Shaping the Future: A Dynamic Process for Creating and AchievingYour Company's Strategic Vision

Book Description

The true heroes of transformation within organizations are not just CEOs, but managers who create energy, gain alignment, and solidify the will within the company to turn the strategic vision into reality. Shaping the Future provides how-to guidance -- plus examples based on interviews with executives from companies like Boeing, Microsoft, Rockwell-Collins, and Harley-Davidson -- to help businesses create a strong future. Rethinking many classic assumptions about change, Shaping the Future emphasizes the importance of making a single, critical change -- the strategic imperative -- rather than many smaller ones. The book presents a practical and unique Transformational Model, consisting of five key steps necessary to overcome resistance and effect large-scale change within an organization.

Demonstrating an exciting new approach to an ever-more critical challenge, Shaping the Future provides thoughtful and tested guidance for true change leaders.

Customer Reviews:

My Book Review.......2004-07-09

Jun 29, 2004

Shaping the Future: A Dynamic Process for Creating and Achieving your Company's Strategic Vision, William P. Belgard and Steven R. Rayner

These guys are change mongers. What I really like about this book is that the authors not only talk theory, but they talk implementation as well.

By using real life examples from companies they've researched, from Boeing and Rockwell Collins to Tektronics and Famous Footwear, they show how companies have shaped their future by changing strategic direction thought a series of six very clear, logical and well laid out shifts of change.

Both of the authors, Belgard who specializes in change management and Rayner who is an expert in high-performance organizations, get right to the point of making changes in a high-performance company. It is one thing to affect change in a small fast moving company, it is quite another to change a behemoth the size of a continent. Through the examples they use, they show the reader how changes can be made in even the largest of companies with a simple, well planned and logical approach.

Is there anything bigger or more complicated than building airplanes - very large airplanes? Yet the authors show how Boeing changed the way planes were reorganized from a herringbone assembly line to a straight moving assembly line reminiscent of Henry Ford's assembly plant. This simple appearing change allowed Boeing to increase efficiency and dramatically lower cost, while bringing a new sense of purpose and satisfaction to the work force.

By using traditional companies as examples, the authors were able to show a step-by-step process of changing long standing paradigms by using logical such `meat and potatoes' tactics as: taking the right steps, setting the vision of the future, making the change completely understandable to the work force, working through those persistent anti-change issues, breaking through complacency and setting up a concrete foundation for future resiliency.

In short these guys put together a book that enables readers to direct changes in their organizations and shaping the future of the company to encompass success. The entire message of the book can be summarized in the slogan "There is only one way to control the future and that is to invent."

I can't pass up the chance to talk about some of the great anecdotes that the authors use to dramatically illustrate their points. At the risk of stealing their thunder, here is my favorite example of persistent resistance to change:

"In the seventh century the Russian Orthodox Church decided that they would use three fingers instead of two when doing the sign of the cross. This upset their members so much that Church members took to locking themselves in barns, setting the barns on fire and burning themselves to death just to protest the minor change." Now that's what I call resisting change!

This is the kind of book that you buy in bulk and then distribute to key members of your management team. Actually, don't stop there, pass copies to everyone in your company from the CEO and Board of Directors to the custodial staff.

Anyway you get the idea. Do yourself, your team and your company a favor, buy and read this book, at least a couple of times.

Some Helpful Insights.......2004-06-09

Consultants Belgard and Rayner assembled an anecdote-rich book with some interesting ideas.

The book's subtitle proclaims that it is, "A Dynamic Process for Creating and Achieving Your Company's Strategic Vision." While there are occasional bits of actionable advice between the covers, the book really doesn't describe a cogent, implementable process (dynamic or otherwise).

Shaping the Future is really about rethinking the principles of change management, and the dust jacket copy does telegraph this.

To their credit, Belgard and Rayner do effectively contradict common wisdom about implementing change programs. They:

* Defy the "burning platform" mandate that other management pundits claim must be created to force support for a change initiative;

* Deny that change must emanate from the CEO's suite, suggesting (and offering examples) that most real change is driven by the middle of an organization not by the top;

* Push back against the prevalent assumption that managers have to combat their employees' resistance to change. (The authors essentially suggest that garnering support for change is more effective than fighting resistance to it.)

Messrs. Belgard and Rayner also rightfully challenge the convention that to create "buy-in" for change, executives must stage pep rallies and deploy slick, sometimes frenzied internal sales campaigns. Such top-down, hard-sell events, they correctly argue, are not as effective as associate-to-associate water cooler conversations that affirm the coming change as credible. To spur that phenomenon on a wide scale, the authors suggest cultivating the corporate grapevine by seeding social networks. Grand idea. Few implementable details provided.

TOO CUTE, TOO FAMILIAR
The authors begin the book by making the apparently obligatory but totally superfluous case that we live in times of change. Amid this bit of extraneousness, perhaps to give the appearance of originality, Belgard and Rayner coin goofy terms like "megadigm" (big paradigm change, get it?), and "infolocity" -- fast evolving information likened both to dog years and internet time. Ugh. Later in the book the authors recommend that you start an epidemic of "pro-change flu." There's an appealing image.

These oh-so-clever indulgences don't further the cause of either understanding or implementing "a dynamic process" for anything. (Still, I have to give the authors their due for minting this charming meme, "mind barnacle" -- a memorable idea that attaches itself to people's consciousness so that they more readily support a change effort.)

There are stimulating insights in Shaping the Future. Unfortunately, there's lots of stale amid the fresh. So much of the book's territory has been previously trampled over and over: have a compelling vision, heed your values, empower others, communicate to an extreme, execute well. Blah, blah, blah.

The real strength of Shaping the Future? Its well-told anecdotes. Many of them are drawn from corporations in the authors' stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest (such as Boeing and Microsoft), as well as Harley-Davidson, the U.S. Navy, Quaker Oats, and others. Historical tales also occasionally punctuate some points to good effect. So the book provides an interesting read, even when it is plowing through worn fields of truisms everyone already knows all too well.

BUY OR NOT?
If you are about to undertake a change initiative, or are in the midst of one, yes, get this book. You won't find much in the way of a specific prescriptive process, but you'll likely get some insights that can lead to actionable ideas. And better results.

If Amazon allowed ratings with half-stars, I'd weigh in at 3.5 stars for this work that mixes tired and fresh, and cutesy with insightful.

Don Blohowiak
Lead Well® Institute

Creative Beading: The Best Jewelry Projects from a Year of Bead&Butt
Average customer rating:

Creative Beading with Variety

The title says it all

Creative Beading: The Best Jewelry Projects from a Year of Bead&Butt
Julia Gerlach
Manufacturer: Kalmbach
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Beadwork | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Jewelry | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Best of Bead & Button: Beadwoven Jewelry (Best of Bead & Button Magazine)

Best of Bead & Button: Beaded Necklaces (The Best of Bead & Button Magazine)

Beading from Beginner to Beyond

Peyote Stitch: Beading Projects

Basic Beadweaving: Herringbone Stitch (Bead & Button Books)

ASIN: 0871162288

Customer Reviews:

Creative Beading with Variety.......2006-11-11

I was attracted to creative beading by the picture of beaded flowers on the cover. I was not disappointed. The book features a variety of projects with complete instructions. A beading tutorial teaches basic concepts.

The title says it all.......2006-09-04

"The best projects from a year of Bead&Button"!
More than 80 projects in one book! In whatever you interested (stitching, wirework, bead crochet etc) you will find it in here and for all beading levels.
When I lack inspiration I just open this book.
The great thing with this book is that you can combine some techniques and small parts of one project with another and have a totally original outcome.

Book Description

In recent years, the idea that Britain experienced an industrial revolution has been widely questioned. The new economic history, with its emphasis on quantitative techniques and macro-economic indices, has tended to regard Britain's transformation as a gradual and modest affair which does not deserve the term "revolution."

The Industrial Revolution and the Atlantic Economy takes issue with this revisionism. Brinley Thomas argues that a change in technology enabled Britain to overcome the energy crisis and to sustain dramatic population growth at an increasing standard of living. This epoch- making change in the energy base was brought about by substituting fossil fuels for organic materials, thereby ushering in the modern age of coal, iron and petroleum.

Book Description

Increase your image and visibility through media exposure, thereby separating yourself from the competition.

In practically every industry, those who become the most successful are recognized as experts in their respective fields. Larry Chambers, a prolific author and credibility marketing expert, shows professionals how to increase their image and visibility via media exposure, as a result separating themselves from the competition.

Instead of traditional sales calls and requests for referrals, Chambers emphasizes simple ways readers can use the media and other outlets to showcase their expertise to the appropriate audiences. The result eliminates wasted time spent cold calling prospects. Ideally, prospects will contact readers with requests to do business.

Value-Added Public Relations: The Secret Weapon of Integrated Marketing
Average customer rating:

NO NEW THINKING HERE

Kotler journal writings are more interesting

not very useful

Valuable, But Not Up-To-Date

Not a true PR book

Value-Added Public Relations: The Secret Weapon of Integrated Marketing
Thomas L. Harris
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations and Integrated Communications

The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR

The Marketer's Guide to Public Relations in the 21st Century

Public Relations Cases

The Public Relations Writer's Handbook: The Digital Age

ASIN: 0844234125

Book Description

From Wonderbra to McDonalds, from Harley-Davidson to Viagra, today's world-leading companies and brands are using public relations to add power and persuasion to all of their marketing messages. Information, rather than salesmanship, builds credibility with sophisticated and skeptical consumers, and public relations, long viewed as the most trustworthy source of information about products and services and the companies that provide them, can effectively reach targets where other marketing communication tools fall short.

In Value-Added Public Relations, Thomas L. Harris, the industry-leading expert in marketing public relations (MPR), examines how and why public relations plays a critical role in integrated marketing and explains the many ways PR can add value to an integrated marketing communications (IMC) program. Harris analyzes the relationship between product- and corporate-brand building and, through dozens of case histories and examples, shows how some of the nation's most successful marketers have used PR techniques to enhance all of their marketing messages. Among the book's features is a comprehensive guide to writing an IMC plan including writing a situation analysis, setting objectives, developing a strategy, devising tactics, and then measuring results. Detailed descriptions of more than 50 effective PR tactics involving all media, including new technologies, are also included.

Customer Reviews:

NO NEW THINKING HERE.......2003-03-28

I just can't figure out who this book is written for. It was highly disappointing - instead of finding fresh thoughtful new insights and innovative suggestions for how to build on what's already tried and true and been done to death in Marketing PR from an industry "thought leader", or so Mr. Harris positions himself, I found tired old industry award case study submission retreads GALORE (fyi - these case studies are submitted by PR agencies and spun like no one else can spin 'em to advantage so they can win the award to get new clients). What that means to the reader is the facts presented in these "case studies" are highly slanted, and for starters, give no "fair and balanced" counsel in terms of explaining reality (the very same one we have to market in every day), such as, OVER HYPING with PR isn't any better than blowing your wad on ineffective national TV commercials that don't cut the marketing mustard anymore. Essentially, the case studies are PR themselves. <...Regardless of the date this book was published (1998), doing what worked yesterday was dated as soon as the campaign was implemented, which was long before Mr. Harris repackaged these case studies for a book publisher (no wonder self-publishers are flourishing).

MY KEY LEARNING TO YOU: If your strategy is to focus on how "they did it yesterday" and what worked yesterday, this book is for you. However, if you're a little more forward-thinking, concerned about constantly improving to stay ahead of the competition, and prefer seeking inspiration for creative new strategies, ways of thinking, and of identifying connections between seemingly unrelated concepts to get your marketing in high gear, do some real work: start digging for inspiration, it's everywhere, unlike what's in this book.

Kotler journal writings are more interesting.......2002-12-05

The book was just okay. Kotler's business industry and journal writings are much more insightful and interesting. Too basic for marketing practicioners.

not very useful.......2002-08-29

I read this book and I was dissapointed. It's out of date and not really relevant. My girlfriend hyped this book Gurilla PR Wired by this Livene guy which I read and was really impressed by. For anyone who is thinking about reading Value Added Public Relations read this other book instead

Valuable, But Not Up-To-Date.......2002-08-21

Value-Added Public Relations argues that public relations are key to any successful marketing campaign. The book predominantly rests its premise on the belief that public relations adds credibility, and, thus, "value" to the marketing campaign. While I know plenty of marketing executives are unhappy about admitting it, I'm not sure I would call it a secret weapon.

The book is loaded with several case history examples. While it's well-written, overall, it fails to convey its message while taking into account the Internet. For that, I suggest Michael Levine's Guerrilla PR: Wired, which accepts the Internet's uses in a public relations and marketing campaign.

Overall, Value-Added Public Relations is a strong, if outdated, piece of work. While its suggestions are still useful, and it is a thorough piece of work, it would be worth considering to wait and see if an updated edition is released.

Not a true PR book.......2002-03-10

This book is one of an increasingly common genre: the marketing book in PR clothing. Essentially, the author claims that to "add value" to public relations, the latter should be turned into marcomm. I found the author's condescending tone to be extremely grating, and his suggestions superficial.
It's a matter of outlook, I suppose, but if you are interested in a relational approach to PR, this book is a huge disappointment. If you are interested in the field of marketing communication, you probably won't hate this book nearly as much as I did.

Marketing HRD Within Organizations: Enhancing the Visibility, Effectiveness, and Credibility of Programs (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series)

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Marketing HRD Within Organizations: Enhancing the Visibility, Effectiveness, and Credibility of Programs (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series)
Jerry W. Gilley , and Steven A. Eggland
Manufacturer: Pfeiffer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1555424023

Book Description

Boost the image of your HRD department and carve a solid niche in the organizational chart for your position.

Discover how to:

Heighten the visibility of HRD
Earn employee commitment to your programs
Ensure that your programs are cost-effective and contribute to the bottom line

This handy guide explains how to use a range of marketing tools including client research, cost/benefit analyses, and promotional techniques to implement a strategic HRD marketing plan.

Beyond Wave Marketing; How to Add Credibility to Your Relationship Marketing Program
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Beyond Wave Marketing; How to Add Credibility to Your Relationship Marketing Program

Manufacturer: Credibility Marketing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0965072711

Product Description

How this book differs from other marketing books: - Defines the new marketing obstacles - Gives you the new solutions - Gives you a complete strategy

Certified executive program will strengthen your industry credibility. (NAMA Insight). : An article from: Automatic Merchandiser

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Certified executive program will strengthen your industry credibility. (NAMA Insight). : An article from: Automatic Merchandiser
Mary Kemp
Manufacturer: Cygnus Business Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Automatic Merchandiser, published by Cygnus Business Media on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 690 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Certified executive program will strengthen your industry credibility. (NAMA Insight).
Author: Mary Kemp
Publication: Automatic Merchandiser (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: Cygnus Business Media
Volume: 45 Issue: 3 Page: 12(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Credibility and how to get it: more than any other factor, credibility will determine your success on the sales floor. (musical instruments industry) (column): An article from: Music Trades

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Credibility and how to get it: more than any other factor, credibility will determine your success on the sales floor. (musical instruments industry) (column): An article from: Music Trades
Bob Popyk
Manufacturer: Music Trades Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Music Trades, published by Music Trades Corp. on January 1, 1991. The length of the article is 1502 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Credibility and how to get it: more than any other factor, credibility will determine your success on the sales floor. (musical instruments industry) (column)
Author: Bob Popyk
Publication: Music Trades (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 1991
Publisher: Music Trades Corp.
Volume: v138 Issue: n12 Page: p140(2)

Article Type: column

Distributed by Thomson Gale

A dozen years ago who knew the name PostNet? How the "Super Bowl of Franchising" helped a new franchisor gain credibility.(Lead Generation)(International ... Expo): An article from: Franchising World

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A dozen years ago who knew the name PostNet? How the "Super Bowl of Franchising" helped a new franchisor gain credibility.(Lead Generation)(International ... Expo): An article from: Franchising World
Serita Sethi
Manufacturer: International Franchise Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Franchising World, published by International Franchise Association on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 860 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A dozen years ago who knew the name PostNet? How the "Super Bowl of Franchising" helped a new franchisor gain credibility.(Lead Generation)(International Franchise Expo)
Author: Serita Sethi
Publication: Franchising World (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: International Franchise Association
Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Page: 63(2)

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The dual credibility model: The influence of corporate and endorser credibility on attitudes and purchase intentions : An article from: Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice

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The dual credibility model: The influence of corporate and endorser credibility on attitudes and purchase intentions : An article from: Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice
Barbara A Lafferty , Ronald E Goldsmith , and Stephen J Newell
Manufacturer: Association of Marketing Theory and Practice
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000BE810G
Release Date: 2005-09-12

Ink bias: Allen Luthy of ink equipment refilling manufacturer SME, discusses aftermarket inkjet inks and image permanence testing credibility.(Viewpoint): ... - Connecting the Imaging Communities

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Ink bias: Allen Luthy of ink equipment refilling manufacturer SME, discusses aftermarket inkjet inks and image permanence testing credibility.(Viewpoint): ... - Connecting the Imaging Communities
Allen Luthy
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from PMA Magazine - Connecting the Imaging Communities, published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2007. The length of the article is 691 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Ink bias: Allen Luthy of ink equipment refilling manufacturer SME, discusses aftermarket inkjet inks and image permanence testing credibility.(Viewpoint)
Author: Allen Luthy
Publication: PMA Magazine - Connecting the Imaging Communities (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 82 Issue: 2 Page: 12(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Music & arts ... print music adds to credibility & profits. (Music and Arts Center, Baltimore, MD) (Printed Music Market Report 1990): An article from: Music Trades

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Music & arts ... print music adds to credibility & profits. (Music and Arts Center, Baltimore, MD) (Printed Music Market Report 1990): An article from: Music Trades

Manufacturer: Music Trades Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Business | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Music Trades, published by Music Trades Corp. on April 1, 1990. The length of the article is 943 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Music & arts ... print music adds to credibility & profits. (Music and Arts Center, Baltimore, MD) (Printed Music Market Report 1990)
Publication: Music Trades (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 1990
Publisher: Music Trades Corp.
Volume: v138 Issue: n3 Page: p64(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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