Thomas G. Cummings

Susan Albers Mohrman

Learning how to Create High Performance

Self-designing Organizations

Abraham B. (Rami) Shani

Based on rich empirical data about cases of organizations working to build a more sustainable future, this volume tests the applicability of the formal knowledge base about management and organizations, while refining, modifying and extending it to increase its usefulness in addressing the challenges of organizing for sustainable effectiveness.

Organizing for Sustainability

John W. Boudreau

Edward E. Lawler

Beth

Alice Yee Mark

Nora Osganian

This is the Center for Effective Organizations’s (CEO) fourth national study of the human resources (HR) function in large corporations. It is the only long-term national study of this important function. Like the previous studies, it focuses on measuring whether the HR function is changing and on gauging its effectiveness. The study focuses particularly on whether the HR function is changing to become an effective strategic partner. It also analyzes how organizations can more effectively manage their human capital. The present study compares data from earlier studies to data collected in 2004. The results show some important changes and indicate what HR needs to do to be effective. Practices are identified that enable HR functions to be high value-added strategic partners.

An Assessment of Human Resource Organizations

Achieving Strategic Excellence

Ed Lawler

Features a who's who of leading management scholars Takes a stand on a major controversy in academia: should organizational research aspire to be relevant to practitioners? A sequel to the seminal book, Doing Research That is Useful for Theory and Practice, also edited by Ed Lawler, Susan Mohrman, and Associates For decades there has been an ongoing, at times heated, debate over how relevant to real-world organizational concerns academic organizational research should be. The contributors to this book argue that in order to keep organizational research relevant to both theory and practice, research must deviate from the orthodoxy of traditional positivistic research. The true test of whether knowledge is useful to practice is not whether it is “theoretically” impactful but whether it is theoretically impactful and results in improved organizational effectiveness. The contributing authors were selected for their demonstrated ability to conduct useful research and their distinguished academic careers. Part I of the book features active scholars who describe the choices they make and the tactics they employ to ensure that their work advances both theory and practice. In part II, four highly respected researchers reflect on how they approached their careers so that they could have a broad impact on practice and still maintain academic rigor. Part III describes pathways to bring academic knowledge to practice—working with consultancies, executive PhD programs, OD specialists, and professional associations, as well as framing academic concepts in ways that are attention-grabbing, memorable, and credible to practitioners. Part IV looks at institutional constraints and enablers: the prospects for useful research in traditional academic settings like business schools, peer-reviewed journals, and the Academy of Management. Finally, part V sums up the themes of the book and the challenges and opportunities facing researchers who aspire to do research that advances both theory and practice. Contributors: Jean Bartunek, Michael Beer, George Benson, John Boudreau, Wayne Cascio, Thomas Cummings, Amy Edmondson, Lynda Gratton, J. Richard Hackman, Gary Latham, Phillip Mirvis, Allan M. Mohrman, David Nadler, James O’Toole, C. K. Prahalad, Denise Rousseau, Sara Rynes, Edgar Schein, Ramakrishnan V. Tenkasi, Michael Tushman, Andrew Van de Ven, Ruth Wageman, Ian Ziskin

Advancing Theory and Practice

Useful Research

Abraham B. Shani

Health care is currently not sustainable. Health care systems in the developed world are encountering increased demand for high quality health care but facing societal resource limits. The volume explores the change capabilities and learning mechanisms that health care systems need in order to implement fundamental change to improve over time.

Organizing for Sustainable Healthcare

Allan M. Mohrman, Jr.

Proven-to-work tools for building or fine-tuning teams The authors of Designing Team-Based Organizations present hands-on guidance for establishing or refining teams in organizations where they carry out the core work process. Though teams are fast becoming the basic foundation of businesses and other organizations, surprisingly few resources are available to help managers, leaders, and design teams organize an entire business or business unit around teams. In response to requests from their consulting clients, including Texas Instruments and Honeywell, the Mohrmans developed these step-by-step materials to accomplish just that. The workbook is a practical guide that combines basic concepts with dozens of valuable worksheets that team organizers can use to create a viable design plan. Attractively designed with clear graphics, sidebars, to-do lists, and diagnostic aids, the workbook details planning, design, goals, decision-making, communications, leadership roles, performance management, and more. The facilitator's guide outlines how to use the workbook with groups so that unit managers, project managers, design professionals, and human resource staffs can work efficiently with their management teams to transform their groups into teams.

Designing and Leading Team-Based Organizations, A Leader's / Facilitator's Guide

Allan M. Mohrman

The authors of "Designing Team-Based Organizations" provide hands-on guidance for establishing or refining teams. Attractively designed with clear graphics, sidebars, to-do lists, and diagnostic aids, the workbook details planning, design, goals, decision-making, communications, leadership roles, performance management, and more.

Susan Albers Mohrman

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