Time Chance And Organizations

"In this important and readable book, Kaufman develops a theory of organizational survival and demise that could fundamentally alter traditional explanations of organizational persistence and systems maintenance. Kaufman views randomness rather than rationality as the key factor in organizational survival. Kaufman has lifted the discourse on organizational behavior to a new level." – David H. Rosenbloom American University

A must-read in the wake of COVID-19, this book unpacks the nature of resilient organizations and how they prepare for unpredictable, complex, and profound change. Organizations that do not adapt and evolve die. To date, however, it has not been at all clear how to build a resilient organization. That puts us all in the unenviable position of trying to ready our organizations for an increasingly uncertain future without the proper guidance to do it. This book introduces 14 elements of resilience that consistently emerge in organizations that have thrived amid adversity and volatility. Resilience is not about determination, grit, cybersecurity, or teams of resilient individuals; resilience, it turns out, is often confused with robustness. Readers will discover how resilient organizations build and employ a distinctive combination of crews, capital, culture, and leadership—and, crucially—how to adapt these combinations for their own organization. Senior business leaders, consultants, entrepreneurs, students, and professionals will appreciate this book’s practical, approachable, and engaging guidance, including insights by leaders from Health Care for the Homeless, The Ohio State University, NBCUniversal, retail stores, and more.

This groundbreaking work provides a new and more accurate guide to the interactions of bureaucracies with other political institutions and the public at large."--Jacket.

EBOOK: INTRO TO ORGANIZATIONAL

In twelve essays, influential scholars in political science explore the meaning of political leadership from the kaleidoscopic perspectives of the leaders, institutions, goals, procedures, problems, and traditions involved. The approaches, as varied as the subject itself, coalesce around the central question of how leaders interact with, transform, or are controlled by the organizations they lead.

Government is under enormous pressure to change. Call it reinventing, reengineering, or plain old change, but the mandate remains the same: produce more with less, and satisfy the customer while doing it. Yet, successful reform must involve more than exhortation and slogans. Paul Light argues that a failure to pay attention to the thickening of government over the past half century may doom any reinventing effort. The federal government has never had so many leaders. There are more layers of management between the top and bottom of government, with more administrative units and occupants at each layer. Bill Clinton is further from the frontlines of government than any president in American history. If the past decades are any indication, he will exit a presidency that is even thicker. Light presents a revealing look at how thick the bureaucracy really is, how and why thickening occurs, what difference it might make, and what can be done to both reverse the process and keep the thickening from growing back. Light shows how the management layers between the top and bottom of government—between air traffic controllers and the Secretary of Transportation, food inspectors and the Secretary of Agriculture, and so on—have steadily increased. In 1960, for example, John F. Kennedy's senior-most appointments came in four layers: secretary, under secretary, assistant secretary, and deputy assistant secretary. By 1992, the number of layers had tripled. In the meantime, the number of occupants at each layer grew geometrically; the number of assistant secretaries jumped from 81 to 212. A government of managers means the president has very little direct access or control over what happens far below, a basic problem of accountability. Information gets distorted on the way up, and guidance gets lost on the way down. Thickening often creates so many bureaucratic baffles that no one can be held accountable for any decision; mid-level workers may have so many bosses that they effectively have none. Light concludes that practically nothing by way of quality management, service-government, or employee involvement can work with these towering government agencies. But practically nothing will fail if a radical "down- layering" is undertaken now.

CONFESSIONS OF A WOMAN AHEAD OF HER TIME Kim Campbell forged her own way in the rough-and-tumble world of Canadian politics, from her first election--to the Vancouver School Board--to her historic rise to Prime Minister of Canada. How did this hardworking, intensely shy woman become a political phenomenon who broke ground for a generation of women? In this candid, revealing memoir, Kim Campbell looks back on an exciting, often improbable career, at the challenges she met, the issues she tackled--from the David Milgaard case to the controversy over sexual orientation in the military, to Canada's role in the Gulf War--and the politicians who were her friends, her enemies, and sometimes both. A remarkable portrait of contemporary Canadian politics the way it really is, Time and Chance is also an important look at the unique experience of one woman in the political arena, the price Kim Campbell paid, and the rewards she reaped for her principles, her determination, and her achievements.

Examines and compares various forms of government in industrialized countries.