Rising costs and increasing global competition press institutions to do more with less. At the same time, deep budget cuts and a general social and political impatience have revived calls for reform in educational affordability, curriculum, and outcome measurement. Yet within this environment, a myriad of success stories are being forged among educational institutions, supporting industries, and educational consortia that are embracing innovative approaches to all aspects of the higher edu...

More than 250,000 public sector managers in the United States take on new positions each year and many more aspire to leadership. Each will confront special challenges-from higher public profiles to a greater number of stakeholders to volatile political environments-that will make their transitions even more challenging than in the business world.Now Michael Watkins, author of the bestselling book The First 90 Days, applies his proven leadership transition framework to the...

The current global economic environment is defined by unprecedented uncertainty, a premium placed on knowledge, and the threat of future talent scarcity. Key to an organization's success under these conditions is its ability to strengthen the links between people and performance. Creating Healthy Organizations provides executives, managers, human resource professionals, and employees an action-oriented approach to forging these connections by creating and sustaining vibrant and pr...

Today's economy is fueled by knowledge. Every leader knows this to be true, yet few have systematic methods for converting organizational knowledge into economic value. This book argues that communities of practice--groups of individuals formed around common interests and expertise--provide the ideal vehicle for driving knowledge-management strategies and building lasting competitive advantage. Written by leading experts in the field, Cultivating Communities of Practice is the first book t...

"Michael Barber outlines the steps that will enable courageous education leaders around the country to execute their plans and bridge the gap between hope and reality."—Joel Klein, ChancellorNew York City Department of Education"No one knows system reform better than Sir Michael Barber. His delivery contains bold, inspiring, crystal clear ideas that are never more timely than today. A must-read for reformers at all levels of the system."—Micha...

Without effective execution, no business strategy can succeed. This second edition delivers a powerful framework every leader can use to overcome the obstacles to successfully deploying business strategy. In this book, leading consultant and Wharton professor Lawrence Hrebiniak offers a comprehensive, disciplined process model for making strategy work in the real world. Drawing on his unsurpassed experience, Hrebiniak shows why execution is even more important than many senior executives r...

"Business Schools Face Test of Faith." "Is It Time to Retrain B-Schools?" As these headlines make clear, business education is at a major crossroads.For decades, MBA graduates from top-tier schools set the standard for cutting-edge business knowledge and skills. Now the business world has changed, say the authors of Rethinking the MBA, and MBA programs must change with it. Increasingly, managers and recruiters are questioning conventional business education.Their concerns? ...

The case that I make for diversity and inclusion is not just sociological or democratic: it is a business strategy. That is the focus of this book. I developed this framework for corporations and associations. It will show you how to increase your revenues directly, through understanding the pathways that I provide, and by implementing the Big Six Action Plan that I outline, so that you can take a comprehensive and holistic business approach to diversity & inclusion in your own company. I ...

In today's highly networked and competitive global economy, mounting social and environmental problems are forcing corporations to focus on more than just their stockholders' interest in meeting bottom line profitability. More and more companies are recognizing the value of identifying and building relationships with all of their organization's stakeholders-employees, customers, suppliers, and even communities. In fact, recent research has shown that companies that treat their employees we...

Take an innovative approach to a climate of change within your workplace or organization with this guidebook on diversity and inclusion.Author Maura G. Robinson, an authority on diversity and inclusion, has been helping companies create systemic process of change for more than twenty years. In the Inclusion Revolution Is Now, she explores as you cancreate an environment of inclusion where all employees are accountable for their behaviors, and able to work together ...

The concept of sustainability has grown in recognition and importance. The pressure on companies to broaden their reporting and accountability from economic performance for shareholders, to sustainability performance for all stakeholders is leading to a change of mindset in consumer behaviour and corporate policies. How can we develop prosperity without compromising the life and needs of future generations? Sustainability in Project Management explores and identifies the questions surround...

If the defining goal of modern-day business can be isolated to just one item, it would be the search for competitive advantage. And, as everyone in business knows, it's a lot harder than it used to be. On the one hand, competition is more intense than ever--technological innovation, consumer expectations, government deregulation, all combine to create more opportunities for new competitors to change the basic rules of the game. On the other hand, most of the old reliable sources of competi...