This seminal work presents an effective design for processing information through five stages from data to actionable knowledge in order to influence behavior within organizations. The authors incorporate such concepts as evolution, semiotics, entropy, complexity, emergence, crisis, and chaos theory in an intriguing alternative to crisis management that can be applied to any organization. Their model shows how to evaluate and share information to enable the organization to avoid disaster rather than simply respond to it. Additionally, the text presents the first attempt at a multi-disciplinary view of information processing in organizations by tying associated disciplines to their respective impacts on the information process. Illustrations used in the text include an overlay that demonstrates how the non-use of information between agencies contributed to the 9/11 disaster, and an appendix addresses Organizing for Cyberterrorism.

Radical Decision Making offers a controversial new framework to the conventional strategic change management conversation. While many approaches provide a discussion on a singular level, Dr. Hruška blends theory and research of decision making and social interaction to develop a consistent framework of strategic change.

On human services

Over the past 40 years, there has been a growing trend toward the utilization of teams for accomplishing work in organizations. Project teams, self-managed work teams and top management teams, among others have become a regular element in the corporation or military. This volume is intended to provide an overview of the current state of the art research on team effectiveness.

This important book “classifies organizations on the basis of organizational properties and systemically examines variations amount different types of organization” (American Sociological Review). Bringing light to a neglected field, A Comparative Analysis of Complex Organizations presents models for the analysis of various organizational types and examines how they are constructed. Primarily discussing the relationship between compliance and each variable it introduces, this book works as a cornerstone for the comparative analysis of organizations.

Chris Demchak explores the reasons why military machines surprise their users and how they can change both the complexity and effectiveness of tactical organizations. She uses the Army's experiences with its M1 Abrams tank, as well as other examples, to explain the interaction of complex technology and militaries that seek to control uncertainty. Under some conditions, Demchak demonstrates, complexity in critical machines induces increased complexity in the organizations that use them, and can produce an army different from the one that was intended. Drawing on organization theory and her data, she argues that understanding this interaction will heavily influence whether armed forces reductions, savings, and modernization produce rapid, successful military organizations or lethally unpredictable ones.

Explores the concept of complexity and analyses how organizational governance can contribute to environmental sustainability. A common theme in these chapters is that organizations actively engage with their environments. Consequently, organizational responses are partly the result of iterative processes with the environment.

This book is concerned with control issues in complex industrial organizations. The word control is used here in a rather wide sense, including decision making, coordination and planning as well as activities such as the design and implementation of organizational structures or computerized information systems. There are various ways of defining complexity; here we use this term to indicate that the organizations in question consist of many sub organizations which are operationally interdependent but at the same time have a fair degree of independence of control. The control of the interactions between these suborganizations through coordination will be a key issue in this book. The discussion will be confined to industrial organizations; our results are only applicable to a limited extent to other types of organizations such as universities, hospitals or government offices. The main contribution we intend to make in this book is the development of a system oj concepts on control and coordination in industrial organizations which can be used in the design of organizational control structures such as planning systems, information systems or relations between positions or departments. Rather eclectic use has been made of various scientific disCiplines in the development of this conceptual system with some bias towards the use of system theory and cybernetics. The book is intended for professional workers in the field of 'organizational control technology', such as automation and .organization specialists in complex organizations and workers in the related disCiplines at University.

Managing the Complex is an ambitious title - and it would be an audacious one if we were not to begin with a frank admission: to date few to none of us have a skill set which includes managing the complex. We try various things, we write about others, and we wonder about still others. When a tool, perspective, or technique comes along which seems to evoke success, we emulate it probe it and recoil at the all too often admission that it was situation and context which afforded success its opportunity, and not some quality intrinsic to the tool perspective or technique. Indeed, if the study of complexity has done anything for managers, and for those who espouse managerial theory, it is in providing a ‘scientific foundation’ for the notion that context matters. Those who preach abstract ideas have then to reconcile themselves to the notion that situation and embodiment matters. Those who believe in strong causality and determinism are left to wrestle with the role of chance, uncertainty, and chaos. Those who prefer to argue that men move history are confronted with the role of environment and affordances, while those who argue the reverse are left to contend with charisma, irrationality of crowds, and the strange qualities we know as emotions. A series on complex systems has less ambitious goals to contend with than this. Such a series can deal with classifications, and categories, and speak of ‘noise’ as if it were not the central focus of the problem. Managing the complex is about managing ‘noise’ or perhaps we should say it is about ‘dealing with’ ‘accepting’ ‘making room for’ and ‘learning from’ ‘noise’. The articles in this volume and in volumes to come will each be considered as ‘noise’ by some and as ‘gems’ by others, but we hope that practicing managers and academics alike will find plenty of fuel to drive their personal explorations into understanding, and perhaps even managing, the complex.

This book is written for the leader or management team of any complex organization attempting to lead an organization-wide change. Successfully leading change has never been easy. Many realities of life in the 21st century have combined to intensify the challenge. This book captures the lessons learned during more than 43 years of experience working in complex, large-scale organizations, 14 years between West Point and the United States Army and more than 29 years in two large, very different American companies. These lessons learned are shared in the hope that it will help others lead change successfully and avoid at least some of the pitfalls that come with it. The principles and questions in this book also benefit leaders making changes in the small organization or those who desire to transform their small organization into a large one. This book is intended to serve as a leaders’ guide of things to think about and how to plan for successful change. Many books have been written about management and leadership, as well as the dos and must-dos of leading an organization. But few books discuss what it takes to make changes in today’s complex organizations, and those that do are often written by consultants who have not practiced what they propose over any significant period of time. This book, by contrast, draws lessons from a successful long-term change made by leaders who had a personal and financial stake in the organization’s success and saw the change all the way through. hr"In my 40 years at Cummins one of the most successful changes made was our adoption of Six Sigma. When I became CEO it was clear that we needed to improve our product and overall business performance. We chose Six Sigma to help us do that. George's book concisely captures many of the things we had to think about when implementing Six Sigma throughout the company. I believe this is a good guide for any leader contemplating making an organization-wide change." Tim Solso former CEO Cummins, Inc. "As CEO I have discovered that just saying I want something done doesn’t make it happen. Change done well is hard work. George’s book is a practical go-to guide for driving lasting change." Tom Linebarger CEO Cummins, Inc. "In medicine today ever-higher quality has become an expectation. This expectation is causing us increasingly to transition from volume-based to value-based medicine. As an industry we are quickly adapting to this new value-based world. However, organizations don’t transform easily. It requires dedicated and engaged teams to be leaders of change in their industry. I have been waiting for a book like this for years...whether you are a medical student or a senior attending physician...George Strodtbeck’s book on Making Change is a must read!!!" James Grant, M.D. Chair, Department of Anesthesiology Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, Michigan "George Strodtbeck draws on more than three decades of personal experience in planning and executing change in complex organizations. His incisive, fast-paced writing explains, engages and motivates. His guidance is candid about challenges faced but simultaneously practical and actionable in today’s organizations. This book is for any leader seeking to accelerate the pace of change, improvement and innovation in their organizations." Mohan V. Tatikonda, PhD Professor of Operations Management Kelley School of Business, Indiana University