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Can Finance Save the World?: Regaining Power over Money to Serve the Common Good
by Bertrand BadréCan Finance Save the World?Regaining Power over Money to Serve the Common GoodJust as Thomas Piketty offered a sweeping critique and progressive reassessment of capitalism, former World Bank Group chief financial officer Bertrand Badré looks at the destructive role finance played in the global economic crisis of 2007–2008 and offers a bold prescription for making it a force for good. Badré says that finance is inherently neither good nor bad. It's just a tool—the most powerful tool on earth. Used correctly, it can be at the heart of the way we address many of the world's biggest problems, ranging from climate change to the eradication of poverty to building much-needed infrastructure. He describes innovations in financial tools and approaches that are already happening around the world and looks at the role regulation can play in channeling the power of finance in a positive direction. He details options for strengthening international cooperation for financial stability and prosperity and overcoming the blinkered nationalism currently on the rise. And he tells what is working and what needs to change in financing the sustainable development of the world. This book is rich with practical examples, some developed by Badré himself. For instance, he describes how at the World Bank he devised an innovative way to use insurance, a financial tool rarely considered in international development, to buttress fragile emerging economies against natural disasters and pandemics. Initiatives like these show that, as Badré writes, "when controlled and used intelligently, with benevolence and inventiveness, finance can accomplish great things."
A Complaint Is a Gift Workbook: 101 Activities, Exercises, and Tools to Learn from Critical Feedback and Recover Customer Loyalty
by Janelle Barlow Victoria HoltzBased on the bestselling A Complaint Is a Gift (over 275,000 copies sold), this accompanying workbook offers actionable tools that help individuals and organizations transform even the most extreme complaints into gifts that drive their business forward.A Complaint Is a Gift introduced the revolutionary notion that customer complaints are not annoyances to be dodged, denied, or buried but are instead valuable pieces of feedback-not to mention your best bargain in market research. Complaints provide a feedback mechanism that can help organizations rapidly and inexpensively strengthen products, service style, and market focus. Most importantly, complaints that are well received create customer loyalty.Built to be interactive and immersive, the workbook teaches a set of practices, approaches, and tools that anyone can use to navigate fraught customer-facing interactions. It allows readers to practice Janelle Barlow's updated, more efficient three-step formula and enables employees to handle complaints with increased emotional resilience rather than taking them as personal attacks. A Complaint Is a Gift Workbook is packed with the necessary tools to view and treat complaints as a source of innovative ideas that can transform your business.
The Seven Paths: Changing One's Way of Walking in the World
by Anasazi FoundationDiscover the Healing Power of the Wilderness People have moved away from Mother Earth, bringing heartache, pain, and other maladies of the modern age. The “self-help” movement claims to offer peace and fulfillment to individuals, but this solitary approach takes us only so far. Ultimately, it is in communion with our fellow beings and the natural world that we are made whole. We need to leave the path of Me and follow the path of We. This poetic, evocative story presents the meditations of an ancient Anasazi tribesman who rejects his family and sets off on a journey through the desert. He walks seven paths, each teaching a lesson symbolized by an element of the natural world: light, wind, water, stone, plants, animals, and, finally, the unity of all beings with the Creator. The Seven Paths reveals a source of wisdom, restoration, and renewal familiar to native people but lost to the rest of us, seven elements among nature that combine to mend human hearts.
Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet
by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin“The Earth is a mosque.” Muslims are compelled by their religion to praise the Creator and to care for their community. But what is not widely known is that there are deep and long-standing connections between Islamic teachings and environmentalism. In this groundbreaking book, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin draws on research, scripture, and interviews with Muslim Americans to trace Islam’s preoccupation with humankind’s collective role as stewards of the Earth. Abdul-Matin points out that the Prophet Muhammad declared that “the Earth is a mosque.” Deen means “path” or “way” in Arabic. Abdul-Matin offers dozens of examples of how Muslims can follow, and already are following, a Green Deen in four areas: “waste, watts (energy), water, and food.” At last, people of all beliefs can appreciate the gifts and contributions that Islam and Muslims bring to the environmental movement. “Ibrahim Abdul-Matin not only shows the myriad ways American Muslims are contributing to the resolution of the environmental crisis that threatens us all but also goes a long way toward humanizing the Muslim community by sharing with the reader the lives of so many extraordinary, talented, and visionary people.” —Imam Zaid Shakir, Zaytuna College, Berkeley, California. “Ibrahim blends his passion for a green economy, his love and understanding of faith, and a deep commitment to justice in this book.” —Van Jones, founder, Green for All. “At a moment when distortions of Islam are what feed most Americans, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin has done something both practical and inspiring. He persuades us that the imperiled environment is both common struggle and common ground for people who share, it turns out, more than simply God.” —John Hockenberry, Emmy-award-winning journalist, author of Moving Violations, and host of National Public Radio’s The Takeaway.
Federal Acquisition: Key Issues and Guidance
by Paula B. ComptonTake the First Step Toward Building a Strong Foundation in Federal Acquisition!Federal Acquisition: Key Issues and Guidance is an essential guide to understanding and working within the complex world of federal government contracting. It offers brief but comprehensive explanations of the major phases and essential tasks in the contracting process. Written in a clear and easy-to-understand style, this resource provides the perfect foundation for building a thorough understanding of federal contracting.Author Paula Compton focuses on the most problematic areas of federal contracting, highlighting the deficiencies cited most often by the Government Accountability Office and Inspector General audits and reports, such as:• Not performing market research• Inadequate independent government cost estimates• Violation of the bona fide needs rule• Insufficient statements of work• Inadequate price or cost analysisAnyone new to government acquisition will find that reading this book is the ideal first step on the path to understanding the federal acquisition process. Seasoned contract professionals will find it an excellent quick review.
Change from the Inside Out: Making You, Your Team, and Your Organization Change-Capable
by Erika AndersenChange initiatives fail because humans are hardwired to return to what's worked for us in the past. This book offers a straightforward process for rewiring ourselves and those we lead to be more change-capable. Erika Andersen says avoiding change has been a historical imperative. In this book, she shows how we can overcome that reluctance and get good at making necessary change. Using a fictional story about a jewelry business changing generational hands, Andersen lays out a five-step model for addressing both this human side of change and its practical aspects: Step 1: Clarify the change and why it's needed—Get clear on what the change is and the benefits it will bring.Step 2: Envision the future state—Build a shared picture of the post-change future.Step 3: Build the change—Bring together a change team, engage key stakeholders, and plan the change.Step 4: Lead the transition—Build a transition plan that supports the human side of the change, then engage the whole organization in making the change.Step 5: Keep the change going—Work to make your organization permanently more change-capable. With opportunities to self-reflect and try out the ideas and approaches throughout, this book is a practical guide to thriving in this era of nonstop change.
The New Rules of Influence: How to Authentically Build Trust, Drive Change, and Make an Impact
by Lida CitroënLeave the power tie at home. The old rules of influence don't work anymore.It's time to throw out the old rules of influence and become the leader you've always wanted to be.A new type of leader is emerging—one with a bold mission who empowers others through transparency and unwavering passion. Modern-day executive presence mandates levels of authenticity and honesty never before seen in the C-suite.Personal branding and reputation management expert, Lida Citroën guides leaders through this new paradigm of executive presence and influence. Through inspiring examples, compelling stories, and practical exercises, Citroën helps leaders tap into their passion, connect authentically with others, and create space for inclusivity and community.Greta Thunberg is a powerful example of a new paradigm leader. The Swedish teenager's influence arguably exceeds that of most CEOs or political leaders. The youngest person to be named Time's Person of the Year, she radically upended Swedish politics and world climate policy. Nothing about her conforms to the typical expectations of a leader's executive presence—her power comes from her absolute honesty and genuine passion to make the world a better place.
Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss: A Manager's Playbook
by Sharon Jordan-Evans Beverly KayeStay interviews prevent exit interviews! You can't afford to lose them. They're your stars and your solid citizens. You wonder if they're happy in your organization—and what might keep them there. To find out, you could:A. Conduct a survey—then try to guess who said what.B. Take note of their latest tattoos. Is your company logo among them?C. Ask, "What will keep you here?"The correct answer is C. It's the opening line of a great stay interview, and it could make the difference between keeping and losing your best people. Worried that your talented people will want things you can't deliver, like more money or a big promotion? Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans have a simple four-step process for dealing with that. Not sure how to get started? They provide dozens of suggested questions and icebreakers. Think you don't have time? They offer all kinds of creative time-saving options for where, when, and how you can do stay interviews.
Practical Project Risk Management: The ATOM Methodology
by David HillsonThis second edition of the book reflects the authors' work to continually improve upon the model and to apply the methodology to a broader range of issues. The book includes:• An entirely new chapter on managing risk in programs, which is an important dimension in today's world of ever more complex initiatives• Updated material and methodology more closely aligned with relevant international standards• Emphasis on minimizing the threats and maximizing the opportunities to optimize achievement of your project goalsBased on sound principles and best practices, this book guides any member of the project management team in conducting risk management in a real-world environment.
Scenario Planning in Organizations: How to Create, Use, and Assess Scenarios
by Thomas J. ChermackScenario planning helps organization leaders, executives and decision-makers envision and develop strategies for multiple possible futures instead of just one. It enables organizations to become resilient and agile, carefully calibrating their responses and adapting quickly to new circumstances in a fast-changing environment. This book is the most comprehensive treatment to date of the scenario planning process. Unlike existing books it offers a thorough discussion of the evolution and theoretical foundations of scenario planning, examining its connections to learning theory, decision-making theory, mental model theory and more. Chermack emphasizes that scenario planning is far more than a simple set of steps to follow, as so many other practice-focused books do—he addresses the subtleties and complexities of planning. And, unique among scenario planning books, he deals not just with developing different scenarios but also with applying scenarios once they have been constructed, and assessing the impact of the scenario project. Using a case study based on a real scenario project Chermack lays out a comprehensive five phase scenario planning system—project preparation, scenario exploration, scenario development, scenario implementation and project assessment. Each chapter describes specific techniques for gathering and analyzing relevant data with a particular emphasis on the use of workshops to encourage dialogue. He offers a scenario project worksheet to help readers structure and manage scenario projects as well as avoid common pitfalls, and a discussion, based in recent neurological findings, of how scenario planning helps people to overcome barriers to creative thinking. “This book is about action and performance. Compelling and thoroughly researched, it offers every business executive a playbook for including uncertainty in the organizational change process and driving competitive advantage”. -- Tim Reynolds, Vice President, Talent and Organization Effectiveness, Whirlpool Corporation
Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace
by Bruce BarryA factory worker is fired because her boss disagrees with her political bumper sticker. A stockbroker feels pressure to resign from an employer who disapproves of his off-hours political advocacy. A flight attendant is grounded because her airline doesn't like what she's writing in her personal blog. Is it legal to fire people for speech that makes employers uncomfortable, even if the content has little or nothing to do with their job or workplace? For most American workers, the alarming answer is yes. Speechless takes on the state of free expression in the American workplace, exploring its history, explaining how and why Americans have come to take freedom of speech for granted, and demonstrating how employers can legally punish employees for speaking their minds. Bruce Barry shows how constitutional law erects formidable barriers to free speech in workplaces, while employment law gives employers wide latitude to suppress speech with impunity--even speech that is unrelated to the job or the company. Employers, with rights of property ownership over not just what they manage but how they manage, can decide just how much employee speech they will tolerate. Workers have little choice but to accept conditions of employment or go elsewhere. Barry argues that a toxic combination of law, conventional economic wisdom, and accepted managerial practice has created an American workplace in which freedom of speech--that most crucial of civil liberties in a healthy democracy--is something you do after work, on your own time, and even then (for many), only if your employer approves. Barry proposes changes both to the law and to management practice that would expand employees' expressive rights without jeopardizing the legitimate interests of employers. In defense of freer speech in and around the workplace, Barry argues that a healthy democracy depends in part on the experience of liberty at work. Workplaces are key venues for shared experience and public discourse, so workplace speech rights matter deeply for advancing citizenship, community, and democracy in a free society.
Navigating Federal Travel: A Q&A Roadmap
by Queen E. CoxGet the right directions for federal travel!Don't get lost in the tangled web of rules and regulations governing federal travel. Make sure you have the one guide that will put you on the road to being a knowledgeable and compliant government traveler— Navigating Federal Travel: A Q & A Roadmap.This essential reference is geared not only to government travelers and those authorizing and approving travel, but also to those who provide travel management services to government agencies. The guide is organized in question-and-answer format, similar to the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), and is presented to be readily accessible and informative.The information is based on the author's years of experience as a federal travel manager as well as the FTR, Government Accountability Office and Civilian Board of Contract Appeals decisions, and pertinent legislation and mandates. As a supplement to the FTR, the guide includes examples of actual and potential situations the traveler may encounter before, during, and after approval of authorized travel.The book offers clear and concise information on:• How to determine the need for travel• How travel is authorized and by whom• How the employee pays for expenses incurred in performing official travel• How the employee is reimbursed for authorized travel and travel-related expenses.Navigating Federal Travel also includes coverage of best practices for the Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC), who is responsible for managing the government travel charge card program. Appendices offer helpful websites and resources as well as special information for relocation.Get the right directions and follow the rules with Navigating Federal Travel: A Q & A Roadmap.
Three Deep Breaths: Finding Power and Purpose in a Stressed-Out World (Bk Life. Ser.)
by Thomas CrumThese days all of us lead hectic, stressful lives. And most of us react to difficult circumstances by struggling against them, which only creates more tension. Three Deep Breaths provides a welcome alternative--a simple technique that you can use, no matter how busy you are, to transform tough situations into positive, energizing experiences. It is a mind/body technique that combines the "cognitive-restructuring" capability of the brain (the ability to change our attitudes and perceptions of the world) with the calmness and presence of an aligned, centered state of being. Thomas Crum illustrates this radically simple technique through the story of Angus, who is struggling to break through the negative habits that lead to anger, exhaustion, and poor performance. We follow Angus as he learns to use the Three Deep Breaths to maintain clarity and purpose in the midst of seeming chaos, to redirect negative energy to more positive purposes. By working with our breath, by being aware of it and using it as a focusing tool, we can open up a whole new world of possibility. The quality of our lives depends not on whether or not we have conflicts but on how we respond to them. All it takes to change your life is Three Deep Breaths--which you can do in an instant, anywhere, at any time.
Win Every Day: Proven Practices for Extraordinary Results
by Mark MillerGreat ideas don't matter if you can't execute—bestselling leadership expert Mark Miller offers a proven, research-based method for creating workplaces where everyone performs at the highest level. All high performance organizations have one thing in common: execution. The men and women who work there sustain performance at seemingly otherworldly levels of precision, accuracy, and consistency. In the fifth and final book of Mark Miller's High Performance series, he uses his trademark business fable format to show how any organization can cultivate the kind of everyday habits that yield extraordinary results. Miller tells the story of Blake Brown, a CEO who learns how to help his team to consistently excel at execution from a perhaps unlikely source: his son's high school football coach. The story is fictional, but the principles and practices are very real, derived from years of research led by a team from Stanford University. Miller and his team interviewed leaders and employees from numerous world-class organizations, including the Navy SEALS, Starbucks, Apple, Southwest Airlines, the Seattle Seahawks, Mayo Clinic, Cirque du Soleil, and more. The lessons learned were then field-tested with over seventy businesses employing over 7,000 people. Miller gives you proven tools to release the untapped potential in your people, create a strong competitive advantage, and win not just on game day but every day.
The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy
by Marjorie Kelly* Updated paperback edition includes a new chapter and a Reader's Guide * Explores the real causes of the Enron fiasco and other recent corporate scandals * Explodes the myth that the stock market is "democratizing" wealth * Gives practical guidance to help employees and communities change corporate governance and unfetter the genius of the free market Wealth inequality, corporate welfare, and industrial pollution are symptoms-the fevers and chills of the economy. The underlying illness, says Business Ethics magazine founder Marjorie Kelly, is shareholder primacy: the corporate drive to make profits for shareholders, no matter who pays the cost. In The Divine Right of Capital, Kelly argues that focusing on the interests of stockholders to the exclusion of everyone else's interests is a form of discrimination based on property or wealth. She shows how this bias is held by our institutional structures, much as they once held biases against blacks and women. The Divine Right of Capital exposes six aristocratic principles that corporations are built on, principles that we would never accept in our modern democratic society but which we accept unquestioningly in our economy. Wealth bias is a holdover from our pre-democratic past. It has enabled shareholders to become a kind of economic aristocracy. Kelly shows how to design more equitable alternatives-new property rights, new forms of corporate governance, new ways of looking at corporate performance-that build on both free-market and democratic principles. We think of shareholder primacy as the natural law of the free market, much as our forebears thought of monarchy as the most natural form of government. But in The Divine Right of Capital, Kelly brilliantly demonstrates that it is no more "natural" than any other human creation. People designed this system and people can change it. We need a change of mind as profound as that of the American Revolution. We must question the legitimacy of a system that gives the wealthy few-the ten percent of Americans who own ninety percent of all stock-a disproportionate power over the many. In so doing, we can fulfill the democratic principles of our nation not only in the political sphere, but in the economic sphere as well.
Performance Networks: Transforming Governance for the 21st Century
by Lynn S. Kahn PhDProblems cross boundaries and so must solutions. Multi-agency, cross-boundary coordination and partnerships are needed to solve today's problems. These networks coordinate, communicate, and leverage resources and best practices to deliver measurable results across traditional agency boundaries. Performance Networks: Transforming Governance for the 21st Century provides roadmaps and guidelines for executives, managers, and team leaders who are accountable for results in the new world of interagency networks that aim to deliver measurable results across traditional boundaries. The author presents ten "views" of performance networks, adapted from current, successful, multi-agency partnerships; these views provide specific guidance on transformational strategic planning to deliver better results.Working across government agencies and boundaries is difficult at any level of government, but it may be the only solution for today's problems. Performance Networks: Transforming Governance for the 21st Century offers the public manager a valuable new governance tool. This resource provides a practical approach to:• Understanding the history and workings of government-based networks• Establishing multi-agency, cross boundary partnerships and making them work• Improving citizen engagement
Stand Up to Stigma: How We Reject Fear and Shame
by Pernessa C. SeeleNo More Hate! All Are Welcome!"Stigma" is a simple two-syllable word, yet it carries the weight of negative and often unfair beliefs that we hold about those who are different from us. Stigmas lock people into stereotyped boxes and deny us all the right to be our authentic and whole selves. Dr. Pernessa Seele, a longtime public health activist who started one of the first AIDS education programs in the 1980s, has crafted a proven method to address stigma. This powerful book confronts stereotype development, shows how to undo the processes and effects of stigma, and explains how we can radically change cultural thinking on the individual, interpersonal, and societal levels to put an end to stigmatization once and for all.
Cultural Intelligence: Surviving and Thriving in the Global Village
by David C. Thomas Kerr C. InksonSucceed in Any Culture, in Every Situation In today's global economy, the ability to interact effectively across cultures is a fundamental job requirement for just about everyone. But it's impossible to learn the customs and traits of every single culture. David Thomas and Kerr Inkson present a universal set of techniques and people skills that will allow you to adapt quickly to, and thrive in, any cultural environment. You'll learn to discard your own culturally based assumptions and pay careful attention, in a mindful and creative way, to cues in cross-cultural situations. The authors show how to apply cultural intelligence in a series of specific situations: making decisions; communicating, negotiating, and resolving conflicts; leading and motivating others; and designing, managing, and contributing to multicultural groups and teams. This extensively revised third edition has been updated with new stories showing cultural intelligence in action. Thomas and Inkson have broadened the focus beyond business to include organizations of all kinds—nonprofits, governments, educational institutions, and more. And they include a reliable and valid measure of cultural intelligence based on a decade of research by an international team of scholars.
Navigating the Impossible: Build Extraordinary Teams and Shatter Expectations
by Jason CaldwellWorld-record endurance athlete and professional leadership coach Jason Caldwell draws on his amazing experiences to show how anyone can build and lead teams that accomplish incredible things. Thirty-five days, 14 hours, and 3 minutes. That's how long it took Jason Caldwell and the crew of the American Spirit to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean during the 2016 Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge—or, as it's known to those who attempt it, "The World's Toughest Row." They not only succeeded but set a world record. This was an extraordinary team effort. And that's what this book is about. Caldwell transfers the hard-won lessons of his transatlantic adventure out of the ocean and into your office, showing how to build and lead teams that do what others say cannot be done and sustain that level of performance. The thrilling details of Caldwell's quest to break the world's record deliver a "just-one-more-page" experience, during which you'll also learn lessons like • How to quit like a winner• Why results aren't the measure of a high-performance team• What four questions you should ask yourself before you set any goal• How to harness the power of emotion-first leadership• Why the best people aren't necessarily the right people for your teamThis book is a distillation of Caldwell's worldwide speaking programs delivered to packed crowds at Fortune 500 companies and universities worldwide. It is the answer to a question he is constantly asked: How were you and your teams able to accomplish such seemingly impossible goals? And it's also a guidebook that can teach anyone how to do the same.
The Making of a Democratic Economy: Building Prosperity For the Many, Not Just the Few
by Marjorie Kelly Ted HowardOur economy is designed by the 1 percent, for the 1 percent. This book offers a compelling vision of an equitable, ecologically sustainable alternative that meets the essential needs of all people.We live in a world where twenty-six billionaires own as much wealth as half the planet's population. The extractive economy we live with now enables the financial elite to squeeze out maximum gain for themselves, heedless of damage to people or planet. But Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard show that there is a new economy emerging focused on helping everyone thrive while respecting planetary boundaries. At a time when competing political visions are at stake the world over, this book urges a move beyond tinkering at the margins to address the systemic crisis of our economy. Kelly and Howard outline seven principles of what they call a Democratic Economy: community, inclusion, place (keeping wealth local), good work (putting labor before capital), democratized ownership, ethical finance, and sustainability. Each principle is paired with a place putting it into practice: Pine Ridge, Preston, Portland, Cleveland, and more.This book tells stories not just of activists and grassroots leaders but of the unexpected accomplices of the Democratic Economy. Seeds of a future beyond corporate capitalism and state socialism are being planted in hospital procurement departments, pension fund offices, and even company boardrooms. The road to a system grounded in community, democracy, and justice remains uncertain. Kelly and Howard help us understand we make this road as we walk it by taking a first step together beyond isolation and despair.
The Capitalist and the Activist: Corporate Social Activism and the New Business of Change
by Tom C. Lin2023 Axiom Business Books Award Silver Medalist (Business Commentary)2023 Nautilus Book Award Silver Medalist (Social Change & Social Justice)This is the first in-depth examination of the important ongoing fusion of activism, capitalism, and social change masterfully told through a compelling narrative filled with vivid stories and striking studies.Corporations and their executives are at the forefront of some of the most contentious and important social issues of our time. Through pronouncements, policies, boycotts, sponsorships, lobbying, and fundraising, corporations are actively engaged in issues like immigration reform, gun regulation, racial justice, gender equality, and religious freedom. Despite corporate social activism being everywhere these days-witness how quickly companies and progressives united to oppose North Carolina's bathroom bill or support the Black Lives Matter movement-there has been no in-depth examination of the far-reaching consequences of this movement. What first principles should guide businesses' approaches? How should activists engage with businesses in a way that is most beneficial to their causes? What are potential pitfalls and risks associated with corporate social activism for activists, businesses, and society at large? Weaving studies and stories, Temple University professor of law, Tom C. W. Lin offers a road map for how we got here and a compass for where we are going as a nation of capitalists and activists seeking profit and progress.
The Socially Intelligent Project Manager: Soft Skills That Prevent Hard Days
by Kim WassonThis no-nonsense guide to social intelligence for project managers gives you a step-by-step process for building a bulletproof project team—no matter what gaps exist in personality, geography, culture, or communication style. High-performing teams don't happen by magic. You need processes that are designed in a socially intelligent way if your team is going to overcome the modern world's tough challenges with coordination. To be a star project manager, you have to communicate with people in their individual learning styles, provide accountability in ways that won't be demotivating, and run meetings and minutes that people won't tune out. Your processes must be constructed in ways that respect the complex realities of social dynamics step by step.You have to know your team before you can motivate them, and you have to motivate them before you can manage them. In this book are foolproof techniques to make sure your team connects with you, each other, and everyone they need to get the job done. After all, a team should be more than the sum of its parts—and it's up to the project manager to provide the glue that holds it all together.
Covert Processes at Work: Managing the Five Hidden Dimensions of Organizational Change
by Robert J. MarshakOrganizational change initiatives often fail because they focus exclusively on the rational, overt aspects of change, overlooking the powerful role played by concealed or irrational factors. It's well known that these covert processes--such as hidden agendas, blind spots, office politics, tacit assumptions, secret hopes, wishes and fears--frequently sabotage change efforts, but up until now nobody has offered a rigorous, consistent way of identifying and dealing with them. Drawing on over thirty years of experience as an organizational change consultant to global corporations and government agencies, Robert J. Marshak shows precisely how to bring these hidden processes to light and deal with their negative impact. Marshak identifies five different dimensions of covert processes, presents an integrated model to explain the ultimate source of all of them, and shows how to diagnose whether any covert processes might be at work in your organization. He then offers specific tools and techniques for engaging and managing these "under-the-table" processes and for creating the kind of organizational environment in which such hidden dynamics are unable to flourish. Covert Processes at Work is a comprehensive and practical guide that managers, leaders, and consultants can use to deal with the hidden dynamics that are often at the root of many organizational problems.
The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform
by Harrison H. OwenForms and transforms in people, they become strong, focused, and vibrant-and wonderful things can happen. But when the spirit is down, nothing else seems to make a difference-because not too much happens. Many of us today find ourselves trapped in just such organizations. The spirit in our workplace, to say nothing of our own spirit, is getting a little tattered, showing the early stages of what Harrison Owen calls "Soul Pollution." Those in the advanced stages may find themselves plagued by exhaustion, high levels of stress, and the abuse of just about anything in sight, including spouses, substances, and fellow workers. So what is the secret to transforming organizations? The answer, says Owen, is simple: we must consciously be what we already are-natural, open, self-organizing systems. In The Power of Spirit, Owen examines the world of Spirit/Consciousness in organizations and offers help to those who find themselves dreading another day on the job in an organization seemingly bent on its own destruction, as well as the destruction of its members. He draws from what we are now learning about self-organizing systems to provides a practical application to the world of organizations, revealing the ways in which Spirit shows up in new, emergent organizational forms. Widely known for his Open Space Technology-a broadly used meeting management tool-Owen now pushes well beyond that surface appreciation and suggests deeper applications and implications, showing how what has been experienced in a typical "great meeting" with Open Space can actually be a 365-day-a-year reality. For all those interested in Spirit and spirituality, particularly in the workplace, individuals who are feeling down and out and buried by Soul Pollution in the workplace, and for current practitioners of Open Space Technology who are wondering what comes after a "great meeting"-The Power of Spirit will offer a pathway to positive transformation.
The Earned Value Management Maturity Model
by Ray W. Stratton PMP, EVPThe Earned Value Management Maturity Model® gives you the fundamental tools needed to build an effective Earned Value Management System (EVMS). This must-have resource makes earned value management easy by defining a maturity model and describing metrics to measure the health and efficiency of your EVMS. Discover valuable ways to improve your EVMS and achieve project success. Through point by point discussions, you will:• Gain fundamental knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM)• Learn how EVM can be applied to a team, project, program, or organization• Understand how to define what your organization wants from its EVMS• Discover a five stage maturity model for EVMS implementation• Bring your EVMS in line with ANSI 748 guidelines• Review many real or imagined impediments to implementing EVM and how to overcome the real onesPLUS — You'll gain practical EVM experience through a comprehensive case study that follows a fictional company and newly hired project manager. By applying the EVM knowledge and skills covered in the book, the project manager illustrates the ease of implementing an effective EVMS!