July 2, 2009 | Read Time: 2 minutes
NEW BOOKS
The Organization of the Future 2: Visions, Strategies, and Insights on Managing in a New Era
edited by Frances Hesselbein and Marshall Goldsmith
The words of the management expert Peter Drucker are present throughout this volume of essays devoted to the leadership and management concerns of businesses, governments, and charities. The collection is edited by Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the Board of Governors at the Leader to Leader Institute (which also published this book), and Marshall Goldsmith, a professor of management at Claremont Graduate University.
In one of the essays, Ira A. Jackson, a management professor, argues that a functioning, socially responsible society is the result of well-run organizations. He wonders aloud what Mr. Drucker would think of organizations today and says that he would be pleased by the premium placed on knowledge workers and the rise of social entrepreneurship. Mr. Jackson says that the increasing number of alliances of nongovernmental organizations, governments, and businesses are increasingly necessary to solve global problems. However, Mr. Jackson writes, too many organizations are “failing to be good stewards of their resources, their communities, and their values.”
In another chapter, Roxanne Spillett, chief executive of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, says that people, money, and strategy are the three biggest challenges facing charities. Ms. Spillett says more “creative capitalism” should be undertaken to increase revenue, encouraging charities to form innovative partnerships with donors and businesses and to take a more long-term view of their finances. Lastly, she advises charities to avoid “redundancies,” which entails working with groups that have similar missions, perhaps merging with another group, consolidating resources, and even closing if they are no longer relevant.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, Ind. 46256; (800) 762-2974; http://www.josseybass.com; 348 pages; $29.95; ISBN 978-0-470-18545-2.
