, chatting on a message board may be energizing, or it may be a tactic to avoid talking to your partner. Among the women Louden has coached are those "whose lives consisted almost entirely of time monsters, because they were too afraid to do what they really wanted to do." Watching TV, spending a month cooking for the holidays, and spending a week decorating your child's classroom may be among your "time monsters." Some discerning questions are helpful to consider. We so often say we don't have time, but if we look at what we're really doing with our time, a light may go on.

I particularly like the chapter on "Creating Your Life Planner." I'm a fan of journals so that's why I probably enjoyed the various approaches women have taken to crafting their own Life Planners. You may write in Louden's book, but if you need more room, a spiral notebook will work just fine. Then you need to place your life planner where you have easy access to it, by your bed, or alongside your date book. One woman constructed her own card deck using the questions throughout the book. She uses the cards as her own divination system, drawing a question card or two on which to reflect. She has decorated them with her own images so she can stare at those images and see what they spark in her.

Thirteen elegantly designed planning sections that include four weeks worth of theme-based questions also include "Stories Along the Way," true stories of women who have used Life Organizing to improve their lives.

Each week, on a two-page spread, there is space for writing your intention. Three circles provide space for completing these phrases: "let go of", "have to" and "could do." Questions, and some possible answers, give impetus to a creative and intentional week.

Although this book is full of possibilities, at the core is its intent is to bring you back to yourself, eliminating what no longer serves the life that you, in your heart of hearts, desire. It looks very organized, but in fact you can approach it in your own non-organized, non-linear way. Using it as a divinatory tool seems a good idea to me. Just open the book and see what tips and stories appear for you today.

Jennifer Louden is a bestselling author, personal coach, radio show contributor, columnist for "Body & Soul Magazine" and creator of learning events and retreats. Louden is married to cinematographer Christopher Mosio, living in a small house on an island in the Pacific Northwest, along with their daughter, Lillian.

You can share a cup of virtual tea with Jen at www.jenniferlouden.com and www.lifeorganizerbook.com.

by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
www.storycirclebookreviewsorg
reviewing books by, for, and about women

I have skimmed this book and it looks great. However, it will probably sit on my bookshelf until I get desperate.

I really enjoyed this book and wish that it had been required reading in business school. Unlike many "business" books, this one is covers not only the theory behind what makes a good partnership but also the practice of building and maintaining a good partnership. Anyone who is part of some sort of organization, for-profit or non-profit, will find practical advice here. A must read for any entrepreneur, family business or new venture.

I'm usually not the type to make the time to write a review but with this book I felt compelled to.
There are so few books written on this topic. I've read other but this one is so comprehensive and has such amazing detailed examples.

The only negative is that it is not available in mp3 so I can listen to it. Mr. Gage, if you read these reviews could you please get to work on this.

This author has done a masterful job of presenting a topic that is not talked about enough. Partnerships are hard, but how to make them easier and better is a subject that needs to be taught and discussed much more. As an avid reader, this book has been more timely and helpful to me as a partner is a successful small business than any other book, hands down.

This is a top-notch book - nicely written, smartly organized, and easy to follow and understand. It provides insightful information, telling case histories, useful checklists and exercises, and even includes a fully developed "Partnership Charter" in the appendix. Author David Gage offers an inside view of partnerships, and his case studies make the text a pleasure to read. More importantly, he shows you how to create a partnership charter that will function as your enterprise's Magna Carta in the years to come. If you are planning a partnership, we advise you to study this expert presentation first. You will save yourself a lot of trouble.

This book does a great job in analyzing the traits of the great wealth creators. I've read several books on this topic and most of them are very unfocused and biographical instead of focusing on the traits (not the person) and making an argument on why they are important. The book is very well-written and focused and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in what makes these successful people tick.

"Look past the range of the moment, you who cry that you fear to compete with men of superior intelligence, that their mind is a threat to your livelihood, that the strong leave no chance to the weak in a market of voluntary trade. . . . When you live in a rational society, where men are free to trade, you receive an incalculable bonus: the material value of your work is determined not only by your effort, but by the effort of the best productive minds who exist in the world around you. . . ."
(Atlas Shrugged)

If that quotation, by Ayn Rand, hits home with you, you'll love this book by Edwin Locke.

The Prime Movers shows us what it takes to be successful in business and in life. This is not a comprehensive study of everything that applies to the topic of becoming a wealth-creator, but the author does a really good job of showing examples of what virtues are possessed by prime movers past and present. He also draws some insightful conclusions about why volition is a key to any success.

Great book for anyone interested in succeeding in becoming an independant thinker and creator.

How does one make money morally?

This book is far and away better than books by or about a single CEO because it looks at many leaders and clearly shows what is fundamental, discarding the rest. The same principles needed to run a successful company and build wealth apply whether one runs a modest store or a gigantic enterprise (or even a modest department in a large company). In today's culture most people would rather cut down and sling dirt at those at the top. It is therefore very refreshing to read why they should be admired and how to follow in their footsteps.

Ed Locke's _The Prime Movers_ is a fairly detailed and empirical analysis of the traits common to great business leaders. Using businessmen (and women) of the past and present as both positive and negative examples throughout, Locke makes an excellent case that traits such as independent vision, a relentlessly active mind, egoistic passion for work, and love of ability in others are essential for great success in business. (Locke then breaks down each of these traits into subcomponent traits, discussing each in turn.) Despite some painfully Objectivist bits, this book was an inspiring and informative look into what makes the movers and shakers of the economy so successful.

This is a must read for anyone who wishes to learn more about Kingdom Building in a Covenantal sense...

Jesus says they will know us by how we love one another.... This book tells us exactly how to do just that.

I received my books in great shape and in a very timely fashion. Would order from this place again...Thanks so much!!

Just started book ,but am truly amazed at simplicity yet depth of information to live and serve as a Christian in this life. Am anxious to finish and apply.

I was only about ten pages into this book before I realized that it was very, very good. And it kept getting better. It is not only theologically sound in the sense of not containing noticeable errors, but also deals with its subject matter in a theologically astute way. And in addition to being theologically sound, it is pastoral and practical. I have no doubt that I will return to it again and again in pastoral ministry.

The main idea of the book is that all believers should be doing what Tripp calls "personal ministry," helping people to see themselves and their situations in a biblical light, and work to be conformed more to the image of Christ. Most of his stories and application have to do with pastoral ministry or professional Christian counseling, but the principles could apply just as well to a small group leader, or any Christian who wishes to be used by God to minister to others. In examining our lives, we (and the people we counsel) need to understand the fundamental teachings of the Bible on God and humanity. We have to understand that we are fallen, that sin has pervaded every aspect of our lives. As a result we sin, we suffer from the effects of others' sin, and we respond sinfully to that suffering. Sin is not an occasional mix-up in an otherwise well-functioning system; it is a constant reality that is at play in every situation we deal with. We must also understand, though, that as believers we have been fundamentally changed by the gospel. We have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we really are able to fight against the power of sin ad walk in increasing obedience to God's commands. In short, all of us are "people in need of change," God gives us the means by which to change, and we are called to help each other change.

This book is a great introduction to personal ministry, especially for a pastor. The examples were a little dramatic, and it could be discouraging for someone who isn't dealing with marriages that are falling apart or people who were abused as children. But Tripp's principles are a great paradigm for any Christian who desires to minister to others and build deeper relationships within the body of Christ.

I was given this book by a mentor of mine and told that it would be extremely helpful. The problem is that I saw it was deemed a "counseling" book on the back, so I moved on for a while before I picked it up and read it. I continued to see the book on the "Best Seller's" list at many sites that I admire, so I finally picked the book up and started to read. I have to be honest, if I were to try and write all that I learned this review would turn into a novel itself.

Paul David Tripp really unpacks a three part effort.

One: To show me who I am
Two: Who others are
Three: How to practically minister to them, and accept their ministering to me

This book gets to the root of the issues and he even starts with the theological impact of understanding who God is and then who we are, namely: we aren't perfect, we need change, and we need help in that changing process from Christ and others.

This book not only unfolds what we are to do in daily ministering opportunities, but he unpacks the practical ways to do them. One of my favorite quotes in the book is that:

"We often say we need to preach the Word, but we also need to counsel the Word."

That is what this book is all about. It is how to counsel the Word of God to those in everyday life that need change just like you and I. What will hinder this book is that some will think it is only for the pastor or counselor, but it's intention is for all believers and it is written that way and is desperately needed for today's church.

I have already used the book and will continue to go back to it to try and unpack my shortcomings and also to help others do the same when they are in need of ministering. I know this is not the "hot topic" of discussion around the water cooler, but this book is much more needed in today's world that wants to only deal with actions instead of the root of those actions, namely, our darkened heart in need of the power of Christ. You will learn how to effectively and biblically (synonymous terms) counsel another as they ask a simple question or are having everyday life problems, instead of giving a "pat" answer or reciting Scripture and telling them to pray about it. I cannot recommend this book more highly.

A lot people who read this book are baffled as to what exactly Semco and Ricardo Semler are doing that is so revolutionary. My simple answer is this:

They are treating their employees as "adults" and guess what? They are discovering that their employees behave as adults! Wow!

What's hard to understand for most people who are treated at their work as "children" (boss, may I do this, may I do that, etc., etc.), is that they actually behave as "adult-children"? All the resultant effects of the current and dying corporate system are totally predictable: low esteem, no initiative, fear, office politics, mismatch of talents and goals, etc., etc.

This is the revolutionary premise behind the success of what the 21st century "company" will look like.

Seven-Day weekend is the second (English) book by Richardo Semler, the CEO of Semco. Semco is a weird Brazilian company known for it's modern HR practices. The history of Semco and Ricardo Semler was explained well in his first English book: Maverick.

The author makes a point that the workweek has invaded the weekend via internet and email. Now it's time to abandon the standard week/weekend thinking and have weekend whenever we want and have week whenever we want. So we'll have a seven day workweek AND a seven day weekend.

The book is a collection of stories and opinions by Richardo which are organized according to the days of the week. Every day a couple of stories, mostly about Semco but also about other activities in which Richardo was involved in.

Some of the more interesting points and stories are, for example, where the author is questioning the need to always grow. In business it seems to be the purpose of the business to grow bigger. Richardo questions this purpose and asks why this is. Cannot companies stay small and then still be successful?

Seven-day weekend is certainly worth reading. It's a small book it takes maybe a day to read it. Its well written, it keeps you awake and the stories are interesting. Though, I personally found it less interesting than Maverick (which I had read first). If you need to chose between the seven day weekend or Maverick, I'd go for Maverick. If, after Maverick, you still do not have enough of Semler, then the seven-day weekend is for you.

I had read sound bites from Semler over the past few months, but finally got the book and devoured it over a holiday weekend. It did not disappoint. It presents some very non-conventional wisdom that challenges all sorts of corporate policies and norms with the question - why not do it differently? I wrote about several of these insights on my blog (http://creativeoutletlabs.wordpress.com/?s=semler). This book is highly rated as I am reminded frequently of several of the concepts in the books and I have recommended it to many others. You'll love this one!

Jennifer B. Davis
http://jenniferbdavis.blogspot.com

What an amazing story this book recounts. I kept reading of ideas they had and thinking - Well of course that would never work - and then read on to discover that they did indeed make it work. How I wish that all work was this democratic, this inspiring and this creative. When I had finished the book I felt a sense of excitement that the old methods of working, which seem unchangeable, could so easily be discarded. Well done Ricardo Semler and all the people who have helped to make your ideas reality. You are my heroes.

I really enjoyed this book because it seems to be the antithesis of so many standard biz books out there. No ex-consultant in-depth research of "best of breed" or new "growth paradigm" dreamed up by a college professor - just musings from a man who has created just what might be the best case scenario for the future of work.

The book is based upon is Semco, a diversified Brazilian company where Semler is the CEO and whose revenue has grown from $4 million in 1982 to $212 million in 2003. His basic theme is that in order harness the full power and talents of your workers they have to be truly engaged and this means they have the power to pretty much do what they want when the want - as long as it focuses on generating results for the company.

While many of the practices he implements might not work so well in your workplace, they will get you thinking of what might be possible and what we may hopefully be heading towards. Overall his approach is similar to Industrial Democracy whereby workers are involved in making decisions, sharing responsibility, and have equal authority in the company.

Below are just a few of my favorite quips from the book...

- Once you define the business you're in you create boundaries for your employees, you restrict their thinking, and you give them a reason to pass up on opportunities.
- Semco has no official structure, no CFO, no HR, no mission statement, no job descriptions, etc. it is a place where people are just considered adults and get their job done.
- Semco cares about the core of what an employee does for the company, not the boarding school behaviors like what time they came in. But it is sooo hard to give up control. People should be involved to the point they shout "yes"!
- You need to be willing to give up control. Like an entrepreneur who is flexible, intuitive, non-dogmatic, take risks, make money, and have fun.
- You must tap into your workers true talents. The best way for people to feel job satisfaction, to feel passion, is to get them doing their calling so that work is more like fun.
- If an employee has no interest in a product or project then it will never succeed.
- For a company to excel it must put the employees self interest first. An employee who puts his interests first will be motivated to perform.
- Without formal job descriptions people can wander into neighboring work activities without being chased away for trespassing.
- Workplace stress reflects the difference between expectations and reality.
- Unless we click with a worker, unless he latches onto something he is passionate about, our productivity won't be high. Few organizations make an effort to find out whether a person has a calling.
- A mission statement can be a beautiful document, and mostly useless if it is not driven from the bottom up. Mission and vision are just the first step and they mean nothing on their own. You are judged by what you do, not what you say.
- Privileged information is a dangerous source of power in any organization.
- Limit your plans to 6 months. 5 year plans are ridiculous and every 1 year plan has the stuff happening at the end of the year.
- If a discussion on salaries is taboo then what else is off limits? The only source of power in an organization is information, and withholding, filtering, or retaining it only serves those who want to accumulate power.
- It's easy to talk about diversity, tribes, and dissent; but it can be frustrating, slow, and cumbersome. So much easer just to take control and tell people what to do but then you don't get an employee who is inspired to do their best.
- Productivity stagnates when workers are waiting for someone to tell them what to do or following a formal plan.
- In most conventional organizations decisions are made at the top and the rank and file is asked to check their brain at the door which leads to hostile and extremist views among the workers.
- By giving up or sharing control of small nettlesome issues like dress codes, and of graver matters like factory closings and security, management creates a culture of self-government that has more resilience then my way or the highway.
- No one is required to attend any meeting at Semco. Everyone is invited and they can come and go as they wish. If someone isn't interested in a meeting, then their engaged time is spent better somewhere else. This way management knows which projects are worth pursuing.
- A full time employee only needs one requisite, to have a material connection with the heart of the biz. Their job had to be central part of the differentiation between the biz and their competitors. The connection between the biz and the job had to be intrinsic and obvious.
- In a group environment, the only way to get your idea off the ground is to lobby ferociously in favor of it. If no one buys into it, then leave it on the back burner and return to it later.
- The more informed people are, the better they are able to develop and follow their gut instincts.
- Harnessing the wisdom of people, the reservoir of talent. This only comes from freedom, from democracy, from asking why...

Last but not least, Wiki on Ricardo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Semler

It seems to me that The Fifth Discipline (the previous publication of the series) is more attacting to me. The second book can be more precise and concise in content. Generally speaking I still like these two books as a foreign reader.

The Fieldbook attempts at making the esoteric concepts of the fifth discipline more down to earth and contains a treasure trove of strategies, tools, methods and explanations on how to make the learning organization into a reality.

Thus people who have read The fifth discipline will gain the most from this book. It's a must read for people who want to make their organizations transition into a 'learning organization'

This book is a collection of theoretical summaries, reports, analyses, and strategies all quite useful to anyone interested in generating some thinking and action around change. The team of five writers (Peter Senge, Richard Ross, Bryan Smith, Charlotte Roberts, and Art Kleiner) provide some original work, but also serve as editors to a vast quantity of material drawn from practitioners, theorists, and writers in the field of organizational improvement. According to Senge, "great teams are learning organizations - groups of people who, over time, enhance their capacity to create what they truly desire to create." (p.18) This book is really about creating and building great teams. The learning organization develops its ability to reflect on, discuss, question, and change its current and past practices. To do this, people and groups in the organization need to meaningfully pursue the study and practice of the five disciplines - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking.

The learning organization - Senge's vision for the productive, competitive, and efficient institutions of the future - is in a continuous state of change. Four fundamental questions continuously serve to check and guide a group's learning and improvement (see page 49): (1) Do you continuously test your experiences? ("Are you willing to examine and challenge your sacred cows - not just during crises, but in good times?") (2) Are you producing knowledge? ("Knowledge, in this case, means the capacity for effective action.") (3) Is knowledge shared? ("Is it accessible to all of the organization's members?") (4) Is the learning relevant? ("Is this learning aimed at the organization's core purpose?") If these questions represent the organization's compass, the five disciplines are its map.

Each of the five disciplines is explained, and elaborated in its own lengthy section of the book. In the section on "Systems Thinking" (a set of practices and perspectives, which views all aspects of life as inter-related and playing a role in some larger system), the authors build on the idea of feedback loops (reinforcing and balancing) and introduce five systems archetypes. They are: "fixes that backfire", "limits to growth", "shifting the burden", "tragedy of the commons", and "accidental adversaries". In the section on "Personal Mastery", the authors argue that learning starts with each person. For organizations to learn and improve, people within the organization (perhaps starting with its core leadership) must learn to reflect on and become aware of their own core beliefs and visions. In "Mental Models", the authors argue that learning organizations need to explore the assumptions and attitudes, which guide their institutional directions, practices, and strategies. Articles on scenario planning, the ladder of inference, the left-hand column, and balancing inquiry and advocacy offer practical strategies to investigate our personal mental models as well as those of others in the organization. In "Shared Vision", the authors make the case for the stakeholders of an organization to continually adapt their vision ("an image of a desired future"), values ("how we get to travel to where we want to go"), purpose ("what the organization is here to do"), and goals ("milestones we expect to reach before too long"). The section offers many strategies and perspectives on how to move an organization toward continuous reflection. In "Team Learning", the authors rely mostly on the work of William Isaacs and others, and make a case for educating organization members in the processes and skills of dialogue and skillful discussion.

This book is enlightening and informative. It has already found a place on my shelf for essential reference books.

Peter M Serge, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook

To quote the first few paragraphs at beginning of book:

Among the tribes of northen Natal in South Africa, the most common greeting, equivalent to "hello" in English, is the expression: Sawu bona. It literally means, "I see you." If you are a member of the tribe, you might reply by saying Sikhona, "I am here." The order of the exchange is important: until you see me, I do not exist. It's as if, when you see me bring me into existence.

This meaning, implicit in the language, is part of the spirit of ubuntu, a frame of mind prevalent among native people in Africa below the Sahara. The word ubuntu stems from the folk saying Umuntu ngumuntu nagabantu, which from Zulu, literally translates as: "A person is a person because of other people."


"I bow in honor and reverence that place within you where to the Universe resides, when you are in that place within you, and I am in that place within me, there is One." ~namaste


The five disciplines are at the CORE of a Learning Organization

1) Personal Mastery: expand your personal capacity and ability

2) Mental Models: see how our internal pictures of the world shape action and decision

3) Shared Vision: group commitment

4) Team Learning: group ability is greater than the sum of individual talents

5) System Thinking:


"When we try to bring about change in our societies, we are treated first with indifference, then with ridicule, then with abuse and then with oppression. And finally, the greatest challenge is thrown at us: We are treated with respect. This is the most dangerous stage." --A. T. Ariyaratne (Speech made at International Community Leadership Summit, Winrock, Arkansas, March 1983. This quote paraphrases and expands upon a well-known statement made by Mahatma Gandhi in his book Satyagraha in South Africa, 1982, 1979, Canon, Me.: Greenleaf books)


"An [organization] is not a machine but a living organism." --Ikujiro Nonaka /****
Fundamentals of epistemology: what is knowledge, the nature of knowledge, and what constitutes learning.
understanding is achieved after internalization.
Without experience, we cannot truly understand.
Internalization: transformation from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge, habits and culture that we do not recognize in ourselves.
Innovation is a process to capture, create, leverage, and retain knowledge.
What is your belief? A belief about images of the world - you may call it a mental model - is a very subjective thing

information is the flow of a message, while knowledge is created by accumulating information. Thus, information is a necessary medium or material for eliciting and constructing knowledge.

The second difference is that information is something passive. When we switch on a TV set, information comes regardless of my commitment. But knowledge comes from my belief, so it's more proactive.

And the organizational knowledge or intellectual infrastructure of an organization encourages its individual members to develop new knowledge through new experiences.

This dynamic process is the key to organizational knowledge creation - that is, socialization (from individual tacit knowledge to group tacit knowledge), externalization (from tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge), combination (from separate explicit knowledge to systemic explicit knowledge), and internalization (from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge) [...].

[...]

Three Guiding Ideas

1) The Whole. When you are pointing a finger at the problems, notice how many fingers are pointing back at you. If you fixed the symptoms and ignore the root causes, the problems have not gone away. Another way to look at this is treat the person, not the disease. Of course treat the disease if the patient is dying, but know that the patient will get sick again because the "root causes" are stil there.

2) Community. The self is "a point of view." "The essence of being a person is being in a relationship [with] other people." You will not believe this, but each person before you is there for a reason. The reason this person is there at this moment is for you to learn something about yourself. If you ignore the person, do not ignore or forget the lesson.

3) Language. The map is not the territory. We cannot contain every bit of information that comes to us in the world, so we have to create a "map of the territory" and then refer to the map for our information. By changing a person's map, we change their reality. Language is the map, not the reality.

Senge's second serving of the Learning Organization is filled with practical tips and real-life examples from companies and organizations that have embraced the teachings of the Learning Organization successfully.

The Book is a collaboration of several writers who do a superb job of unraveling the web that is the learning organization. At times, it may seem to the reader that the book is a labyrinth of disjointed concepts and ideas. However, if you have read `The Fifth Discipline' you will find no problems following the concepts introduced. In fact, you will even understand why the writers have chosen to introduce them in that fashion. If you have not read "The Fifth Discipline', do not despair, it will take a little longer to get `the whole picture'.
The Book is divided into 8 main sections:

1) Getting Started addresses the basic concepts and ideas of the Learning Organization.
2) Systems Thinking (the fifth discipline) - Many people have argued that Senge should have delegated the fifth discipline until the end, however, without Systems Thinking, your vision is disjointed and incomplete.
3) Personal Mastery covers the area of individual development and learning. The chapters here are among the most valuable in the area of self-growth and self-improvement.
4) Mental Models - These are the pictures that you have in your head which represent reality.
5) Shared Vision - You've seen the whole picture, you've developed and you understand how you see the world. Now you need to find a common cause with the rest of the people in your organization, something that you all work for.
6) Team Learning - As you work with other people in teams or groups, you need to pass the stuff that you have learnt and the wisdom you've acquired to others. At this stage, the learning is no longer that of the individual, but the group.
7) Arenas of Practice - (Self explanatory)
8) Frontiers - Where do we go from here.

If you are interested in development, learning, growth, leadership, gaining a competitive edge whether at an organizational or personal level, then this book is for you. In fact, I'd venture to say that this is book is for everyone.