High reliability organizations (HROs) such as ER units in hospitals or firefighting units, are designed to perform well under extreme stress and pressure. Using HROs as the model for the 21st century organization, Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe show executives and upper level managers the competencies their organizations need to develop in order to handle surprises effectively and with a high degree of reliability without sacrificing speed.
Book Details:
- Author: Karl E. Weick
- ISBN: 9780470367797
- Year Published: 2001
- Pages: 224
- BISAC: BUS041000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Management
About the Book and Topic:
High reliability organizations (HROs) such as ER units in hospitals or firefighting units, are designed to perform well under extreme stress and pressure. Using HROs as the model for the 21st century organization, Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe show executives and upper level managers the competencies their organizations need to develop in order to handle surprises effectively and with a high degree of reliability without sacrificing speed.
The purpose of this book is to answer the question, “How do you organize for high performance in a setting where potential for error and disaster is overwhelming?” The answer, derived from studies of experts who stay on top of unexpected events, is that reliability is produced by sustained candid mindfulness that updates one’s grasp of what is happening. Processes to achieve high reliability are shown to be within the grasp of anyone who is willing to invest in a more mindful way of doing business.
In this provocative book, the authors show organizations how to respond to threats with flexibility rather than rigidity and to reduce the disruptive effects of threats by using tools such as sensemaking, stress reduction, migrating decisions, and labeling. This book provides various resources to help organizations implement what the authors call “mindfulness.” The authors reveal the five qualities of the “mindful” organization and the organizational skills needed for each. The book also includes case studies of organizations that demonstrate “mindful” practices.
About the Author
KARL E. WEICK is the Rensis Likert Collegiate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology and professor of psychology at the University of Michigan Business School. His book, The Social Psychology of Organizing (1979), was designated by James Collins in Inc. magazine as one of the nine best business books ever written. KATHLEEN M. SUTCLIFFE is assistant professor of organizational behavior and human resource management at the University of Michigan Business School. She has published numerous articles on cognitive and experiential diversity in top management teams and on organizational performance.