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Open Space Technology (OST) is an effective, economical, fast, and easily repeatable strategy for organizing meetings of between 5 and 1,000 participants. First developed in 1984, it has now been used around the world with all types of organizations including corporations, community groups, government agencies, schools, and churches.

OST produces better meetings and helps groups achieve such organizational goals as self-managed work groups, distributed leadership, and utilizing diversity quickly and without training.

In Expanding Our Now, OST creator Harrison Owen offers numerous examples to illustrate the evolution of OST and explores what it is, how it developed as a process for meeting management, and how and why it works all over the world, for groups of all sizes dealing with a vast range of issues. Owen shows how OST can move organizations to higher levels of performance, without elaborate training or professional facilitators.

At the start of this thoughtful and revelatory book, Harrison Owen relates the story of how he was lunching with a senior official of the American Society for Training and Development, who observed that if what Owen had just told him about Open Space Technology (OST) was true, then "95% of what we are currently doing does not need to be done." OST is strategy for organizing meetings that is radical, revolutionary, and deceptively simple. Expanding Our Now is an exploration of what OST is, how it developed as a process for meeting management, and how and why it works all over the world, for groups of all sizes dealing with a vast range of issues. To be published simultaneously with Open Space Technology: A User's Guide, -- a companion volume which details methods for implementing an Open Space event -- Expanding Our Now provides historical background, with case studies and delves into the questions of why and how Open Space works. Owen makes a compelling case that OST can move organizations to higher levels of performance, without elaborate training or professional facilitators. By focusing on 'Now' -- this present moment -- perception is expanded so that, for example, AT&T was able to accomplish 10 months work in a matter of 2 days. 'Now' is the heart of the matter. When Now gets big, time and space open up for doing what is needed. In the experience of Owen and thousands of people around the world who have used this technology successfully, OST expands 'Now' . Here he offers numerous successful case studies from corporations (such as Boeing and AT&T), community service organizations, and even countries (Canada) to demonstrate the power of 'Now'. While Open Space violates many of the traditional principles of meeting (and organizational) management, it is remarkably effective. Owen challenges the idea that anyone can actually control a closed system, suggesting that in reality all systems are open, and OST simply acknowledges and takes full advantage of that reality.

In the public and nonprofit arenas, leaders face the unique challenge of protecting the public interest while implementing organizational change initiatives. To succeed, these leaders must build organizations that are “change-centric,” carefully weigh and prepare for the risks of change, and develop a change-oriented leadership style that authors Kee and Newcomer call transformational stewardship.

A comprehensive approach to leading change, Transforming Public and Nonprofit Organizations: Stewardship for Leading Change provides public and nonprofit leaders and students of leadership, management, and organizational change with theoretical knowledge and practical tools for accomplishing change goals while protecting the broader public interest. This insightful and useful guide offers:

An introduction to the change-oriented leadership concept, transformational stewardship
An easy-to-follow model for initiating change in the public interest
Case studies, practical tips, and resources for additional learning
An organizational assessment instrument to gauge readiness for major change
A 360-degree assessment instrument to identify individual leadership strengths and areas for improvement

In the public and nonprofit arenas, leaders face the unique challenge of protecting the public interest while implementing organizational change initiatives. To succeed, these leaders must build organizations that are “change-centric,” carefully weigh and prepare for the risks of change, and develop a change-oriented leadership style that authors Kee and Newcomer call transformational stewardship.

A comprehensive approach to leading change, Transforming Public and Nonprofit Organizations: Stewardship for Leading Change provides public and nonprofit leaders and students of leadership, management, and organizational change with theoretical knowledge and practical tools for accomplishing change goals while protecting the broader public interest. This insightful and useful guide offers:

An introduction to the change-oriented leadership concept, transformational stewardship
An easy-to-follow model for initiating change in the public interest
Case studies, practical tips, and resources for additional learning
An organizational assessment instrument to gauge readiness for major change
A 360-degree assessment instrument to identify individual leadership strengths and areas for improvement

A guide to the parallel revolutions in technology, organizations, and leadership, this practical yet thought-provoking book presents a wealth of evidence to show that the two recurrent themes of democracy and enterprise are transforming our institutions. Organizations are becoming changing clusters of entrepreneurial units working together to form "internal markets," while this diversity is being integrated into a "corporate community" that unites the interests of investors, workers, clients, business partners, and the public. Even fierce competitors are cooperating.

o "Serving enterprises" make customers working partners in the creation of value
o "Knowledge entrepreneurs" form teams of self-managed internal enterprises
o "Internal markets" and "Corporate community" harness external forces to drive continuous change
o The power of "inner leadership" unites liberated workers, critical clients, and temporary business partners
o "Intelligent growth" offers strategic advantage that is ecologically benign

Illustrative examples, survey data, trends, anecdotes, and exercises offer original insights into the use of New Management principles. In addition, mini-case studies of MCI, Saturn, The Body Shop, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Southwest Airlines, Home Depot, IKEA, Wal-Mart and other great companies illustrate vividly how creative managers design and lead organizations in an era of global competition, constant change, and empowered people. The author also analyzes critical issues, such as the nagging old conflict between profit and society, to provide managers a comprehensive, stimulating guide to where their craft is heading.

Halal argues that the transition to a New Management is almost inevitable because it is being driven not by altruism or even good leadership, but by the relentless advance of the Information Revolution. Only small entrepreneurial teams operating from the bottom-up can master today's exploding complexity, and gaining stakeholder support is now essential because a knowledge-based economy has made cooperation a competitive advantage. Rather than fussing over quick fixes, The New Management points the way toward more fundamental solutions to the massive changes that will confront all institutions as the transition to a knowledge society rolls on into the 21st century.

A guide to the parallel revolutions in technology, organizations, and leadership, this practical yet thought-provoking book presents a wealth of evidence to show that the two recurrent themes of democracy and enterprise are transforming our institutions. Organizations are becoming changing clusters of entrepreneurial units working together to form "internal markets," while this diversity is being integrated into a "corporate community" that unites the interests of investors, workers, clients, business partners, and the public. Even fierce competitors are cooperating.

o "Serving enterprises" make customers working partners in the creation of value
o "Knowledge entrepreneurs" form teams of self-managed internal enterprises
o "Internal markets" and "Corporate community" harness external forces to drive continuous change
o The power of "inner leadership" unites liberated workers, critical clients, and temporary business partners
o "Intelligent growth" offers strategic advantage that is ecologically benign

Illustrative examples, survey data, trends, anecdotes, and exercises offer original insights into the use of New Management principles. In addition, mini-case studies of MCI, Saturn, The Body Shop, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Southwest Airlines, Home Depot, IKEA, Wal-Mart and other great companies illustrate vividly how creative managers design and lead organizations in an era of global competition, constant change, and empowered people. The author also analyzes critical issues, such as the nagging old conflict between profit and society, to provide managers a comprehensive, stimulating guide to where their craft is heading.

Halal argues that the transition to a New Management is almost inevitable because it is being driven not by altruism or even good leadership, but by the relentless advance of the Information Revolution. Only small entrepreneurial teams operating from the bottom-up can master today's exploding complexity, and gaining stakeholder support is now essential because a knowledge-based economy has made cooperation a competitive advantage. Rather than fussing over quick fixes, The New Management points the way toward more fundamental solutions to the massive changes that will confront all institutions as the transition to a knowledge society rolls on into the 21st century.

What do you do when the biggest threat to your project is your boss? It's not that your boss is out to get you. In fact, bosses generally mean well. But clueless leadership from a well-intentioned boss can sometimes cause more damage than a criminal mastermind tying your project to the railroad tracks.

The Unwritten Rules of Managing Up provides refreshingly practical and candid insight into the best practices and techniques that project managers have successfully used for decades to manage a wide variety of senior-level stakeholders—ranging from perfectly competent and pleasant to downright dysfunctional and inept. 

While managing up is an incredibly valuable skill for virtually any type of boss (not just the difficult ones), the book includes recommendations for managing six particularly challenging—and common—types of senior leaders. They are the bombastic Tornado, who takes over meetings without realizing it; the Wishful Thinker, who regularly asks the impossible; the Clueless Chameleon, who can't quite decide what he or she really wants (but still holds you responsible for delivering it); the MIA Boss, who is just not around enough; the Meddlesome Micromanager, who hovers and insists you complete a task his or her way; and the Naked Emperor, who falls in love with his or her own crazy ideas. Brownlee also offers basic techniques to use with any boss, even a great one.

This book is not just for professionals seeking to enhance their workplace effectiveness but also for senior leaders interested in addressing their blind spots and coaching others toward a more collaborative, results-focused leadership approach.

What do you do when the biggest threat to your project is your boss? It's not that your boss is out to get you. In fact, bosses generally mean well. But clueless leadership from a well-intentioned boss can sometimes cause more damage than a criminal mastermind tying your project to the railroad tracks.

The Unwritten Rules of Managing Up provides refreshingly practical and candid insight into the best practices and techniques that project managers have successfully used for decades to manage a wide variety of senior-level stakeholders—ranging from perfectly competent and pleasant to downright dysfunctional and inept. 

While managing up is an incredibly valuable skill for virtually any type of boss (not just the difficult ones), the book includes recommendations for managing six particularly challenging—and common—types of senior leaders. They are the bombastic Tornado, who takes over meetings without realizing it; the Wishful Thinker, who regularly asks the impossible; the Clueless Chameleon, who can't quite decide what he or she really wants (but still holds you responsible for delivering it); the MIA Boss, who is just not around enough; the Meddlesome Micromanager, who hovers and insists you complete a task his or her way; and the Naked Emperor, who falls in love with his or her own crazy ideas. Brownlee also offers basic techniques to use with any boss, even a great one.

This book is not just for professionals seeking to enhance their workplace effectiveness but also for senior leaders interested in addressing their blind spots and coaching others toward a more collaborative, results-focused leadership approach.

Globalization has created a superheated competitive business environment that demands innovation to stay ahead. But it's also created a hidden source of innovation right in your midst: the people in your organization who have deep experience in more than one culture—multiculturals. Having to integrate different cultural frameworks has enabled them to develop abilities that can contribute powerfully to building innovative organizations.

David Thomas makes a compelling business case for recognizing and cultivating a new dimension of diversity—the diversity within individuals! He looks at how to establish the organizational conditions under which multiculturals can flourish and shows how even the most monocultural among us can gain the advantages of a multicultural mind.

Globalization has created a superheated competitive business environment that demands innovation to stay ahead. But it's also created a hidden source of innovation right in your midst: the people in your organization who have deep experience in more than one culture—multiculturals. Having to integrate different cultural frameworks has enabled them to develop abilities that can contribute powerfully to building innovative organizations.

David Thomas makes a compelling business case for recognizing and cultivating a new dimension of diversity—the diversity within individuals! He looks at how to establish the organizational conditions under which multiculturals can flourish and shows how even the most monocultural among us can gain the advantages of a multicultural mind.

Describes seven major ways of learning and shows how each can best be used to maximize self-directed learning Provides a step-by-step guide to assessing previous learning and designing an action plan for future learning Reveals how to expand opportunities for learning and use libraries and the Internet more effectively As the pace of change in the workplace continues to accelerate, individuals are under more pressure to learn new things than ever before. While most people realize they have more to learn, many have trouble translating that anxious need into purposeful action. Managing Your Own Learning demonstrates how to analyze previous learning, design an action plan for future learning, expand opportunities for learning, and use libraries and the Internet effectively to become a lifelong learner. James and Adelaide Davis detail seven major ways of learning: learning new skills, learning from presentations, learning to think, learning to solve problems and make decisions, learning in groups, learning through virtual realities, and learning from experience. They also provide useful guidelines for maximizing results by becoming an effective, active participant in learning. They explain, for example, how learning in a group can be enhanced by knowing how a group works and considering factors such as group size, cohesion, task and process behavior, and participant roles, as well as the things that can go wrong in groups, such as conflict and apathy. For each of the seven ways of learning, the authors tell what is unique about it, how learning actually takes place, and how it can be augmented in each situation. They reveal how the theory behind each way of learning originated, what researchers have learned about it, and what the individual's role is as a participant. And at the end of each chapter, they include a list of ten things that anyone can do to get the most from that particular type of learning. No matter what our previous experiences with learning may have been, we all must become self-directed learners if we are to succeed in this new era. Managing Your Own Learning provides step-by-step, proven advice on how to succeed in the 21st century workplace by becoming a proactive, goal-directed, perpetual learner.

As the pace of change in the workplace continues to accelerate, individuals are under more pressure to learn new things than ever before. While most people realize they have more to learn, many have trouble translating that anxious need into purposeful action. Managing Your Own Learning demonstrates how to analyze previous learning, design an action plan for future learning, expand opportunities for learning, and use libraries and the Internet effectively to become a lifelong learner.
James and Adelaide Davis detail seven major ways of learning: learning new skills, learning from presentations, learning to think, learning to solve problems and make decisions, learning in groups, learning through virtual realities, and learning from experience. They also provide useful guidelines for maximizing results by becoming an effective, active participant in learning. They explain, for example, how learning in a group can be enhanced by knowing how a group works and considering factors such as group size, cohesion, task and process behavior, and participant roles, as well as the things that can go wrong in groups, such as conflict and apathy.
For each of the seven ways of learning, the authors tell what is unique about it, how learning actually takes place, and how it can be augmented in each situation. They reveal how the theory behind each way of learning originated, what researchers have learned about it, and what the individual's role is as a participant. And at the end of each chapter, they include a list of ten things that anyone can do to get the most from that particular type of learning.
No matter what our previous experiences with learning may have been, we all must become self-directed learners if we are to succeed in this new era. Managing Your Own Learning provides step-by-step, proven advice on how to succeed in the 21st century workplace by becoming a proactive, goal-directed, perpetual learner.

Bestselling author, psychologist, and relationship coach Melanie Joy shares the principles and tools that can make any relationship, from personal to professional, healthier and more resilient.

Relationships are complicated. Yet it's an unfortunate reality that while most of us have to learn complex geometry that we'll probably never use, we don't get a single formal lesson in how to relate to others. In this one-stop guide, psychologist Melanie Joy reveals the common psychological dynamics that underlie all kinds of relationships—with a romantic partner, friends, family members, colleagues—in short, with anyone in any situation. Understanding these dynamics will help you make all your relationships healthier and more resilient.

Relationships are like bodies: they get sick when their immune system is weaker than the germs that stress them. Drawing on the most relevant research as well as on her own extensive experience as a psychologist, Joy explains how to strengthen your relational immune system to resist not only interpersonal stressors but also largely invisible yet potentially devastating societal stressors like racism and sexism. With this understanding, you can cultivate relationships that consistently reflect core moral values and honor the dignity of everyone involved. Resilient relationships are not only a source of joy and fulfillment for those who are in them, they also support the thriving of the organizations and communities of which we all are a part.

Bestselling author, psychologist, and relationship coach Melanie Joy shares the principles and tools that can make any relationship, from personal to professional, healthier and more resilient.

Relationships are complicated. Yet it's an unfortunate reality that while most of us have to learn complex geometry that we'll probably never use, we don't get a single formal lesson in how to relate to others. In this one-stop guide, psychologist Melanie Joy reveals the common psychological dynamics that underlie all kinds of relationships—with a romantic partner, friends, family members, colleagues—in short, with anyone in any situation. Understanding these dynamics will help you make all your relationships healthier and more resilient.

Relationships are like bodies: they get sick when their immune system is weaker than the germs that stress them. Drawing on the most relevant research as well as on her own extensive experience as a psychologist, Joy explains how to strengthen your relational immune system to resist not only interpersonal stressors but also largely invisible yet potentially devastating societal stressors like racism and sexism. With this understanding, you can cultivate relationships that consistently reflect core moral values and honor the dignity of everyone involved. Resilient relationships are not only a source of joy and fulfillment for those who are in them, they also support the thriving of the organizations and communities of which we all are a part.

Take the First Step Toward Building a Strong Foundation in Federal Acquisition!
Federal Acquisition: Key Issues and Guidance is an essential guide to understanding and working within the complex world of federal government contracting. It offers brief but comprehensive explanations of the major phases and essential tasks in the contracting process. Written in a clear and easy-to-understand style, this resource provides the perfect foundation for building a thorough understanding of federal contracting.
Author Paula Compton focuses on the most problematic areas of federal contracting, highlighting the deficiencies cited most often by the Government Accountability Office and Inspector General audits and reports, such as:
• Not performing market research
• Inadequate independent government cost estimates
• Violation of the bona fide needs rule
• Insufficient statements of work
• Inadequate price or cost analysis
Anyone new to government acquisition will find that reading this book is the ideal first step on the path to understanding the federal acquisition process. Seasoned contract professionals will find it an excellent quick review.

Take the First Step Toward Building a Strong Foundation in Federal Acquisition!
Federal Acquisition: Key Issues and Guidance is an essential guide to understanding and working within the complex world of federal government contracting. It offers brief but comprehensive explanations of the major phases and essential tasks in the contracting process. Written in a clear and easy-to-understand style, this resource provides the perfect foundation for building a thorough understanding of federal contracting.
Author Paula Compton focuses on the most problematic areas of federal contracting, highlighting the deficiencies cited most often by the Government Accountability Office and Inspector General audits and reports, such as:
• Not performing market research
• Inadequate independent government cost estimates
• Violation of the bona fide needs rule
• Insufficient statements of work
• Inadequate price or cost analysis
Anyone new to government acquisition will find that reading this book is the ideal first step on the path to understanding the federal acquisition process. Seasoned contract professionals will find it an excellent quick review.

Learn how frictionless organizations cut costs, grow revenue, and create loyal fans by creating products and services that work so well, their customers never have to contact them for the wrong reasons.

This book will help any customer-facing organization deliver better customer experiences, save money, and increase revenue. Veteran customer service experts Bill Price and David Jaffe, coauthors of the bestseller The Best Service Is No Service, explain how organizations can design products, sales, and support so that customer effort is reduced or, better still, removed. This simplicity for the customer is what Price and Jaffe call frictionless.

The book defines a straightforward methodology, drawing on more than thirty practical examples from leading companies across four continents. The approach provides a radically different way for the whole business to focus on the customer experience. It explains how any organization can look at all customer interactions as potential opportunities for improvement and question whether they are helpful or represent symptoms of friction.

Lower friction innovators are disrupting established businesses in every industry. This detailed guide shows how any business-from start-ups to major multinational corporations-can remove friction. Being frictionless has become a strategic necessity, and now this strategy is available to any organization.

Learn how frictionless organizations cut costs, grow revenue, and create loyal fans by creating products and services that work so well, their customers never have to contact them for the wrong reasons.

This book will help any customer-facing organization deliver better customer experiences, save money, and increase revenue. Veteran customer service experts Bill Price and David Jaffe, coauthors of the bestseller The Best Service Is No Service, explain how organizations can design products, sales, and support so that customer effort is reduced or, better still, removed. This simplicity for the customer is what Price and Jaffe call frictionless.

The book defines a straightforward methodology, drawing on more than thirty practical examples from leading companies across four continents. The approach provides a radically different way for the whole business to focus on the customer experience. It explains how any organization can look at all customer interactions as potential opportunities for improvement and question whether they are helpful or represent symptoms of friction.

Lower friction innovators are disrupting established businesses in every industry. This detailed guide shows how any business-from start-ups to major multinational corporations-can remove friction. Being frictionless has become a strategic necessity, and now this strategy is available to any organization.