Summary

Organizing for a successful future as if people mattered - an insightful examination of the principles and practices of the best organizations. *Why do directors and managers design and operate organizations as if the people who comprise them do not matter? Why do so many of them have such poor attitudes, knowledge and skills of the theory and practice of organizing? *To be able to look ahead and create effective and well-balanced organizations, it is vital to both look behind and look around at what has worked well before and what works well now in order to achieve a better operating structure for the future. Organizations are crucially human institutions, and we have a natural tendency to want to group together for mutual benefit. But all too often they can be seen as mindless, unsatisfactory and heartless machines, devoid of passion, justice or even hope for those employed within them. *With the benefit of thirty years of academic research, his consultancy practice, and exhaustive debates with academics and practicioners, Bob Garratt presents, with case studies, the patterns which emerge in the most efficient, effective and profitable organizations. *At a time when there is increasing distaste for the effects of downsizing and with the current obsession with an organization's processes rather than its people, Bob Garratt reveals the mindsets, values and behaviours required in order to create the healthiest organizations for the future. *Essential reading for executives, directors and managers in all business sectors - both public and private.