Breakthrough Thinking for Nonprofit Organizations: Creative Strategies for Extraordinary Results (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit and Public Management Series) [Hardcover]

Ross/Segal are well qualified to address Breakthrough. The book benefits from their experience in working with charities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Africa and South America through their UK based Management Centre. The book is peppered with examples of the application of the tools they discuss by named organizations on different continents. They even have the refreshing temerity to identify failures.

Ross’s presentations in North America have led to recognition of what Europeans and others already know – he is one of a handful of truly outstanding international thinkers and presenters in the charity field. Participant evaluations testify to the fact that Ross’s seminars/workshops are both brilliant and entertaining. Neither of these characteristics are lost in the book.

Ross/Segal are very effective at adapting new business management theories and tools for use by the charitable sector. To give but one example, using the metaphor of the “Wild West” they identify the seven character roles required to successfully implement change. Acknowledging this to be a modification of management consultant Rennie Fritchie’s five roles they identify the attributes required by the pioneer, wagon train leader, scout, sheriff, homesteader, medicine man or woman, hired gun. This greatly facilitates the reader’s understanding and remembering the special requirements for each of these roles to achieve a successful “breakthrough journey.” As they point out, “the roles idea is simply a metaphor to help cluster the skills, competencies, knowledge, and qualities needed.”

In their preface Ross/Segal state that their mission in writing the book was “to inspire managers and board members in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to believe they can achieve extraordinary results, and to give them practical strategies and techniques for achieving such results.”

Ross /Segal do indeed deliver on the mission. They provide us with a toolbox of approaches and ideas to achieve “extraordinary results.” As they point out - a toolbox provides a variety of tools for tasks and some are easier to use than others. We get better with our usage of them!

It is difficult to imagine a CEO, Board member, fundraiser, consultant and others desiring significant increased or dramatic new goals for their organization, in whatever area, who would not gain from applying some of the very practical and tested tools described in the book.

My business partner has found mindmapping an invaluable tool for working with groups to help them organize their thinking, let alone her own. One of my many favourites from the book is how to get rid of creativity and innovation killers. Maybe you want to foster greater innovation and creativity in your organization; fight “the tyranny of incrementalism” and establish new breakthrough goals; put in place an organization that makes sustained breakthroughs; ensure that the necessary people are on board to support your breakthrough idea - you will find the tools for each of these and many others in the book.

While Ross/Segal state that they are not seeking to provide, “a step by step, how to guide to achieving breakthrough,” it is difficult to imagine there could be a better guide to helping your organization “breakthrough.”

Already in high demand as presenters internationally Ross/Segal should expect to have to pack their bags more often as a result of this groundbreaking book.

Ther are some useful ideas on how to set up and sustain an innovation programme that are really provocative.

There are also some very useful checklists and a really neat framework for working out your own role in any breakthrough. I found this exceptionally useful in deciding what I could do by myself and what I needed to ask other people to do. Chapter 5 is good on this.

Finally it's good that lots of the examples are from outside the US. That gives the book a wider perspective.

It's written in a particularly readable style. Each chapter is self-sufficient so it's easy to pick up and put down. Theories are illustrated visually with diagrams and tables, supplemented by case studies drawn from the authors' work around the world. This gives the book a flavour of recency and freshness that adds to its accessibility.

Best of all Breakthrough Thinking explodes myths about creativity making it something that we can all achieve. All we have to do is open our minds and follow the instructions.