The Age of Participation: New Governance for the Workplace and the World - Hardcover

McLagan, Patricia; Nel, Christo

9781881052562: The Age of Participation: New Governance for the Workplace and the World

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1881052567 ISBN 13: 9781881052562

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1992

Ours is a time of massive change and transition. Political systems everywhere are moving toward democratic forms as people reject authoritarian government, bureaucracy, and the denial of human rights. Many companies, recognizing that business as usual can strangle innovation and competitiveness, have instituted "teams," "total quality programs," and the like, in attempts to foster participation. Unfortunately, both public and private sector success has been elusive and short-term. In order to be successful, these programs must be incorporated into a general movement toward systems of participative governance.
The Age of Participation presents the "big picture" of the governance shift that institutions around the world are grappling with. Its message is relevant for public and private sector institutions everywhere. This book is written for managers, consultants, labor union leaders, and all thinking people who work in large and small organizations. It is comprehensive, yet readable, containing many examples as well as models, thought-provoking concepts, and references to history, philosophy, and science.
In The Age of Participation, McLagan and Nel show why the modern world demands participative organizations. They blend theory and practice in numerous examples and industry models; look closely at every level of life in a participative organization, from suppliers and customers to executives and unions; and deflate the fears and misperceptions that sabotage change. McLagan and Nel propose that the following nine essential facets of an organization must change in order for the governance shift to be effective:
o values,
o structures,
o leadership,
o management,
o information,
o relationships,
o competencies,
o controls, and
o pay systems.
This is a practical experience-based handbook for instituting, sustaining, and nurturing the changes necessary today. Readers are encouraged to take a participative role by completing an organization assessment as they move through the book.

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From the Back Cover:

McLagan and Net explain why participative governance is a major issue of our times, affecting all areas of our lives: education, business, government, families, and community organizations. In The Age of Participation they focus on participation in the workplace, blending theory and practice in numerous examples and industry models. They look closely at every role in the organization - from suppliers and customers to executives and unions - and deflate the fears and misperceptions that sabotage change. Finally, they show why the shift to participation can't and won't occur unless all of us are willing to go through the personal changes needed to thrive and survive in a workplace and a world that is vastly different than the one in which we were born.

About the Author:

Pat McLagan is an acknowledged thought leader in the areas of leadership development and complex organization change. She works with public and private sector organizations globally -- and with leadership teams -- to help expand their change capabilities. She is the second woman and the fifteenth person inducted into the Human Resource Development Hall of Fame,a member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, and has received the top awards from the Association for Talent Development (formerly ASTD) and the Instructional Systems Association. She has consulted extensively on strategic change with organizations like GE, NASA, the State of Georgia, SABMiller, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and many others. Client comments: she helped do "the impossible, facilitating and mentoring the leadership team;" "it would be difficult to overstate the impact" of her work; her "dynamic leadership and know-how" helped us succeed with a critical transformation," and more.
Christo Nel is a South African who has been assisting change in his country for over fifteen years. He is the founder of the Consultative Business Movement, a group of top executives from companies throughout South Africa who were dedicated-for both moral and economic reasons-to eliminating apartheid. The CBM chaired the negotiations that led to the first democratic elections in South Africa. Today, Nel is the managing Director of ITISA, a consulting firm specializing in workplace democracy and all issues related to it. He is coauthor, with Patricia McLagan, of The Age of Participation: New Governance for the Workplace and the World.

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