Crisis & Renewalpresents a radical view of how all successful organizations evolve and renew themselves and of what managers must do to lead the revival. Contrary to traditional organizational theory, which emphasizes rationality and control in the management of change, this book argues that there are times when managers must deliberately create crises by committing acts of "ethical anarchy" in order to break the constraints of success and renew their organizations.Hurst develops a model of change -- the organizational ecocycle -- to explain how even successful organizations become systematically vulnerable to catastrophe. He brings the model to life with stories of crisis and renewal from both his own management and consulting experiences and a cross-section of enterprises -- from the hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari and the Quakers of the Industrial Revolution to contemporary organizations such as 3M and Nike.Born when people come together to capitalize on an opportunity, young organizations are usually dedicated to innovation and learning. As they grow and age, they become preoccupied with performance. Sooner or later they become constrained by their own success. For, in the pursuit of performance, what were once self-selected roles become designated tasks, flexible teams become rigid structures, open networks give way to closed systems, and control supplants commitment as people change. The risk, says Hurst, is that this single-minded, performance orientation may render organizations dangerously insensitive to subtle changes in the environment, seriously damaging their ability to learn.Renewal-changing a performance organization back into a learning organization-demands the restoration of the excitement, emotional commitment, and values often missing from large enterprises. It involves returning to the founding principles of the firm to reconnect the past with the present. In the aftermath of crisis, only shared values can hold a renewing organization together.Crisis & Renewalgives managers the theoretical grounding and the practical tools for leading their organizations to new life. The Management of Innovation and Change Series.

A New York Times bestseller! A pioneering and timely study of how to navigate life's biggest transitions with meaning, purpose, and skill Bruce Feiler, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Secrets of Happy Families and Council of Dads, has long explored the stories that give our lives meaning. Galvanized by a personal crisis, he spent the last few years crisscrossing the country, collecting hundreds of life stories in all fifty states from Americans who’d been through major life changes—from losing jobs to losing loved ones; from changing careers to changing relationships; from getting sober to getting healthy to simply looking for a fresh start. He then spent a year coding these stories, identifying patterns and takeaways that can help all of us survive and thrive in times of change. What Feiler discovered was a world in which transitions are becoming more plentiful and mastering the skills to manage them is more urgent for all of us. The idea that we’ll have one job, one relationship, one source of happiness is hopelessly outdated. We all feel unnerved by this upheaval. We’re concerned that our lives are not what we expected, that we’ve veered off course, living life out of order. But we’re not alone. Life Is in the Transitions introduces the fresh, illuminating vision of the nonlinear life, in which each of us faces dozens of disruptors. One in ten of those becomes what Feiler calls a lifequake, a massive change that leads to a life transition. The average length of these transitions is five years. The upshot: We all spend half our lives in this unsettled state. You or someone you know is going through one now. The most exciting thing Feiler identified is a powerful new tool kit for navigating these pivotal times. Drawing on his extraordinary trove of insights, he lays out specific strategies each of us can use to reimagine and rebuild our lives, often stronger than before. From a master storyteller with an essential message, Life Is in the Transitions can move readers of any age to think deeply about times of change and how to transform them into periods of creativity and growth.

"Tom Kraeuter is one of the most prolific authors and teachers on the contemporary worship scene today. His books are available worldwide in multiple languages. Tom's biblical, practical teaching transcends denominational lines. Nearly 20,000 people have attended his worship seminars, retreats, and conferences in churches all across North America. Many churches are considering a change in worship style--or they are in the midst of one. How can congregations walk together through a successful worship transition? Based on solid scriptural principles and the experiences of scores of churches, this wealth of tested solutions and steadfast counsel equips believers with answers that will make a difference.

R. E. Biasca has been a leading international business consultant and educator for nearly sixteen decades. He has written fifteen books in Spanish, and for the first time, Renewal: An Effective Transformative Change Framework brings his extensive knowledge to the English-speaking world. Biasca’s Model has come to be seen by many as a practical guide to business transformation. Using a medical analogy, the model guides company leadership from diagnosis of their organization’s current situation through a focus on preparing for the next one: 1. Analysis (diagnosis and prognosis) 2. Innovation (prescription) 3. Execution (therapy) 4. Consolidation (preventive medicine) Holistic and interdisciplinary, immune to passing trends yet flexible enough to grow from practitioner feedback, Biasca’s Model is perfect for CEOs, board members, professors, and students in executive education and MBA programs.

This guide will help you find a satisfying career in today's market. It includes numerous assessment surveys, identifies career resources for professional networking, outlines how to write a winning resume, and features numerous personal case histories of those who have successfully made the transition from academia to the business world. The authors' step-by-step techniques have been field-tested on thousands and will help you to discover new career perspectives.

No pastor can lead a congregation to renewal alone. it requires a complete change of heart for the whole congregation. Congregational renewal occurs when people engage communally in a transition in their very understanding of the nature and purpose of their church. This goes far beyond a simple retooling of the mission statement or addition of a few programs. Authors Mary Sellon and Daniel Smith lead congregations through this process of renewal, breaking down into understandable components what is happening in the people themselves that makes renewal efforts successful. Pathway to Renewal offers pastors and congregational leaders a framework for understanding and addressing the deep cultural shift facing the people of a congregation during congregational renewal. This book will help leaders make sense of where their congregation could get stuck and guide them in thinking through what needs to be addressed next as a congregation seeks renewal. The realigning of a congregation's heart and sense of purpose can be a long process, but one that ultimately all congregations must experience in order to fully live out the world-transforming mission that God has given them to do.

The Renewal Coaching Fieldbook outlines the seven practices that leaders can learn and develop in order to sustain their energy to do meaningful work. These practices enable leaders to bounce forward in the face of loss, create networks of support, make wise and timely decisions, and engage in personal renewal daily. Throughout are compelling stories of leaders who have overcome the challenges that seek to diminish and overwhelm them, and succeeded in doing meaningful work for a greater good. Praise for Renewal Coaching Fieldbook "Elle and Douglas have written an important book that could change the way business is done by changing the lives of people doing it. In our fantastically connected planet, worldwide commerce impacts all of us immediately, making almost nothing more important for our long term success than committing to meaningful work lives aimed at the 'greater good.' As Elle and Douglas suggest, individual happiness and global happiness will be the outcomes. If this is what you want in your own life—and I hope you do—read this book!"—Rick Foster, co-author, How We Choose to Be Happy and Happiness & Health; publisher, SustainableHappinessCourse.com "The questions in this book will help you generate new ideas and ways of thinking about your predicaments. They will provide you with the way forward to hope, excitement, and satisfaction in service of a greater good."—Daniel J. Pesut, PhD, RN, professor of nursing, Certified Hudson Institute Coach, Indiana University, Indianapolis "This is not a fairytale approach to leadership where all is good and everyone is happy. It is a skillfully written manual that addresses the challenges and hard times leaders experience and makes resiliency visible and sustained happiness attainable."—Dr. Kristine Servais, former principal and professor of leadership, North Central College, Naperville, Illinois