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Leading at the Edge of Chaos
Book

Leading at the Edge of Chaos

How to Create the Nimble Organization

Daryl R. Conner
Wiley, 1998
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Comprehensive
  • Analytical

Recommendation

Daryl R. Conner’s book operates under the assumption that the future of business will be steeped in chaos. Thus, it tries to prepare the leaders of the future for the kinds of challenges that result from chaos. These challenges will primarily involve employees, since every person reacts differently, and usually unfavorably, to change. The companies that marshal an agile workforce and adapt quickly to unexpected circumstances will do the best in this unstable environment. This thoroughly researched book gives leaders a decisive look at what happens when the human psyche tries to navigate change. Conner documents the problems people have when they deal with change and offers a disciplined strategy for making your organization more limber. Even if you’ve heard many of the key concepts presented before, as you navigate the waters of change, this calm, lucid manual will keep your hands steady at the helm. Therefore, getabstract.com recommends it to everyone who is confronting change, and that is everyone.

Summary

The State of Change

Change is a process. Like digestion or drunkenness, it is something that happens inside of you. You react to events in certain recognizable ways. To understand this concept, imagine that you are on a surfboard, paddling out into the ocean. When you get to a certain point in the water, everything’s easy. You’re totally in control, enjoying the way the sunlight is drying the beads of water on your back. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a wave approaching. You leap onto your board and join the surge of the wave. You’ve got balance and poise and everything is still cool, to an extent. Suddenly, the wave takes a wild turn. You start to lose your balance and your poise. You quickly shift your position on the board. It works! Your adaptation saves you from slamming into the water. The wave dies down and you ride it to the shore. You’ve got that feeling of control again. You know what to expect and can predict what is going to happen next: You’re going to step off your board into the shallow water. Change is not represented by the wave and its wild turn; it is represented by your change cycle, your shift from control to balance to disruption to adaptation...

About the Author

Daryl R. Conner is President and CEO of ODR, Inc., a research-based consulting firm. He is also the author of Managing at the Speed of Change.

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