The Government Leader's Field Guide to Organizational Agility : How to Navigate Complex and Turbulent Times / Sarah C. Miller and Shelley Kirkpatrick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, Sarah C., author.

Kirkpatrick, Shelley, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Government executives--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Government executives.

Organizational change--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Organizational change.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oakland, CA : Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., [2021]

Summary:

This is the first book to fully adapt the principles of agility for government leaders who want to make their organizations more effective and nimble while better serving their public mission.This practical resource will equip government leaders at all levels with evidence-based, hands-on guidance for transforming their organizations, enabling them to better serve the public and their customers. While many books focus on organizational agility for leaders of for-profit companies, this is the first one tailored to the unique requirements government leaders face. They must find a way to accomplish their mission while navigating constant change.Government leaders at all levels must maneuver their organizations through new, often complex challenges, ranging from new laws that impact their agencies, new technologies, changes in leadership, and unexpected events. By explaining how to manage and organize work differently, this guide will help leaders weather the storm of that constant change so they can help their agencies realize their missions and serve the public interest.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

List of Tools

Preface

Chapter 1: Constant Change Requires a Different Way of Organizing

Make Sensing and Interpreting Routine Behaviors

Make Responding a Routine Behavior

Understand the Seven Levers

Myth: We Just Need to Be More Effective

Myth: We Need Either Stability or Flexibility-Not Both

Chapter 2: Build a Foundation of Psychological Safety

Understand Why We Need to Feel Safe

Use the Platinum Rule

Give Yourself and Your Team Permission to Be Curious

Reward Behaviors, Not Just Results

Myth: Telling People to Feel Safe Will Enhance Their Psychological Safety

Chapter 3: Lead with Agility

Explicitly Call for Agility Norms

Help Others Understand the Mission

Empower Others

Lend Support to-and Participate in-the Routines

Myth: As a Leader, I Have to Have All the Answers

Myth: If I Delegate, There Won't Be a Role for Me

Chapter 4: Make Decisions at the Right Level

Enable Decisions at the Lowest Level Possible

Make an Informed Decision

Widely Share Decisions

Don't Debate, Test It Out

Flatten the Structure and Respond with Teams

Myth: As a Leader, I Won't Know What's Going on if I Delegate Decisions

Chapter 5: Promote Collaborative Learning

Knowledge Sharing

Set Norms for Information Sharing and Interpreting

Turn Meetings into Meaningful Discussions

Create Knowledge Networks

Curate Knowledge

Myth: Technology Will Solve Our Knowledge Problems

Myth: I Won't Have Job Security if I Share Information

Chapter 6: Create Stability

Maintain a Stable Organizational Structure

Identify Well-Defined Processes

Staff Stable Processes with Stable Roles

Provide Stable Norms and Expectations

Myth: We Can Respond to Frequent Changes by Restructuring.

Chapter 7: Create Flexibility

Respond with Teams

Incorporate Innovation Techniques to Solve Problems

Conduct Rapid Experiments and Pilots

Identify Flexible Processes

Staff Flexible Processes with Flexible Roles

Myth: We Have to Be a Well-Functioning Organization before We Can Be Flexible

Myth: Developing Innovative Ideas Is a Mysterious Process

Chapter 8: Encourage the Routines

Get Everyone Involved in the Routines

Engage in Reactive and Proactive Sensing

Build in Time for Interpretation

Engage in Reactive and Proactive Responding

Myth: Proactive Actions Might Not Pay Off

Myth: Experimenting and Piloting Might Not Pay Off

Chapter 9: Invest in People

Invest in Continual Employee Development

Promote a Learning Orientation

Proactively Identify Future Skills

Provide Time for Employees to Recharge and Refresh

Myth: We Don't Have the Time or Money to Develop Employees

Chapter 10: Putting It All Together

Be Persistent and Consistent

Cycle Back through the Chapters

Expand Your Application

Appendix: Organizational Agility Framework

The Environment

The Organization: Agility Routines and Levers

Outcomes

The Government OrganizationalAgility Assessment

References

Acknowledgments

Index

About the Authors

About the Contributors.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781523093434

1523093439