Authors: Etienne C. Wenger. William Snyder. Jeffrey Pfeffer. Robert Sutton. John Seely Brown.
Paperback, 201 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Publication Date: 2001-06-15
Edition: 1st

Reviews :

    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" 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....

Authors: Nancy M. Dixon.
Hardcover, 188 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Publication Date: 2000-03
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Breakthrough research on knowledge transfer reveals five proven methods for making knowledge sharing a reality - which are right for your company? While external knowledge - about customers, about competitors - is critical, it rarely provides a competitive edge for companies because such information is equally available to everyone. But internal 'know-how' that is unique to a specific company - how to introduce a new drug into the diabetes market, how to decrease assembly time in an automobile plant - is the stuff of which sustained competitive advantage is made. Nancy Dixon, an expert in the field of organizational learning, calls this knowledge borne of experience 'common knowledge', and argues that in order to get beyond talking about knowledge management to actually doing it, companies must first recognize that all knowledge is not created - and therefore can't be shared - equally. Creating successful knowledge transfer systems, Dixon argues, requires matching the type of knowledge to be shared to the method best suited for transferring it effectively. Based on an in-depth study of several organizations - including Ernst & Young, Bechtel, Ford, Chevron, British Petroleum, Texas Instruments, and the U.S. Army - that are leading the field in successful knowledge transfer, "Common Knowledge" reveals groundbreaking insights into how organizational knowledge is created, how it can be effectively shared - and why transfer systems work when they do. Until now, most organizations have had to rely on costly 'trial and error' to find a knowledge transfer system that works for them. Dixon helps managers take the guesswork out of this process by outlining three criteria that must be considered in order to determine how a transfer method will work in a specific situation: the type of knowledge to be transferred, the nature of the task, and who the receiver of that knowledge will be. Drawing from the successful - but very different - practices of the companies in her study and providing compelling illustrative stories based on the experiences of real managers, Dixon distills five distinct categories of knowledge transfer, explains the principles that make each of them work, and helps managers determine which of these systems would be most effective in their own organizations. "Common Knowledge" gets to the heart of one of the most difficult questions in knowledge transfer today: what makes a system work effectively in one organization but fail miserably in another? Going beyond 'one-size-fits-all' approaches and simple generalities like upper management involvement and cultural issues, this important book will help organizations of every kind construct knowledge transfer systems tailored to their unique forms of 'common knowledge' - and in the process create the best kind of competitive advantage there is: the kind that can't be copied....

Authors: Sara J. Moulton Reger.
Hardcover, 304 pages
Publisher: IBM Press
Publication Date: 2006-04-06
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    "This is the book for people who never get past page two of a management book--it is as close as the genre comes to being a compulsive page turner. Its main thesis is built on at least three big ideas that are individually persuasive and cumulatively compelling. They naturally fit into an alignment tool that is applied to the range of day-to-day and exceptional challenges all enterprises face, including the Holy Grail of transformational change." --Donald Macrae, general counsel and chief knowledge officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, England "Having been in the business of cultural transformation and alignment for many years, I've carefully looked for a thoughtful strategy and an intentional approach to bringing about healthy and thriving cultures. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? is simply the best--it is the most thoughtful and practical work I've seen in this growing and critical area. This is a must buy!" --Dr. Ron Jenson, Future Achievement International, international author, speaker, and consulting and executive coach "Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? is a superb account of how to manage the 'soft side' of mergers and acquisitions, but it has great value for managing many other new business practices as well, such as Open Innovation. It provides a powerful, practical method to identify conflicts, develop alignment, and achieve effective coordination between two parties that would be tremendously helpful in a variety of collaborative contexts, such as alliances, research partnerships, or joint ventures. Moulton Reger and her colleagues at IBM should be congratulated for a thoughtful, insightful book." --Henry Chesbrough, professor at University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business, author of Open Innovation "Numbers are neat and clean. Human beings are often messy and complex. If everyone in your organization knew what to do and when, how, where, and--most importantly--why to do it, how would your organizational culture be defined? The authors of Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? have introduced new ways to proactively address culture and, most importantly, tie it to bottom-line benefits." --James H. Amos, Jr., chairman emeritus, MBE/The UPS Store "This book is a must read for leaders hoping to change their organization's culture as well as those attempting to merge firms with uniquely different cultures. Moulton Reger's insights are grounded in theory and real-world experience.In this unique book, culture change is a complex concept broken down into bite-sized pieces and presented in a way that any leadership team can embrace at its own pace. " --Merrill J. Oster, author of Vision Driven Leadership, founder Oster Communications, Inc. "Here at last is a business book that takes culture seriously and isn't intimidated by it. The method described can be used with practically any type of business problem in any industry, and the book does an excellent job of drawing on research and theory while keeping the focus practical. The three elements of Outcome Narratives, Right vs. Right, and Business Practices are significant ideas in their own right--each is a unique insight. All three ideas have been around in various guises for several years, but have not been as well crystallized or as focused on complex business problems as they are in this book. The authors' achievement is extraordinary and goes a long way toward making the juicy idea of culture something to be built on and worked with." --Peter Vaill, professor, Antioch University "The Achilles heel for any major organizational change is that organization's culture.In every change, consultants talk about culture, but few provide specific sequential steps designed to actually do anything about it. This book provides such steps, and provides them in ways that makes sense. 'Makes sense' is the key because the steps provided can be easily adapted to virtually any organization, large or small." --George Falldine, Air Force civil servant, Air Force Materiel Command "Sara Moulton Reger is one of the premier organizational design consultants in the country, and this book reflects her in-depth knowledge of and experience with the subject matter. This book is essential reading for those striving to achieve greater results from ongoing change initiatives. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? contains a broad range of concepts, examples, and specific steps culled from Moulton Reger's direct experience. Such a complete presentation of strategic and tactical advice makes Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? a mandatory addition to every manager's bookshelf."--Steven Bragg, CPA, author of twenty-eight business books, CFO of Premier Data Services "This is a serious book that gives intelligent guidance to anyone who leads an organization and takes creating and managing culture seriously. The section on Outcome Narratives is the best 'how to' on casting a unifying vision that I have seen. If you're a leader and take your role in creating and managing corporate culture seriously, then you should read this book." --Regi Campbell, principal, Seedsower Investments, author of About my Father's Business "I don't read most 'culture change' books--waste of time. This book is different. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? combines both soft and hard approaches, with a continuous focus on how-to and results. Buy it. But, more importantly, read it." --Jack Grayson, founder and chairman, American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) "We used Right vs. Right to help integrate an important acquisition--one that brought many differences we needed to carefully leverage to achieve IBM's business objectives. I found it to be a powerful technique for quickly reconciling strategic views of the business model and different operating preferences.Now, a few months later, we have the business results--and employee satisfaction--to prove Right vs. Right works." --Jim Corgel, general manager, Small and Medium Business Services, IBM "Leaders wouldn't think about doing a major project without a plan and a project manager, but how many consider the cultural implications? This book fills a key void because it clarifies the topic of culture so that it is easier to understand, and includes examples for applying the framework to many types of situations, including business-to-business alliances and crossgeography teams." --Cindy Berger, vice president, American Express "There is no question that the biggest hurdle to achieving a successful merger is culture. Market opportunities may be staggering and synergies may seem perfect, but, without a cultural match, odds are the merged company will struggle. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? can help you avoid the problems. Even if you are not contemplating a merger, Moulton Reger's deep insight provides an excellent management primer and interesting historical perspective. A worthwhile read." --John R.Patrick, author of Net Attitude, president of Attitude LLC "This is an excellent book that provides a pragmatic approach to identifying and alleviating cultural issues created when two groups of people must work together. Effectively blending business cultures is a key requirement for successful outsourcing, and most companies lack the tools necessary to do this. Companies looking to reduce outsourcing risk should follow IBM's Tangible Culture approach." --Lance Travis, vice president, Outsourcing Strategies, AMR Research "This book will help leaders and cultural-change practitioners take a practical, well-architected approach to creating the culture they need to support their strategies. Thanks, IBM, for sharing what you have learned from your own transformation." --Valerie Norton, vice president, Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness, Merck & Co., Inc. "Based on IBM's own experience with organizational transformation and mergers, this book belongs on the reading list of any executive contemplating major changes to their business."-- Peter Richerson, professor, University of California Davis -- "Finally, a book that goes beyond just declaring 'it's the culture change' and gets to a real recount of why and how to move on that need. This is a practical approach for senior leaders in large corporations and government to address the most pressing issues in modern business life!" --Kenneth I. Percell, executive director, Warner Robins Air Logistic Center "I like the way the authors move the idea of organization culture from intangible (values) to tangible and practical. They offer that culture can be viewed and changed by examining and discussing what people do. Using the techniques described in Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? will demystify culture clash." --Lynda Aiman-Smith, Ph.D., North Carolina State University "A must read for leaders charged with planning and executing major change initiatives involving a single organization or multiple organizations. The book is original, thoughtful, thorough, and pragmatic. The elements of Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? and their interrelationships that work to drive successful change are particularly beneficial.The authors demonstrate a hands-on grasp of this important subject and the related literature. The material is presented in a concise, easy-to-understand format, with lots of tables, charts, and illustrations to help guide the reader." --Stephen W. Brown, Edward M. Carson chair in services marketing, professor and executive director, Center for Services Leadership, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University "Many have observed that mergers and acquisitions will fail to achieve their goals without proper attention to human and cultural factors, but few have shown us the way to manage these factors in any meaningful way. This book takes up that challenge and delivers a real solution by identifying business practices as the crucial element of 'culture' that can make or break a merger or acquisition, and by providing a hands-on methodology for managing and aligning differences across cultures." --Marietta Baba, dean of the College of Social Science, professor of Anthropology, Michigan State University "Sara Moulton Reger's application of Business Practices, Right-vs. Right, and Outcome Narratives to business transformati......

Authors: Graham Friend; Stefan Zehle. Graham Friend. Stefan Zehle.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: Bloomberg Press
Publication Date: 2004-02


Reviews :

    To get any new business idea off the ground you must have a plan--and if you need to raise funds to finance the business or get the approval of senior management, it must be a convincing plan. This guide covers every aspect of preparing a business plan including how to analyze the market, how to model the business and financial statements, and analysis of risk and the assessment of both the upside and potential downside, and the all-important executive summary--often the only part of a business plan that is read. Finally, "Guide to Business Planningshows how to use a business plan to help put your ideas into practice and how to monitor and measure the performance of the business. This newest title in The Economist series is critical for businesspeople who have an idea and need a plan....

Authors: Lynne Twist. David Whyte. Matthew Fox. Carol Orsborn. Keshavan Nair. Willis Harman. Barry Schieber. Margaret Wheatley. Myron Kellner-Rogers.
Paperback, 226 pages
Publisher: Hay House
Publication Date: 1997-12


Reviews :

    Helps you understand the psychology of the corporate structure and why corporations need to encourage "soul" in order to survive. ...

Authors: Tony Plummer.
Paperback, 400 pages
Publisher: Kogan Page
Publication Date: 2008-04-01
Edition: 5th

Reviews :

    ...

Authors: Watts S. Humphrey.
Paperback, 256 pages
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Publication Date: 2001-12-30


Reviews :

    In Winning With Software, the world's leading expert in software process improvement turns his attention to executives, demonstrating how to transform software development into a powerful competitive advantage -- and revealing the risks of inaction. Watts Humphrey begins by illuminating the central role of software development in virtually every organization -- technical and non-technical alike. He helps executives understand the "operational profile" of their current software development organizations; explains why software projects fail; demonstrates the bottom-line advantages of software quality; and more. Humphrey shows how to set realistic quality goals; explains how to change engineering behavior that leads to suboptimal results; and demonstrates how to build motivated teams. The book concludes with detailed primers on the Personal Software Process (PSP ) and Team Software Process (TSP ), Humphrey's breakthrough solutions for making software quality improvement succeed over the long haul. For all CxO-level executives, line-of-business managers, and IT managers....

Authors: John Adair.
Paperback, 110 pages
Publisher: Kogan Page
Publication Date: 2007-05-28
Edition: 2nd

Reviews :

    There are three forms of applied thinking that everyone needs: decision making, problem solving, and creative thinking. Decision Making and Problem Solving will help readers master the processes of practical thinking that lie behind effective decision making, problem solving, and creative thinking. Using checklists, exercises, and case studies, this book enables anyone to understand key concepts such as: how the mind works, the principles of effective thinking, how to develop a framework for decision making, how to use a simple model for making decisions and solving problems, how to sharpen up creative thinking skills, and how to develop your thinking skills in the future. An expert on management thinking, John Adair will help managers and leaders of all levels ensure that the best decisions are taken, that problems are solved in the optimum way, and that the creative ideas and innovations so necessary for tomorrow's business flow freely....

Authors: James A. Phills.
Hardcover, 272 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication Date: 2005-07-21


Reviews :

    Today's nonprofit organizations face an environment characterized by higher levels of competition for funding, clients and audiences, talent, and recognition. In addition, they confront greater pressures from donors, government, and the public to demonstrate efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and accountability, while intense social needs and problems, as well as the desire for growth, drive them to expand their programs and activities. Collectively, these challenges go to the heart of fundamental issues of mission and strategy. Integrating Mission and Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations applies and adapts the core body of general management knowledge about mission, strategy, and execution to help nonprofit leaders deal with the special challenges they face. It strives to draw on this knowledge in a way that does not dilute or oversimplify, and at the same time recognizes the unique features of the nonprofit or voluntary sector. James A. Phills develops an action-oriented framework that combines rigorous analysis with the practical challenge of execution and change. In addition to helping nonprofit leaders think through important decisions and make concrete choices, the book also provides a shared language and a discipline that can serve as the basis for more productive discussions between the individuals who lead nonprofits, the business executives who serve on their boards, and the philanthropists who support their organizations and programs. This last objective is critical, because too often nonprofit leaders and board members complain that they can't reap the benefits of the expertise of their supporters, funders, and volunteers from the business sector. Phills suggests that this is often the result of an inability to speak the same language and draw on a common understanding of key concepts, such as competition, strategy, and vision....

Authors: Arthur R. DeThomas Ph.D.. Lin Grensing-Pophal.
Paperback, 272 pages
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Edition: 2

Reviews :

    Creating a financing proposal, describing the business’s operations and goals, forecasting markets and sales, creating marketing and operating plans, obtaining financing from primary and secondary sources, and much more. This new edition also features a list of names and addresses of business and library resources, as well as web site addresses that are especially useful to small business owners. Titles in Barron's Business Library series are currently being revised and updated, and re-set in an attractive new paperback format. They are written especially for men and women starting a company or managing a small-to-medium-size business. Emphasis is on practical problem solving, and examples cited in these books are based on realistic business situations....