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This is the sequel to Productive Workplaces (1987), voted by the OD Network one of the influential OD books of the last 40 years. This 2004 edition includes nearly all of the earlier work plus 100 new pages. In it, I report on what happened to organizations 15 to 30 years after major efforts to institutionalize changes for the better. If you are interested in the "sustainability" of OD projects, here's what I learned from the 10 cases I followed up years later: --Four organizations no longer existed. --Four more were owned by other companies. --Only two had the same owner in 2004 (and only one by 2005). --With one exception I had a hard time connecting any current practices with my old OD work. In most cases few people were left who remembered. --I asked any leaders I could find with whom I worked 15 to 30 years earlier if they would do their OD projects again. All to my surprise said "yes." You can find out why in Chapter 22. Some conclusions: "Sustainable change" is an oxymoron. We build organizational cultures for today only, not for the ages. What I have learned about learning organizations is that every generation needs to learn all over again for itself. Therefore, you have to make today's meeting an example of the future you desire. Seize the day, and do your best. The future, friends, never comes. It's already here. But you knew that already! Click here for an excerpt from the INTRODUCTION. If you buy the book through this web site, you also support the worldwide community services of Future Search Network.
Table of Contents Acknowledgments Part One: The Search for Productive Workplaces 2. Scientific Management Revisited: A Tale of Two Taylors *10. Adding Action to Research: Lewin's Practice Theory Road Map Part Three: Learning and Applying New Practice Theories 16. Managing and Consulting in the 21st Century *Epilogue: Still Caught Between Paradigms: Where Do We Go from Here?
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