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"IF THERE IS A SINGLE SACRED WORD in the culture of most of our organizations, that word is control." Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Open some space in your organization,
By Alexander Kjerulf "Alexander Kjerulf" (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform: How Organisations Transform (Paperback)
Harrison Owen is the inventor of Open Space Technology, the most exciting and productive way of meeting with other people that I know of. In The power of spirit, how organizations transfrom he describes what an organization might look like, if it lived by the open space principles. And let me say this right away: If they're hiring, I want to work there!The book describes several different stages of organizational development. The most prevalent today is the "Proactive" organization, which is based on the classical command-and-control structure. The heroes in proactive organizations are the accountants who ensure that everything happens by the numbers. An organization that embraces open space might become what he terms "Interactive". Here everybody is a hero, every single person is allowed to contribute according to the persons wishes and the organizations needs. Each organization contains a number of "givens". The givens are the absolutely essential tasks like making sure employees are paid, that taxes are paid etc. The organization should ask "what is the minimal level of formal structure required to take care of the identified givens", and should maintain the smallest possible structure to handle these. Everything else will be planned, defined and executed through a continual open space process. And why would we want to create these Interactive organizations? To make room for Spirit in the workplace, says Harrison Owen. He purposely does not define what this Spirit is. He argues, that you can either see the whole book as a definition, and that anyway, an exact definition is probably both imossible and superfluous. Although we may not be able to define Spirit, each of us knows when it's present and when it's not. Proactive organizations, with their tight command-and-control structures, leave very little room for the spirit. Harrison Owen argues that we are already moving from Proactive to Interactive. That we are currently sitting on the fence between these two models - and that's never a comfortable place to be. The book covers a lot of territory besides this. There's a section on Griefwork, the phases that are our human hardwired response to changes in our environment, no matter how big or small. There's also a chapter on Myths in organizations which is synonymous with storytelling, one of todays buzzwords. I highly recommend this book. I plucked it of my to-read shelf 2 days ago, and devoured it in almost no time - it's that exciting. It's also beautifully written, and well structured. I've personally tried the techniques described in the book, and they work extremely well.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book, takes Open Space Technology to the next step,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform: How Organisations Transform (Paperback)
The Power of Spirit takes Open Space Technology from a way of designing meetings to a way of looking at organizations and bringing about lasting change. It shows a new dimension of looking at working in organizations and it integrates spirituality with down-to-earth business sense. A truly inspiring book for any manager or OD consultant who feels work can be a better place and is looking for clues how to really change things.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Difference That Makes a Difference...,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform: How Organisations Transform (Paperback)
is that this book is clearly written from the heart, and offers a deeply human solution to the "soul pollution" in today's workplace. I've read most the well known books on organizational change/transformation - and there are some excellent ones - but this one really rings true. Mr. Owen suggests that management, a barely disguised euphemism for control, is a figment of our imagination. He holds that choas is actually the natural state of human affairs, not the exception. If we let go of outdated beliefs, and simply observe how things really get done, we will transform toxic workplaces into inspired organizations. By simply embracing what is. Like a lot of people, especially women, I left corporate America because I was unable to reconcile their values w/ mine. Always puzzled by people who contrasted their "work personalities" with their "real personalities", I'm more convinced than ever that separating from ourselves at work is not only unnecessary, but destroys the organization along with the selves that make it up! Spending time with Harrison Owen's voice allows you to hear your own. 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read!,
By Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform: How Organisations Transform (Paperback)
Harrison Owen's book has its share of shortcomings, but there is certainly something to recommend here as well. Owen's explanations of organizational change, complex adaptive systems and chaos theory as they apply to business and innovation are lucid and easy to understand. Less appealing are his lapses into jargon that seems more appropriate to a yoga class than a human resources department, and the theoretical tone that permeates the book. We from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone in search of an alternative perspective on modern management.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Watch a master-consultant at work in helping organisations get in touch with their core,
By Darren Cronshaw - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform: How Organisations Transform (Paperback)
Harrison Owen, The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2000)
Owen, an Anglican Priest and civil rights worker, extends his meeting management tool `open-space technology' to more broadly treat organisational transformation. The process begins with anyone who wants to come sitting in a circle (with `open space' between), and then allowing the group to set the agenda related to the central concern, such as a church's future. Owen has consistently seen groups achieve amazing results in two-to-three days; processing grief, expressing anger, sorting priorities, restructuring, letting fresh vision emerge, and unearthing stories and myths that cultivate `spirit'. This is an application of chaos theory, suggesting that the disequilibrium that chaos brings is an essential condition for life, learning, innovation and - strange as it may seem - organisation. The resulting InterActive organisations are characterized by chaos, high learning, high play, appropriate structure, and genuine community. Stories and myths are central to cultivating `Spirit' and counteracting `soul pollution': `When people hear the story, become part of the story to the point that the story is them, Spirit tends to soar and all the rest is just icing on the cake.' (p.171) So Owen describes a process for interviewing 10-20 people, collecting common stories, telling them (warts and all), burying some, and celebrating those that describe the organizational ethos. He says it is amazing what his two questions unearth: `What is this place and what should it be?' This is a scary process for managers who are used to modern Pro-Active control and strategic planning, but for brave new leaders it offers some guidelines for cultivating the sort of innovation, synergy and vibrancy that emerging churches need. Originally reviewed for "The Emerging Church: Pioneering Leadership and Innovation Reading Guide", Zadok Paper (Forthcoming 2010). |
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