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Rating: 
Summary: Business textbook takes readers to a different dimension
Review: [This review originally appeared in the Autumn 1997 issue of ILLUSIONS Magazine: A Journey Through Ideas & Spirit. Review reprinted here with the permission of MoonShadow Press, Inc.] DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS review by John Haynes Not many of us can lay claim to being true paradigm-shifters, but let's give David Banner and T. Elaine Gagne credit---in their book DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS, they've managed to take the college business textbook to another level. Banner and Gagne do this by incorporating a fairly healthy dose of spirituality in their approach, and the result is a very readable textbook for undergraduate or MBA-level course work. Basically, DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS examines organizational structure and processes in the ordinary way but also (and here's where the paradigm shifts) in a subjective, ethical, and-one is tempted to repeat---spiritual way. What resonates throughout the book is the premise that organizations---like the people who comprise them---cannot be easily or readily quantified. Behavior cannot be predicted with 100% accuracy, and expecting human beings to work and think like machines is completely unrealistic. One has to cut beneath the surface to see the hidden dynamics. What one sees then is that the organization is nothing more than an agreement in consciousness, i.e. an agreement about 'who we are', 'how we interact with each other', how we deal with authority', etc. Understanding this basic truth ( and its far-ranging implications) results in a smoother operation, a better organizational flow. For instance, in their book Banner and Gagne profile the organizational styles of unconventional companies like Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. and Celestial Seasonings, but also examine such "staid players" as Dow Corning, Inc. and IBM. Thrown in the mix you'll find relevant mentions of the human potential movement, entropy, and quantum physics. Believe it or not, the lessons learned from such "out there" disciplines can be of great benefit to business organizations, if only reluctant corporations would open themselves to the possibilities. From the book: "Science and spirituality are blending as the paradigm shifts; so are spirituality and organization. The Latin definition of spiritus, the root of spirit, is 'breath.' In the organizational context, spirituality breathes life into the organization. Harrison Owen, in his article 'Leadership by Indirection,' argues that, if we were to get 'back to basics,' we would see our organizations as 'spirit and flow' and that leadership would be seen as the capacity to 'focus spirit and enhance its power.'" This is not your father's MBA handbook, boys and girls. DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS is also filled with Ashleigh Brilliant's delightful POT-SHOTS cartoons, which by themselves would be worth the price of the book. If you or someone you know is studying business--whether in a college setting or informally--it would behoove you to take a look at Banner and Gagne's DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS. You might also wish to visit Dr. Banner's
Rating:
Summary: Business textbook takes readers to a different dimension
Review: [This review originally appeared in the Autumn 1997 issue of ILLUSIONS Magazine: A Journey Through Ideas & Spirit. Review reprinted here with the permission of MoonShadow Press, Inc.] DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS review by John Haynes Not many of us can lay claim to being true paradigm-shifters, but let's give David Banner and T. Elaine Gagne credit---in their book DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS, they've managed to take the college business textbook to another level. Banner and Gagne do this by incorporating a fairly healthy dose of spirituality in their approach, and the result is a very readable textbook for undergraduate or MBA-level course work. Basically, DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS examines organizational structure and processes in the ordinary way but also (and here's where the paradigm shifts) in a subjective, ethical, and-one is tempted to repeat---spiritual way. What resonates throughout the book is the premise that organizations---like the people who comprise them---cannot be easily or readily quantified. Behavior cannot be predicted with 100% accuracy, and expecting human beings to work and think like machines is completely unrealistic. One has to cut beneath the surface to see the hidden dynamics. What one sees then is that the organization is nothing more than an agreement in consciousness, i.e. an agreement about `who we are', `how we interact with each other', how we deal with authority', etc. Understanding this basic truth ( and its far-ranging implications) results in a smoother operation, a better organizational flow. For instance, in their book Banner and Gagne profile the organizational styles of unconventional companies like Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. and Celestial Seasonings, but also examine such "staid players" as Dow Corning, Inc. and IBM. Thrown in the mix you'll find relevant mentions of the human potential movement, entropy, and quantum physics. Believe it or not, the lessons learned from such "out there" disciplines can be of great benefit to business organizations, if only reluctant corporations would open themselves to the possibilities. From the book: "Science and spirituality are blending as the paradigm shifts; so are spirituality and organization. The Latin definition of spiritus, the root of spirit, is `breath.' In the organizational context, spirituality breathes life into the organization. Harrison Owen, in his article `Leadership by Indirection,' argues that, if we were to get `back to basics,' we would see our organizations as `spirit and flow' and that leadership would be seen as the capacity to `focus spirit and enhance its power.'" This is not your father's MBA handbook, boys and girls. DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS is also filled with Ashleigh Brilliant's delightful POT-SHOTS cartoons, which by themselves would be worth the price of the book. If you or someone you know is studying business--whether in a college setting or informally--it would behoove you to take a look at Banner and Gagne's DESIGNING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS. You might also wish to visit Dr. Banner's
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