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Title: Leadership and the New Science: Learning About Organization from an Orderly Universe by Margaret J. Wheatley ISBN: 1-881052-44-3 Publisher: Pub Group West Pub. Date: 01 March, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.8 (15 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Organizational Analysis: Bringing Chaos to Order
Comment: Ms. Wheatley succeeds admirably at her chief aim: forcing the reader to re-think assumptions concerning organizational behavior which are almost never challenged. While attempting to lead several sacred cows to a philosophical slaughter (controlling a situation leads to stability, equilibrium is a desirable organizational state, disorder leads to ineffectiveness, etc.), she explores the possible corallaries of quantum physics and organizational structure.
The author's "arguments" are really philosophical statements. Her proof consists of asking "What if" and "Could it be that . . . " As long as the reader accepts this method of developing a proposition, the book succeeds admirably as a departure point for further discussion. However, do not expect tightly written arguments which show concrete examples of her theories in practice at the organizatiopnal level.If one hopes to find proof for the hypotheses advanced here, disappointment will likely be the result. It is possible that such proof will never be forthcoming and may even be antithetical to her position that systems change so quickly that they defy discrete analysis.
However, those who read this book in hope of opening their mind to new possibilities will not be disappointed. Her thoughts on systems analysis, information flow and team work are enlightening and provocative. The descriptions of quantum physics and chaos theory are informative and mind-stretching, if scant on details. I will be re-reading this book several times; that by itself says a great deal.
Rating: 5
Summary: World class philosophy but light on specifics
Comment: Wheatley does a fine job of explaining the implications for organizations and management philosophy of the shift away from the mechanistic worldview that grew out of Newtonian physics. She does a good job of explaining how quantum physics and chaos theory together demolished all the asusmptions of the mechanistic worldview. This mechanistic view fostered the idea that organizations are impersonal machines. It also gave credence to the nonsensical idea of the commodity theory of labor applied to the people hired to fill the "job-parts" of those machines. The mechanistic view excludes concepts such as esprit de corps or team spirit. It ignores the communal loyalty that goes with teamspirit that helps foster cooperative self-motivated teamwork so vital in achieving top performance.
The new (postmodern) worldview is organic rather than mechanistic, is holistic rather than parts centered, is participatory rather than impersonal and manages much more via networks than through top down hierarchies. As Capra points out in his book, The Web of Life, all living systems are mainly coordinated by networks, not hierarchies. All this fits well with the new postmodern management philosophy that stress empowerment of employees on the local level, self managed teams, and organic systems. And as Wheatley points out the reality of such new thinking lies in the relationships that arise from them
If Wheatley is great on philosophy and of the importance of relationships, she is more than a bit light on the specific policies that in fact create a mechanistic or an organic set of social relationships within an organization. These policies are not at all mysterious. If you want to create a mechanistic (read bureaucratic) organization then as a matter of policy establish an employment relationship between the firm and employee based on the buyer-seller relationship. You will then hire people to do designated jobs complete with detailed job descriptions. And thus though autopoiesis (that Wheatley well describes but does not much apply)you almost will guarantee that your employees will become job defensive, especially in times of change which will be seen as threats to one's (job-based)identity because autopoiesis drives all life at all levels to remain self consistent including the integrity and consistency of one's identity. The employee is thus driven to job-defensiveness. The bureaucratic employee will also sub-optimize behavior around the job-part, rather than the whole organization. To be promoted, one must be promoted in job, motivating most bureaucrats to lobby constantly for more levels of management in the administrative hierarchy to create more rungs on the administrative promotion ladder. Then too turf battles between departments full of jobs routinely break out for lack of a holistic focus on the enterprise. (The word bureaucracy is the same as saying departmentocracy and is itself an indication of a fragmented focus.) But it is important to realize, as Wheatley does not seem to, that all such pathology is policy-driven more than attitude-driven. After all, the attitude of suboptimization itself arises from the policy to depend on hired labor paid to do particular jobs in a buyer-seller relationship. It is this parts-focused relationship that creates bureaucratic reality. It does so the world around quite apart from cultural differences.
You want out of this bureaucratic box? Then go organic and pay the person, not the job. Make the employee a "member of the firm" as if the firm were a sort of extended family. Let the income of all such members rise or fall together in sync with the firm's performance. The the employee is no longer an impersonal hireling, but an organic member of the whole. As such he or she is free to focus on the whole firm. Indeed they have every motivation to do so. Thus organic members tend spontaneously to develop a team spirit. They are free to participate as a team member cooperating for the better good of the whole, because, to do so is not threatening as it often is to the hired job-holder. William M. Wallace's book (Postmodern Management) which is also available on Amazon.com makes all this clear.
Still in the end Wheatley is worth reading and I for one read it several times. Thus I anxiously await her updated version which apparently will appear next month.
Rating: 4
Summary: Wheatley provokes the mind to rethink organizations
Comment: Margaret Wheatley explores the reasons for the apparent failure of numerous contemporary managers to understand the nature of organizations. By drawing interesting parallels with new science, she challenges the traditional assumptions of organizations and leaves the reader with alternatives.
She urges redesigning organizations where relationships are valued, processes are allowed to flourish at varying speeds, with appropriate structures being formed to support these processes that ultimately help achieve organizational goals. Information flow is fundamental in this process.
She explains that a viable, open system in a state of non-equilibrium, constantly changing and morphing is preferable over a stable, balanced system in equilibrium or stasis. It implores organizations to change form constantly to meet the changing needs of the environment, arguing that organizations develop greater freedom from the environment through this very change process.
Wheatley has made a great attempt to validate and provide legitimacy to new management principles by providing connections to important scientific discoveries of the last century. A "must read" book for new age leaders.
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Title: Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World Revised by Margaret J. Wheatley ISBN: 1576751198 Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers Pub. Date: 15 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Web of Inclusion by Sally Helgesen ISBN: 0385423640 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 01 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: A Simpler Way by Margaret J. Wheatley, Myron Kellner-Rogers ISBN: 1576750507 Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Managers as Mentors 2 Ed: Building Partnerships for Learning by Chip R. Bell ISBN: 1576751422 Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Pub Pub. Date: 09 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Human Side of Change : A Practical Guide to Organization Redesign (Jossey-Bass Business & Management Series) by Timothy J. Galpin ISBN: 0787902160 Publisher: Jossey-Bass Pub. Date: 29 February, 1996 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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