The CATERPILLAR DOESNT KNOW: HOW PERSONAL CHANGE IS CREATING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Book Description

"The caterpillar doesn't know that he'll come out as a butterfly. All he knows is that he's alone, it's dark, and it's a little scary."
-- Mort Meyerson, Chairman, Perot Systems

The caterpillar doesn't know that it must transform itself to stay alive. This imperative, according to leading detection-change experts Kenneth Hey and Peter Moore, now confronts American corporations, political institutions, and other public and private organizations. Moreover, they argue, our leaders have been the last to recognize a social revolution that is transforming the values and actions of consumers, employees, and voters.

Using innovative intelligence-gathering methods to document these unprecedented changes for the first time, Hey and Moore trace this revolution from the late 1980s, when jobs began to disappear, social tensions flared, terrorism erupted, and other cataclysmic events caused millions of Americans to reassess their goals and seek new meaning in their lives. The authors find that, with the notable exceptions described in this book, our wealth-driven corporations and institutions have failed to provide that meaning. Hey and Moore offer a new perspective on why individuals and institutions are at such odds today and why Americans are disconnecting from these anachronistic institutions. The authors show how leaders who have undergone their own personal changes have strategically restructured their companies in light of the revolution that has altered American society -- that is, personal change is creating organizational change.

At the end of each chapter, a "critical insights" section provides the reader with a deeper understanding of what has changed in the past decade and what leaders and their organizations can do to reconnect with their customers, employees, and citizens. Drawing from examples in manufacturing, retailing, service companies, financial institutions, and high-tech companies, The Caterpillar Doesn't Know provides clear insights into how enlightened leaders are responding to this new business environment while gaining increased market share for their companies.

Customer Reviews:

A good book in understanding personal change........2000-09-26

Though the book is based on the American experience, managing change is an international phenomena.The book is therefore useful especially if you are change leader. In fact, the "critical insights" at the end of each chapter can be thought provoking and stimulate discussion in successfully managing transitions. A must read in any change management programme - personal or organisational.

The gap between business and community values.......1999-12-08

Hey and Moore's central message is that too many leaders of major corporations are continuing to apply an old and self-referent view of the world, despite massive changes in the culture of wider society. The result is increasing frustration as the old remedies - downsizing, demands for total commitment from staff and traditional approaches to consumer promotion become less effective and even counter-productive.

They argue that the world-view of (American) society is changing dramatically. They characterise the change as a shift from 'communities of wealth' through a 'world out of control' to a world based on 'communities of meaning'. Whereas society is well into the third stage, many organisations, and particularly their leadership, have too often failed to change with society.

The authors claim that a similar and similarly chaotic complete transformation of organisations and their leadership is needed if they are to confront the new realities successfully. The title of the book refers to the fact that a caterpillar, in changing to a butterfly, does not go through step by step change, but actually dissolves inside the crysallis (ie goes through a chaotic stage) before restructuring completely and the authors use this as a metaphor for what is needed among leaders and among organisations.

Great insight into changes in business culture.......1998-11-01

This thought-provoking book needs to be read at the highest levels of our Fortune 500 companies. Many of our executives just don't "get it." The authors clearly explain what is wrong with the cost-cutting approach to profitability that is so prevalent in business today. Excellent!

Book Description

Published in cooperation with the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences and its journal Organization Science One of the hottest topics in Organizational Science during the past several years has been how organizational members conceptualize and make sense of their organizational worlds. The growing interest in cognition, both within and between organizations, has coincided not accidentally, with the increasing legitimacy of a constructionist point of view among organizational scholars. Cognition Within and Between Organizations brings together the scholars whose work has fueled these theoretical developments. The topical focus of the chapters covers broad ground, from cognitive coordination on the bridge of a Navy ship to cultural belief systems in the California wine industry. Despite this variation, the contributors to this book all attempt to apply the insights of modern cognitive science to problems of sensemaking and decision making in modern organizations. This commonality creates the book's coherence while simultaneously marking the contributions as the cutting edge of cognitive research within and between organizations. This insightful volume contains contributions from some of the most well-respected researchers and professionals in Management and Organizational studies. Students in these areas will appreciate the wealth of information provided in this book.

The capacity of visual short-term memory within and between hemifields [An article from: Cognition]

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The capacity of visual short-term memory within and between hemifields [An article from: Cognition]
J.F. Delvenne
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR75L8

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Cognition, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Visual short-term memory (VSTM) and attention are both thought to have a capacity limit of four items [e.g. Luck, S. J., & Vogel, E. K. (1997). The capacity of visual working memory for features and conjunctions. Nature, 309, 279-281; Pylyshyn, Z. W., & Storm, R. W. (1988). Tracking multiple independent targets: evidence for a parallel tracking mechanism. Spatial Vision, 3, 179-197.]. Using the multiple object visual tracking paradigm (MOT), it has recently been shown that twice as many items can be simultaneously attended when they are separated between two visual fields compared to when they are all presented within the same hemifield [Alvarez, G. A., & Cavanagh, P. (2004). Independent attention resources for the left and right visual hemifields (Abstract). Journal of Vision, 4(8), 29a.]. Does VSTM capacity also increase when the items to be remembered are distributed between the two visual fields? The current paper investigated this central issue in two different tasks, namely a color and spatial location change detection task, in which the items were displayed either in the two visual fields or in the same hemifield. The data revealed that only memory capacity for spatial locations and not colors increased when the items were separated between the two visual fields. These findings support the view of VSTM as a chain of capacity limited operations where the spatial selection of stimuli, which dominates in both spatial location VSTM and MOT, occupies the first place and shows independence between the two fields.

Customer Reviews:

Great stuff, but WAY overpriced.......2006-01-11

I teach a university-level senior seminar course in biology, and I was strongly considering using this interesting little book, but it has it's downside. First though, the plusses...

The book is well-written, and the author covers interesting and timely topics including:
- an introduction to the practice of science
- what and how one goes about doing research
- what is means to be part of the community of science
- scientific ethics
...and other topics.
It is also short enough to be easily digestible while covering an interesting range of topics.

Now for the minuses (well, one BIG minus). When I had nearly decided to adopt this book for my course I checked the per copy price and found a $43 price tag!!! I was expecting something in the $10-20 range. Sticker shock was more than enough to put me off, and I will not require my students to pay that much for this short book.

The book is only 186pp, it's paperbound, and is only about 1/4" thick.

I hope that the author and his publisher will take note of this feedback. They would have made an institutional sale if they hadn't set the price so high.

I give the book 5 stars for content, presentation, and applicability, but loss of a star (and a sale) for the excessive price tag on this book.

on time shipping ^O^ thanks!.......2005-09-30

Thank you for sending me my product quickly. take care and good luck in all that you are doing! again, thanks so much...

Good and Helpful!.......2002-03-04

This book by Dr. Lee is very well written, and is easy to understand. I have not read all of it, but a near majority of it. This book makes several different aspects of science interesting. I have him as a professor, and he is a really good educator. Maybe he will read this and give me an A. But if he doesnt, thats fine too...Ill work on the A myself. But honestly, this is a very well written book. It is very interesting and helpful to grasp some deep scientific knowledge.

Book Description

Winner of the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Prize for 1999

In 1989 the MIT Press published Made in America, a landmark study by The MIT Commission on Industrial Productivity, an interdisciplinary group of MIT faculty members. The study analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of American industry and set forth a strategic plan for revitalizing American productivity. Inspired by the MIT study, the Japan Techno-Economics Society formed the Japan Commission on Industrial Performance (JCIP). For three years, seventeen university researchers worked with representatives of thirty-four corporations to analyze the present state of Japanese manufacturing and to identify the challenges Japan will face in the twenty-first century. The result of their study is Made in Japan.

Made in Japan has a broader perspective than its American model, whose focus was limited to issues of productivity. The book is divided into three parts. Part I is a general overview. Part II is an in-depth analysis of seven industries: industrial electronics, consumer electronics, automobiles, metal products, industrial machinery, chemicals, and textiles. Part III identifies common problems and makes recommendations for industrial policy. The topics covered in the study are grounded in such fundamental issues as global environmental problems, competitiveness, and the free market economy system.

Made in Japan: Revitalizing Japanese Manufacturing for Economic Growth. (book reviews): An article from: Comparative Economic Studies

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Made in Japan: Revitalizing Japanese Manufacturing for Economic Growth. (book reviews): An article from: Comparative Economic Studies
Kiroki Tsurumi
Manufacturer: Association for Comparative Economic Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098AQ0W
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Comparative Economic Studies, published by Association for Comparative Economic Studies on June 22, 1998. The length of the article is 1454 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Made in Japan: Revitalizing Japanese Manufacturing for Economic Growth. (book reviews)
Author: Kiroki Tsurumi
Publication: Comparative Economic Studies (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1998
Publisher: Association for Comparative Economic Studies
Volume: v40 Issue: n2 Page: p117(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

What do FedEx, the U.S. Armed Forces, and most of the Fortune 500 have in common? Like thousands of other companies and enterprises, they're making use of wireless connectivity to networks of data and applications, from corporate Internets and cellular and satellite networks to the Internet. Amid the restructuring of the dotcom economy, smart CEOs are taking advantage of the confusion and cementing the position of their companies in the emerging economy by making strategic investments in wireless technologies. MCommerce requires people trained in both telecommunications and the Internet - a rare commodity. Even rarer are CEOs who understand the wireless Web space, including the risks and opportunities that await them. However, the intrepid CEO, armed with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Wireless Web, will be in a position to decide when and how to best take advantage of the technology.

Download Description

A McGRAW-HILL EBOOK EXCLUSIVE! The Hitchhikerâ€™s Guide to the Wireless Web guides ebusiness executives on a journey through the wireless Web space, with an emphasis on practical results. It shows them how to take the necessary steps toward executing a wireless Web strategy by pinpointing the major obstacles to creating a wireless Web presence. It delivers tools and techniques that enable businesses to overcome those obstacles by clearly defining their wireless Web presence, maintaining momentum during the development and deployment phases, and understanding and working with the technical, political, and legal constraints associated with working in the wireless space.

Customer Reviews:

Navigational Device for the Wireless Web!.......2005-05-29

I just read that the digital version is the first digital book admitted into in the Library of Congress. Anyway, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Wireless Web is a guide for ebusiness executives with an emphasis on practical results. It shows how to execute a wireless Web strategy. I liked that it covered what the obstacles are and especially how to overcome them. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:
Bankruptcy reform amendments: A legislative history of the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984, Public Law 98-353 (Federal legislation on bankruptcy reform)

Manufacturer: W.S. Hein
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Bankruptcy | Business | Law | Subjects | Books
Private Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0899417833

Average customer rating:

An excellent template for a customer satisfaction program

Your Customer $ystem
Dr. Daniel R. Price
Manufacturer: Winning Ways Management, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Service | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0970746105

Book Description

Learn the secrets of successful businesses as you build your award-winning—and profitable—customer service, satisfaction, and loyalty system! Wouldn't it be great to grow your business, make more money, win customer service awards, and keep your highly skilled employees? This first of it's kind guide shows you how to successfully apply for the Excellence In Customer Service (EICS) Award and other similar awards. This book is your systematic guide to increasing customer service, satisfaction, loyalty, and employee retention.

You will discover how to:

1. Apply a new customer service model, the Four P's of Your Customer System
2. Successfully put together an EICS Award package
3. Audit your own organization with the EICS Award criteria
4. Build Your Customer System that successfully measures and helps you increase customer service, satisfaction, and loyalty
5. Keep highly trained employees
6. Increase your bottom line

Customer Reviews:

An excellent template for a customer satisfaction program.......2002-02-20

Dr. Price's book is an excellent step-by-step approach to evaluating, planning and implementing a customer satisfaction program within a company. The book is very detailed in the steps to take to get to a solid customer management system and is not for light reading. It takes the processes developed by numerous experts in the customer management industry and lays those processes out in an easy to follow template, using the Baldrige Award and the Colorado Pike Peak Better Business Bureau's 'Excellence In Customer Service (EICS)' Award criteria as it's backdrop.

The most significant benefit of this book is that it steps through the process a person needs to take to implement a working customer system and explains the rationale for those steps along the way. The diagrams and charts give considerable help in understanding the steps.

Any QA manager, director or corporate CEO would greatly benefit from this book as it saves considerable time one would need to use to go through numerous books to understand the basic customer system concepts.

Book Description

It is widely believed that globalization has proceeded to the point where international economic linkages are as strong as those within nations. Struck by research suggesting that this perception is dramatically mistaken, John Helliwell spent three years assessing the evidence. The results are reported in this book, the latest in Brookings' Integrating National Economies series. It provides the most systematic measurements yet available of the relative importance of global and national economic ties. The original finding, based on a gravity model of trade flows, was that 1988 trade linkages between Canadian provinces were twenty times as dense as those between Canadian provinces and U.S. states of similar size and distance. A much longer and more detailed body of data is used to expand and explain these findings. Data for trade within and among OECD and some developing countries are used to show that the Canadian-U.S. results are applicable to other countries. Helliwell then surveys and extends the evidence relating to price linkages, capital mobility, migration, and knowledge spillovers, finding in all cases very large border effects. The evidence offers a challenge to economists, policymakers, and citizens to explain why national economies have so much staying power, and to consider whether this is a good or bad thing. Helliwell argues that since large and small industrial economies have similar levels of income, there are likely to be diminishing returns from increases in globalization beyond levels sufficient to permit the ready exploitation of comparative advantages in trade, and relatively easy access to knowledge developed elsewhere.

Book Description

This major annual publication is an authoritative state-of-the-art survey of current issues in environmental and resource economics written by the leading academics in the field.

The discipline of environmental and resource economics has undergone a rapid evolution over the past three decades with the early literature focusing mainly on valuation, and the design of policy instruments to correct externalities and encourage optimal resource exploitation. In the past few years, the field has broadened its scope by making numerous links with other disciplines in economics as well as the natural and physical sciences. As a result there has been an explosion in the literature which has made it increasingly difficult to keep up with developments in the field. TheYearbook cuts through this by focusing on the principal issues of current interest. Considering both macroeconomic and microeconomic issues, this edition deals with environmental policy in economies in transition, green accounting, the impact of macroeconomic policies on the environment, the economics of fisheries management reactions to environmental policy within firms as well as means of incorporating uncertainty in environmental analysis and policy.

Book Description

This major annual publication is an authoritative state-of-the-art survey of current issues in environmental and resource economics written by the leading academics in the field.

The discipline of environmental and resource economics has undergone a rapid evolution over the past three decades with the early literature focusing mainly on valuation, and the design of policy instruments to correct externalities and encourage optimal resource exploitation. In the past few years, the field has broadened its scope by making numerous links with other disciplines in economics as well as the natural and physical sciences. As a result there has been an explosion in the literature which has made it increasingly difficult to keep up with developments in the field. The Yearbook cuts through this by focusing on the principal issues of current interest. Considering both macroeconomic and microeconomic issues, this edition deals with environmental policy in economies in transition, green accounting, the impact of macroeconomic policies on the environment, the economics of fisheries management, reactions to environmental policy within firms, as well as means of incorporating uncertainty in environmental analysis and policy. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Transportation and Environmental Policy 2. Monitoring and Enforcement of Environmental Policy 3. Economic Aspects of Environmental Labelling 4. Integrated Assessment Models for Climate Change Control 5. Tropical Deforestation: Issues and Policies 6. Taking Benefits and Costs Seriously 7. Voluntary Approaches to Environmental Protection

Book Description

This report contains business intelligence information for succesful export-import, business and investment operations, strategic contacts and more... The report also contains selected information on investment and business opportunities, international economic projects, tenders, government projects, as well as, marketing and export-import opportunities information.

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