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TED Books
Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes
A powerful manifesto for CEOs and employees Influential and award-winning business leader Margaret Heffernan reveals how organizations can build ideal workplace cultures and create seismic shifts by making deceptively small changes.
By implementing sweeping changes, businesses often think it’s possible to do better, to earn more, and have happier employees. So why does engagement prove so difficult and productivity so elusive?
In Beyond Measure, Margaret Heffernan looks back over her decades spent overseeing different organizations and comes to a counterintuitive it’s the small shifts that have the greatest impact. Heffernan argues that building the strongest organization can be accelerated by implementing seemingly small changes, such as embracing conflict as a creative catalyst; using every mind on the team; celebrating mistakes; speaking up and listening more; and encouraging time off from work.
Packed with incredible anecdotes and startling statistics, Beyond Measure takes us on a fascinating tour across the globe, highlighting disparate businesses and revealing how they’ve managed to change themselves in big ways through incremental shifts. How did the CIA revolutionize their intelligence gathering with one simple question? How did one organization increase their revenue by $15 million by instituting a short coffee break? How can a day-long hackathon change the culture of a company? Told with wry wit and knowing humor, Heffernan proves that it’s often the small changes that make the greatest, most lasting impact.
By implementing sweeping changes, businesses often think it’s possible to do better, to earn more, and have happier employees. So why does engagement prove so difficult and productivity so elusive?
In Beyond Measure, Margaret Heffernan looks back over her decades spent overseeing different organizations and comes to a counterintuitive it’s the small shifts that have the greatest impact. Heffernan argues that building the strongest organization can be accelerated by implementing seemingly small changes, such as embracing conflict as a creative catalyst; using every mind on the team; celebrating mistakes; speaking up and listening more; and encouraging time off from work.
Packed with incredible anecdotes and startling statistics, Beyond Measure takes us on a fascinating tour across the globe, highlighting disparate businesses and revealing how they’ve managed to change themselves in big ways through incremental shifts. How did the CIA revolutionize their intelligence gathering with one simple question? How did one organization increase their revenue by $15 million by instituting a short coffee break? How can a day-long hackathon change the culture of a company? Told with wry wit and knowing humor, Heffernan proves that it’s often the small changes that make the greatest, most lasting impact.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2015
About the author
Margaret Heffernan
34 books154 followers MARGARET HEFFERNAN is an entrepreneur, Chief Executive and author. She was born in Texas, raised in Holland and educated at Cambridge University. She worked in BBC Radio for five years where she wrote, directed, produced and commissioned dozens of documentaries and dramas.
As a television producer, she made documentary films for Timewatch, Arena, and Newsnight. She was one of the producers of Out of the Doll's House, the prize-winning documentary series about the history of women in the twentieth century.
She designed and executive produced a thirteen part series on The French Revolution for the BBC and A&E. The series featured, among others, Alan Rickman, Alfred Molina, Janet Suzman, Simon Callow and Jim Broadbent and introduced both historian Simon Schama and playwright Peter Barnes to British television. She also produced music videos with Virgin Records and the London Chamber Orchestra to raise attention and funds for Unicef's Lebanese fund.
Leaving the BBC, she ran the trade association IPPA, which represented the interests of independent film and television producers and was once described by the Financial Times as "the most formidable lobbying organization in England."
In 1994, she returned to the United States where she worked on public affair campaigns in Massachusetts and with software companies trying to break into multimedia. She developed interactive multimedia products with Peter Lynch, Tom Peters, Standard & Poors and The Learning Company.
She then joined CMGI where she ran, bought and sold leading Internet businesses, serving as Chief Executive Officer for InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation and iCAST Corporation.
She was named one of the Internet's Top 100 by Silicon Alley Reporter in 1999, one of the Top 25 by Streaming Media magazine and one of the Top 100 Media Executives by The Hollywood Reporter. Her "Tear Down the Wall" campaign against AOL won the 2001 Silver SABRE award for public relations.
Her third book, Wilful Blindness (Simon&Schuster in the UK, Bloomsbury in the US, Doubleday in Canada) was a finalist for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book award and, in 2014, the Financial Times named it one of its "best business books of the decade.” Her next book A Bigger Prize (Simon&Schuster in the UK, Public Affairs in the US and Doubleday in Canada) won the Transmission Prize. Her most recent book Beyond Measure : The Big Impact of Small Changes was published in 2015. Her TED talks have been seen by over 5 million people. She has been invited to speak at all of the world’s leading financial services businesses, the leading FTSE and S&P corporations as well as the world’s most successful sports teams. She continues to advise private and public businesses, to mentor senior and chief executives and to write for the Financial Times and Huffington Post.
As a television producer, she made documentary films for Timewatch, Arena, and Newsnight. She was one of the producers of Out of the Doll's House, the prize-winning documentary series about the history of women in the twentieth century.
She designed and executive produced a thirteen part series on The French Revolution for the BBC and A&E. The series featured, among others, Alan Rickman, Alfred Molina, Janet Suzman, Simon Callow and Jim Broadbent and introduced both historian Simon Schama and playwright Peter Barnes to British television. She also produced music videos with Virgin Records and the London Chamber Orchestra to raise attention and funds for Unicef's Lebanese fund.
Leaving the BBC, she ran the trade association IPPA, which represented the interests of independent film and television producers and was once described by the Financial Times as "the most formidable lobbying organization in England."
In 1994, she returned to the United States where she worked on public affair campaigns in Massachusetts and with software companies trying to break into multimedia. She developed interactive multimedia products with Peter Lynch, Tom Peters, Standard & Poors and The Learning Company.
She then joined CMGI where she ran, bought and sold leading Internet businesses, serving as Chief Executive Officer for InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation and iCAST Corporation.
She was named one of the Internet's Top 100 by Silicon Alley Reporter in 1999, one of the Top 25 by Streaming Media magazine and one of the Top 100 Media Executives by The Hollywood Reporter. Her "Tear Down the Wall" campaign against AOL won the 2001 Silver SABRE award for public relations.
Her third book, Wilful Blindness (Simon&Schuster in the UK, Bloomsbury in the US, Doubleday in Canada) was a finalist for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book award and, in 2014, the Financial Times named it one of its "best business books of the decade.” Her next book A Bigger Prize (Simon&Schuster in the UK, Public Affairs in the US and Doubleday in Canada) won the Transmission Prize. Her most recent book Beyond Measure : The Big Impact of Small Changes was published in 2015. Her TED talks have been seen by over 5 million people. She has been invited to speak at all of the world’s leading financial services businesses, the leading FTSE and S&P corporations as well as the world’s most successful sports teams. She continues to advise private and public businesses, to mentor senior and chief executives and to write for the Financial Times and Huffington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
May 20, 2015
Read for work, interesting although it's a bit worrying corporate people need this stuff spelled out for them ;). Like lessons in being a human for robots. Or I guess a reminder of being human in capitalism, hehe.
December 30, 2018
Найкращі цитати з книги:
- "працювати слід у групах, бо командна робота в найкращоу її вияві викликає своєрідний конструктивний конфлікт, ... коли перетинаються думки з різних галузей знань та різними типами мислення."
-"трансформація конфліктів, - позитивний процес, у якому кожен зростає."
-"одностайність - це завжди ознака слабкої зацікавленості"
-"запитання - ось душа і серце конструктивного конфлікту"
-"лише 4% ладні відкрито визнавати хиби перед іншими"
-"жінки зазвичай мають вищий рівень емпатії"
-"чесний конфлікт - у спільній старанній праці - покращує соціальну взаємодію"
-"коли обидві сторони захоплюються суперечкою, реалізується наша здатність бачити світ з погляду іншої людини"
-"у деяких організаціях сьогодні забороняють пити каву за комп'ютером ... працівникам заборонено обідати на робочому місці"
-"мислення вищого порядку - аргументація, скептицизм, сумнів - має велику когнітивну вартість, на нього витрачається більше потужності мозку."
-"тихі години встановили тричі на тиждень, з ранку до полудня ... підвищилася продуктивність аж на 65%"
-"створювати умови, у яких легко виконати роботу якнайкраще, - це завдання для керівника будь-якої групи"
-"ходіння показало себе як засіб посилити генерування нових корисних думок, ... ходіння зокрема покращує ефективність творчої праці приблизно на 60%"
-"нам потрібен час на тиху, зосереджену роботу. Також нам потрібен час, щоб ��умка вільно "блукала", щоб нас осяяло, щоб ми зловили натхнення, якого не можна здобути жодною зосередженістю"
-"талант, енергія, прозріння й можливості будь-якої організації - у її працівниках ... людям потрібна підтримка, заохочення та віра в їхні сили"
-"найважливішою для людей була праця з колегами, які в них вірять, думають про них, цікавляться їхнім життям і кар'єрою ..., працівникам більше подобалися такі менеджери, які допомагали їм самостійно розбиратися з проблемами: не даючи відповіді, а ставлячи запитання."
-"ніхно не повинен просити дозволу на те, щоб узяти на себе відповідальність"
Залишіть у коментарях свої найкращі цитати з книги!
Книга - найкращий тренажер для мозку. Тренуй Свій Мозок з Readlax
- "працювати слід у групах, бо командна робота в найкращоу її вияві викликає своєрідний конструктивний конфлікт, ... коли перетинаються думки з різних галузей знань та різними типами мислення."
-"трансформація конфліктів, - позитивний процес, у якому кожен зростає."
-"одностайність - це завжди ознака слабкої зацікавленості"
-"запитання - ось душа і серце конструктивного конфлікту"
-"лише 4% ладні відкрито визнавати хиби перед іншими"
-"жінки зазвичай мають вищий рівень емпатії"
-"чесний конфлікт - у спільній старанній праці - покращує соціальну взаємодію"
-"коли обидві сторони захоплюються суперечкою, реалізується наша здатність бачити світ з погляду іншої людини"
-"у деяких організаціях сьогодні забороняють пити каву за комп'ютером ... працівникам заборонено обідати на робочому місці"
-"мислення вищого порядку - аргументація, скептицизм, сумнів - має велику когнітивну вартість, на нього витрачається більше потужності мозку."
-"тихі години встановили тричі на тиждень, з ранку до полудня ... підвищилася продуктивність аж на 65%"
-"створювати умови, у яких легко виконати роботу якнайкраще, - це завдання для керівника будь-якої групи"
-"ходіння показало себе як засіб посилити генерування нових корисних думок, ... ходіння зокрема покращує ефективність творчої праці приблизно на 60%"
-"нам потрібен час на тиху, зосереджену роботу. Також нам потрібен час, щоб ��умка вільно "блукала", щоб нас осяяло, щоб ми зловили натхнення, якого не можна здобути жодною зосередженістю"
-"талант, енергія, прозріння й можливості будь-якої організації - у її працівниках ... людям потрібна підтримка, заохочення та віра в їхні сили"
-"найважливішою для людей була праця з колегами, які в них вірять, думають про них, цікавляться їхнім життям і кар'єрою ..., працівникам більше подобалися такі менеджери, які допомагали їм самостійно розбиратися з проблемами: не даючи відповіді, а ставлячи запитання."
-"ніхно не повинен просити дозволу на те, щоб узяти на себе відповідальність"
Залишіть у коментарях свої найкращі цитати з книги!
Книга - найкращий тренажер для мозку. Тренуй Свій Мозок з Readlax
November 20, 2017
"We measure everything at work except what counts. Numbers are comforting - income, expenditure, productivity, engagement, staff turnover - and create an illusion of control. But when you're confronted by spectacular success or failure, everyone from the CEO to the janitor points in the same direction: the culture."
There it is. There's the worst opening to a book I've ever read. It struck me as so silly and incorrect that I almost put the book down immediately, but I continued on so that I could participate in a book club discussion at my company (which, despite choosing this book, is actually an awesome place to work!!).
I feel harsh giving it one star (my first one ever!), because there were some good tidbits in it, but this is the only time I've read a book that consistently made me angry, so I felt I had no other choice. It's basically a collection of anecdotes from the author's career that she uses to teach some lesson about business or culture, including many that can apply EVEN TO THE JANITOR!!! (a point that she harps on many times) As I said before, some of the ideas seem pretty good, some seem pretty obvious, some seem pretty bad (like banning coffee cups at people's desks), and some I didn't believe at all (grumpy orchestras play better than happy ones, there's a successful manufacturing company that doesn't have job descriptions). After going through these very loosely organized anecdotes, the book ends abruptly with no conclusion or summary. There's only an epilogue that openly admits that many of the lessons directly contradict one another.
On the plus side, it's a really short read. Took me an hour and a half or so.
There it is. There's the worst opening to a book I've ever read. It struck me as so silly and incorrect that I almost put the book down immediately, but I continued on so that I could participate in a book club discussion at my company (which, despite choosing this book, is actually an awesome place to work!!).
I feel harsh giving it one star (my first one ever!), because there were some good tidbits in it, but this is the only time I've read a book that consistently made me angry, so I felt I had no other choice. It's basically a collection of anecdotes from the author's career that she uses to teach some lesson about business or culture, including many that can apply EVEN TO THE JANITOR!!! (a point that she harps on many times) As I said before, some of the ideas seem pretty good, some seem pretty obvious, some seem pretty bad (like banning coffee cups at people's desks), and some I didn't believe at all (grumpy orchestras play better than happy ones, there's a successful manufacturing company that doesn't have job descriptions). After going through these very loosely organized anecdotes, the book ends abruptly with no conclusion or summary. There's only an epilogue that openly admits that many of the lessons directly contradict one another.
On the plus side, it's a really short read. Took me an hour and a half or so.
November 26, 2018
ترجمه بینقص نیست اما کتاب خوشخوان است.
کلمه مدیریت در عنوان اصلی کتاب نیست و ناشر فارسی اضافهاش کردهاست.
و این برای افرادی مثل من که از کتابهای متداول مدیریت فراری هستیم، دافعه شدید ایجاد میکند.
چون ترجمان چاپ کرده، خریدم و خواندم.
ارزش خواندن دارد اما کاملا قابل خلاصه شدن در حد ۲ هزار کلمه است.
کلمه مدیریت در عنوان اصلی کتاب نیست و ناشر فارسی اضافهاش کردهاست.
و این برای افرادی مثل من که از کتابهای متداول مدیریت فراری هستیم، دافعه شدید ایجاد میکند.
چون ترجمان چاپ کرده، خریدم و خواندم.
ارزش خواندن دارد اما کاملا قابل خلاصه شدن در حد ۲ هزار کلمه است.
September 25, 2019
NOTES
1. Creative Conflict
* we fear our own emotions and those of others, so we develop habits to avoid arguments, we obscure distinctive aspects of our personality, passions and values at work ("covering"). We spend so much time avoiding conflicts, that we fail to move ideas forward.
* a creative conflict requires a variety of personalities, backgrounds, attitudes, and thinking styles. What is stopping use from achieving a creative conflict is biases we have, e.g., similarity bias (we prefer things that are similar to what we know and people that are similar to us). If we are alike, we think alike. We need windows on the world, but what we look for and get are mirrors.
* another thing that makes creative conflicts impossible is fear – we are afraid of uncertainty of heated debate. However, we can practice conflicts.
* if everyone brings in the same knowledge, then why have meetings of five if we could just have one person deciding...? UNANIMITY IS ALWAYS A SIGN THAT PARTICIPATION ISN'T WHOLEHEARTED. Ask yourself what you can bring that no one else can – this is why you are there for.
* seek disconfirmation (ask people to disagree with you), ask the question: What could we see if we were wrong? Appoint a devil's advocate whose task is to argue opposite positions, but do not leave one person in this role for too long (the person would get tuned out, too).
* mistakes – as long as they are well-intentioned – are not a matter of shame but a matter of learning. Create a culture where people are not afraid of making errors – this would stop them from thinking freely and speaking up.
* IF YOU CANNOT TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN MISTAKES, THEN YOU LEARN NOTHING. It would only convince you that you are perfect, which is dangerous. If you can talk about mistakes, your people will do, too; it will give them the permission to talk about their mistakes and then the whole organisation learns. Openness about mistakes makes the organisation safer and smarter.
* EVERY DECISION IS A HYPOTHESIS. You make a decision/choice, given the available information, but it may bring results (we then call ourselves smart) or it may not (we then call it a mistake). New information may later change your decision and they turn a debate into exploration. Being able to say "I was wrong about that" removes the pressure to be perfect.
2. Social Capital
* Social capital is the trust, knowledge, reciprocity and shared norms that create quality of life and make a team resilient. It is the connection to one another that prompts people to share ideas and concerns, warn the group about potential risks and contribute. Social capital lies at the heart of good cultures.
* what makes some teams better than others is not individual IQ. In a study by Thomas Malone and MIT researchers, it was discovered that successful teams 1) give one another equal time to talk, 2) have social sensitivity (Reading the Mind in the Eyes test; empathy), 3) included more women (maybe because they have more empathy or because it makes the team more diverse). This shows how important social connectedness is.
* honest conflict during the hard work together makes social connectedness grow. If we avoid conflict, nothing happens. We need to engage into a debate to be able to see each other's perspective and sharing other people's perspectives is how we learn.
* high levels of social capital produce trust that makes the conflict safe, vigorous and open. This creates virtuous circle: 'good' conflict generates social capital, which, in turn, makes conflict safe and constructive. (see: "Work Life with Adam Grant: vulnerability builds the trust, not the other way around)
* lack of social capital makes people unwilling to speak up and think openly, which means people will never connect.
* you build social capital by learning about one another and being together; departments need to learn about one another (otherwise, they will use stereotypes). It can be as simple as people making presentations about themselves.
* social capital leads to debates and exchange that hard problems require. Creativity requires safety, but without social capital, no one will risk voicing their thoughts or a testing question. Every person and the finest talent needs social capital and IQ alone is not productive – it needs safety, support, connection, cantor and trust.
* disagreement is a sign that the team cares. Every idea starts flawed and incomplete and it only gets better thanks to discussions and debates.
* social capital makes organisations more creative and productive, because high level of trust it creates safety and honesty, which makes asking for help easier. People will share knowledge, they will help one another if they're stuck, they will try to prevent problems before they arise.
* building social capital requires listening as much as talking. Listening requires courage, because you have to be open to what you hear and be open to change. As a leader it is important to listen rather than to speak, because when a leader speaks, people will position themselves. When a leader doesn't speak and listens instead, people will listen and respond to one another, and this is how distinctive work emerges.
* listen and respond to what you have heard, NOT with the argument you prepared earlier. Do not interrupt. We interrupt when we think we know where the argument is going, but this blocks new ideas and thoughts.
3. Thinking Is Physical
* higher-order thinking (see: top-down attention) is cognitively expensive = when you pay attention to one thing, you have less for everything else. It means we cannot multitask – our brains were not built to do so.
* when we focus and mono-tasking, we get better at concentrating. Distracted people cannot think, which means they cannot think for themselves = they can make good sheep, but not a good leader.
* a number of studies throughout the 20th century has reached the same conclusion – productivity isn't linear, i.e., the longer we work (40 hours per week is tops) the more tired we get and more mistakes we make.
* we live in a culture where long working hours are a sign of commitment and no one sees that some failures may happen because of our exhausted brains. The more tired you are, the less likely you are to solve a problem, spot an error, reason correctly (tunnel vision), you just want a problem to go away.
* working 11 or more hours a day increases the risk of depression and working more than 55 hours per week leads to cognitive loss, poorer vocabulary, reasoning, information processing, problem solving, creativity, reaction times.
* the brain needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night; if deprived of that, we lose our cognitive capacity and it becomes equivalent to being over the alcohol limit. When the brain area that keeps us awake (thalamus) is hyperactive, the areas that manage information (occipital and parietal lobe) become less active, so we are not able to think clearly. After 24 hours of sleep deprivation, less glucose reaches the brain and the areas we need for thinking do not get enough of it (other parts more crucial in terms of surviving get the glucose). Working through the night may feel heroic, but our thinking is dangerously compromised.
* often best ideas come to us when we are asleep or resting. When we are asleep, our brain is busy organising and reviewing recent memories and experiences, and generating insights. Long working hours impair the talents we need.
* out of X hours we spend in the office, only part of it is productive (the rest is filled in with meetings and interruptions) and often times our productive part comes at the end of the day when we are already tired.
* to be productive we need both "real work", when we can concentrate on things, and "everything else", when we socialise, ask for help, help others, etc. It is a wise idea to designate a part of the day (e.g. from morning till noon) to quite time, when your team can work alone with no interruptions. The rest of the day would be available for "everything else". This doesn't mean that the team will get less help, but they could actually get more helpful being confident that the "real work" has been done, so they now have time available to help others. Quiet time also enables mono-tasking, when people can focus on one thing to get it done, and it builds social capital, because people become considerate of the needs of others. Sadly, many managers do not like the idea of losing the right to interrupt. Quiet time helps create the conditions in which the team can do their best.
* allowing your mind to wander can help you solve problems or gain new insights. When we focus to much on work we do, we can become inflexible and unreceptive to new patterns or ideas. When we look away from work, we access other parts of the brain that help us find new information or pattern. To be truly productive, we need focused work and time to let our mind wander, because it frees the mind to do unconsciously what eludes the conscious mind (see: "You deserve happiness" - capacity of conscious and unconscious mind). One of the best way to take a break, let our mind wander, and generate ideas is walking! For your mind to wander you need time alone.
4. Smashing Barriers
* the two biggest obstacles to innovation are rigid hierarchies and not using the skills we already have in the company.
* Expertise can inhibit innovation because it typecasts people, narrowing what they think about or what they allow themselves to think about – they can get mentally stuck and rooted to the confines of their jobs. You need to keep curiosity to be open and enabling and not to get boxed in.
* tearing down physical walls and creating open-plan offices is not enough to change mindsets and tear down the mental silos. You need to get out of the office and talk to the people for whom the work is designed. The best ideas grow out from life, from talking to your clients (a glass artist and inventing Square). No one ever had a great idea at their desk!
* Keep your company open and responsive. Talk to the front liners who deal with your customers – they know them and their problems the best. Invite them to take part in important meetings, as their insights can help develop better products and services.
* Best cultures are the cultures that believe everyone counts and everyone contributes. Coercion is everybody's job and everyone is welcome to chip in their ideas. Make people equal (serving and kitchen shift at a conference that are performed by everyone in turns).
5. Leaders everywhere
* Pygmalion effect – it is expectations, more than innate ability, that influence outcomes. Expect great things and you will get them, no matter who's gifted and talented and who's not (a study of 29 platoons, where those group nominated as exceptional gave better performance by 20%).
* the talent, energy, insight and opportunity of any organisation lie with its people. No one needs permission to be creative and courageous, but they need support, belief and engagement.
* many organisation apply forced ranking (segregating people into three groups: best, average, the rest), which leads to disengagement – the advancement of few comes at the cost of passivity and apathy in the rest. Ranking is introduced to co-opt people's competitive instinct and drive them to higher levels of performance. In reality, however, it disenfranchise the majority of the workforce by sending a message: you are not a leader. Instead of celebrating talent, we focus on rooting out under performers. Forced ranking creates a felt hierarchy, which discourages helpfulness and accountability and devalues social capital.
* what people value most in their managers is not technical skill but the fact that they believe in them, care about them, and take interest in their lives. Believing in people you work with gives them confidence and makes them develop a sense of self-efficacy. Being trusted, they learn to trust themselves. If they are helped by you and the system you create, they are more likely to take responsibility for it. One of the simplest ways to elicit great work form people is to show them you believe in them. See them, know them, understand them and show them you care.
* organisations eliminate "dead wood", but they weren't "dead wood" to begin with – you didn't hire dead people, but your lack of attention, time and concern killed off the interest and talent.
* do not force hierarchy, but form teams according to the expertise that the job demands, so that everybody can contribute at one point or another. Instead of hierarchy, you need heterarchy = an informal structure that changes in response to need (everyone matters). Instead of ranks indicating importance, you want everyone to feel that they matter, because respect flows from capability, not position.
* KNOWLEDGE IS A LEADER = the leader of a project is a person who is the most able to come up with the best solution on a given day. There should be no titles, ranks, privileges. The absence of hierarchy will make everyone feel responsible and able to make others successful, it leads to mutual accountability. Where you feel you can succeed among people you know trust, and care for, why would you let them down?
* high trust with low level of interference produce great results. Your role as a leader is observe and make sure everyone gets their say. The more power you give away, the more you have, because when people are trusted and empowered, they take ownership and will not let you down.
* you never learn anything new from people who agree with you, so make sure people speak openly and speak up if they think differently. Do not think people work FOR you – you work WITH them.
* power is not a privilege – it's a problem and the steeper the hierarchy, the greater the risk. Give away power and recognise that you depend on the people around you, so do not concentrate the power on the top floors or top people. No one cares about the organisation like the people who work there. Every day they see things that could be done better or not done at all. If things do not work out, do not make a decision yourself how to change it, do not bring in external consultants – instead, find a solution with the people you work with.
* You succeed when you make others successful.
1. Creative Conflict
* we fear our own emotions and those of others, so we develop habits to avoid arguments, we obscure distinctive aspects of our personality, passions and values at work ("covering"). We spend so much time avoiding conflicts, that we fail to move ideas forward.
* a creative conflict requires a variety of personalities, backgrounds, attitudes, and thinking styles. What is stopping use from achieving a creative conflict is biases we have, e.g., similarity bias (we prefer things that are similar to what we know and people that are similar to us). If we are alike, we think alike. We need windows on the world, but what we look for and get are mirrors.
* another thing that makes creative conflicts impossible is fear – we are afraid of uncertainty of heated debate. However, we can practice conflicts.
* if everyone brings in the same knowledge, then why have meetings of five if we could just have one person deciding...? UNANIMITY IS ALWAYS A SIGN THAT PARTICIPATION ISN'T WHOLEHEARTED. Ask yourself what you can bring that no one else can – this is why you are there for.
* seek disconfirmation (ask people to disagree with you), ask the question: What could we see if we were wrong? Appoint a devil's advocate whose task is to argue opposite positions, but do not leave one person in this role for too long (the person would get tuned out, too).
* mistakes – as long as they are well-intentioned – are not a matter of shame but a matter of learning. Create a culture where people are not afraid of making errors – this would stop them from thinking freely and speaking up.
* IF YOU CANNOT TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN MISTAKES, THEN YOU LEARN NOTHING. It would only convince you that you are perfect, which is dangerous. If you can talk about mistakes, your people will do, too; it will give them the permission to talk about their mistakes and then the whole organisation learns. Openness about mistakes makes the organisation safer and smarter.
* EVERY DECISION IS A HYPOTHESIS. You make a decision/choice, given the available information, but it may bring results (we then call ourselves smart) or it may not (we then call it a mistake). New information may later change your decision and they turn a debate into exploration. Being able to say "I was wrong about that" removes the pressure to be perfect.
2. Social Capital
* Social capital is the trust, knowledge, reciprocity and shared norms that create quality of life and make a team resilient. It is the connection to one another that prompts people to share ideas and concerns, warn the group about potential risks and contribute. Social capital lies at the heart of good cultures.
* what makes some teams better than others is not individual IQ. In a study by Thomas Malone and MIT researchers, it was discovered that successful teams 1) give one another equal time to talk, 2) have social sensitivity (Reading the Mind in the Eyes test; empathy), 3) included more women (maybe because they have more empathy or because it makes the team more diverse). This shows how important social connectedness is.
* honest conflict during the hard work together makes social connectedness grow. If we avoid conflict, nothing happens. We need to engage into a debate to be able to see each other's perspective and sharing other people's perspectives is how we learn.
* high levels of social capital produce trust that makes the conflict safe, vigorous and open. This creates virtuous circle: 'good' conflict generates social capital, which, in turn, makes conflict safe and constructive. (see: "Work Life with Adam Grant: vulnerability builds the trust, not the other way around)
* lack of social capital makes people unwilling to speak up and think openly, which means people will never connect.
* you build social capital by learning about one another and being together; departments need to learn about one another (otherwise, they will use stereotypes). It can be as simple as people making presentations about themselves.
* social capital leads to debates and exchange that hard problems require. Creativity requires safety, but without social capital, no one will risk voicing their thoughts or a testing question. Every person and the finest talent needs social capital and IQ alone is not productive – it needs safety, support, connection, cantor and trust.
* disagreement is a sign that the team cares. Every idea starts flawed and incomplete and it only gets better thanks to discussions and debates.
* social capital makes organisations more creative and productive, because high level of trust it creates safety and honesty, which makes asking for help easier. People will share knowledge, they will help one another if they're stuck, they will try to prevent problems before they arise.
* building social capital requires listening as much as talking. Listening requires courage, because you have to be open to what you hear and be open to change. As a leader it is important to listen rather than to speak, because when a leader speaks, people will position themselves. When a leader doesn't speak and listens instead, people will listen and respond to one another, and this is how distinctive work emerges.
* listen and respond to what you have heard, NOT with the argument you prepared earlier. Do not interrupt. We interrupt when we think we know where the argument is going, but this blocks new ideas and thoughts.
3. Thinking Is Physical
* higher-order thinking (see: top-down attention) is cognitively expensive = when you pay attention to one thing, you have less for everything else. It means we cannot multitask – our brains were not built to do so.
* when we focus and mono-tasking, we get better at concentrating. Distracted people cannot think, which means they cannot think for themselves = they can make good sheep, but not a good leader.
* a number of studies throughout the 20th century has reached the same conclusion – productivity isn't linear, i.e., the longer we work (40 hours per week is tops) the more tired we get and more mistakes we make.
* we live in a culture where long working hours are a sign of commitment and no one sees that some failures may happen because of our exhausted brains. The more tired you are, the less likely you are to solve a problem, spot an error, reason correctly (tunnel vision), you just want a problem to go away.
* working 11 or more hours a day increases the risk of depression and working more than 55 hours per week leads to cognitive loss, poorer vocabulary, reasoning, information processing, problem solving, creativity, reaction times.
* the brain needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night; if deprived of that, we lose our cognitive capacity and it becomes equivalent to being over the alcohol limit. When the brain area that keeps us awake (thalamus) is hyperactive, the areas that manage information (occipital and parietal lobe) become less active, so we are not able to think clearly. After 24 hours of sleep deprivation, less glucose reaches the brain and the areas we need for thinking do not get enough of it (other parts more crucial in terms of surviving get the glucose). Working through the night may feel heroic, but our thinking is dangerously compromised.
* often best ideas come to us when we are asleep or resting. When we are asleep, our brain is busy organising and reviewing recent memories and experiences, and generating insights. Long working hours impair the talents we need.
* out of X hours we spend in the office, only part of it is productive (the rest is filled in with meetings and interruptions) and often times our productive part comes at the end of the day when we are already tired.
* to be productive we need both "real work", when we can concentrate on things, and "everything else", when we socialise, ask for help, help others, etc. It is a wise idea to designate a part of the day (e.g. from morning till noon) to quite time, when your team can work alone with no interruptions. The rest of the day would be available for "everything else". This doesn't mean that the team will get less help, but they could actually get more helpful being confident that the "real work" has been done, so they now have time available to help others. Quiet time also enables mono-tasking, when people can focus on one thing to get it done, and it builds social capital, because people become considerate of the needs of others. Sadly, many managers do not like the idea of losing the right to interrupt. Quiet time helps create the conditions in which the team can do their best.
* allowing your mind to wander can help you solve problems or gain new insights. When we focus to much on work we do, we can become inflexible and unreceptive to new patterns or ideas. When we look away from work, we access other parts of the brain that help us find new information or pattern. To be truly productive, we need focused work and time to let our mind wander, because it frees the mind to do unconsciously what eludes the conscious mind (see: "You deserve happiness" - capacity of conscious and unconscious mind). One of the best way to take a break, let our mind wander, and generate ideas is walking! For your mind to wander you need time alone.
4. Smashing Barriers
* the two biggest obstacles to innovation are rigid hierarchies and not using the skills we already have in the company.
* Expertise can inhibit innovation because it typecasts people, narrowing what they think about or what they allow themselves to think about – they can get mentally stuck and rooted to the confines of their jobs. You need to keep curiosity to be open and enabling and not to get boxed in.
* tearing down physical walls and creating open-plan offices is not enough to change mindsets and tear down the mental silos. You need to get out of the office and talk to the people for whom the work is designed. The best ideas grow out from life, from talking to your clients (a glass artist and inventing Square). No one ever had a great idea at their desk!
* Keep your company open and responsive. Talk to the front liners who deal with your customers – they know them and their problems the best. Invite them to take part in important meetings, as their insights can help develop better products and services.
* Best cultures are the cultures that believe everyone counts and everyone contributes. Coercion is everybody's job and everyone is welcome to chip in their ideas. Make people equal (serving and kitchen shift at a conference that are performed by everyone in turns).
5. Leaders everywhere
* Pygmalion effect – it is expectations, more than innate ability, that influence outcomes. Expect great things and you will get them, no matter who's gifted and talented and who's not (a study of 29 platoons, where those group nominated as exceptional gave better performance by 20%).
* the talent, energy, insight and opportunity of any organisation lie with its people. No one needs permission to be creative and courageous, but they need support, belief and engagement.
* many organisation apply forced ranking (segregating people into three groups: best, average, the rest), which leads to disengagement – the advancement of few comes at the cost of passivity and apathy in the rest. Ranking is introduced to co-opt people's competitive instinct and drive them to higher levels of performance. In reality, however, it disenfranchise the majority of the workforce by sending a message: you are not a leader. Instead of celebrating talent, we focus on rooting out under performers. Forced ranking creates a felt hierarchy, which discourages helpfulness and accountability and devalues social capital.
* what people value most in their managers is not technical skill but the fact that they believe in them, care about them, and take interest in their lives. Believing in people you work with gives them confidence and makes them develop a sense of self-efficacy. Being trusted, they learn to trust themselves. If they are helped by you and the system you create, they are more likely to take responsibility for it. One of the simplest ways to elicit great work form people is to show them you believe in them. See them, know them, understand them and show them you care.
* organisations eliminate "dead wood", but they weren't "dead wood" to begin with – you didn't hire dead people, but your lack of attention, time and concern killed off the interest and talent.
* do not force hierarchy, but form teams according to the expertise that the job demands, so that everybody can contribute at one point or another. Instead of hierarchy, you need heterarchy = an informal structure that changes in response to need (everyone matters). Instead of ranks indicating importance, you want everyone to feel that they matter, because respect flows from capability, not position.
* KNOWLEDGE IS A LEADER = the leader of a project is a person who is the most able to come up with the best solution on a given day. There should be no titles, ranks, privileges. The absence of hierarchy will make everyone feel responsible and able to make others successful, it leads to mutual accountability. Where you feel you can succeed among people you know trust, and care for, why would you let them down?
* high trust with low level of interference produce great results. Your role as a leader is observe and make sure everyone gets their say. The more power you give away, the more you have, because when people are trusted and empowered, they take ownership and will not let you down.
* you never learn anything new from people who agree with you, so make sure people speak openly and speak up if they think differently. Do not think people work FOR you – you work WITH them.
* power is not a privilege – it's a problem and the steeper the hierarchy, the greater the risk. Give away power and recognise that you depend on the people around you, so do not concentrate the power on the top floors or top people. No one cares about the organisation like the people who work there. Every day they see things that could be done better or not done at all. If things do not work out, do not make a decision yourself how to change it, do not bring in external consultants – instead, find a solution with the people you work with.
* You succeed when you make others successful.
November 14, 2017
You want change in your organization... this books offers a lot of insights... that beyond measure...
April 10, 2022
Good quick read - my thoughts:
Discussion about working hours. We work too much to be productive. How do we work less hours and still get our mission done? Need to better spread out work - self identify to your leadership if we’re not giving you enough to fill 40 hours, maybe we can bring in something to your plate that will be rewarding and let someone else get back down to 40 hours.
Good ideas don’t happen at a desk, they happen talking with others and being outside.
Quiet hours.
Pigmalian effect - you can increase performance simply by excepting more from them.
Forced ranking discourages helpfulness and accountability
As a leader, provide questions not solutions. This shows you believe in the people who work for you.
When people are trusted and empowered they will take ownership and not let you down.
Discussion about working hours. We work too much to be productive. How do we work less hours and still get our mission done? Need to better spread out work - self identify to your leadership if we’re not giving you enough to fill 40 hours, maybe we can bring in something to your plate that will be rewarding and let someone else get back down to 40 hours.
Good ideas don’t happen at a desk, they happen talking with others and being outside.
Quiet hours.
Pigmalian effect - you can increase performance simply by excepting more from them.
Forced ranking discourages helpfulness and accountability
As a leader, provide questions not solutions. This shows you believe in the people who work for you.
When people are trusted and empowered they will take ownership and not let you down.
November 16, 2023
The big idea of this book is that culture trumps quantitative metrics in organizations and business. The author argues that lasting culture change is often accomplished through small, counterintuitive, incremental changes.
Generally I agree with her thesis but some of her ideas are as described - counterintuitive. The book is worth reading because it’s short and challenges you to think through ideas that may be new and reviews some that are common sense. Not a go to book on culture though.
Generally I agree with her thesis but some of her ideas are as described - counterintuitive. The book is worth reading because it’s short and challenges you to think through ideas that may be new and reviews some that are common sense. Not a go to book on culture though.
April 29, 2018
ספר קצר על איך ליצור תרבות ארגונית מתוך קונפליקטים.
לא סיימתי. בשונה מרוב הספרים של טד הספר לא דיבר אלי והרגשתי שהוא פונה רק למנהלים של חברות גדולות. אולי הם יאהבו אותו.
לא סיימתי. בשונה מרוב הספרים של טד הספר לא דיבר אלי והרגשתי שהוא פונה רק למנהלים של חברות גדולות. אולי הם יאהבו אותו.
April 23, 2020
Really good book about organizations and the value of people. Definitely worth reading if your leading a team
July 5, 2017
I was recently speaking to a colleague about the different contradictions and interpretations at the workplace, for example crunch time vs. find time to gather your thoughts. It was also very interesting reading about the millions that just a coffee break with the team can make for the company! It's a book that I can see speaking to a large variety of people, regardless of industry, even though most references are software-focused.
September 27, 2021
Insightful in parts. Too much management-speak for my liking.
July 8, 2019
می توانم بگویم از هشت سال پیش بود که درگیر خواندن مقالات مدیریتی متعدد در لینکدین شدم. هفت ویژگی رهبران. ده ویژگی منفی مدیران. چگونه همکاران سمی را شناسایی کنیم. با مدیران سمی چه کنیم. و ده ها مقاله مختلف دیگری که در آن سالها خواندم. برای شخصی مثل من با آن مطالعات، این کتاب شاید چندان بدیع نباشد، اما هنوز هم برایم پر از اشارات و تلنگرهایی شیرین و البته الهام بخش بود. غصه دار ماجرا این بود که هنوز بعد از این سالها دیدم که همان معیارهای عقب ماندهی مدیریتی در میان شرکتهایی که در آنها کار کرده ام و می کنم وجود دارد. وقتی که با خودم فکر می کنم، تمام محیط هایی که در آن کار کرده ام تمام اشتباهاتی را داشتند و دارند که این کتاب «نباید»شان را توصیه می کند.
این کتاب مرا خسته کرد. لحظاتی پیش تمامش کردم. و الان خسته و آزرده ام. از طرفی میگویم آنچه این کتاب میگوید ای بسا دو سه فردای دیگر نقیضش به بازار بیاید. همانطور که آنچه که این کتاب نقضش میکند روزگاری رواج داشت و معتمد بود. بشر همیشه به دنبال تنوع است، پس فایدهی خواندن حرفهای جدید چیست، وقتی به حکم تنوع طلبی همین حرفهای جدید به زودی کهنه میشوند. یا شاید من عجولم. انتظار دارم اگر کسی از حق رأی زنان سخن بگوید انتظار داشته باشم از فردایش تمامی مشکلات زنان حل شده باشد. اگرچه ایدهآل نیست، ولی از دیروزها بهتر است! اگر چه کافی نیست، اما بهتر است.
من به شکلی بیمارگونه به دنبال بهشت خِرَدمندیْ هستم. و شاید آزردگی من از این کتاب نباشد، از این جستجوی و تمنای بیمارگونه باشد.
در پایان، این کتاب را به مدیرهای بی شعور توصیه می کنم. باشد که رستگار شوند.
این کتاب مرا خسته کرد. لحظاتی پیش تمامش کردم. و الان خسته و آزرده ام. از طرفی میگویم آنچه این کتاب میگوید ای بسا دو سه فردای دیگر نقیضش به بازار بیاید. همانطور که آنچه که این کتاب نقضش میکند روزگاری رواج داشت و معتمد بود. بشر همیشه به دنبال تنوع است، پس فایدهی خواندن حرفهای جدید چیست، وقتی به حکم تنوع طلبی همین حرفهای جدید به زودی کهنه میشوند. یا شاید من عجولم. انتظار دارم اگر کسی از حق رأی زنان سخن بگوید انتظار داشته باشم از فردایش تمامی مشکلات زنان حل شده باشد. اگرچه ایدهآل نیست، ولی از دیروزها بهتر است! اگر چه کافی نیست، اما بهتر است.
من به شکلی بیمارگونه به دنبال بهشت خِرَدمندیْ هستم. و شاید آزردگی من از این کتاب نباشد، از این جستجوی و تمنای بیمارگونه باشد.
در پایان، این کتاب را به مدیرهای بی شعور توصیه می کنم. باشد که رستگار شوند.
November 22, 2016
ÖNERİLİR
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Kitapta Kurum Kültürü, ADİL KÜLTÜR, Yaratıcı Çatışma, Sosyal Sermaye, İş Hayatında Empati, Verimli Çalışma(yeterli uyku, sessiz ortam, tek seferde tek iş, mantıklı çalışma saatleri, fiziksel aktivitelerin düşünce gücüne etkisi), Dış Dünyaya Açık Şirketler, Klasik Performans Analizlerinin Negatif Etkileri, Karizmatik Lider Anlayışının Eksileri, Herkesin Liderlik Ettiği Geniş Altyapılar, Herkesin Bir Yeteneği Olduğu gibi bir çok konu ve yaklaşımla ilgili bilgi verilmektedir.
...
Kitap nasıl lider olunur, 3 harekette BrusLi olma, 3 ayda dünyanın en zengini olma gibi içeriklere sahip değil. 5 adımda playboy yıldızı, 8 adımda Elon Musk olmayı da anlatmıyor.
...
Küçük değişikliklerin toplamının ne derece büyük farklılıklar yaratabileceğini, verimli çalışmanın önemini ve üzerinde çok düşünülmesi gereken bir konu olduğunu vurguluyor. Özellikle deneylerle kanıtlanmış ciddi verim artışı sağlayan basit önlemlere örnek verilmiş.
...
Gereksiz bilgilerle dolu olmayan kısa, 1-2 günde okunabilecek bir kitap.
...
Kitapta Kurum Kültürü, ADİL KÜLTÜR, Yaratıcı Çatışma, Sosyal Sermaye, İş Hayatında Empati, Verimli Çalışma(yeterli uyku, sessiz ortam, tek seferde tek iş, mantıklı çalışma saatleri, fiziksel aktivitelerin düşünce gücüne etkisi), Dış Dünyaya Açık Şirketler, Klasik Performans Analizlerinin Negatif Etkileri, Karizmatik Lider Anlayışının Eksileri, Herkesin Liderlik Ettiği Geniş Altyapılar, Herkesin Bir Yeteneği Olduğu gibi bir çok konu ve yaklaşımla ilgili bilgi verilmektedir.
...
Kitap nasıl lider olunur, 3 harekette BrusLi olma, 3 ayda dünyanın en zengini olma gibi içeriklere sahip değil. 5 adımda playboy yıldızı, 8 adımda Elon Musk olmayı da anlatmıyor.
...
Küçük değişikliklerin toplamının ne derece büyük farklılıklar yaratabileceğini, verimli çalışmanın önemini ve üzerinde çok düşünülmesi gereken bir konu olduğunu vurguluyor. Özellikle deneylerle kanıtlanmış ciddi verim artışı sağlayan basit önlemlere örnek verilmiş.
...
Gereksiz bilgilerle dolu olmayan kısa, 1-2 günde okunabilecek bir kitap.
July 29, 2017
Zihinsel olarak işiminizin sınırları içinde kalmayı koşullanmış halde misiniz yoksa merakınız size sınırları aşmaya mı zorluyor? Bu merakı her zaman canlı tutmalısınız, açık ve etkin kılmalısınız çevrede dolaşın. İnsanlarla konuşun. Diğer yana da bakın. Bir ağ oluşturun. Bu ağı besleyin... küçük değişimlerin büyük etkisi...
December 17, 2018
It is really a good thought provoking book. It does not give quick fix like many other books but focuses on possible long term plan that can really help change organisation. It is really easy to read and understand.
September 6, 2017
Her style is not my thing, I guess -which is totally fine. I have read many things on this topic and I'm moving on....
November 4, 2019
A quick read that presented some ideas to think about.
October 21, 2020
The premise of Beyond Measure is that leaders can build the culture they want by making "small actions, habits and choices". It is the accumulation of such behaviours that creates the culture - things like listening, asking questions, sharing information can "alter beyond measure the ideas, insights and connections those systems are capable of producing". Heffernan distils her advice into 5 themes:
1. Enabling creative conflict by creating diverse teams and being intentional in opening up the space for conversation and debate, rather than shutting it down.
2. Building social capital - mutual reliance and trust - within the team by creating opportunities for interaction, connection and empathy and understanding of each other's work
3. Protecting and preserving mental bandwidth and energy for quality work. This means giving people adequate time for rest and recharging, giving people quiet time for focussed work
4. Actively breaking down silos that limit the range of thinking. This isn't about open plan offices but allowing people to broaden networks, explore adjacent or new areas, immerse themselves in the wider environment
5. Doing away with limiting behaviours like forced rankings and rooting out underperformers and instead "cultivating pervasive achievement". This can be as simple as just believing in the people who work with you and holding them to high standards (that you are confident that they can meet) to the more emotionally fraught activity of giving away or distributing power.
Heffernan has a gift for punchy writing and there are some memorable quotes in here:
"Great teams need windows on the world, but biases mean that we mostly get mirrors" (on the need for diversity)
"In truly creative debate, self-interest is always a liability, but selflessness is power" (a great story about an African American man, Ted Childs, who led IBM's diversity efforts, where he focussed not on blacks but on communities that he was not a part of - women, gays, the disabled, which gave him a certain moral authority).
Heffernan pushes for a democratic or "just culture", which isn't a term I'm used to seeing in the leadership literature. She argues that "because organisational cultures are nonlinear systems, they can't depend on just a few lauded superstars but draw their energy from the vast collective intelligence of every employee, affiliate, partner, and customer. In that, they're inherently democratic, demanding a generous and humble mindset. Information isn't cherished and held close to the chest because it represents power; instead, it is shared and diffused for the inspiration and insight it provokes. If there is a single diagnostic indicator of a healthy workplace, it may just be the quality of connectedness and the ease of idea flow that characterises them".
She explores at length the various dimensions of a just organisational culture. It is a culture that opens up the space for debate and challenge rather than shutting down conversation for one thing. Heffernan advocates for "the reduction of organisational silence, teaching people to identify the moments at which they want to stand up and offer an idea or counterargument". How might we actively look for discomfirming data, to ask better questions that open up exploration and reframe debate (e.g. if we had infinite resources what would we do, what would we do if we had none? Who are the people affected by this decision and who have the least power to influence it? What are all the reasons this is the right decision and what are all the reasons it is the wrong one? Why is this important and what's important about that?).
Leaders must role model this by remaining silent or asking questions and inviting alternative perspectives. She notes that "once a leader speaks, most people stop listening to one another and start positioning themselves. But when the leader doesn't speak, then, just like a great choir, people have to listen to and respond to one another." So as a leader, how might one "listen for surprises - the comments or data that contradict or challenge (one's) assumptions", listen for "what is not being said", paying attention to the emotions in the room and how people respond to those emotions.
Heffernan ends off by saying that Beyond Measure doesn't provide a simple recipe for success. While each chapter covers a particular theme, reading the entire book one spots certain tensions and contradictions; to build a robust culture "you need rest but a well-stocked mind. Focus and attention are vital but so is getting out into the world and walking around. Expertise and knowledge matter but hierarchy is an impediment. You must learn to think for yourself but also with others. Speaking out is important but someone has to shut up and listen". It is this ability to appreciate and hold these tensions that creates the space for new ideas and productive work.
Beyond Measure is a short book - you can finish it in one or two sittings - but it packs a punch.
1. Enabling creative conflict by creating diverse teams and being intentional in opening up the space for conversation and debate, rather than shutting it down.
2. Building social capital - mutual reliance and trust - within the team by creating opportunities for interaction, connection and empathy and understanding of each other's work
3. Protecting and preserving mental bandwidth and energy for quality work. This means giving people adequate time for rest and recharging, giving people quiet time for focussed work
4. Actively breaking down silos that limit the range of thinking. This isn't about open plan offices but allowing people to broaden networks, explore adjacent or new areas, immerse themselves in the wider environment
5. Doing away with limiting behaviours like forced rankings and rooting out underperformers and instead "cultivating pervasive achievement". This can be as simple as just believing in the people who work with you and holding them to high standards (that you are confident that they can meet) to the more emotionally fraught activity of giving away or distributing power.
Heffernan has a gift for punchy writing and there are some memorable quotes in here:
"Great teams need windows on the world, but biases mean that we mostly get mirrors" (on the need for diversity)
"In truly creative debate, self-interest is always a liability, but selflessness is power" (a great story about an African American man, Ted Childs, who led IBM's diversity efforts, where he focussed not on blacks but on communities that he was not a part of - women, gays, the disabled, which gave him a certain moral authority).
Heffernan pushes for a democratic or "just culture", which isn't a term I'm used to seeing in the leadership literature. She argues that "because organisational cultures are nonlinear systems, they can't depend on just a few lauded superstars but draw their energy from the vast collective intelligence of every employee, affiliate, partner, and customer. In that, they're inherently democratic, demanding a generous and humble mindset. Information isn't cherished and held close to the chest because it represents power; instead, it is shared and diffused for the inspiration and insight it provokes. If there is a single diagnostic indicator of a healthy workplace, it may just be the quality of connectedness and the ease of idea flow that characterises them".
She explores at length the various dimensions of a just organisational culture. It is a culture that opens up the space for debate and challenge rather than shutting down conversation for one thing. Heffernan advocates for "the reduction of organisational silence, teaching people to identify the moments at which they want to stand up and offer an idea or counterargument". How might we actively look for discomfirming data, to ask better questions that open up exploration and reframe debate (e.g. if we had infinite resources what would we do, what would we do if we had none? Who are the people affected by this decision and who have the least power to influence it? What are all the reasons this is the right decision and what are all the reasons it is the wrong one? Why is this important and what's important about that?).
Leaders must role model this by remaining silent or asking questions and inviting alternative perspectives. She notes that "once a leader speaks, most people stop listening to one another and start positioning themselves. But when the leader doesn't speak, then, just like a great choir, people have to listen to and respond to one another." So as a leader, how might one "listen for surprises - the comments or data that contradict or challenge (one's) assumptions", listen for "what is not being said", paying attention to the emotions in the room and how people respond to those emotions.
Heffernan ends off by saying that Beyond Measure doesn't provide a simple recipe for success. While each chapter covers a particular theme, reading the entire book one spots certain tensions and contradictions; to build a robust culture "you need rest but a well-stocked mind. Focus and attention are vital but so is getting out into the world and walking around. Expertise and knowledge matter but hierarchy is an impediment. You must learn to think for yourself but also with others. Speaking out is important but someone has to shut up and listen". It is this ability to appreciate and hold these tensions that creates the space for new ideas and productive work.
Beyond Measure is a short book - you can finish it in one or two sittings - but it packs a punch.
December 29, 2019
“Niemierzalne" -niewielkich rozmiarów, ale bardzo ciekawa pozycja - to jedna z najnowszych książek z serii TED Books, które w Polsce ukazują się nakładem wydawnictwa Relacja.
Chyba każdy, kto korzysta z internetu, natknął się choćby przypadkiem na jeden z wykładów TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design – Technologia, Rozrywka i Design) z licznych organizowanych na całym świecie konferencji, których celem, jak głosi motto fundacji, jest “popularyzacja idei wartych propagowania”. Swego czasu oglądałam te filmiki pasjami, dlatego też bardzo zainteresowała mnie ta pozycja. Jeśli nie mieliście jeszcze okazji zapoznać się z TEDem, koniecznie zajrzyjcie na YouTube’a. Zakres dziedzin i tematów prezentacji jest tak szeroki, że nie będzie tu przesadą użycie stwierdzenia, że dosłownie każdy znajdzie tam coś dla siebie.
Założeniem serii TED Books jest to, żeby każda z pozycji była wystarczająco długa, żeby przedstawić jakiś koncept ale jednocześnie na tyle krótka, żeby można było przeczytać ją za jednym zamachem. Dłuższe niż artykuł w czasopiśmie, lecz krótsze niż tradycyjne książki, TED Books, stanowią kontynuację TED Talków w bardzo przystępnej formie i poręcznym formacie. Nie jest to po prostu transkrypcja konkretnych wystąpień, raczej ich rozwinięcie.
Autorka książki “Niemierzalne”, Margaret Heffernan, wypowiadała się w ramach TEDa kilkukrotnie, ale wykładem bezpośrednio powiązanym z książką jest “Czemu powinniśmy skończyć z hierarchią w pracy”, dostępny również w polskiej wersji językowej.
https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_he...
Warto obejrzeć i warto przeczytać. Już samo nazwisko autorki może być gwarancją ciekawych treści. Heffernan to inspirująca kobieta- przedsiębiorca, dyrektor generalny, wykładowca, ale jednocześnie “swojska” osoba, mówiąca i pisząca bez zbędnego zadęcia czy poczucia wyższości.
W książce “Niemierzalne” porusza tematykę efektywnego ale też empatycznego zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi w przedsiębiorstwach. Pozornie może się wydawać lekturą mało odkrywczą, bowiem większość zawartych w niej treści to rzeczy, które powinny być oczywiste i wynikać ze zdrowego rozsądku. Jednak niestety, jak pokazuje praktyka, jednocześnie są to kwestie w biznesie często spychane na dalszy plan na rzecz tego, co mogą objąć raporty. Jako osoba pracująca w korporacji, zauważam to codziennie.
Książka ta, co zresztą już na wstępie podkreśla autorka, nie dostarczy wam prostej recepty na szybką zmianę, nie zaoferuje też żadnych uniwersalnych trików. Ma na celu zainspirować do myślenia, do zatrzymania się na chwilę i zastanowienia a ostatecznie do podjęcia kroków do zmian.
Jak wskazuje tytuł, autorka podkreśla wagę tego, czego nie są w stanie objąć żadne raporty, wskaźniki, KPI czy SLA - tego, czego nie można zmierzyć, co czasem wydawać by się mogło błahostką, jak np. Interesowanie się prywatnym życiem pracowników, stworzenie w firmie przestrzeni, gdzie można się spotkać i porozmawiać czy po prostu słuchanie i bycie otwartym na pomysły. Drobne rzeczy, które mogą przynieść olbrzymie pozytywne zmiany i przekuć się na mierzalne efekty.
Zdecydowanym plusem książki jest oparcie się na konkretnych przykładach, choć niektórym może przeszkadzać, że nie są one omawiane szczegółowo, lecz zaledwie wspomniane. Jest krótko, zwięźle, na temat ale też na luzie, podobnie jak w TED Talks. Mnie najbardziej przypadł do gustu rozdział o transformowaniu konfliktów zamiast ich unikania - jest to coś, co można wykorzystać nie tylko w pracy, ale przełożyć na życie prywatne, różnice zdań zarówno między współpracownikami jak i bliskimi osobami, odpowiednio poprowadzone, mogą być krokiem naprzód i zawsze warto mieć to na uwadze.
Autorka porusza również kwestie empatii, zachowania równowagi między pracą a czasem wolnym, zapewnienia sobie odpoczynku (tak bardzo oczywiste jednak coraz trudniejsze we współczesnym świecie), prowadzenia rozmów z różnymi ludźmi, poszukiwania inspiracji czy mitu wielozadaniowości.
Na pewno świetna dla każdego, kto pracuje w dużych przedsiębiorstwach, gdzie kultura pracy bywa bardzo, czasem za bardzo, ustrukturyzowana . Chyba najwięcej korzyści może przynieść osobom decyzyjnym bądź takim, którzy sami prowadzą swój biznes, ale i szeregowy pracownik znajdzie w niej kilka pomysłów na to, jak uczynić swoje miejsce pracy bardziej przyjaznym miejscem. A jest o co się starać, bo wg autorki w pracy spędzamy aż 100 tysięcy godzin naszego życia. Idealna lektura na Nowy Rok jako źródło inspiracji!
Chyba każdy, kto korzysta z internetu, natknął się choćby przypadkiem na jeden z wykładów TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design – Technologia, Rozrywka i Design) z licznych organizowanych na całym świecie konferencji, których celem, jak głosi motto fundacji, jest “popularyzacja idei wartych propagowania”. Swego czasu oglądałam te filmiki pasjami, dlatego też bardzo zainteresowała mnie ta pozycja. Jeśli nie mieliście jeszcze okazji zapoznać się z TEDem, koniecznie zajrzyjcie na YouTube’a. Zakres dziedzin i tematów prezentacji jest tak szeroki, że nie będzie tu przesadą użycie stwierdzenia, że dosłownie każdy znajdzie tam coś dla siebie.
Założeniem serii TED Books jest to, żeby każda z pozycji była wystarczająco długa, żeby przedstawić jakiś koncept ale jednocześnie na tyle krótka, żeby można było przeczytać ją za jednym zamachem. Dłuższe niż artykuł w czasopiśmie, lecz krótsze niż tradycyjne książki, TED Books, stanowią kontynuację TED Talków w bardzo przystępnej formie i poręcznym formacie. Nie jest to po prostu transkrypcja konkretnych wystąpień, raczej ich rozwinięcie.
Autorka książki “Niemierzalne”, Margaret Heffernan, wypowiadała się w ramach TEDa kilkukrotnie, ale wykładem bezpośrednio powiązanym z książką jest “Czemu powinniśmy skończyć z hierarchią w pracy”, dostępny również w polskiej wersji językowej.
https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_he...
Warto obejrzeć i warto przeczytać. Już samo nazwisko autorki może być gwarancją ciekawych treści. Heffernan to inspirująca kobieta- przedsiębiorca, dyrektor generalny, wykładowca, ale jednocześnie “swojska” osoba, mówiąca i pisząca bez zbędnego zadęcia czy poczucia wyższości.
W książce “Niemierzalne” porusza tematykę efektywnego ale też empatycznego zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi w przedsiębiorstwach. Pozornie może się wydawać lekturą mało odkrywczą, bowiem większość zawartych w niej treści to rzeczy, które powinny być oczywiste i wynikać ze zdrowego rozsądku. Jednak niestety, jak pokazuje praktyka, jednocześnie są to kwestie w biznesie często spychane na dalszy plan na rzecz tego, co mogą objąć raporty. Jako osoba pracująca w korporacji, zauważam to codziennie.
Książka ta, co zresztą już na wstępie podkreśla autorka, nie dostarczy wam prostej recepty na szybką zmianę, nie zaoferuje też żadnych uniwersalnych trików. Ma na celu zainspirować do myślenia, do zatrzymania się na chwilę i zastanowienia a ostatecznie do podjęcia kroków do zmian.
Jak wskazuje tytuł, autorka podkreśla wagę tego, czego nie są w stanie objąć żadne raporty, wskaźniki, KPI czy SLA - tego, czego nie można zmierzyć, co czasem wydawać by się mogło błahostką, jak np. Interesowanie się prywatnym życiem pracowników, stworzenie w firmie przestrzeni, gdzie można się spotkać i porozmawiać czy po prostu słuchanie i bycie otwartym na pomysły. Drobne rzeczy, które mogą przynieść olbrzymie pozytywne zmiany i przekuć się na mierzalne efekty.
Zdecydowanym plusem książki jest oparcie się na konkretnych przykładach, choć niektórym może przeszkadzać, że nie są one omawiane szczegółowo, lecz zaledwie wspomniane. Jest krótko, zwięźle, na temat ale też na luzie, podobnie jak w TED Talks. Mnie najbardziej przypadł do gustu rozdział o transformowaniu konfliktów zamiast ich unikania - jest to coś, co można wykorzystać nie tylko w pracy, ale przełożyć na życie prywatne, różnice zdań zarówno między współpracownikami jak i bliskimi osobami, odpowiednio poprowadzone, mogą być krokiem naprzód i zawsze warto mieć to na uwadze.
Autorka porusza również kwestie empatii, zachowania równowagi między pracą a czasem wolnym, zapewnienia sobie odpoczynku (tak bardzo oczywiste jednak coraz trudniejsze we współczesnym świecie), prowadzenia rozmów z różnymi ludźmi, poszukiwania inspiracji czy mitu wielozadaniowości.
Na pewno świetna dla każdego, kto pracuje w dużych przedsiębiorstwach, gdzie kultura pracy bywa bardzo, czasem za bardzo, ustrukturyzowana . Chyba najwięcej korzyści może przynieść osobom decyzyjnym bądź takim, którzy sami prowadzą swój biznes, ale i szeregowy pracownik znajdzie w niej kilka pomysłów na to, jak uczynić swoje miejsce pracy bardziej przyjaznym miejscem. A jest o co się starać, bo wg autorki w pracy spędzamy aż 100 tysięcy godzin naszego życia. Idealna lektura na Nowy Rok jako źródło inspiracji!
May 13, 2020
This book was an easy read. The Big Impact of Small Changes points out some obvious observations that for some may not be fully realized without them being pointed out. Creative conflict points out that most people would rather avoid conflict than embrace it and labels this as "covering". The author points out that "Great teams need windows on the world but biases mean that we mostly get mirrors". This is an interesting concept to consider for your organization - do you want a group of people like you, or would your organization be better served by diverse people with diverse skill sets? Mistakes and being able to own them and discuss them openly is important for an organization in order to allow others to learn from them. The chapter on social capital points out that "the best ensembles listen and respond; it's the responsiveness that make them distinctive." Listening for mood, encouraging what works, and lifting the tone before it flattens, fine-tuning pace and progress. The take home message is simply don't interrupt. The idea that thinking is physical, and that we should walk, and take time to clear our head. We need time for quiet, focused work. When discussing smashing barriers, the author points out that "Mentally, everyone gets stuck on their own square of the chessboard. Everyone counts and everyone contributes". The last chapter, Leaders Everywhere, points out that "Expectations influence outcomes. Labeling people as Top 20 made them Top 20." This book is an excellent read for anyone working to optimize their organization through the small changes of many and the large impact leadership can have by evaluating little things, that when incorporated can have a large impact.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2018
Quyển đầu năm 2018 nha.
Vui chơi hay làm việc đều cần có những quy tắc của nó để tất cả mọi người đều cảm thấy yêu thích và thoải mái, khổ cái không phải ai cũng nhận ra những điều đó. Không phải ai cũng nhận ra rằng những hành động nhỏ của họ sẽ ảnh hưởng đến tổ chức: một người vô trách nhiệm với khách hàng - công ty mang tiếng, một người muộn giờ - cả nhóm phải đợi, một công dân làm việc xấu - cả quốc gia phải vạ lây...
Văn hoá công ty mà mình mong muốn đó là tất cả mọi người đều phấn đấu vì mục tiêu chung, họ biết cách tự do sắp xếp công việc sao cho hiệu quả , dám sẵn sàng chia sẻ, dám lên tiếng đấu tranh, dám nhận cái sai và sửa sai, bình tĩnh lắng nghe nhau và cả nhường nhịn nhau; ít nhất sẽ không có những cuộc họp hình thức chỉ có im lặng và im lặng.
Không phải tự nhiên mà Thấu cảm (Feeling) luôn đuợc nhắc đến đầu tiên khi muốn giải quyết một vấn đề, nó đòi hỏi cả sự dũng cảm và tin tưởng để có thể chia sẻ, đòi hỏi mỗi người phải từng chút một thay đổi thái độ của mình. Quả thực không có gì là dễ dàng.
Vui chơi hay làm việc đều cần có những quy tắc của nó để tất cả mọi người đều cảm thấy yêu thích và thoải mái, khổ cái không phải ai cũng nhận ra những điều đó. Không phải ai cũng nhận ra rằng những hành động nhỏ của họ sẽ ảnh hưởng đến tổ chức: một người vô trách nhiệm với khách hàng - công ty mang tiếng, một người muộn giờ - cả nhóm phải đợi, một công dân làm việc xấu - cả quốc gia phải vạ lây...
Văn hoá công ty mà mình mong muốn đó là tất cả mọi người đều phấn đấu vì mục tiêu chung, họ biết cách tự do sắp xếp công việc sao cho hiệu quả , dám sẵn sàng chia sẻ, dám lên tiếng đấu tranh, dám nhận cái sai và sửa sai, bình tĩnh lắng nghe nhau và cả nhường nhịn nhau; ít nhất sẽ không có những cuộc họp hình thức chỉ có im lặng và im lặng.
Không phải tự nhiên mà Thấu cảm (Feeling) luôn đuợc nhắc đến đầu tiên khi muốn giải quyết một vấn đề, nó đòi hỏi cả sự dũng cảm và tin tưởng để có thể chia sẻ, đòi hỏi mỗi người phải từng chút một thay đổi thái độ của mình. Quả thực không có gì là dễ dàng.
May 12, 2023
Huge disappointment from the title - I expected the book will say something about data and measurements - not really besides the dull intro. It is pretty generic management book, covering briefly multiple popular topics for human interactions and diversity. Most of the ideas are pretty basic and general knowledge for me. Some of them: being afraid of conflict and should instead talk honestly.
In truly creative debate, self-interest is always a liability and selflessness is power.
High levels of social capital produce trust of a kind that makes conflict safe, more vigorous, and open. There’s a virtuous circle here: creative conflict, done well, generates social capital that, in turn, makes conflict safe and constructive. By contrast, an absence of social capital makes it impossible for people to speak and think openly, which means that they never develop the social connectedness they need from one another.
In truly creative debate, self-interest is always a liability and selflessness is power.
High levels of social capital produce trust of a kind that makes conflict safe, more vigorous, and open. There’s a virtuous circle here: creative conflict, done well, generates social capital that, in turn, makes conflict safe and constructive. By contrast, an absence of social capital makes it impossible for people to speak and think openly, which means that they never develop the social connectedness they need from one another.
January 21, 2020
Another quick TED published book (they’re so cute and compact it makes for a fun bite-sized read) about a range of ideas related to business but still helpful to me right now as I do a lot of thinking about advocacy and program management. Among the ideas shared, I think it was good to have confirmation of ideas like the importance of sharing information and avoiding self-interest. The idea of social capital fits in with my thoughts about how advocacy needs to also be about connecting with others and not just about what you but about them. I also appreciated the closing thoughts about how there isn’t one easy formula, that it comes down to both/and and balance and nuance. But, if you do want one fun takeaway, consider after doing all that is required, “What one more thing could I do to make these people happy?”
September 3, 2022
Iets anders dan verwacht , over samenwerking en hoe dat (zou) kunnen , het boek is optimistisch , ergens denk ik dat het wat botst met de opgebouwde brein constructie , er moet vertrouwen en openheid zijn , ieder moet vrij kunnen spreken , ..... fouten toegeven ... en er nog uit leren ook .... mooie theorie, maar de bedrijven worden groter en de daarmee verbonden hiërarchische piramides groeien mee ,het ik heb gelijk , ja maar ik heb gelijker gezever groeit ook mee , en ergens is Sapiens ook wel een angstig wezen , kan nagevraagd worden bij de media , het verkoopt goed ,
Toen ik het stuk las over morning star tomatoes dwaalden mijn gedachten wat af naar de tomaten plant en zijn/haar populariteit wie zou 500 jaar kunnen voorspelt hebben dat er zoveel
tomatenplanten zouden zijn ? Met welke hiërarchische structuur heeft die plant dat voor elkaar gekregen ?
Toen ik het stuk las over morning star tomatoes dwaalden mijn gedachten wat af naar de tomaten plant en zijn/haar populariteit wie zou 500 jaar kunnen voorspelt hebben dat er zoveel
tomatenplanten zouden zijn ? Met welke hiërarchische structuur heeft die plant dat voor elkaar gekregen ?
January 25, 2022
I initially felt like this was a three star book. On further reflection I am downgrading to two.
The main problem with Beyond Measure is that it is fluff. I find that most business books are. I appreciate that this one is thinner than most and has added less fluff to fill out its core premise. However, the core premise that a few tiny changes will significantly change an organization is poorly supported and a little too airy to be actionable.
Heffernan delivers a lot of anecdotes about small moves that had big impacts. She is short on detail. I do believe that culture is important and has a major influence on productivity. But, I am skeptical about how the coffee break really changes the culture. I think there were more efforts at cultural change at work that she has glossed over in favor of making a click-bait type lead. This is a common flaw in business books and is slightly worse than average here.
The main problem with Beyond Measure is that it is fluff. I find that most business books are. I appreciate that this one is thinner than most and has added less fluff to fill out its core premise. However, the core premise that a few tiny changes will significantly change an organization is poorly supported and a little too airy to be actionable.
Heffernan delivers a lot of anecdotes about small moves that had big impacts. She is short on detail. I do believe that culture is important and has a major influence on productivity. But, I am skeptical about how the coffee break really changes the culture. I think there were more efforts at cultural change at work that she has glossed over in favor of making a click-bait type lead. This is a common flaw in business books and is slightly worse than average here.
March 11, 2024
Read as part of a school PR book study. I really liked the format of the book - a TED talk in the form of 100 pages with beautiful artwork throughout.
Lots of good takeaways:
-Only everyone can fix a culture.
-Ask 3 questions for every statement you make
-The Swedes have a term for downtime spent together at work - fika. Everyone gathers for coffee and cake and talks about work and nonwork. This has proven effective as a collective restoration technique.
- A half hour walk can prove wildly more productive than staying late at work.
- "Home is where our values are most present, most active, remind us of who we are and who we want to be..." - What are you creating for the future that sits across from you at dinner?
-Once you accept that everyone has gifts, leaders pop up everywhere.
Lots of good takeaways:
-Only everyone can fix a culture.
-Ask 3 questions for every statement you make
-The Swedes have a term for downtime spent together at work - fika. Everyone gathers for coffee and cake and talks about work and nonwork. This has proven effective as a collective restoration technique.
- A half hour walk can prove wildly more productive than staying late at work.
- "Home is where our values are most present, most active, remind us of who we are and who we want to be..." - What are you creating for the future that sits across from you at dinner?
-Once you accept that everyone has gifts, leaders pop up everywhere.
March 31, 2024
I give this book 3.5 stars. The book doesn't have a strong theme that ties the entire content together. Each chapter could be its own story about a small change to improve the work environment. Some basic advice include:
* Encourage open and engaging conversations by asking follow-up questions to keep the dialogue flowing.
* Promote social interactions, such as prohibiting people from eating lunch at their desks or skipping breaks.
* Emphasize how interruptions during discussions can block new ideas and negatively impact the meeting's mood and productivity.
* Allow for some quiet time so the mind can wander, often leading to the recollection of overlooked critical information.
* Encourage open and engaging conversations by asking follow-up questions to keep the dialogue flowing.
* Promote social interactions, such as prohibiting people from eating lunch at their desks or skipping breaks.
* Emphasize how interruptions during discussions can block new ideas and negatively impact the meeting's mood and productivity.
* Allow for some quiet time so the mind can wander, often leading to the recollection of overlooked critical information.
April 8, 2018
Short anecdotal (and nice Sunday morning reflection) on the structures and functions of human groups on their impact on product success. Useful tidbits such as individual freedom through corporate structure to innovate. Interesting to reflect on what i would argue as bureaucracy (such as forced water cooler talk or hours worked) as methods of innovation. I think the book could talk about the price of different methods. It’s one thing to offer solutions when there’s funding, quite another to be creatively scrappy. I guess the target is corporate America - which generally has the funds.
March 26, 2019
It's not a great book. It's just a bit too short - or too long. I am totally onboard with the idea of the small things we do everyday, changes the big things in life. So the message is solid and there are some good anecdotes. It's more a matter of the format. It reads like a stretched article - or a book, that should have had more research and effort. It's a thing around the TED books, in my experience.
It's so short, that you should just read it - or listen to it. You will find something to take away and implement in your own life.
It's so short, that you should just read it - or listen to it. You will find something to take away and implement in your own life.
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