Daniels, William R. (William Roy), 1941-
Bibliographic record and links to related information available from the Library of Congress catalog
Section I: Concepts & Terminology,
Recommendation, and Watercraft Analogies 1
Chapter 1: Concepts & Terminology 3
The Uniqueness of Change-ABLE Organizations 5
Identifying the Key Management Practices of
Change-ABLE Organizations 6
Being Change-ABLE in Response to the External
Environment, or Being Stuck 8
The Role of Basic Assumptions in Sustaining Management
Practices 9
Extreme vs. Reconciled Basic Assumptions 12
A Glossary of Key Terms 13
The Book's Four Sections 20
Section One: Concepts & Terminology,
Recommendation, and Watercraft Analogies 20
Section Two: The "Stuck" Cultures 20
Section Three: Practices of Change-ABLE
Organizations 20
Section Four: Becoming Change-ABLE 21
Chapter 2: The Recommendation 23
Why Become a Change-ABLE Organization? 24
The Recommendation 26
Assumptions Sustaining the Practices 27
Begin Immediately, Whatever Your Domain
of Authority 28
Chapter 3: Using Watercraft Analogies To
Describe Four Organizational Cultures 31
A Watercraft Analogy for Organizational Cultures:
Raft, Dory Regatta, Galley, and Sea-Going Canoe 32
The Raft - An Analogy for Bureaucracy 32
The Dory Regatta - An Analogy for Professional
Association 35
The Galley - An Analogy for Representative
Organization 38
The Sea-Going Canoe - An Analogy for the
Change-ABLE Organization 40
Section II - The Stuck Cultures 45
Chapter 4: The Raft - Going with the Flow 47
The Shrinking Environment of Bureaucracy 48
Structure: The "Holy Order" of Bureaucracy 49
Planning: Pretentious Documentation 52
Performance Feedback: for Your Information Only 54
Decision-Making: One-on-One 55
Managing Individual Contributors: Guessing in an
Environment of Negative Feedback 56
Extreme Assumptions of Bureaucracy 56
Chapter 5: The Dory Regatta: Working Alone Together 63
The Inherent Individualism of Professional Work 64
Structure: Two Levels in Conflict 66
Planning: Sheer Opportunism 67
Performance Feedback: Maintaining Appearances 68
Decision-Making: Irrational Voting 69
Managing Individual Contributors: Ambiguity and a
Contest for Resources 70
Extreme Assumptions of Professionalism 71
Chapter 6: The Galley - Under Autocratic Control 75
The Prevalence of Representative Organization 77
Structure: Departmental Turf Wars 77
Planning: A Contest for Resources 80
Performance Feedback: Special Information
Sharing Events 83
Decision-Making: Covert Power Play 85
A Case Study in Galley Decision-Making 86
Managing Individual Contributors: Ambiguity,
Dissension, and Waste 92
Extreme Assumptions of Representative Organizations 95
Section III - Practices of Change-ABLE
Organizations 101
Chapter 7: Memo to Alice: Welcome to Our
Change-ABLE Organization 103
Memo to Alice: The Integrated System of Practices
and Basic Assumptions 105
Chapter 8: Linked Teams - Structure of the
Change-ABLE Organization 113
A Flat, but Still Hierarchical Structure 114
A System of Synchronized Regular Meetings 116
Meetings Are Focused on the Leader's/Team's Goals 117
All Teams Linked by Leaders and Members 119
Cross-Functional Teams Requiring Multiple-Role
-- Performance 120
Cross-Functional Task Forces 123
Max's Organization: an Example of Change-ABLE
Structure 124
Chapter 9: Performance Plans - Keeping the Organization
Focused 131
Performance Plans as a Key Element in Change-ABLE
Planning 132
The Six Characteristics of Performance Plans 134
A Process for Writing Your Performance Plan 138
Special Functions of the Performance Plan 141
Mei's Story: How Performance Plans Can Work 145
Chapter 10: Work Reviews - Central Act of the
Change-ABLE Organization 149
Work Review: The Team Evaluates Each Team
Member's Work 151
The Five Necessary Characteristics 153
Get the Right People Talking About the Right Thing.5 at
the Right Time 157
Work Reviews Are Supportive 160
Hal's Story: How Linked Teams, Performance Plans,
and Work Reviews Function as a System 162
Chapter 11: Group Decision-Making - Making Organizational
Governance Intelligent 165
Making Decisions as the Purpose of Management
Team Meetings 167
The Four Areas of Decision-Making 169
The Basic Process for Decision-Making 170
The Disciplines Required for Group
Decision-Making 172
Two Forms of Group Decision-Making 179
Group Decision-Making Sustains Organizational
Flexibility and Management Credibility 181
Chapter 12: Breakthrough Systems - Acknowledging
the Real Managers of Work 185
Individual Contributors Are Acknowledged as
the Real Managers of Work 187
Three Requirements for Self-Management in
Breakthrough Systems 188
Adapting Breakthrough Systems to Various Task Types 189
Individual Contributors in Teams 199
Breakthrough Systems Only Work Informally 203
The Interdependence of Managers and Individual
Contributors 207
Project Team's Story: Using Breakthrough Systems To
Get a Project Back on Track 208
Chapter 13: Basic Assumptions of Change-ABLE
Organizations 211
The Importance of Basic Assumptions in
Change-ABLE Organizations 212
The Contribution of Reconciled Assumptions in
Change-ABLE Organizations 215
Section IV.- Becoming Change-ABLE 237
Chapter 14: Recommendations for Getting Started 239
Do Not Try To Become Change-ABLE Through a
"Special Event 240
Three Characteristics of Successful Efforts To Make
Organizations Change-ABLE 243
One Sequence of Actions We Have Used
Successfully 244
There are Many Other Sequences and Starting
Places 250
Chapter 15: Building a Change-ABLE Organization at
Etec Systems, Inc 255
Case Study: How One Medium-Sized Company
Is Becoming Change-ABLE 256
Chapter 16: Warnings: What Happens in the Early Stages 271
Changes To Expect in Relationship to the External, Social,
and Economic Environments 272
Changes To Expect in Relationship to Internal
Dynamics of Your Organization 275
Warnings Regarding the Change Process in General 279
Endnotes 285
Index 289
Other ACT Publications 299