Reviews (2)

The idea of positive deviance might seem odd at first, but becomes quite powerful as you understand it
Happiness is something different than the absence of misery and health is something more than the absence of disease and debilitation.These statements are so obvious as to seem trivial.However, they are still true.If you have been fortunate to be part of an organization that was in one of those wonderful upward spirals that also involved a phenomenal team that was unified and happy, well, you know that working in such a positive environment is wonderfully different than working in an organization going through downward spiral with a demoralized team.What can be most interesting is that when the phenomenal team that experienced the upward cycle runs into a rough patch, they seem to stick together and avoid letting the rough patch develop into a crushing storm.
Positive Organizational Scholarship
This is definitely a scholarly book.It's a difficult read for the lay audience, but if you are willing to "weave your way through an academic writing style," the information is excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Leadership    5. Management Science    6. Organization Theory    7. Organizational Behavior    8. Organizational effectiveness    9. Organizational learning    10. Occupational & industrial psychology    11. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Organizational Behavior    6. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    7. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Editorial Review

From the time our ancestors lived in caves to that day in the late '80s when Chrysler sanctioned unofficial "tech clubs" to promote the flow of information between teams working on different vehicle platforms, bands of like-minded individuals had been gathering in a wide variety of settings to recount their experiences and share their expertise. Few paid much attention until a number of possible benefits to business were identified, but many are watching more closely now that definitive links have been established. In Read more

Reviews (21)

Excellent seminal material
It is an esential book for organization leaders, since it points out the main issues that impact on performace, based on the true social knitting of communities.
Making it happen
I have a great interest in how organizations, particularly those with Christian leadership, work and how they respond to change. This book is rich with the stuff that will help organizations develop in a globalized society. I asked many questions as I read the book. For example, "How does YWAM's Student Mobilization Centre, as a growing network of ministries internationally, develop community and create truly life changing learning spaces for students and leaders who participate in our ministries?"
A good book but not for everyone
The authors have done an impressive work collecting best practices from industries.The book is a good textbook for all KM and OD practitioners to consider in learning about CoP.However, as one of the reviewers have noted, it does not tell you the steps in nurturing a CoP since human behaviours differ among (as well as WITHIN) organisations.The book does however provide a clear definition of how a working CoP would look like.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    3. Information Management    4. Knowledge management    5. Organizational learning    6. Philosophy    7. Reference    8. Strategic Planning    9. Management decision making   

Reviews (3)

From Someone who has 'Been There, Done That'
Sub-Title: Approaches and Technologies to Enhance Organizational Knowledge, Learning, and Performance
Rich with details
Marc has taken the time to explain through examples what we need to know to make wise decisions about E-Learning.I walked away with ideas and guidelines I can use immediately.

Essential reading for managers of smart enterprises
Once again, Marc Rosenberg shows us the way to really transform our organizations into efficient, effective knowledge-centered enterprises.He warns that e-Learning, like training in general, is often done the wrong way, for the wrong reasons.He busts myths right and left (the section on "the myths of e-Learning" alone is worth the purchase price!), and steadfastly refuses to be swept along by fads, technologies -- or even traditions of training.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Computer-assisted instruction    5. Educational Software    6. Organizational learning    7. Training    8. Web-based instruction    9. Applications of Computing    10. Business & Economics / Training    11. Personnel & human resources management   

Reviews (1)

For your thesis work.
A bit complex in the beginning but it covers a lot of material. A complete guide to the three main methodologies. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Cost effectiveness    5. General    6. History    7. History: World    8. Management Science    9. Managerial economics    10. Methodology    11. Organizational learning    12. Reference - General    13. Research    14. Business & Economics / Reference    15. Business & Economics-Management Science    16. Business strategy    17. History / General    18. Reference-Research   

Reviews (7)

The views of a sage
I don't know what posessed me to pick up this book at the library.I'm not an avid reader and I was doing research on an unrelated topic.I suppose the title just grabbed me and I needed a break from my regular study.When I started reading this book, however, I didn't want to put it down.At age 39, I'm only just beginning to appreciate the wisdom 50+ years develops in some people. So when I started reading this very easy-to-read book, filled with "smart" humor and just the right amount of antedotal support, I was just soaking in everything I could.Maybe you have to be older to appreciate this book...but wouldn't it be great if you were smart enough to learn from it much younger....

Interesting ruminations on ramanagement
The book centers on a key concept - we victimize ourselves.Work is a political place, but most of the time, we see problems coming.If someone stabs us in the back, usually we get a warning, but are complicit by not assertively contacting the person doing us in.This idea of defeating poor office behavior through open and honest discussion is developed in depth throughout the book.
Only for those who think...
Jerry Harvey is great. The Abiline Paradox was wonderfully insightful and helpful and this one is also wonderful. His insights into spirituality, morality and human psychology are profound and helpful. This book is easy to read, it is fun and funny, but it is not a cookbook that tells you to do A, B, and C. It just helps you think deeply. If you want a cookbook there are a thousand books out there, I'm tired of them. Even the title of this book is thought provoking as is the rest of the book. Think for a change! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - Inspirational    4. Business/Economics    5. Communication in organizations    6. Entrepreneurship    7. Leadership    8. Leadership In Business    9. Management - General    10. Organization Theory    11. Organizational behavior    12. Organizational learning    13. Business & Economics / Leadership    14. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (2)

"Action inquiry" is the process of transformational learning
Action Inquiry offers a fresh approach to helping individuals and organizations learn in the midst of the cut and thrust of daily action. Bill Torbert and Associates detail a highly accessible process for transforming power into action. Through real-life examples, they illustrate how action inquiry increases personal integrity, relational mutuality, company profitability, and long-term organizational and environmental sustainability.

The Art and Science of Transformational Leadership
Does everyone in your organization do the best they can, as they see it, yet the organization still fails to achieve its desired results?Action Inquiry shows why this often happens and how to convert this seeming paradox into a transformational change, taking everyone and the organization to the next level of performance.
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Subjects:  1. Active learning    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Communication in organizations    6. Experiential learning    7. Leadership    8. Leadership In Business    9. Management - General    10. Organization Theory    11. Organizational learning    12. Management & management techniques   

Editorial Review

Responding to the familiar observation that what you don't know can and will hurt you, American Productivity and Quality Center leaders Carla O'Dell and C. Jackson Grayson Jr. have countered with a contention that the "hidden reservoirs of intelligence that exist in almost every organization" can, with work, be efficiently tapped "to create customer value, operational excellence, and product innovation--all the while increasing profits and effectiveness." Read more

Reviews (14)

Useful introduction to KM
KM was a vague and fuzzy terminology for me, before i read this book.We had a KM subject as a part of the IT management course inGraduation and this book was suggested as a good reference to get insight and understanding.I found this book useful in giving a clear picture on KM - the concept underlying KM, the way to approach it, implementation methods, challenges, common pitfalls, lot of practical examples, success stories - all of this is covered.Another salient aspect is, the book is very easy to read - it doesn't thrown in too much of jargon or heavy-duty management stuff. This can be an easy read for anybody(the casual reader, the management junkie, student etc).
Solid Theory, But More Execution Tasks Needed
This book focuses on making the case for a knowledge management system.If you're already convinced and need specific, measurable steps, try a different book.

Very Relevant and Excellent Read
This book provides a terrific introduction to knowledge management and so much more.The authors have gone well beyond the theoretical treatment that most have provided on the subject and provide real world examples and processes for implementing knowledge management in your own company. The authors did not spend much time talking about applications that support KM, since the market is still growing, instead they touch upon the concepts that the software applications address. Although it was written in late 1998, the information presented is very timely and still accurate.Read more

Subjects:  1. Benchmarking (Management)    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business Communication - General    5. Business/Economics    6. Communication in organizations    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Knowledge management    9. Management - General    10. Organization Development    11. Organizational learning    12. Personnel management    13. Business & Economics / Management Science    14. Management decision making   

Reviews (2)

Highly recommended take on connecting training and implementation
In many companies, employees run from one training seminar to the next. That's because executives hire high-powered consultants who recommend training programs to improve performance and bolster profits. However, without the proper philosophical approach and practical execution, training can have negligible bottom-line results and the only one who really profits is the consultant. More than 10 years ago, author Don Kirkpatrick wrote a groundbreaking book on the "four levels" of training evaluation. This time, Kirkpatrick and his son, James, have collaborated on a book that will help any company maximize the results of its training program. If writing big checks to consultants for minimal results is your idea of fun, don't read any further. But if, like most executives, you believe in getting a healthy return on your training investment, we highly recommend this concrete approach.

MAKING TRAINING STRATEGIC AND PIVOTAL TO PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT.
This book shows how to make training a key player in achieving organizational improvement and business success. It operationalizes a previous publication by the authors, "Evaluating Training Programs" (new edition available from Berrett-Koehler), which set forth a Four Level Model for evaluation. The model consists of: 1. reaction of trainees; 2. extent to which learning has occurred; 3. extent to which behavior has changed as an outcome of the program; and 4. extent to which organizational performance results have been effective in operational and business terms (e.g., improvements in quality, productivity, retention, efficiency, growth, and profitability). The current work recommends that training professionals think in strategic terms by starting with the level 4, working in collaboration with line managers to determine business and organizational outcomes that are desired. Then, work backwards, defining the behaviors that are needed to achieve targeted goals (level 3) followed by identifying the knowledge, skills and attitudes targeted employees require to behave (perform) accordingly (level 2), and finally, (level 1) how to get people to come and be receptive to change. The book recasts training in the strategic organizational/business role of improving, growing, and making the enterprise more successful. The book is filled with to-the-point principles, guidelines, ideas and insights. A vast number of subjects are addressed, such as a learning culture and reward reinforcement.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Employee Training And Development    5. Organizational Behavior    6. Organizational Behavior In Business    7. Training    8. Study & learning skills   

Reviews (2)

Some good information but not great writing
I have mixed feelings about this book. All You Need to Know about Work Based Learning
I enjoyed the book immensely for a variety of reasons. Among the reasons: it filled in my own understanding of Work Based Learning; it combines a nice balance between theory and practice; and, the organization of the bookwas excellent. Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Employee Training And Development    5. Employees    6. Executives    7. General    8. Human Resources & Personnel Management    9. Leadership    10. Management - General    11. Organizational learning    12. Training of    13. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    14. Management & management techniques    15. Personnel & human resources management    16. Social work   

Reviews (2)

Good, plus the Beitler book.
Burke does another fine job with this book. In addition, I recommend "Strategic Organizational Change" by Michael Beitler.

The soul of OD
To me, this book represents the soul of OD. It defines for the practitionaire what it means to be an OD consultant, its values and consequently, the type of interventions we choose to use. A must buy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Management - General    6. Organization Development    7. Organizational change    8. Skills    9. Structural Adjustment    10. Business & Economics / Skills    11. Management & management techniques    12. Ownership & organization of enterprises   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (2)

Tough and Generally Uninformative Reading
I read "On Organizational Learning" based on a good reference from another author that I did like, James Tingstad in "Good Technical Management Practices". However, Mr. Tingstad led me astray. This bookis tough and generally uninformative reading. There are 27 chapters in"On Organizational Learning", and I read eight that I thoughtwould be most useful to me - based on my rankings, there was one 3-starchapter, two 2-star chapters, and five 1-star chapters. It does not getmuch worse than that. Into the circular file it goes. A collection of essays from a master
A collection of essays, articles, and chapter length contributions to other books.Readers new to Argyris might wish to start with "Knowledge for Action:A Guide for Overcoming Barriers to Organizational Change". "On Organizational Learning"expands and deepenswhat you will learn in "Knowledge for Action".The bottom line is thatArgyris's work is as highly respected as the name is hard to spell.I give this book a 9 instead of a 10 only because of the academic style of the writing,the content is outstanding. - Cortlandt Wilson, Software Consultan ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Management - General    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational change    8. Organizational effectiveness    9. Organizational learning    10. Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior    11. Organizational theory & behaviour    12. Personnel & human resources management   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Employees    5. Employer-supported education    6. Human Resources & Personnel Management    7. Management - General    8. Organizational Behavior    9. Organizational learning    10. Training of    11. Higher & further education    12. Industrial or vocational training   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Information Management    5. Intellectual capital    6. Knowledge management    7. Management - General    8. Organizational learning    9. Strategic Planning    10. Business strategy   

Reviews (8)

Engaging Hearts - Earning Commitment
In "Squirrel Inc.: A Fable of Leadership through Storytelling" Stephen Denning describes, in the spirit of a fable about squirrels leading change at Squirrel, Inc., how to use stories to engage constituents and earn their commitment to change.
A Humorous Delivery of Leadership Storytelling
This book has only two problems that keep it from being a masterpiece:
Nuts R Us
Think about it. Who are among the greatest storytellers throughout history? My own list includes Homer, Plato, Chaucer, Aesop, Jesus, Dante, Boccaccio, the Brothers Grimm, Confucius, Abraham Lincoln, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Joel Chandler Harris, L. Frank Baum, and most recently, E.B. White. Whatever the genre (epic, parable, fable, allegory, anecdote, etc.), each used exposition, description, and narration to illustrate what they considered to be fundamental truths about the human condition.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Communication in organizations    5. Leadership    6. Leadership In Business    7. Organizational change    8. Organizational learning    9. Storytelling    10. Business & Economics / Leadership    11. Business & Management   

Reviews (2)

Insightful!
Okay, so you already know that everyone in your organization needs to be learning new skills and tactics all the time. If you wonder just how to accomplish that, on top of everything else you're doing, turn to Michael J. Marquardt's Building the Learning Organization for step by step guidance. Human resource professor Marquardt introduces the internal systems you need forstructured, company-wide learning. In his professorial way, he runs through its dimensions, principles, practices and ideals in detail (all you ever wanted to know and perhaps just a bit more). He provides an instructive general framework, guidelines and sixteen steps to follow in creating a learning organization. He's a man with a plan, system by system, complete with charts, models, principles and subsystems. This tool box for implementation leaves the theoretical reader out of the loop, but we from getAbstract confirm that if you want something you can put into action as an executive, manager or human resource chief, here's your hands-on manual.

Best book on the foundations of a learning organization!
This is a highly practical book with lots of specific principles and steps for building a learning organization.Also several excellent examples of learning organizations from around the world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Management - General    7. Organizational learning    8. Business & Economics / Management    9. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (3)

Practical and Tactical
Written for Training Professionals, this book will help you to launch a corporate university, run it like a business using appropriate financial models, use the corporate university to strategically advance your organization, deploy effective technological resources and measure the ROI of corporate university activities.In the world of Training and Development, this book is thorough, well organized and insightful.This book is written for a general audience and supplies a thorough overview of the subject.Allen knows that corporate leaders want to know what impact corporate universities will have on the bottom line, and what value the corporate university adds to the organization. Creating this link between learning and results, requires managers to identify their problems and needs, analyze employee performance, determine performance drivers, and then create corporate university programs that can directly improve identified problems and meet specific needs.The Corporate University Handbook provides practical guidance and proven best practices.

Put this one on your required reading list.
Published in 2002, The Corporate University Handbook is now considered required reading for anyone who has been charged with establishing or administering a corporate university. Edited by Mark Allen, the handbook features the latest thinking from leading practitioners concerning best practices for establishing and administering a successful 21st century corporate university. No matter how overloaded your bookcase is, throw something out to make room for this invaluable "how to" handbook.

Highly Recommended!
Once upon a time in the halls of academia, being a college graduate was enough. But now, corporations need their employees to have a more intense, ongoing academic and technical education, so they provide it themselves via corporate universities. Mark Allen and other experts from ten corporate universities, academic institutions and consultancies contributed chapters to The Corporate University Handbook, a practical, behind-the-scenes manual about designing and managing a corporate university. The goal goes beyond education: corporate universities must train employees and help corporations excel and prosper. This thorough, yet conversational, examination includes best practices, source notes and programs offered by specific companies including Motorola, Toyota, Sun Microsystems and Charles Schwab, in the U.S. and elsewhere. We from getAbstract assign this insightful book as an authoritative homework seminar for corporate university planners or managers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Employees    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Handbooks & Manuals    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Management - General    9. Organizational learning    10. Training of    11. Management & management techniques    12. Personnel & human resources management   

Reviews (4)

Very helpful overview of the Future Search Process
I found this book easy to follow and easy to understand. If you want to understand Future Search as a large group strategy, this book will be very helpful. By the time I finished the book, and it is a fast read, I felt that I had a strong understanding of Future Search and when it is to be applied.

A Solid Effort!
In this book, Marvin R. Weisbord and Sandra Janoff describe a three-day program to help organizations develop a future plan. Their conference is designed to unite groups of people from different areas of an organization so they can create a program together that they all support. Typically, the conference includes 50 to 70 people who review the past, explore the present environment, create future scenarios, identify common ground and make action plans. The program encourages dialogue and working together as peers. Search No More
No need to go any further. This the THE book to read if you are involved in planning or facilitating a future search. The authors anticipated all my questions and answered them in a clear, concise manner. The book is an excellent manual for anyone responsible for conducting future searches.Don't leave the present without it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Active learning    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business Communication - General    5. Business Communication - Meetings & Presentations    6. Business/Economics    7. Careers - General    8. Congresses and conventions    9. Methodology    10. Negotiating    11. Organizational Behavior    12. Planning    13. Social Interaction    14. Social Organization    15. Social action    16. Business communication & presentation    17. Business mathematics & systems    18. Business negotiation    19. Personnel & human resources management   

Reviews (4)

A disapointing book - Decepcionante.
I must confess that this has been one of the borest books I have ever read. Padded out with plenty of trivial ideas and lacking with something new. On the good side, it�s an overview over most of the topics in competitor analysis but really heavy going to go through.

Comprehensive
This is by far the best book of its kind in that it provides a wealth of material on aspects of competitors and competition. Fahey's analytical methods are unique, and based on years and years of teaching and consulting. This one is both meatier and has better flow than some of his edited books or the Portable MBA edited volumes he has co-written. In reality, if this book is any indication, I'd like to see Fahey sole author more books.