Transforming Organizations

This book examines how organizations can, and should, transform their practices to compete in a world economy. Research results from a multi-disciplinary team of MIT researchers, along with the experiences and insights of a select group of industry practitioners, are integrated into a model that stresses the need for systemic and transformative rather than piecemeal or incremental changes in organization practices and public policy. This integration of research and experience results in an argument for a new organizational learning model--one capable of gaining advantage from employee diversity, cooperation across organizational boundaries, strategic restructuring, and advanced technology. The book begins with a foreword by Lester C. Thurow.

Achieving true change and innovation depends on our ability to re-imagine and re-author the futures we want our organizations to have – and to open new perspectives and new ways of thinking, being and doing in the process. Narrative approaches and storytelling are powerful tools that can help us create a new future for branding and marketing, change, leadership, organizational learning and development. Gathering contributions by scholars and practitioners from various disciplines, this book provides a unique overview of an emerging field of practice in organizations and communities. Rooted in a narrative conceptual framework, the respective papers describe a broad range of trans-disciplinary applications, tools and methods for effectively working with stories.

In a world where current political climates and management cultures make risk aversion commonplace, Transforming Organizations shows how all organizations, including large and cumbersome institutions, can transform to suit the needs of our rapidly evolving economic and social realities. This book looks at how organizations and their leaders can adapt to an increasingly volatile and uncertain operating environment through the 4Cs: Creativity Critical reflection Communication Collaboration Based on extensive research in the education, organizational and business sectors, Michael Anderson and Miranda Jefferson show how the 4Cs can be embedded, embodied and enacted in many different types of organizations to make them more responsive to emerging challenges, threats and opportunities. Transforming Organizations highlights clear links between leading and learning – because leadership is no longer (if it ever was) just a role for CEOs, CFOs and senior managers. For organizations to be flexible and agile in the 21st century, all employees must have the opportunity to exercise leadership. But this can only happen if deep learning is a standard feature of a leadership approach that actively and deliberately incorporates key 21st-century skills – the 4Cs themselves. There is a substantial gap between companies knowing what they should do to be flexible, creative and have clear channels of communication, and how to make that a reality. Transforming Organizations provides the evidence and inspiration necessary for doing business differently. Written for those who have become disillusioned or frustrated with business practices that cannot meet the fast-moving demands of the 21st century, the book provides strategies and approaches developed from the authors' work in real organizations in order to implement change and see organizations transform for the better.

Seven Common Questions that Define Organizational Transformations Why does an organization need to transform? What is a transformation? What challenges does a transformation create? How can you respond to the transformation and its challenges? What are your leadership roles in a transformation? What principles can help guide your strategic thinking? What is a systematic process to manage your transformation strategy? Pursuing excellence while doing more with less is a common theme driving organizational transformations. So, how do you make this work? You need a framework and a roadmap for transforming organizations to a higher level of performance. Transforming Organizations: Strategies and Methods supplies this framework, addressing the seven common questions related to an organizational transformation. Based on lessons learned during the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) transformation from 1995 to 2003, the book does not provide silver bullet methods, but rather an understanding of what did and did not work. It then explores how to apply that understanding to the transformation of virtually any organization. The author addresses common transformation questions and provides a summary of lessons learned from KSC. He explores in detail how to deal with a transformation and concludes by connecting the dots into a holistic model that demonstrates how all of the information comes together to meet one common goal. This information can then be used to develop strategies and methods for an organization’s unique transformation.

This book offers leaders an approach to systemically affect change and create cultures of excellence where staff work together to change the way they view their work. Based on well-known quality concepts, readers will discover the essential concepts and actions that have the power to transform every system.

This book examines how organizations can, and should, transform their practices to compete in a world economy. Research results from a multi-disciplinary team of MIT researchers, along with the experiences and insights of a select group of industry practitioners, are integrated into a model that stresses the need for systemic and transformative rather than piecemeal or incremental changes in organization practices and public policy. This integration of research and experience results in an argument for a new organizational learning model--one capable of gaining advantage from employee diversity, cooperation across organizational boundaries, strategic restructuring, and advanced technology. The book begins with a foreword by Lester C. Thurow.

The doldrums of inertia -- Leading for robust discovery -- Leading for focused delivery -- Conclusion : pragmatic leadership and the couch-potato organization

A collection of Organizational Transformation readings. The editor has captured the emerging practice of OT in the words of the practioners. The 18 chapters in the book are divided into four parts. Part I provides a rationale for developing the field of OT and contains some preliminary frameworks for its practice. In Part II, the crucial role of the leader in transforming organizations is explored. Next, Part III discusses the facilitation of transformation in organizations and provides frameworks for the OT practitioner. Part IV provides a sampler of OT technologies, to give the reader a taste of what to expect as OT develops over the next few years.