The Norval Morris Project Blog

Interesting Reads

Joshua Stengel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:21:55 GMT

The two topic teams (Population Reductions & Workforce Transformation) for the Norval Morris project will be meeting soon in Denver, Colorado to move forward with these areas of the project. In preparation for the meeting and through discussions with...(read more)

"How Technology Enables Transformation of Human Service Administration" by M. Geffen and J. Kost

Joshua Stengel — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:29:24 GMT

This article focuses on human service organizations whose ultimate service mission to public clientele is attainment of self-sufficiency. The authors cite various reasons for an ever-evolving 21 st Century human services model of enormous complexity that...(read more)

"Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail" by John P. Kotter

Joshua Stengel — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:26:29 GMT

The author begins the article citing his experience with over 100 companies attempting to remake themselves, from General Motors to Bristol-Meyers Squibb. Successful change within these companies has ranged from very successful to total failure. Because...(read more)

"The discipline of innovation" by Peter Drucker

Joshua Stengel — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:19:18 GMT

Most successful innovations, according to Drucker, come from a conscious, purposeful search for innovation opportunities. He saw four areas of opportunity inside organizations: unexpected occurrences, incongruities, process needs, and industry and market...(read more)

"Improving the Transition from Basic Efficacy Research to Effectiveness Studies: Methodological Issues and Procedures" by Gregory N. Clarke

Joshua Stengel — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:16:16 GMT

This article was inspired by Weisz, Weiss, and Donenberg’s (1992) look at positive child psychotherapy effects in research suggesting “…a key task for researchers [is]….identifying those proper conditions under which effects of child therapy may be optimized...(read more)

Toward a Sociology of the Network Society

Joshua Stengel — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:30:00 GMT

This article invokes a provocative view of a changed society poised on the cusp of high potential for innovation because all of us (in developed nations) now function amidst a vast complex of macro-level social networks (and thusly a new framework for...(read more)

"Disruptive Innovation for Social Change" by Clayton Christensen, et al

Joshua Stengel — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:20:35 GMT

Catalytic innovations provide good-enough solutions to inadequately addressed social problems. They are similar to Christensen’s disruptive-innovation model, which challenges industry incumbents by offering simpler, good-enough alternatives to an underserved...(read more)

Technology Transfer and Public Policy: A Review of Research and Theory

Joshua Stengel — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:20:17 GMT

The author provides an exhaustive review of technology transfer/diffusion through his own lens: i.e., a framework he calls the Contingent Effectiveness Model; it earns its name from the fact that there are multiple ways of defining transfer effectiveness...(read more)

“People in Charge: Creating Self Managing Organizations”

Joshua Stengel — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:16:27 GMT

This book contains a step-by-step guide to help people redesign their workplaces to be team based and self managing. In addition there are chapters from nine contributing authors about self management in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Land Bank of...(read more)

“Futures That Work: Using Search Conferences to Revitalize Companies, Communities, and Organizations”

Joshua Stengel — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:13:21 GMT

A search conference is a participative planning event that enables people to create a plan for the most desirable future of their community or organization, a plan they carry out themselves. Search conferencing has a long, rich history. The first search...(read more)

Innovation. Management Benchmark Study

Joshua Stengel — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:10:51 GMT

In the chapter, “Innovation,” Baker provides an overview of innovation research, definitions of the three main types of innovation ( process, product/service, and strategy/business concept ), the levels of innovation ( incremental to radical ), and capacities...(read more)

What Do We Know About Developing and Sustaining a Culture of Innovation

Joshua Stengel — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:05:25 GMT

This article gives a brief overview of organizational culture including its definition, various models, and both qualitative and quantitative methods of studying an organization’s culture. The author begins by discussing culture in general and sites Hofstede...(read more)

Building Culture Strategically: A Team Approach for Corrections

Joshua Stengel — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:18:28 GMT

The guide, developed under the Strategic Planning, Management and Response project, encompassed six tasks: 1) identify/develop a strategic planning model/process useful to facilities; 2) & 3) develop a strategic management model/methodology and strategic...(read more)

"Cognitive-Behavior Modification and Organizational Culture."

Joshua Stengel — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:59:59 GMT

This article discusses the application of Cognitive-Behavior Modification (CBM) to organizational culture in order to influence organizational behavior. The author sites the work of Karl Weick and constructivist theory which states that individuals create...(read more)

An Introduction to Changing Organizational Culture

Joshua Stengel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:55:16 GMT

Cameron and Quinn’s first chapter (An Introduction to Changing Organizational Culture) sets a radically assertive tone. Their arguments and claim that organizational culture separates all other previous researcher attempts to explain sustained organizational...(read more)