The Leadership Dance: Pathways to Extraordinary Organizational Effectiveness
Author: Richard N. Knowles, Andrew A. Moyer, Yvonne Tennebroek
List Price: $29.50
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ISBN: 0972120408
Publisher: The Center for Self-Organizing Leadership (December, 2002)
Sales Rank: 467,671
Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Excellent practical concepts in an unusual structure
This book describes very useful tools for bringing about constructive organizational change, based on a view of organizations as living systems. The 'process enneagram' at its core is a remarkably effective and compact tool for mapping the elements needed to bring about desired change in a way that is transparent for all stakeholders. It will be valuable to anyone concerned with organizational effectiveness.
How you should approach the book, and in what sequence, depends heavily on your own learning preferences. It is written for those who like to move from (very lengthy and detailed) anecdotal examples to principles and concepts. If you prefer to move from concept to such brief example as you feel you need (as I do), you could easily reject a valuable book - as I very nearly did. For example, the thesis depends on a particular use of the enneagram, a tool that will be unfamiliar to many readers. The first systematic explanation of what the process enneagram is, its origins and uses and its dramatic difference from the much more familiar form of enneagram which the author calls 'the enneagram of personality', occurs 2/3rds of the way through the book in Chapter 7.
Rating: 5 out of 5
A Classic in the Dynamics of Successful Process Management!
When I read the fine book, The Soul at Work, by Roger Lewin and Birute Regine, my favorite example involved Dr. Knowles in his role as a plant manager before he became a consultant. The Leadership Dance takes that anecdotal evidence and expands it into a deep understanding of how to define and continuously improve management processes.Anyone who thinks that leadership cannot be carefully defined and described will find this book to be a revelation. What makes it all the more remarkable is that Dr. Knowles is extremely humble and bends over backward to give everyone else as much credit as possible. When was the last time that you read a business book like that?
Let me caution you that this book is not for the casual reader. It's more like a dissertation done by a Ph.D. candidate in management. Dr. Knowles does a brilliant job of combining many sources of theory and practice into constantly developing examples that make the two sides of the perspective come together well.
The fundamental insight he had was that in times of crisis things get done effectively through self-organization. People pitch in, and the work gets done. When the crisis is over, people go back to being hierarchical and ineffective. A typical approach in most companies is to wait for a crisis or try to cause one to reinstitute that effectiveness. Dr. Knowles shows how self-organization can be working effectively all the time. And it's not just theory. He actually did it himself. Nice going!
Actually, Dr. Knowles has a bigger idea here than he realizes. In the examples, he is looking at narrow issues such as replacing damaged equipment quickly, improving safety, or cutting operating costs. His same concepts could be applied much more productively to the entire enterprise for processes such as continuous business model innovation, which Carol Coles and I address in our new book, The Ultimate Competitive Advantage.
Anyone who loved Leadership and the New Science, The Goal, The Fifth Discipline, or The Soul at Work will add greatly to their knowledge if they read and apply this book. Be prepared for some challenging reading and thinking though. But it's worth it!
Anyone who wants to be a truly effective leader must master these disciplines. By repeatedly studying and applying this book, anyone can do it! In the process, you will learn to banish all those thoughts about needing to become a hero leader.
Donald Mitchell, co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Rating: 5 out of 5
the DEFINITIVE guide
Dr. Knowles gives a thorough and logical explanation of the science and systems involved in leadership. He takes the additional unusual step of describing his personal journey which led him to these revelations. It is riveting reading! Parents, pastors, CEO's, governmental officials, school leaders and managers on all levels should read this and adopt these strategies. Similar Products
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