Book Description
Don't let your company kill you!
Open this book at your own risk. It contains ideas that may lead to a profound self-awakening. An introspective journey for those in the trenches of today's modern organizations, Deep Change is a survival manual for finding our own internal leadership power. By helping us learn new ways of thinking and behaving, it shows how we can transform ourselves from victims to powerful agents of change. And for anyone who yearns to be an internally driven leader, to motivate the people around them, and return to a satisfying work life, Deep Change holds the key.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent read..........2007-01-22
I had to read this book for my executive MBA program, and the class agreed that it was a very relevant and enlightening experience. I work for a large company that had a big merger pending, and I ordered copies for the senior managers that report to me. It is thought-provoking and helps one re-examine oneself with rich anectodes and vignettes that keep the book from descending into psycho-babble or abstract theory.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested making difficult changes in their lives. The fact that Quinn addresses change in both a personal and professional environment makes this book a useful tool for self-enrichment or teams. There are thought-provoking discussion and/or self-reflection questions at the end of each chapter that allow the reader to take what the author has discussed and relate it to their own situation.
Excellent read on real change.......2007-01-10
Quinn's purpose in writing Deep Change is to challenge the reader to recognize that everyone is a potential change agent, if they are willing to take the difficult, yet necessary steps to experience deep personal change. He lays a strong foundation by first differentiating between deep change and incremental change. There is little doubt that most change that takes place in the life of an individual is incremental. Because people are uncomfortable with major change they choose to move in small steps. The possible exception to the choice of incremental change occurs when a person is faced with a major crisis. For example, when a person experiences a heart attack, they are motivated to make deep lifestyle changes in habits such as smoking or dietary chooses. Or when a marriage is on the brink of divorce, marriage partners are motivated to make sweeping changes in how they communicate or handle conflict. However, beyond these periodic times of being motivated by crisis, people usually make changes slowly and incrementally, rather than making needed deep change.
The tendency towards incremental change over deep change is also true on an organizational level. Rarely do organizations, including the church, make deep major changes. While it may be argued that leadership needs to be mindful of bringing people along in the midst of change, there are certainly times that organizations need to experience deep change to survive. Quinn is correct in stating that without deep change, routine patterns move organizations increasingly toward decay and stagnation. This is true in the life of the church today. The church has grown comfortable with the patterns of ministry from years past and as a result has lost much of its influence in the changing culture.
One of Quinn's foundational themes is that personal deep change must precede deep change within a system or organization. While most of the time organizational change is seen as a top-down process, Quinn argues that it can also happen from the bottom-up. He states that deep change requires a personal evaluation of the ideologies that under gird the organizational culture. This is a refreshing insight that has application to other relational contexts. As people desire to see change in the lives of others, whether in parenting, marriage or work relationships, they first need to examine what changes need to occur in themselves. It is true that we do not easily recognize the part that we play in the problem. This thought is consistent with the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:3, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
Another topic that is very applicable to numerous arenas of life is Quinn's discussion of the logic of task pursuit. Most people, under the pressure of task completion, have no opportunity to consider routine maintenance. This is true in the life of the individual on multiple levels. If a person does not take time to experience physical renewal through rest and exercise the body will experience exhaustion. This is certainly true with the spiritual life as well. People need to carve out time from the pursuit of tasks to spend time alone with God. The logic of task pursuit is also true in the life of the church. Each church needs to set aside time to revisit its mission and to ensure that the work of the church is in alignment with that mission.
Other helpful insights are found in Quinn's discussion on why organizational change doesn't take place. He states that the dominant coalition in an organization is seldom interested in making deep changes. Therefore, deep change is often driven from the outside. This has been true in the life of many organizations. Furthermore, there are pressures within most organizations to conform to the prevailing structure. Quinn does an excellent job of identifying the barriers of bureaucratic culture, embedded conflict, and personal time constraints. It is helpful to recognize that in most cases people do not need new skills and competencies, but instead they need a new perspective that allows them to act as empowered leaders in a changing organization. While this section on overcoming resistance to change was helpful, it would have been strengthened with practical examples of how individuals brought about significant change.
There is also much to appreciate with Quinn's emphasis on the transitions from the technical, the transactional, and the transformational paradigms. Quinn's description of each paradigm and the paradigm's representative would prove to be very beneficial to any organizational leader's attempt to understand those that they lead and the unique perspective they hold about the organization.
Finally the culmination of Quinn's emphasis on empowerment and ultimate transformation of an organization is what he refers to as the transformational cycle. The cycle is a helpful visual reminder that deep change does not come to a point of completion. It is a cycle that will itself become routine and stagnate if there is not a time of reinvention and realignment of self and the organization.
While written from a business perspective, Deep Change is applicable for anyone who desires to bring about change within an organization. The book is structured in an easy to follow format and includes reflection and discussion questions at the end of each chapter to provide further assistance to the reader in taking steps towards deep change, on both a personal and organizational level.
Deep Change.......2007-01-09
Absolutely one of the best personal and leadership books I have ever used.
Very practical applications. Plan to use as a reference for my managerial library.
Easy to follow recommendations.......2006-10-24
It is interesting that out of the many books that I have read this one does not hit me across the head. However with that said, I re-looked at the book before writing this note and I did mark a lot of text that I found highly useful. I particularly liked the solid recommendations for implementing personal and community change at the end of each chapter. Maybe the fact that the authors do not try wow you with their brilliance but provide solid and easy to follow recommendations is why this book is so valuable. The structure also lends itself to a study group within your management team helping to drive implementation of the principles introduced.
If you are more interested in solid principles to implement rather than the "my way is the best way" often presented, I highly recommend that this book be part of your arsenal to improve personal and community performance. A must for your library.
Deep Change or Slow Death?.......2006-07-11
In this wonderful book, Quinn challenges us to confront our own hypocrisy and make a choice between deep change or slow death -- that is to say between commitment or disengagement. It's actually not an easy choice to make. Most of us have taken the easy path and chosen not to speak out when w've known what needed to be changed. Or, we've run from a difficult work situation, leaving the problems behind for someone else to clean up, not admitting our part in the failure or taking responsibility for changing ourselves.
Quinn instructs us by modeling the behavior we need to follow. Particularly striking, for me, is his personal account of finding himself crying while writing a short story called "The Prophecy." This is a version of the story his mother had told him about his father, who, knowing that he was soon going to die, and seeing his newborn son for the first time, had said, "I think our boy is going to make his mark on the world."
Quinn explains that this true story about his father was etched in his consciousness and had great meaning for him. "In retelling the story I was retelling one of my core myths...I had always heard the story from the perspective of the woman. Now I was telling it from the point of view of a 38-year old man who was dying. The man was asking himself what his life had meant. There was no money, no house, no insurance policy, no signs of worldly success, no legacy to mark his passage."
"Years later, facing a midlife crisis, I was asking myself the very same questions about the meaning of my own life. Without even realizing it, I was trying to deal with the issues of impact and legacy," says Quinn, reflecting on the emotional impact of the story. "As all this become clear, I began to clarify what I wanted to do differently in my life. At work, for example, I took on a different perspective. I became more focused on my research. In my teaching and consulting, I became more caring yet more demanding. The resulting impact, in terms of outcome, was dramatic. I had a new perspective, and my life was changed. I became more empowered and more empowering."
This empowerment is demonstrated by Quinn's role in one intervention he made at one troubled company. In this intervention, Quinn conducted interviews, identified the core issues, and put his insights into writing, calling the resulting document the "Inner Voice of the Organization." This document was structured around eight questions and eight answers -- each answer describing a key issue facing the company and illustrated by a concrete example. Each of the eight issues had previously been "undiscussable," and each issue represented a weakness or need within the company. Quinn listed these issues as follows:
1. "The company is characterized by loyalty and considerable unused human potential
2. The organization must make deep change in order to become more viable and thus to be able to survive in a rapidly evolving world
3. The company is hampered by an unconscious conspiracy of silence and an inability to confront issues and identify needed adjustments
4. "Groupthink" is widespread, and models for constructive conflict are lacking
5. Certain key figures have favored individual good and self-interest over the collective good, and they have been reinforced
6. Everyone would like to believe that certain transparent issues are successfully kept secret. Individuals try to save face by pretending that no one knows what everyone knows--and the process works as long as no one listens to the organization's inner voice
7. A cohesive leadership team is lacking
8. The company has no clear, believable, and motivating vision"
Quinn sent the document to the CEO. He explained that it would be a useful tool to introduce at the outset of the program -- and proposed breaking the participants into five subgroups to discuss the five most important undiscussable issues honestly. He expected the CEO to reject the plan. Instead the CEO made a few factual corrections and agreed to it.
Most striking about this story, apart from the courage and honesty of the approach, is that it seems this identical list of eight issues could be applied to all companies, whether they're in trouble or not. It seems that the issues are universal, grounded in human nature, and that every company faces them to different degrees depending on their specific circumstances.
As Quinn puts it, there is often an "inner voice" in a company that everyone knows but dares not discuss. People know that if they do bring up these issues they will be marginalized and may be fired. It is a risky business to be a change agent, and Quinn does not underplay this. Speaking of one intervention at Ford, Quinn states that "Change means taking risks and facing the possibility of failure. Unfortunately, risk taking sometimes has a negative outcome...approximately 3 percent of participants reported being disciplined for taking initiative, and their anger was apparent. They told us, 'Your program is a fraud. The company doesn't want leaders; it wants conformists.'"
It doesn't take long for people in companies to learn that management cannot be trusted. In this light, it is amazing that around 12 percent in this same program at Ford were willing to engage in the riskiest form of change. The risk-takers were the people who reported higher scores on health, job satisfaction and personal relationships. Surprisingly, they were also usually the oldest participants. "We believe that they had reached a career plateau yet had maintained a positive outlook. They were loyal to Ford and eager to make a positive contribution. Their perception of the "risk-reward ratio" was different...They were willing to confront the pressures of conformity and pay the price of deep change."
So, even in the most jaded of organizations, there are always people able and willing to take a risk to improve the organization for themselves and others -- a finding which is as encouraging as it is surprising.
This is a compelling and useful book. It's written in a poetic way with a deep level of commitment and personal revelation. On the other hand, it's not for those looking for a quick fix. People who assume that the problem is with others and that they can be changed by instruction and coercion will not find it useful. Also, I found the exercises for reflection and discussion were valuable, but hard to use. What's needed, instead, I believe, is a daily practice regimen for personal reflection, and a more carefully designed, more usable set of exercises for use in management teams -- exercises that do not require all participants to have read the book.
However, these are minor criticisms. What differentiates this from the vast majority of other books by business school professors -- and what saves it from irrelevancy -- is the depth of the passion it conveys. Also, the real-life examples. Quinn epitomizes deep change.
If you are a change agent, or intend to become one you should read this book. It has the power to change your life. It could, in fact, be the only book you need. However, I think it will work best when read alongside others. I recommend starting with "Dance of Change," by Peter Senge and some of his colleagues from the Society for Organizational Learning. This will provide an additional perspective, including a wealth of examples of both successful and unsuccessful change efforts and a list of the key impediments to change, consolidating the message that many of the barriers to change are within ourselves.
If you read this book, you are sure to come away with a few ideas you can use or insights that will be of value. I, for one, will not easily forget that I do indeed need to make the choice every day between the slow death of apathy, and the deep change of personal growth. In the end -- hard as it may be -- the choice of reflection and deep change is the only one that makes sense.
Graham Lawes
Book Description
This book is a solid, research-based introduction to the discipline of change management, and a primer to catalyze change leadership and competency in managers and executives. Change Management is a practical look at what it means to manage the people side of change, and gives the reader insight into best practices in this area.
Customer Reviews:
Good Change Management Basics.......2006-06-25
The environment in which organisations operate is very dynamic, forcing firms to continually adapt and modify themselves to enable them to survive and prosper. Such an environment requires that managers are adequately equipped with change management skills. This book equips readers with the basic skills and knowledge required to manage the change process sensitively and effectively.
This is a small and well presented book on change management. It provides advice and guidance to change agents and managers involved in the change process to enable them to cope with the initiation and implementation of change in organisations, departments or teams. The book gives practical advice and techniques on managing all aspects of the change process.
The author did a good job of using several interesting and useful case studies which are very helpful in reinforcing the message. The reader is advised to particularly consider the people side of change to ensure that the process is a success.
Not bad -- a quick read.......2006-02-28
This is neither a great nor bad book on the subject of change management. It is written in a succinct way and is therefore a quick read. If you are reading a number of texts on the subject, you won't go wrong adding this one to the list, but make sure you read some others alongside it. It does make a number of good points (particularly about senders and receivers of messages), but the examples aren't as powerful as other texts I have read.
A great PowerPoint presentation.......2005-07-19
This book is essentially an expanded PowerPoint presentation, and I mean that in the best possible way. It is direct, to-the-point, practically applicable, and based on a solid change model (ADKAR). Note that it is a mere 90 pages or so of text, so it is a quick read. If you are a consultant or looking to apply change management principles tomorrow, this is the perfect book for you. The case studies are, however, laughable. One has to do with someone wanting to repave a parking lot and hasn't gotten the buy-in of all the surrounding business owners -- hardly the strategic change some of us are faced with managing.
Change Management: A definitive guide.......2005-04-06
The key to change managment is communiation. A point jeffrey illustartes perfectly in his book.
Very helpful to any organisation or individual who is struggling with the concept of communicating change.
Change Management.......2003-11-11
I really liked the use of case studies to present relevant research and concepts in the field of change management; not only were the case studies interesting, but they were memorable. It made the topic come alive and be real instead of dry and boring.
Book Description
Creating the Project Office is written for managers who are searching for ways to transform their organizations into more effective and efficient project-based workplaces. As this important book reveals, there is no more effective way to make that change than to create a project office tailored to the needs of the organization. While a project office model leads to better products from projects, it is also a vehicle for generating overall organizational changeâ by transforming the organization from function-based to project-based. This model incorporates projects into the very fabric of the organizational strategy and revitalizes organizations, creates competitive advantage, and increases shareholder value.
Customer Reviews:
Don't have metric for start the PMO.......2006-04-03
I belive, if the book would have metrics and templates for the process start, it is very usefull.
Creating the Project Office : A Manager's Guide to Leading Organizational Change .......2006-02-24
Excellent service
Common sense applied to change management, wrapped in a bow!.......2004-12-02
I purchased this book on recommendation from a previous reviewer and was amazed by the breadth, depth, and more importantly pace of the book. The book moves quickly and does not spend a lot of time on theory, more time on examples (drawn mainly from Englund's work at HP).
The high level process applies as a general change management agenda, but applied through the lense of a PMO or project office. The annecdotes and lessons learnt provide an excellent framework for either internal "change agents" or external consultants to structure a successful organizational change and increase in proejct delivery quality.
The examples and frameworks in the book are easily understood and presented in a way that they can be reused or applied to many different project management challenges. I highly recommend this book to program managers or IT consultants who are intereste in affecting change in any organization.
Unusually rich.......2003-03-26
This book takes the leading thinking in implementing organizational change and applies it directly to the challenge of implementing project management. The authors then advance the art through the application of their extensive experience and original thought that leaves the reader-practitioner with a step-by-step guide to implementing a project management office.
The major strength of this manuscript is its revelation of the organizational challenges in creating a project office, their causes, and straightforward advice on navigating the pitfalls. The knowledge and experience of the authors comes through with `been there, done that' credibility. The reader leaves with a deeper understanding of their organization and the means for achieving their goal of implementing a project office.
I thought Part One was one of the best discussions I have seen of the organizational change factors involved in implementing a project office. It provided thorough overall coverage on the existing body of work in organizational change and provided an application to project management. The author's contribution of speaking truth to power is valuable.
I found the manuscript replete with illustrative material. I particularly liked the anecdotes from Greek mythology and literature. This book is unusually rich in supporting the principles advocated with clear `how-to' instructions. As a practitioner reading the book, I found myself saying: "Yes, that works," "I wish I had thought of that sooner," and "I am going to use that tomorrow." - a manuscript reviewer
Book Description
The book begins with an overview of the constraint-based perspective on systems and organizations, commonly referred to as the theory of constraints or synchronous management. The first section will guide you through the fundamental principles and processes that are the backbone of the thinking process application tools. The second section contains the step-by-step guidelines for each of the five thinking process application tools. These tools utilize sufficient cause thinking and necessary condition thinking. Third section introduces two ways that two or more of the thinking process application tools are combined, providing robust processes for the understanding and communicating problems and solutions. This book can be used as a field guide to learning the five thinking process application tools as needed, based on their own particular issues. You will have a full understanding of the theory and practical application of these powerful processes, including when and when not to use each tool. The total benefit is not just to apply the thinking process, but to develop intuition and have the ability to combine logic and intuition in the same thinking process.
Customer Reviews:
Nice thinking package.......2007-06-06
Edward De Bono had the wonderful insight of bringing together many disparate and orginally isolated ideas and repackaging them with a binding theme he called lateral thinking. The world has never looked back. De Bono's insight and salesmanship have been a wonder to behold.
So too, Eli Goldratt has taken critical thinking skills from various areas, put a graphical front end on them, and repackaged them with a binding theme he calls Thinking Processes. Not as powerful as De Bono, but certainly in the same ballpark.
Lisa Scheinkopf does quite a marvellous job in providing a didactic introduction to these Thinking Processes. At the end of the day, she unfolds a systematic way of problem solving - and this is, indeed, what the thinking tools are all about.
I understand that Scheinkopf's choice and ordering of chapters was meant to reflect her belief that the individual tools can be used independently of each other. It would have been nice if she had provided a bit more detail showing how the tools complement each other; but, her book, her prerogative. In regard to matters which require the the systematic and complementary use of each and every tool in the toolset, I think Bill Dettmer's provides better insight.
The book is generally clear, with one or two minor slips into obscurity.
I think Scheinkopf falls into the same trap that most authors who present these type of tools. They occasionally have a rush of too much Oxygen to the brain and push their product beyond its elastic limits and start to hand-wave a little too much. In this regard, I find the "So What Test" which forms part of her discussion of Current Reality Trees one of those hand-waving areas. Apart from being something to do with simplifying a current reality tree by means of a review of "entities" from a systems perspective (whatever that really means), I find the actual application of the test as described quite obscure. (As an aside, Bill Dettmer also hand-waves at this point too. I think that both authors attempt to transform craft into some sort of science in a manner which needs a rethink).
Anyway, overall, I think Scheinkopf's work is very good. I think it deserves to be read in support of an understanding of the TOC Thinking Processes, but, it simply isn't enough to read as the only source of understanding. I recommend reading some of Dettmer's work too. Between the two (and Goldratt himself of course), the whole system of TOC and Thinking Processes adds a useful set of tools to problem solving.
Theory of Constraints -- the practical book on the topic.......2006-10-24
You may have heard of "Theory of Constraints" or "TOC" as a project management method that focuses on placing buffers on GANNT charts. But that's just one application of this general analysis and decision-making method called Theory of Constraints.
If you've ever wanted to "brainstorm" or "think outside the box," or just want to plan your next big task in a more complete way, but didn't know where to start, this book is for you. It actually offers a lot more than a start: methods, a simple notation, and when to do what in great detail.
A lot of what you read may seem like "just common sense," but perhaps that's what makes it fun: a powerful, verifiable thinking tool that's also simple and makes sense.
You don't have to read the whole book at once. Try reading some, and then applying it. See how it goes.
This Book Will Help You!.......2006-09-13
I read various books regarding the Theory of Constraints. Except for the chapter on prerequisite trees, this book explains how to use the theory very well to solve your daily problems. It also gives you a wealth of exercises that you can use to improve your practice of the theory.
A must for management and a should for anyone else........2004-10-14
This book puts it all together and can lead anyone down the path of logical thinking, be it solving a problem or creating a plan. Combine the teachings of this book with the other TOC principles and you've got a recipe for success. I highly reccommend this book to all my consulting clients and friends for use in both business and personal life.
Worth Way More Than [$].......2003-06-17
I really hesitated to pay [$] for a book that is not directly related to my profession, somewhat short, and had an unkown beneficial value. Being casually familiar with the thinking processes from It's Not Luck, I went ahead and bought the book. I'm not disappointed. In about a month it has paid for itself several times over. It's not an easy read, but if your curious enough to be reading this, you can understand it. If your a professional with a wife and kid(s), it is a must for both work and home.
Book Description
In today's ever-changing economic landscape, innovation has become even more of a key factor influencing strategic planning. This helpful volume will help the reader recognize and seize innovation opportunities.
The Harvard Business Review Paperback Series
The series is designed to bring today's managers and professionals the fundamental information they need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world. From the preeminent thinkers whose work has defined an entire field to the rising stars who will redefine the way we think about business, here are the leading minds and landmark ideas that have established the Harvard Business Review as required reading for ambitious businesspeople in organizations around the globe.
Customer Reviews:
Good Collection of Articles.......2007-08-13
With a good collection of articles and case studies, the book helps us to recognize and seize innovation opportunities. I certainly recommend this book for executives. Another one that I recommend is Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers.
Fair.......2007-06-21
I found little of interest in these articles. I would start in any number of other books if you are interested in innovation.
another book of cute little bits and pieces--where is the forest?.......2007-06-15
First, I apologize for the mixed metaphor in the title above.
Second, all the articles in this collection are "good".
Third, however, you may, as I, be more than a little tired of academics from the world's greatest universities, for decades, on topics like innovation, publishing little bits and pieces.
Fourth, I recently bought 200 books with innovation or its synonyms in their titles or blurb descriptions, grouped them in groups, and ordered books from best to junk within each group. Then I surveyed the whole thing asking myself "what, overall, are all the theories of innovation that are out there and which of them have been tested?"
It turns out there are 27 theories of innovation out there and none of them have been tested, as a whole theory, but bits, extremely small bits, of some of them have been nibbled at by the world's greatest academics from the world's greatest universities. I counted full coverage of NONE of these 27 approaches to innovation, in this particular book. NONE. What is in this book is nibbles of two of the 27--wowie!!! Harvard has nibbled 2 of 27 theories around on innovation--what a powerful research effort! I am sooooo impressed. My friend in Reuters just emailed me complaining how naive I am--professors do not do comprehensive things because they hate the good ideas of their competitors! I am naive. I thought professionals learned to respect and admire the good ideas of their peers and competitors--I am too naive!
Conclusion: if you want some more little bits about innovation, here is another, one of a series of 200 books presenting disconnected little bits about innovation. If you want, however, more what the world's best scholars should be capable of--that is, a comprehensive, thorough survey of all the theories and approaches to innovation in our world, ordered, analyzed, compared, and made sense of, so you have both a mental feel and a practical repertoire of the diversity in doing innovation there to be tried, then this book will sorely disappoint you, not only in its contents but also in the quality of mind that today gets tenure at the "world's best universities".
If these are the world's best minds on innovation--then we live in a more pitiable world than I ever imagined before. Pity us, poor pitiful us!
Honestly, I cannot fault these guys for their bits--each little tiny bit article is cute, nice in its own way, and impressive sounding. However, when I add them all up, I get a sense that this book covers approximately 1/200th of innovation overall. Why string us readers out and make us buy 200 books like this before we get a thorough, grounded, comprehensive, useful overview of all the theories of and approaches to innovating around? I am tired of bits and pieces. I am a little angry at the "world's best professors" from the "world's best universities" stringing me and millions of others along with bits and pieces. Without a forest and a deep thorough understanding of a forest, interest in any one tree is not only unwise, but in real markets run by real people, quite dangerous. The bit of innovation you got from this sort of book and masterfully applied gets run over by 19 other bits, not in this book, that you never heard of till they mashed your project/company. This is not myth--it happened to three global corporations I managed. Bits are dangerous--however clever they make their authors, for a tiny moment, look. I am no longer able to develop any enthusiasm for them.
I could review each bit in this book but to tell you the truth, it does not matter what the bits in this book are--they are all so very very tiny and bit-sized, isolated and cute, that you know, as you read each article, there are 1000s of similar bits in similar books out there. You can sell an awful lot of books this way without conveying a useable understanding of a field like "innovation". Derek Bok, in his earlier incarnation as head of Harvard used to declaim in books on higher education how professors are so very very very narrow and how what they publish is so very very very sliverish in journals that are so very very very unread. I love every five years or so when the Academy of Management journals and reviews get a new editor, to read his/her article declaiming, with the subtlest whimper in his/her tone, how "nobody reads all this great research we publish". They do not read it because it is "bits and pieces".
This book is "great" by the criteria of modern "torture assistant professors for 7 years" American-esque academics--but by the criteria of people like me trying to get 10,000 people to stop being bureaucratic and do what they must do to survive Chinese and other competition, these bits are increasingly useless, cute, and decorative. I do not look forward to the next bits from any of these authors. I fear their entire lives will be consumed in bit-ness. If I read books like this, my own life will be thusly consumed. These professor guys need to do some work, stop publishing the smallest fastest possible bit, and COVER a topic not nibble it. We need people with heftier minds in these pompous over priced elitist universities our media worship.
If you want to know the kind of book I like on innovation--try Van de Ven's Minnesota Studies on Innovation (not the exact title--a big black covered book of about 800 pages). That whole body of longitudinal work following a dozen innovations through 20 years of ups and downs dwarfs what you learn from these cute little assistant-professor style bits and pieces books. It is statistically much better and more powerfully grounded, the research questions are framed profoundly not opportunistically for tenure, and the richness of real lived history of each followed innovation undoes nearly all that cute little assistant-professor books by authors like these, says.
Good reading.......2007-01-07
Well written and presented with interesting examples/case studies. Definitely worth a read.
Am not an expert in the subject area but some of the concepts did appear dated or jaded to me.
A good "door" to be opened by those interested for Innovation.......2006-08-07
A collection of reviews in Innovation Strategies/Policies/Theories/Practices some of them related with case studies in big companies.
It can help those who want a reflexive and comprehensive look into Innovation.
Book Description
Only 43 per cent of U.S. construction firms remain in business after four years. Why? Inadequate management, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. This is surprising because most construction firms are formed by ambitious construction project managers, executives and tradesmen who have excelled at what they have been doing. But as experienced as these entrepreneurs may be, they are not likely prepared to take on the full range of responsibilities forced on them in managing the business of construction in its entirety.
While this business failure rate and its causes are based on U.S. experience, available data from a number of other industrialized countries shows they are similar.
This book describes in detail what the business side of the construction equation requires of the construction firm owner. The contractor who quickly learns these requirements can identify and avoid or manage around the pitfalls that cause the high failure rate in our industry and put his or her construction firm on a level playing field with the best-run companies in the business. The detailed duties of the owner, whether in the U.S., U.K., Australia or Canada, are a common theme throughout the book.
The author, Nick Ganaway, speaks peer-to-peer, and the book is sprinkled with supporting examples from his own experience. He is immersed in the industry and this book is "based on the things I've learned, used, and refined as a light-commercial general contractor in the course of starting and operating my own construction firm for 25 years." The contractor doing $5 million or $50 million or more in annual sales or the equivalent amount in other countries, or the entrepreneur who is just starting up, can use the tried and proven material in this book to build a business that is profitable, enjoyable, and enduring.
Additionally, the book devotes a chapter to specializing in chain-store construction.
* Learn what you need to succeed in the construction sector
* How to target, land and retain profitable customers
* Avoid the pitfalls of running your own construction business
Customer Reviews:
A testimony to the principles of this text.......2007-02-08
Upon graduation from Georgia Tech's building construction program in 1982, I went to work for Nick Ganaway. One of the many reasons I selected his company was his obvious knowledge of business. Even more, I appreciated the motivation he placed in us (and himself) to always become better as contractors and as businessmen. We met frequently to "log in" new discoveries, efficiencies, risks, and methods of profitability that he had wisely accumulated for us. As I "ventured out" into the world and developed my own business with very little experience, I quickly noticed that although I was a "great" project manager that running a construction company was an entirely different issue. For example, do you understand the unique requirements of the construction firm owner? Terms in the project owner's construction agreement that can unfairly shift major risk onto your plate and what to do about them? How to ensure that you get paid for change orders? What to do when hard times suddenly strike (and they will)? After 25 years of experience in operating a commercial construction company, Mr. Ganaway explains chapter-by-chapter these and every other risk area you must manage if you are going to survive in construction. I know these explanations well as they ring in my mind from discussions with Mr. Ganaway concerning my very first projects and through calling for help with running my own construction business. You will feel like you're having these same discussions with him as you read this book. Every contractor, project manager, and construction student should read it. Today I use this very text to teach our students at Georgia Tech's building construction program how to run a business, as well as consulting in the same area. His principles work!
An added bonus to this text is the final chapter, where Mr. Ganaway makes the case for specializing in chain store construction. To "outsiders" who have not reviewed this market segment, I think you will be surprised at the benefits. If you are not already specializing in a niche market, this chapter is sure to start you thinking about it.
Product Description
Only 43% of construction firms are still in business after four years. Make sure your company thrives with essential and very readable guidance from a pro with 25 years success. Find out what it takes to build all aspects of a business that s profitable, enjoyable, and enduring. Includes: Contract Terms & Conditions (to include and to avoid); How to Make Sure You re Paid What You're Owed; Dos and Don'ts of Mechanics Liens; How to Select, Hire, and Keep Golden Employees; How to Choose Accountants, Lawyers & Insurance Agents; How to Target, Check out, Land, & Retain Profitable Customers; Effective Marketing Even the Smallest Contractor Can Afford; Opportunities & Requirements of Retail Construction; and much more ideas that will pay off right away & throughout your career. Whether you re a contractor, a key employee, a subcontractor, a student, or a facility executive, you ll find many ideas you can immediately add to your management and leadership toolbox. Adopting even a single one of them will pay dividends now and throughout your career.
Customer Reviews:
Important Information for New Contractors.......2007-04-11
If you are a person that is just starting out in the Construction industry, this book can help guide you in the right direction. Many mistakes that I have made in the past 10 years are covered in these pages. I wish I would have had this book back then. It would have made our company grow and prosper without the glitches. I highly recommend this book.
A testimony to the principles of this text.......2007-02-14
Upon graduation from Georgia Tech's building construction program in 1982, I went to work for Nick Ganaway. One of the many reasons I selected his company was his obvious knowledge of business. Even more, I appreciated the motivation he placed in us (and himself) to always become better as contractors and as businessmen. We met frequently to "log in" new discoveries, efficiencies, risks, and methods of profitability that he had wisely accumulated for us. As I "ventured out" into the world and developed my own business with very little experience, I quickly noticed that although I was a "great" project manager that running a construction company was an entirely different issue. For example, do you understand the unique requirements of the construction firm owner? Terms in the project owner's construction agreement that can unfairly shift major risk onto your plate and what to do about them? How to ensure that you get paid for change orders? What to do when hard times suddenly strike (and they will)? After 25 years of experience in operating a commercial construction company, Mr. Ganaway explains chapter-by-chapter these and every other risk area you must manage if you are going to survive in construction. I know these explanations well as they ring in my mind from discussions with Mr. Ganaway concerning my very first projects and through calling for help with running my own construction business. You will feel like you're having these same discussions with him as you read this book. Every contractor, project manager, and construction student should read it. Today I use this very text to teach our students at Georgia Tech's building construction program how to run a business, as well as consulting in the same area. His principles work!
An added bonus to this text is the final chapter, where Mr. Ganaway makes the case for specializing in chain store construction. To "outsiders" who have not reviewed this market segment, I think you will be surprised at the benefits. If you are not already specializing in a niche market, this chapter is sure to start you thinking about it.
Great Book!.......2007-02-01
This is the first straightforward, down-to-earth book on how to run a construction business that I have come across. A realistic account of what it takes to start an enterprise and what it's like to be a contractor. Anyone contemplating starting their own construction company should read this before attempting it and every contractor already working at it should study Nick's work to learn how to do it better and to realize that they are not alone when they discover just how challenging and difficult the struggle for success can be. Everyone associated with the construction industry should read this book to gain an understanding of how the business really works.
Thomas, C. Schleifer, Ph.D.
Visiting Eminent Scholar
Del E. Webb School of Construction
Arizona State University
Author, Construction Contractors' Survival Guide
Average customer rating:
- A great help for introducing change
- Patterns for change
- An useful catalog
- Change will always be hard, but this book helps a lot
- Powerful, yet simple, change toolkit
|
Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas
Mary Lynn Manns , and
Linda Rising
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Leadership
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management Science
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Project Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Object-Oriented Design
| Software Design, Testing & Engineering
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Project Management
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
PMP Exam
| Project Management
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Software Engineering
| Computer Science
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
| Design Tools & Techniques
| General
| Information Systems
| Methodology
| Multimedia Information Systems
General
| Software
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Nanotechnology
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Innovations
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Computer Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Science Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Computers & Internet
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development
-
Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great
-
Agile Estimating and Planning (Robert C. Martin Series)
-
Collaboration Explained: Facilitation Skills for Software Project Leaders (The Agile Software Development Series)
-
The Enterprise and Scrum
ASIN: 0201741571 |
Customer Reviews:
A great help for introducing change.......2007-02-04
Fearless Change is a catalogue of patterns for introducing change in a company. Personally I've been in the role of change agent for years and this book provided me many "ah-hah"s which you get from reading good patterns. Most of the patterns I've applied in the past. Now I realized it and I got a name for them, which makes me more able to reuse the patterns. Some of the patterns were new to me and I've applied them immediately in my work.
The book is organized in three parts. The first part tells short stories on the different phases of change. These stories already made me understand the basics of the patterns and how they were related. The second part has a couple of case studies. Personally I found this part rather boring, but it was very short. The third part of the book is the actual pattern catalogue which provided the needed details.
The book was easy to read and, except for the case studies, didn't make me feel bored at any time. I've learned an awful lot from the book and it gave me some new tools in my toolbox when trying to introduce change.
I've rated this book 4 stars, which should have been 4.5 starts, but I don't have that option. I wouldn't want to give it 5 stars for the small boring parts and since I wouldn't call it perfect yet, but close! The books is an absolute must for anyone introducing change in an organization though!
Patterns for change.......2006-10-24
Another patterns book -- it certainly is a popular type of book these days. I got about half-way through this one before someone else wanted to read it. What can I say? Not bad. Recommended reading if you're trying to introduce a change in the way people work. The stories or case studies are pretty readable. But I'm not sure how much it helps to give little (pattern) names in brackets inside every other sentence. Pick up any book about industrial success like Marriot or The HP Way and you'd probably do just as well. The important thing is to read about others' similar successes and how they did it, and always to get help from lots of other people.
An useful catalog.......2006-03-02
Just like all books on patterns, this gives you the feeling of 'oh, this is soooo obvious' the first reading it. The fact is that a second after reading it you start thinking and talking about brown bags, angles and evangelists and refer to the book all the time. Linda and Mary Lynn give us an idiom, a very very useful idiom.
Also, the book is funny. Must read.
Change will always be hard, but this book helps a lot.......2005-05-29
Change is hard. I've been part of companies that merged, were acquired, acquired others, downsized drastically, changed the CEO, moved corporate headquarters to another state and completely changed their target market. The change was difficult in each of these circumstances. That's not particularly surprising. What is surprising is that change is also difficult when doing something as seemingly simple as changing the company health plan. I wish I'd read this book before going through those changes.
A large part of my current work is in helping companies manage the transition from how they currently develop software to developing software with an "agile process." The book codified some of the things I've done for years without thinking about why but more importantly it also presented ideas I hadn't thought of. For example, the "Champion Skeptic" pattern says to designate a skeptical, strong opinion leader to be the "official skeptic." I've always made a point of involving these skeptics because they can become your best advocates if you convert them. However, I've experimented with the idea as presented here and it works well.
Change will remain hard, even after reading this book. But, you'll be much better prepared and you should find many of the patterns here very helpful.
Powerful, yet simple, change toolkit.......2005-05-12
I had found myself moderately successful at introducing new ideas and influencing change in my organizations, but never knew why, or how to improve my ability to influence and sustain the change effort. The lightbulb was illuminated immediately upon getting a few patterns into this book- I had been, in one way or another, using some of these patterns without realizing it. Opportunities I had failed to take advantage of in the past became obvious as well in many patterns that were new to me, and in the past went unrecognized (next time, they will either be easy to spot or part of the plan in the first place!)
Once you are able to recognize techniques as patterns, influence becomes something much more controllable. This is a powerful, easy-to-use (and reuse) toolkit for introducing ideas and influencing change. I believe that those experienced in influencing change will find a well thought out set of techniques and those unsure of even how to start will have a great roadmap and set of practices to start with and to invoke as-needed as their change efforts evolve.
Book Description
Drawing on more than twenty-five years experience consulting and training on project management in companies such as NCR, AT&T, and 3M, J. Davidson Frame updates and expands what he introduced in the first edition of The New Project Management in 1994-a set of core competencies for managerial success in a corporate climate where downsizing, outsourcing, and employee empowerment are a way of life. This new edition focuses on the hottest areas in project management today-augmenting and expanding the existing coverage of risk management and estimating, and including three all-new chapters on critical issues that did not even exist in 1994.
Customer Reviews:
A good supplement.......2007-09-13
This book is a very good guide to the secondary issues of project management. The author goes into detail on topics such as managing complexity, extending projects to include operations and support, building teams with borrowed resources, resource estimation and a variety of other topics. The topics are valid, the writing is clear, but the writing style is very verbose. On the one hand, the topics are relevant only for project management professionals, but the writing style is for beginning project managers. This is a good book to read after to get your PMP certification.
The best book for org change & reengineering projects.......2002-07-01
This second edition is a minor update to the original that was published in 1994. When the first edition was published business process reengineering was in vogue. Today we're still doing reengineering, but it goes by the moniker of "organizational change management". A rose by any other name; however, this book remains one of the only project management texts that stays focused on reengineering and organizational change projects while including traditional project planning, scheduling and control techniques.
What makes this book unique is the way the author tackles organizational politics head on, and the sage advice given to deal with it. These comprise the main theme of Part I's first three chapters, which address the business environment, how to bring order out of chaos and engaging change. The final two chapters in Part I cover risk management and customer satisfaction - two main critical success factors for any project, but are especially important in organizational change projects.
Part II starts with a chapter that is boldly titled "Acquiring Political Skills and Building Influence" and segues into another topic that most PM books sidestep: "Building Teams with Borrowed Resources". If you've ever attempted employing matrix management or virtual teams you'll appreciate the advice given in this chapter. The author also gives an excellent discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of self directed teams, which may be ideal in theory, but are not easy to achieve in practice. Chapter 8 in this part is a well written piece on project selection techniques, which reflects the author's approach that is better documented in a book that he coauthored titled "The Project Office".
The remainder of the book is focused on traditional PM techniques, including estimating, outsourcing considerations, earned value (now part of the PMI PMBOK), and project metrics.
If you are involved in organizational change projects this book is the best resource because of the way it combines organizational change management with traditional PM techniques.
Book Description
Rapid Results! shows how to make large-scale changes succeed by using 100-day results-producing projects to develop this vital implementation capability. Written by Robert H. Schaffer, Ronald N. Ashkenas, and their associates—leaders in the field of change management—Rapid Results! describes an approach that has been field-tested by real organizations of every size and description to improve performance and speed the pace of change.
Rapid results projects produce results quickly, introduce new work patterns, and enable participants to learn a variety of lessons about managing change. Step by step, the book describes how the use of rapid-cycle, or 100-day, projects will multiply your organization’s power to succeed at large-scale change. Schaffer and Ashkenas specifically outline the concept behind 100-day projects and show you how to
- Set up the architecture to implement rapid results projects
- Improve operational performance and also attain hard results in the soft areas of management
- Build rapid results into major organizational change such as reorganization, acquisition integration, and international development
- Use rapid results to drive leadership development and culture change
Download Description
Rapid Results! shows how to make large-scale changes succeed by using 100-day results-producing projects to develop this vital implementation capability. Written by Robert H. Schaffer, Ronald N. Ashkenas, and their associates;leaders in the field of change management Rapid Results! describes an approach that has been field-tested by real organizations of every size and description to improve performance and speed the pace of change. Rapid results projects produce results quickly, introduce new work patterns, and enable participants to learn a variety of lessons about managing change. Step by step, the book describes how the use of rapid-cycle, or 100-day, projects will multiply your organization's power to succeed at large-scale change. Schaffer and Ashkenas specifically outline the concept behind 100-day projects and show you how to Set up the architecture to implement rapid results projects Improve operational performance and also attain hard results in the soft areas of management Build rapid results into major organizational change such as reorganization, acquisition integration, and international development Use rapid results to drive leadership development and culture change
Customer Reviews:
CAN SMALL BE BETTER ?.......2007-08-06
Robert Schaffer forever changed for the better, management consulting with his first book Break-Through Strategy two decades ago. Now with his colleague Ron Ashkenas he continues teaching the next generation of consultants how to best engineer Large-Scale Change. Consultants who have earned their spurs in one of the big consulting firms Das Boston Consulting Group Strategie-Buch. Die wichtigsten Managementkonzepte für den Praktiker. may be surprised to learn that 'small is better' when it comes to getting rapid results in a flow of low-risk '100-Day Projects', without becoming submerged in a swamp of super-size, spreadsheet Sigma Six Stats.
If the truth be told, '100-Day Action Projects' are taught by Blanckenberg & Blanckenberg at One Big Idea Consulting Limited NZ for managers to apply at home Break 100 Now: From Hacker to Golfer in Just 90 Days as well as in the office The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results . However, no other consulting guides teach it better than Robert Schaffer in this book.
How to make projects work, in 100 day increments.......2006-06-19
Authors and consultants Robert H. Schaffer and Ronald N. Ashkenas address their book to leaders who face the challenge of making rapid changes in their organizations - especially to those who know they need to move performance to a higher level, yet are too impatient to execute large-scale change. Schaffer and Ashkenas flatly deny that you need to make any trade-off between short-term gains and long-range organizational capabilities. They offer advice about such changes as new information systems, research and development, product innovation, mergers and acquisitions, and even the use of rapid-results projects in developing countries. Essentially, they take a step-by-step approach to building your organization's ability to achieve short-term change with long-term impact. Despite the authors' occasional self-promotional moments, we find that they offer solid, worthwhile information for CEOs, project managers and other executives.
A must read!.......2006-01-22
The folks at RHS&A have done a great job outlining the power of rapid results -- and how this approach can make a major impact on any organization. Filled with good examples as well as with helpful approaches to different challenges (mergers, turnarounds, growth, performance improvement).
Books:
- Evaluation with Power: A New Approach to Organizational Effectiveness, Empowerment, and Excellence (The Jossey-Bass Nonprofit and Public Management Series)
- Everybody Wins: The Story and Lessons Behind RE/MAX
- Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
- Fourth Generation R&D: Managing Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation
- Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods
- Getting Organized: Learning How to Focus, Organize and Prioritize
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- Global Institutions, Marginalization and Development (Routledge/Ripe Studies in Globalpolitical Economy)
- Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers
- Seeking With All My Heart: Encountering the Presence of God in the Bible and Christian Literature
- Metacommunities: Spatial Dynamics and Ecological Communities
- Lattices and Ordered Algebraic Structures
- Nineteen Minutes: A Novel
- Securing Web Services with WS-Security: Demystifying WS-Security, WS-Policy, SAML, XML Signature, an
- The Essential Freshwater Aquarium
- Adjustment Computations: Spatial Data Analysis
- Lighting: Good Ideas
- In Defense of the Donkeys
Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change
Change the World : How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Results
Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework (The Jossey-Bass Business & Management Series)
Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change
The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations
