Appreciative Management and Leadership: The Power of Positive Thought and Action in Organization (Revised Edition, 1999)

Organizations in the twenty-first century will look very different from those we know today. Faced with an environment of unpredictable demands and a workforce of great cultural and ethnic diversity, organizations will have to find new ways to engage their members in a spirit of common purpose.

This book offers a new perspective on organizational management that will enable executives to unlock an organization's potential for creativity, innovation, and collaboration. In sixteen original essays the authors demonstrate how appreciation - the act of recognizing and valuing all kinds of diversity, whether cultural, ethnic, or simply different and unusual styles of management - is the key to forging unity and purpose among individuals in an organization. They show, for example, how consensus and cooperation grow from members' understanding that their personal integrity and abilities are valued and will be integrated into the organization's culture. They describe the specific communication practices that can be used to forge a common sense of purpose from conflicting points of view and different personal goals. And theey identify the special personal and leadership skills needed to cultivate an environment where managers work with and build on differences, rather than den! ying their expression.