Navigating Through Changing Times

Complexity theory including the concepts of chaos and emergence has been considered one of the most revolutionary products of the 20th century having influence on science, technology and economics among others. Any complex systems, such as organisms, societies, stock market or the Internet, have emergent properties that cannot be reduced to the mere properties of their parts. The theory has been used in organizational studies and strategic management where it offers an alternative way to look at organizations. The theory rejects the idea of organizations seen as machines and a planned approach to organizational change. Instead, the theory underlines understanding on how organizations adapt to their environments. Complexity theory suggests that organizations tend to self-organize themselves to a state where they regulate themselves. Complexity theory would advocate for approaches that focus on flatter, more flexible organizations. It shifts focus from management control to self-organization and individual interrelations between different people. The aim of Navigating through Changing Times: Knowledge Work in Complex Environment is to give insights on how complexity has changed the environment of many business organizations. The book aims at identifying and discussing special features of business organizations performing knowledge work in a knowledge-oriented economy. Navigating through Changing Times: Knowledge Work in Complex Environment will be vital reading for those scholar and researchers in the fields of knowledge and wisdom management as well as organizational behavior and communication, HRM, strategy, culture, change and development and other related disciplines.

Navigating through Change is one of the few books that addresses both the operational and the human needs of an organization undergoing change. On the operational level, author Harry Woodward offers a complete strategic planner for setting goals - and meeting them - within a chaotic change environment. On the human side, he outlines the specific skills and sensitivity needed to gain the trust of employees, encourage innovation and teamwork, and replace uncertainty with motivation. Navigating through Change is based on the author's 15 years of experience in a variety of change environments, where he observed first-hand the management skills that facilitate a successful change. Navigating through Change is an important handbook for managers, human resource professionals, trainers, and others who must balance organizational needs, employee needs, and their own needs in the face of dramatic change.

Navigating through time takes you on an introspective journey to explore the core tenets of philosophy and the nature of being, so that one can look in the mirror and ask the question “who are you really”? What makes up your thoughts, your actions, your character and are you happy. Who do you want to be? Where do you want to go? Although some of us can spend a lifetime exploring, the ultimate answer lies in the heart of the seeker. Wisdom and philosophy are intricately linked because both can occupy your mind with the nature of things and more importantly help you set a course to either find or create your place in this world. Wisdom is the purest form of reasoning laced with reflection. Through wisdom you learn how to dance with all the rhythm and agility one would need in order to avoid life’s difficulties. Some of us get lucky and inherit wisdom but for others it has to be developed. In either case wisdom can be both contagious and transformative giving an opportunity to become a better version of ourselves. Faith is another important element when discussing self-discovery, the most common definition I have heard of faith is the evidence of things unseen. Although an important ingredient, faith is not limited to religion, but rather encompasses one’s trust, values and touches the very nature of our existence. Faith is the invisible thread that weaves through our lives connecting our dreams, our values and our actions. Faith gives us a chance to connect with the intensity and the resilience of the human spirit. In this book we explore finances through the lens of understanding the connections between our financial decisions and the quality of life that we want. We also navigate into discussions revolving around the impact of lifelong relationships and how important it is to be good to those around us. Each day presents an opportunity to exercise your wisdom, faith master your finances, and tell your story. I am grateful to serve you in this journey to find greater purpose and fulfillment.

According to Sandra Ingerman and thousands of years of shamans before her, it is not what we do but who we are and what we are willing to become that affects our happiness, the health of our communities, and ultimately the planet itself. The Shaman's Toolkit teaches us how to root out the beliefs that are limiting us, how to heal our inner lives and become the people we most want to be, and how to utilize ancient shamanic principles of manifestation to help shape the world we want to live in. This is shamanism with a kind of social change agenda. It's about having the happiest and most fulfilling life possible and becoming a truly effective world citizen and change maker. (This book was originally published in 2010 as How to Thrive in Changing Times.)

Many times, the police are the first to respond to an individual in crisis; even those involving mentally ill. While we see evidence of positive change, there are still shortcomings when it comes to criminal justice response in the behavioral health system. There is a lack of access, availability, continuity, coordination, and responsiveness. But we see accomplishments to changes in attitudes and behaviors, through such programs like Crisis Intervention Specialist Training, CIT Training and Mental Health First Aid which have been well received. Changing Times: Transforming Culture and Behaviors for Law Enforcement proposes a shift to divert those in a behavioral health crisis away from incarceration and into treatment, as well as invites Law Enforcement intervention away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. The authors successfully blend the theoretical with hands-on experience throughout the book, enabling the reader to understand the influences of Law Enforcement’s tradition and other forces that drive attitudes, culture and behavior and how to bring change. The additional and difficult task ahead is to bring about systemic change in culture and a concurrent change in attitudes and behaviors. Changing Times proves to be the reliable and accessible reference for those intent on bringing change to the vital effort of diversion.

This book provides an analysis of the impact of disruptive environments on education and closely examines national and international research-based literature on how educational systems in a number of countries are successfully transforming educational delivery processes to better prepare students for an increasingly disrupted world.

The 1492 Christopher Columbus stumbled upon these shores in his search for a route to the spice islands of the far East. Since then different waves of immigrants have followed suite from other parts of the world and for different reasons. Each generation of immigrants has had its own share of encounters with the landscape, climate and peoples. Navigating America's Contradictions is a travelogue of an immigrant from Cameroon in Africa, a modest attempt to explore some aspects of life in America after September 11, meeting people, trying to bridge the digital divide and looking for employment. The author compares experiences in today's America with past experiences both here and in his native Cameroon, drawing similarities, highlighting differences and attempting to dig below the surface for an explanation of some of the observations.

Jack Mezirow, a leader in education theory, suggests that all transformative learning begins with a 'disorienting dilemma': an idea or experience that challenges or shifts fundamental values and assumptions. Gary Nelson and Peter Dickens, pastors and teachers with vast experience working with congregations and organizations, believe it is time for Christian leaders to be 'disoriented,' for the fundamental values and assumptions of Christian leadership to be reframed and broken down so they can see the leadership task in new ways. Blending current literature from both Christian and secular scholarship with individual and organizational examples, Leading in DisOrienting Times provides support for the concept of servant leadership that may be initially disorienting, but is ultimately liberating.