Little Book of Healthy Organizations

Book excerpt: The best way to change the world may be one organization at a time. With this ambitious claim, the authors of this highly readable primer provide insightful analysis for evaluating and improving the health of any organization. They advocate a "systems approach," which views organizations as living systems, interconnected in their various departments, and interfacing with their environments. Leaders of organizations from all sectors will find sound advice concerning the four major components of organizations -- their structure, leadership, culture, and environment. Find out: What the classic dispute over "who gets the corner office" is really about. The difference between a good leader and a great one. What new hires may know about an organization that longer-term employees don't. How organizational change and conflict are not only inevitable, but survivable. Each chapter contains examples from the authors' varied experiences with organizational change and conflict, written from a spirited, hopeful approach for creating a better world. A title in The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding Series.