When it comes to solving complex problems, we often perform elaborate rituals in the guise of best practices that promise a world of order, certainty, and control. But reality paints a far different picture, which practitioners are often reluctant to discuss. In The Heretic's Guide to Best Practices, authors Paul Culmsee and Kailash Awati provide a plethora of practical techniques to help convert colleagues or managers who are firm believers in best practices. Through applicable anecdotes, references to pop culture, and examples from case studies, Culmsee and Awati offer practical advice that benefits everyone in the organisation-from frontline employees to senior executives. A witty yet rigorous journey through the seedy underbelly of organisational problem solving, The Heretic's Guide to Best Practices pinpoints the reasons why best practices don't work as advertised and what can be done about it. Learn why conventional wisdom is not always wise and discover how the promise of best practices can be delivered for you and your organisation.
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About the Author
Paul Culmsee earned a bachelor's degree in information science from Edith Cowan University. He is an IT professional, a facilitator, and a sense-maker who co-founded Seven Sigma Business Solutions. He and his wife have two children and live in Perth, Australia. Kailash Awati manages information systems development at Boehringer-Ingelheim, Australia. He holds PhDs in physics and chemical engineering together with assorted certifications in project and data management. His professional interests include project/portfolio management, risk analysis, knowledge management and decision making in organisations. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two children.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
So genius it's hard to read too much without drifting off into those moments where you're not actually reading you're just thinking, "this is so true and this is exactly what happened to me the last time I did that". Just buy it and be done with it and then keep going back to it and wishing you could change the world by owning it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars
24 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent "Light Bulb" Book
7 Dec 2011
By Erica Toelle
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
If you are a consultant, facilitator or problem solver in any capacity or aspire to be then you should read this book. The authors take you through problem definition, solutions, and tools using humorous examples. It's one of those "light bulb" books that I'm going to keep around to lend to clients that are facing ambiguous, complex problems and aren't sure how to begin to define, yet alone solve, these problems.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Leap Forward
24 Dec 2011
By Ben McMann
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is for people who are tired of their internal voice telling them there is a better way to work, but not being able to explain how. If you are sick of hearing "that's the way we do things around here", but don't have a good answer for how things should be, then this book is for you. Regardless of whether you are a CEO or an entry level front-line employee, the authors will help you see there are better ways to work with one another to address the ever growing nature of "wicked problems" we face in today's hyper-competitive business world.
The authors state, "A key factor that mainstream management ignores is that organizations consist of people, and that the smooth functioning of organizations depends critically on the commitments people make to each other. People will genuinely commit only to things they truly believe in. Consequently they have to be convinced of what they are committing to." Within organizations, communication is generally seen as a one-way push of information to employees. The main point of the book however, is that communication plays a deeper, less appreciated role in organizations: building shared understanding and commitment to action via collective deliberation - not a one way push of information.
Why is collective deliberation important? The authors argue individuals or groups can commit to something only after they understand it and feel that their contributions have been taken seriously. Collective deliberation is needed because organizational initiatives are collective efforts - and shared understanding and commitment to action must precede such efforts.
This book will give you the tools to explain what needs to change to get your projects moving in the right direction, to make your professional life more fulfilling, and how to go about changing the "way we do things around here" mentality. If you are happy with the status quo of your day-to-day professional life, this book isn't for you. If you know there has to be a better way to work than what you are currently experiencing, and want to learn how to make positive change, then this book needs to be in your possession.
The authors state, "A key factor that mainstream management ignores is that organizations consist of people, and that the smooth functioning of organizations depends critically on the commitments people make to each other. People will genuinely commit only to things they truly believe in. Consequently they have to be convinced of what they are committing to." Within organizations, communication is generally seen as a one-way push of information to employees. The main point of the book however, is that communication plays a deeper, less appreciated role in organizations: building shared understanding and commitment to action via collective deliberation - not a one way push of information.
Why is collective deliberation important? The authors argue individuals or groups can commit to something only after they understand it and feel that their contributions have been taken seriously. Collective deliberation is needed because organizational initiatives are collective efforts - and shared understanding and commitment to action must precede such efforts.
This book will give you the tools to explain what needs to change to get your projects moving in the right direction, to make your professional life more fulfilling, and how to go about changing the "way we do things around here" mentality. If you are happy with the status quo of your day-to-day professional life, this book isn't for you. If you know there has to be a better way to work than what you are currently experiencing, and want to learn how to make positive change, then this book needs to be in your possession.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rattling the cages of orthodoxies everywhere
7 Dec 2011
By Ruven Gotz
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
If you have ever thought "I can't believe that I'm being forced to use this methodology that is clearly wrong for this project", then you are a great candidate for this book. Between the two of them, Paul and Kailash have read every body-of-knowledge and methodology out there, and they are unsparing in their praise of what works, and in their criticism of where the BOKs fall apart.
With their unique style and deep understanding of systems project success and failure, they bring some lesser-known approaches and tools to bear that will help you to truly become a better business analyst or project manager. The best part is that they have taken some really arcane, sleep-inducing academic work and made it understandable and consumable by us front-liners who are just trying to get our jobs done.
With their unique style and deep understanding of systems project success and failure, they bring some lesser-known approaches and tools to bear that will help you to truly become a better business analyst or project manager. The best part is that they have taken some really arcane, sleep-inducing academic work and made it understandable and consumable by us front-liners who are just trying to get our jobs done.
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4.9 out of 5 stars
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