Products

This balanced guide to agility gets past the hype and frustration to help frustrated leaders transform their agile transformations.

Agile transformations are supposed to make organizations modern, competitive, and relevant. But in the well-intentioned effort to move into the future, change leaders find themselves frustrated by pushback, limited impact, poor practices, and unfair criticism. What's going on?

Jesse Fewell's book cuts through the “quick-fix” hype of agile theory and explains a recurring transformational pattern that unpacks what holds organizations back. The boost is the initial gains from logical first steps; the barrier is the unavoidable roadblock that must come next; and the rebound is the way forward to further gains by leaning against the concept of the original boost. With these counterintuitive rebounds, Fewell identifies seven leadership moves that can be used to unblock stalled agile transformations.

No, your transformation is not a failure. It turns out the buy-in, the talent, the alignment, and the growth you need to break through are already in front of you; it's all simply hidden under the surface—undiscovered, unutilized, and untapped.

This balanced guide to agility gets past the hype and frustration to help frustrated leaders transform their agile transformations.

Agile transformations are supposed to make organizations modern, competitive, and relevant. But in the well-intentioned effort to move into the future, change leaders find themselves frustrated by pushback, limited impact, poor practices, and unfair criticism. What's going on?

Jesse Fewell's book cuts through the “quick-fix” hype of agile theory and explains a recurring transformational pattern that unpacks what holds organizations back. The boost is the initial gains from logical first steps; the barrier is the unavoidable roadblock that must come next; and the rebound is the way forward to further gains by leaning against the concept of the original boost. With these counterintuitive rebounds, Fewell identifies seven leadership moves that can be used to unblock stalled agile transformations.

No, your transformation is not a failure. It turns out the buy-in, the talent, the alignment, and the growth you need to break through are already in front of you; it's all simply hidden under the surface—undiscovered, unutilized, and untapped.

This balanced guide to agility gets past the hype and frustration to help frustrated leaders transform their agile transformations.


Agile transformations are supposed to make organizations modern, competitive, and relevant. But in the rush to jump on this latest bandwagon, many leaders make the mistake of adapting superficial versions of Agile techniques, only to find that their organizations are just marginally better versions of their previous selves. Jesse Fewell's book cuts through the “quick fix” hype of Agile theory and uses decades of Agile coaching experience to unpack the mistakes that hold organizations back. He identifies the seven common leadership moves that can be used to unblock stalled Agile transformations. Once you understand these moves, you'll be able to do the hard work of building a wholeheartedly Agile organization: your transformation will go more than skin deep. Based on case studies from the field, this book unapologetically engages with the messiness of organizational culture and process change and will help you navigate those challenges in a way that works for your own people.

American opportunity is not dead. Bestselling author and entrepreneur John Hope Bryant outlines the mindset and practices that will allow us to achieve the American Dream, no matter what our current circumstances are.

Americans have lost faith in their country. With job security disappearing and fewer glimpses of a better future, it can feel like we are barely surviving, much less thriving, in today's problematic economy. Americans want the "old" America back-- the America where opportunity comes knocking at the front door. But the real problem, John Hope Bryant says, is that we're forgetting that this is still the Land of Opportunity--a site of upward mobility, a place teeming with different ways to create and grow wealth. The opportunities of today are not only greater than the obstacles, but they are greater than they have ever been. What we need, he says, is a mindset shift--a way of recalibrating to recognize that there is still a bounty of resources for establishing entrepreneurship and success in this country. The first step for us, for America, is to remember our storyline--how, coming up from nothing, we established and harnessed the invincible American Dream.

American opportunity is not dead. Bestselling author and entrepreneur John Hope Bryant outlines the mindset and practices that will allow us to achieve the American Dream, no matter what our current circumstances are.

Americans have lost faith in their country. With job security disappearing and fewer glimpses of a better future, it can feel like we are barely surviving, much less thriving, in today's problematic economy. Americans want the "old" America back-- the America where opportunity comes knocking at the front door. But the real problem, John Hope Bryant says, is that we're forgetting that this is still the Land of Opportunity--a site of upward mobility, a place teeming with different ways to create and grow wealth. The opportunities of today are not only greater than the obstacles, but they are greater than they have ever been. What we need, he says, is a mindset shift--a way of recalibrating to recognize that there is still a bounty of resources for establishing entrepreneurship and success in this country. The first step for us, for America, is to remember our storyline--how, coming up from nothing, we established and harnessed the invincible American Dream.

American opportunity is not dead. Bestselling author and entrepreneur John Hope Bryant outlines the mindset and practices that will allow us to achieve the American Dream, no matter what our current circumstances are.

Americans have lost faith in their country. With job security disappearing and fewer glimpses of a better future, it can feel like we are barely surviving, much less thriving, in today's problematic economy. Americans want the "old" America back-- the America where opportunity comes knocking at the front door. But the real problem, John Hope Bryant says, is that we're forgetting that this is still the Land of Opportunity--a site of upward mobility, a place teeming with different ways to create and grow wealth. The opportunities of today are not only greater than the obstacles, but they are greater than they have ever been. What we need, he says, is a mindset shift--a way of recalibrating to recognize that there is still a bounty of resources for establishing entrepreneurship and success in this country. The first step for us, for America, is to remember our storyline--how, coming up from nothing, we established and harnessed the invincible American Dream.

Up Was Never for Everyone!

Move up or move out. When those two options appear to be the only ones, dissatisfaction grows and engagement suffers. In decades of studying careers around the globe, Beverly Kaye, Lindy Williams, and Lynn Cowart have found that, in fact, there are more options. And rethinking career mobility can lead you to them!

The authors show how managers, coaches, and employees can partner to determine what's best and what's next. Keep the same job but discover new ways to learn and grow? Explore moving to a position that could be a better fit? Step back without getting derailed? This book encourages readers to take a “kaleidoscope” view—to be open to ever-shifting patterns of opportunities and possibilities—so they can create a unique, personalized path to a truly rewarding career.

Up Was Never for Everyone!

Move up or move out. When those two options appear to be the only ones, dissatisfaction grows and engagement suffers. In decades of studying careers around the globe, Beverly Kaye, Lindy Williams, and Lynn Cowart have found that, in fact, there are more options. And rethinking career mobility can lead you to them!

The authors show how managers, coaches, and employees can partner to determine what's best and what's next. Keep the same job but discover new ways to learn and grow? Explore moving to a position that could be a better fit? Step back without getting derailed? This book encourages readers to take a “kaleidoscope” view—to be open to ever-shifting patterns of opportunities and possibilities—so they can create a unique, personalized path to a truly rewarding career.

Bestselling author Beverly Kaye (Love 'Em or Lose 'Em-700,000 copies sold), joins coauthors Lynn Cowart and Lindy Williams to deliver a revolutionary and motivational guide to rethinking career mobility as a kaleidoscope, not a ladder.


Over and over, managers hear employees asking, “Do I have a future here?” Many managers and leaders struggle with the fact that they simply cannot deliver vertical moves or promotions for every employee who wants or even deserves that option.

Up Is Not the Only Way introduces the concept of flexibility and agility and the multiple ways employees can grow, learn, and build a career as the way to solve the problems of immobility and retention. Managers need the tools for building rich dialogue about career mobility and dynamic workplaces that demand resilient talent at all levels. The key is communicating effectively and comfortably around the topic of career options that span a spectrum of employee engagement. From those who are ready and want to move to those who are satisfied to stay right where they are, and even for those who have no idea what the next opportunity might be, this book provides a way through these tough conversations. Up Is Not the Only Way distills the solutions to complex issues involving engagement and retention in a simple and practical way.

For decades there has been an ongoing, at times heated, debate over how relevant to real-world concerns organizational research should be. The contributors to this book deviate from the orthodoxy of traditional positivistic research, arguing that the true test of whether knowledge is useful to practice is not whether it is rigorous but whether it is rigorous and results in improved organizational effectiveness.

The contributors were selected for their demonstrated ability to conduct useful research and their distinguished academic careers. Part I features researchers who describe the choices they make and the tactics they employ to ensure that their work advances both theory and practice. In part II, five highly respected researchers reflect on how they were able to have a broad impact on practice and still maintain academic rigor. Part III describes pathways to bring academic knowledge to practice—working with consultancies, executive PhD programs, OD specialists, and professional associations, as well as framing academic concepts in ways that are attention grabbing, memorable, and credible to practitioners. Part IV looks at the prospects for doing useful research in traditional academic settings like business schools and publishing it in peer-reviewed journals. Finally, Part V sums up the themes of the book and the challenges and opportunities facing researchers who aspire to do research that advances both theory and practice.

Features a who's who of leading management scholars Takes a stand on a major controversy in academia: should organizational research aspire to be relevant to practitioners? A sequel to the seminal book, Doing Research That is Useful for Theory and Practice, also edited by Ed Lawler, Susan Mohrman, and Associates For decades there has been an ongoing, at times heated, debate over how relevant to real-world organizational concerns academic organizational research should be. The contributors to this book argue that in order to keep organizational research relevant to both theory and practice, research must deviate from the orthodoxy of traditional positivistic research. The true test of whether knowledge is useful to practice is not whether it is “theoretically” impactful but whether it is theoretically impactful and results in improved organizational effectiveness. The contributing authors were selected for their demonstrated ability to conduct useful research and their distinguished academic careers. Part I of the book features active scholars who describe the choices they make and the tactics they employ to ensure that their work advances both theory and practice. In part II, four highly respected researchers reflect on how they approached their careers so that they could have a broad impact on practice and still maintain academic rigor. Part III describes pathways to bring academic knowledge to practice—working with consultancies, executive PhD programs, OD specialists, and professional associations, as well as framing academic concepts in ways that are attention-grabbing, memorable, and credible to practitioners. Part IV looks at institutional constraints and enablers: the prospects for useful research in traditional academic settings like business schools, peer-reviewed journals, and the Academy of Management. Finally, part V sums up the themes of the book and the challenges and opportunities facing researchers who aspire to do research that advances both theory and practice. Contributors: Jean Bartunek, Michael Beer, George Benson, John Boudreau, Wayne Cascio, Thomas Cummings, Amy Edmondson, Lynda Gratton, J. Richard Hackman, Gary Latham, Phillip Mirvis, Allan M. Mohrman, David Nadler, James O’Toole, C. K. Prahalad, Denise Rousseau, Sara Rynes, Edgar Schein, Ramakrishnan V. Tenkasi, Michael Tushman, Andrew Van de Ven, Ruth Wageman, Ian Ziskin

This book brings together many of the top organizational and management scholars in the world to provide new understanding of one of most fundamental topics of broad interest in the study of organizations and management.

This is the first book to offer detailed guidance on how scenarios can be used to help organizations make their toughest decisions in a world of ever-escalating crisis and opportunity.

To reap the full benefits of scenarios, you have to be able to apply them in the real world. This groundbreaking book goes beyond the theoretical to clearly explain different ways scenarios can be used in business decision-making—from strategic planning and financial modeling to crisis response. Connecting scenarios to strategy and action can have many benefits, including the ability to react quickly, anticipate major changes in the environment, and identify major opportunities.

Thomas Chermack, a top expert on scenario planning, offers seven specific ways organizations can use scenarios and provides a wide variety of examples, along with proven processes, exercises, and workshops that have been used successfully in organizations across industries and countries for more than fifteen years.

This is the first book to offer detailed guidance on how scenarios can be used to help organizations make their toughest decisions in a world of ever-escalating crisis and opportunity.

To reap the full benefits of scenarios, you have to be able to apply them in the real world. This groundbreaking book goes beyond the theoretical to clearly explain different ways scenarios can be used in business decision-making—from strategic planning and financial modeling to crisis response. Connecting scenarios to strategy and action can have many benefits, including the ability to react quickly, anticipate major changes in the environment, and identify major opportunities.

Thomas Chermack, a top expert on scenario planning, offers seven specific ways organizations can use scenarios and provides a wide variety of examples, along with proven processes, exercises, and workshops that have been used successfully in organizations across industries and countries for more than fifteen years.

This is the first book to offer detailed guidance on how scenarios can be used to help organizations make their toughest decisions in a world of ever-escalating crisis and opportunity.

To reap the full benefits of scenarios, you have to be able to apply them in the real world. This groundbreaking book goes beyond the theoretical to clearly explain different ways scenarios can be used in business decision-making-from strategic planning and financial modeling to crisis response. Connecting scenarios to strategy and action can have many benefits, including the abilities to react quickly, anticipate major changes in the environment, and identify major opportunities. Thomas Chermack, a top expert on scenario planning, offers seven specific ways organizations can use scenarios, and provides a wide variety of examples, along with proven processes, exercises, and workshops that have been used successfully in organizations across industries and countries for more than fifteen years.

Sales and distribution are the lifeblood of any business. But how can a values-driven, socially responsible business compete with those for whom the bottom line is the only measure of success? The answer: get creative! In this practical and inspiring guide, Nadine Thompson and Angela Soper draw on real-world examples--from Tom's of Maine, Seventh Generation, Honest Tea, and many other innovative companies--to detail concrete steps for designing sales and distribution strategies that fit the needs, interests, and habits of your target customers. They show how to turn your stakeholders into enthusiastic partners by ensuring that all of your relationships--with your salespeople as well as other employees, your customers, and your suppliers--are beneficial and fulfilling on more than just an economic level.

Sales and distribution are the lifeblood of any business. But how can a values-driven, socially responsible business compete with those for whom the bottom line is the only measure of success? The answer: get creative!
In this practical and inspiring guide, Nadine Thompson and Angela Soper draw on real-world examples--from Tom's of Maine, Seventh Generation, Honest Tea, and many other innovative companies--to detail concrete steps for designing sales and distribution strategies that fit the needs, interests, and habits of your target customers. They show how to turn your stakeholders into enthusiastic partners by ensuring that all of your relationships--with your salespeople as well as other employees, your customers, and your suppliers--are beneficial and fulfilling on more than just an economic level.