Strategies for Managers, Human Resources - Personnel Management, Change Management, Business - General & Miscellaneous

Upsizing the Individual in the Downsized Organization

Name: Upsizing the Individual in the Downsized Organization
Author: Robert Johansen,Rob Swigart
ISBN: 9780201627121

by Robert Johansen, Rob Swigart

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Overview

Upsizing the Individual in the Downsized Organization shows us how to make the most of the new technology available, but always within the context of the organization's human assets. It teaches us how to leverage social diversity in a global marketplace, how to redefine workflow and workspace and corporate education, and even such fundamental concepts as loyalty, time, and quality. With economies of scale giving way to economies of structure, this book demonstrates the central importance of teams - how to maximize team performance, how to rethink motivation and rewards, and how to restore continuity and organizational memory.

Here is the human-centered strategy that has helped some of the world's largest corporations get back on track. Robert Johansen--whose clients include Apple and American Express--shows how to manage effectively in this time of rapid change through a fundamental, people-oriented solution.

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Editorials

Library Journal

Johansen, the director and senior fellow of the New Technologies Program at the Institute for the Future, and Swigart, a scriptwriter and novelist, look at the changing structure of today's organizations. They examine the problems that have arisen because of downsizing, such as increased uncertainty about individual roles, the loss of "corporate memory" and continuity, and declining organizational loyalty. The authors are optimistic about the opportunities that exist for individuals and institutions that recognize these problems and are prepared to create new roles and models for the future. Although some readers may find it too abstract in parts, this thoughtful book should appeal to managers and general readers alike. Recommended for academic libraries.-Mark McCullough, Heterick Lib., Ohio Northern Univ., Ada

Joseph Leonard

This valuable short volume offers help in dealing with rapid change in organizations. As countless employees and managers are locked in organizations using layoffs as part of a retrenchment strategy, how can these people not only cope but thrive? The authors confront this issue and offer ways to make it through the chaos, probing the emerging world of work and its effects on the people who are experiencing dislocations. The book's 25 chapters are divided into three parts. Part one describes the current impact of downsizing on today's business world. Part two evaluates the characteristics of the emerging organization and focuses on some real hazards of organizational life in the mid-1990s. Part three outlines attitudes, cultural changes, and tools needed for organizations to develop a success turnaround strategy. This last part also focuses on how displaced people can do well after a layoff. A book that can help people find fresh ways and new opportunities to thrive in the emerging organizational environments.