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Rating: 
Summary: A Leatherman for the complex organization
Review: I have read and enjoyed several of Weick's books and articles on organizational performance. For the most part, they were difficult, but insightful works on how people in organizations behave. But it was not easy to translate the insights I gleaned from Weick's work into tools and strategies to improve the performance of the organization which employs me (a small hospital). In Managing the Unexpected, Weick and coauthor Sutcliffe have written a short book that summarizes the insights gained from studying high reliability organizations (HROs) and details "doable" strategies to enable other organizations to improve their own reliability. The book's use of several case studies, detailing of key strategies and techniques, and chapter summaries make it a quick and interesting read. What is most valuable, though, is that a person working in an HRO, or an organization that should aspire to such a status, can immediately take the techniques and strategies detailed in the book and start to use them to improve the organization's performance and reliability. Despite the fact that this book offers concrete strategies to improve organizational performance, it admits right from the start that successful HROs are extremely complex organizations. The authors allow the reader to appreciate that the success of these organizations in delivering quality products and services under often adverse circumstances is due to cadres of employees with diverse perspectives, skills, and expertise, that respect the complexity of the organization, and are willing to allow important decisions to be made by the individuals with the greatest understanding of the current situation. Thus, although Managing the Unexpected provides concrete tools and strategies for improving organizational performance, it also emphasizes the importance of mindfulness for employees working in HROs, or organizations endeavoring to such status. Mindfulness includes working constantly to be aware of the complexity of the organization, its environment, and that our expectations and plans for the future may be erroneous. This emphasis on mindfulness and disciplined awareness makes the reader aware that although the tools and strategies presented by the authors may seem simple, to be effective they must be used by individuals who have worked diligently to understand their organization, its employees, and the organization's environment. Managing the Unexpected is a welcome book for those of us who have always marveled at the success of our organizations in delivering quality goods and services in chaotic environments. It is not a quick fix that will send you to organizational nirvana with mindless platitudes. No, it is more like an organizational Leatherman that you keep on your belt at all times with the understanding that successful complex organizations are always needing to be fine tuned with a wide variety of skills, tools, and awareness.
Rating:
Summary: A Leatherman for the complex organization
Review: I have read and enjoyed several of Weick's books and articles on organizational performance. For the most part, they were difficult, but insightful works on how people in organizations behave. But it was not easy to translate the insights I gleaned from Weick's work into tools and strategies to improve the performance of the organization which employs me (a small hospital). In Managing the Unexpected, Weick and coauthor Sutcliffe have written a short book that summarizes the insights gained from studying high reliability organizations (HROs) and details "doable" strategies to enable other organizations to improve their own reliability. The book's use of several case studies, detailing of key strategies and techniques, and chapter summaries make it a quick and interesting read. What is most valuable, though, is that a person working in an HRO, or an organization that should aspire to such a status, can immediately take the techniques and strategies detailed in the book and start to use them to improve the organization's performance and reliability. Despite the fact that this book offers concrete strategies to improve organizational performance, it admits right from the start that successful HROs are extremely complex organizations. The authors allow the reader to appreciate that the success of these organizations in delivering quality products and services under often adverse circumstances is due to cadres of employees with diverse perspectives, skills, and expertise, that respect the complexity of the organization, and are willing to allow important decisions to be made by the individuals with the greatest understanding of the current situation. Thus, although Managing the Unexpected provides concrete tools and strategies for improving organizational performance, it also emphasizes the importance of mindfulness for employees working in HROs, or organizations endeavoring to such status. Mindfulness includes working constantly to be aware of the complexity of the organization, its environment, and that our expectations and plans for the future may be erroneous. This emphasis on mindfulness and disciplined awareness makes the reader aware that although the tools and strategies presented by the authors may seem simple, to be effective they must be used by individuals who have worked diligently to understand their organization, its employees, and the organization's environment. Managing the Unexpected is a welcome book for those of us who have always marveled at the success of our organizations in delivering quality goods and services in chaotic environments. It is not a quick fix that will send you to organizational nirvana with mindless platitudes. No, it is more like an organizational Leatherman that you keep on your belt at all times with the understanding that successful complex organizations are always needing to be fine tuned with a wide variety of skills, tools, and awareness.
Rating:
Summary: Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age
Review: This is an excellent book for both managers and consultants. This is also one of Weick's most readable and practical books. He and Sutcliffe present clear examples, an assessment instrument and to-do's that any organization can use to manage the complex environment. The lessons they share from High Reliability Organizations demonstrate why every organization needs to look for and manage the unexpected that is sure to happen.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating - A Must Read for Practitioners and Scholars
Review: Weick and Sutcliffe have accomplished the rarest of feats - they have created a book that suggests a viable research agenda for scholars and has tremendous practical relevance for managers. Their approach is also decidedly process-based and suggests different routes to high performance through capabilities for anticipating and detecting the unexpected as well as for resilience and managing the unexpected, which offers a nice contrast to more static and structure-based frameworks. Weick and Sutcliffe breathe life into these processes through rich and varied case examples. Another extremely appealing feature of the book is (Chapter 4 - Assessing Your Capabilities for Assured Performance) its attempt to measure these processes through various "audits." While these measures are only suggestive, they provide academic and practitioner alike with a great reference point for developing their own instruments. Chapter 6 offers a number of sound recommendations delivered with punch for the manager attempting to apply the principles of the book. The book also has significant implications for human resource management practitioners and scholars as it suggests a new way for designing human resource practices (e.g., training) and a new set of mechanisms (i.e., mindfulness) by which these practices may lead to improved performance. All in all, an insightful, provocative, and cogent book.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating - A Must Read for Practitioners and Scholars
Review: Weick and Sutcliffe have accomplished the rarest of feats - they have created a book that suggests a viable research agenda for scholars and has tremendous practical relevance for managers. Their approach is also decidedly process-based and suggests different routes to high performance through capabilities for anticipating and detecting the unexpected as well as for resilience and managing the unexpected, which offers a nice contrast to more static and structure-based frameworks. Weick and Sutcliffe breathe life into these processes through rich and varied case examples. Another extremely appealing feature of the book is (Chapter 4 - Assessing Your Capabilities for Assured Performance) its attempt to measure these processes through various "audits." While these measures are only suggestive, they provide academic and practitioner alike with a great reference point for developing their own instruments. Chapter 6 offers a number of sound recommendations delivered with punch for the manager attempting to apply the principles of the book. The book also has significant implications for human resource management practitioners and scholars as it suggests a new way for designing human resource practices (e.g., training) and a new set of mechanisms (i.e., mindfulness) by which these practices may lead to improved performance. All in all, an insightful, provocative, and cogent book.
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