Read, Absorb & Use
Like to know more about the Internet, Computing and Cyber-culture
- here are some of the best books that I've found
both readable and interesting.
The publishers Routledge (UK) are in the process of publishing a new series of books called Complexity and Emergence in Organizations which is edited by Ralph Stacey, Douglas Griffin and Patricia Shaw. The details are listed here.
The Next Common Sense - Mastering corporate complexity through coherence
Michael Lissack Johan Roos
Easy to read, lots of examples from work in the field, so far nothing startlingly new but pulls to together many strands in easily digestible way. Looks like something you could recommend to any manager / executive.
The Dance of Change
Get it now (The follow up to Fifth Discipline Fieldbook)
The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations By Peter Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, George Roth, and Bryan Smith
The book is structured around a number of challenges and it is set out similarly to the 5th Discipline, though this one has web sites listed too.
Challenges of Initiating These challenges are often sufficient to prevent growth from occurring, almost before it starts.
Challenges of Sustaining Momentum Sustained activity confronts boundaries
Challenges of System wide Redesign and Rethinking These challenges appear as a pilot group's work gains broader credibility and confronts the established internal infrastructure and practices of the organization.
Open Minds
21st Century Business Lessons & Innovations from St Luke's
Andy Law Orion Business Books 1998
Finally got around to reading this, enjoyed it immensely. Portrayal of the formation of a new media company out of the ashes of others but one with a new, innovative philosophy to work and to what they do. The ideas are explained in the middle section (Change the way you work) and the other two are narrative accounts of the start up ( the split from the global 'acquisition' of Omnicom) and subsequent growth of the company, one of the leading media / advertising agency's in the UK.
Time to Think Listening to Ignite the Human Mind
Nancy Kline pub Ward Lock 1999
An interesting and easy book to read. She has 10 behaviours that inform human interaction and the creation of her 'thinking environments'. Listening is the key. None of it is new to me but I like the way she hangs all the skills of listening, feedback, attention etc. together. Advocates a total approach. Not my style to follow one path but when I read it I see the things I do and have done over the years which are just part and parcel of facilitation and consultancy process. Others I have recommended the book to have enthused over it and found the stages and approach very useful whether they be other consultants or counsellors or trainers.
The publishers Routledge (UK) are in the process of publishing a new series of books called Complexity and Emergence in Organizations which is edited by Ralph Stacey, Douglas Griffin and Patricia Shaw. The details are listed here.
The Next Common Sense - Mastering corporate complexity through coherence
Michael Lissack Johan Roos
Easy to read, lots of examples from work in the field, so far nothing startlingly new but pulls to together many strands in easily digestible way. Looks like something you could recommend to any manager / executive.
The Dance of ChangeGet it now (The follow up to Fifth Discipline Fieldbook)
The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations By Peter Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Richard Ross, George Roth, and Bryan Smith
The book is structured around a number of challenges and it is set out similarly to the 5th Discipline, though this one has web sites listed too.
Challenges of Initiating These challenges are often sufficient to prevent growth from occurring, almost before it starts.
Challenges of Sustaining Momentum Sustained activity confronts boundaries
Challenges of System wide Redesign and Rethinking These challenges appear as a pilot group's work gains broader credibility and confronts the established internal infrastructure and practices of the organization.
Open Minds
21st Century Business Lessons & Innovations from St Luke's
Andy Law Orion Business Books 1998
Finally got around to reading this, enjoyed it immensely. Portrayal of the formation of a new media company out of the ashes of others but one with a new, innovative philosophy to work and to what they do. The ideas are explained in the middle section (Change the way you work) and the other two are narrative accounts of the start up ( the split from the global 'acquisition' of Omnicom) and subsequent growth of the company, one of the leading media / advertising agency's in the UK.
Time to Think Listening to Ignite the Human Mind
Nancy Kline pub Ward Lock 1999
An interesting and easy book to read. She has 10 behaviours that inform human interaction and the creation of her 'thinking environments'. Listening is the key. None of it is new to me but I like the way she hangs all the skills of listening, feedback, attention etc. together. Advocates a total approach. Not my style to follow one path but when I read it I see the things I do and have done over the years which are just part and parcel of facilitation and consultancy process. Others I have recommended the book to have enthused over it and found the stages and approach very useful whether they be other consultants or counsellors or trainers.
Working the Shadow Side
A guide to positive behind the scenes management
Gerald Egan 1994
I have recently reread this book. I'd forgotten how good it is. The basic premise is the hidden aspects of the organisation and organisational life that will always undermine the task. He takes a lot of the organisational behavioural concepts such as those of Chris Argyris and applies practical advice to recognising and doing something about them in the work setting. No big new theories but a book to return to often, to dip into to remind yourself of ways to explore organisational difficulties and individual problematic behaviours. Covers culture, behaviour, conflict, personal styles, social and political aspects of organisations.
Dialogue at Work
Making talk developmental for people and organisations Nancy M Dixon ISBN 1-898001-41-3
A short readable essential book for consultants - covering all aspects of 'dialogue', practical suggestions to help the experienced facilitator and summaries of the ideas of the leading practitioners /writers, including Argyris and Bohm.
Dr. Nancy M. Dixon is a Professor at The George Washington University and has written and spoken extensively on organisational learning and knowledge management. Another of her books is The Organizational Learning Cycle: How We Can Learn Collectively. As a consultant she has worked with numerous companies to design processes that integrate learning into the organisation.
Circle of Innovation
Tom Peters
An reinvigorating roller coaster read, set out and design is different, chunk sized reading bites, lots of 'quotables' - nothing really new but a challenging reenginering of familiar ideas. Good to see women have a place now. Covers areas as diverse as professionalism, passion, branding, talent, systems.
Mental Models for Manager
Frameworks for practical thinking George Boak & David Thompson
This is one I wished I'd written. Explains all the models we use every working day. A very useful aide memoir for the consultant and a refresher if you know the concept is somewhere and like me you can never lay your hands on the full version. Covers explanations from parent/child, double loop learning, learning styles, leadership, self managed teams, skills grids, culture, behaviour change and much more
A guide to positive behind the scenes management
Gerald Egan 1994
I have recently reread this book. I'd forgotten how good it is. The basic premise is the hidden aspects of the organisation and organisational life that will always undermine the task. He takes a lot of the organisational behavioural concepts such as those of Chris Argyris and applies practical advice to recognising and doing something about them in the work setting. No big new theories but a book to return to often, to dip into to remind yourself of ways to explore organisational difficulties and individual problematic behaviours. Covers culture, behaviour, conflict, personal styles, social and political aspects of organisations.
Dialogue at Work
Making talk developmental for people and organisations Nancy M Dixon ISBN 1-898001-41-3
A short readable essential book for consultants - covering all aspects of 'dialogue', practical suggestions to help the experienced facilitator and summaries of the ideas of the leading practitioners /writers, including Argyris and Bohm.
Dr. Nancy M. Dixon is a Professor at The George Washington University and has written and spoken extensively on organisational learning and knowledge management. Another of her books is The Organizational Learning Cycle: How We Can Learn Collectively. As a consultant she has worked with numerous companies to design processes that integrate learning into the organisation.
Circle of Innovation
Tom Peters
An reinvigorating roller coaster read, set out and design is different, chunk sized reading bites, lots of 'quotables' - nothing really new but a challenging reenginering of familiar ideas. Good to see women have a place now. Covers areas as diverse as professionalism, passion, branding, talent, systems.
Mental Models for Manager
Frameworks for practical thinking George Boak & David Thompson
This is one I wished I'd written. Explains all the models we use every working day. A very useful aide memoir for the consultant and a refresher if you know the concept is somewhere and like me you can never lay your hands on the full version. Covers explanations from parent/child, double loop learning, learning styles, leadership, self managed teams, skills grids, culture, behaviour change and much more
I will add to this list from time
to time so do return to see what I think is interesting and useful.
Other books I've read that I'd
recommend include:
Executive Teams David Nadler, Janet L Spencer & Associates
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
Peter Senge
Riding the Waves of Change Gareth Morgan
Imaginization Gareth Morgan
Managing the Edge Richard Pascale
The Wisdom of Teams Jan Katzenbach
Cultures and Organisations Geert Hofstede
Psychoanalysis of Organisations R.de Board
Organisational Paradoxes M.Kets de Vries
Information and Organisations (The Manager as Anthropologist)
Max Boisot
Women Managers Changing Organisational Cultures G.Asplund
(Wiley)
The David Solution Valerie Stewart (Gower)
The Creative Gap (Managing Ideas for Profit) S.Majaro
Leaders W. Bennis (Harper & Row)
Maverick Ricardo Semler (Century)
Organisational Culture & Leadership E.Schein (Jossey Bass)
Also see my other pages on people and their ideas.