A thinking mind often lapses into rigid patterns, and clings to definitions and dogmas, the author rues. As antidote, he suggests the use of systems thinking. “Systems thinking involves both the left and the right sides of the brain – a grasp of the parts of the system and of the totality of the system,” explains Chatterjee. “Our anxiety about unmanageably complex systems is reduced as we begin to understand the nature of relations between the various components of the system.”

Elsewhere in the book, the author looks at the possible synergies between organisations and communities. “The efficiency of the modern corporation and the efficacy of traditional communities must come together if the organisations of today are to have any chance of survival,” he urges.

“A community without the drive and discipline of a modern corporation becomes an ineffective coalition of fun-seeking people. A corporation without the liberating and caring spirit of the community becomes a vicious circle of cold-hearted fortune-seekers.”

A chapter on human values speaks of two types of leaders in organisations: those who follow the path of desire, and those who follow the path of the desirable. Leaders of the second type are the pillars of an organisation, and the first, caterpillars, says Chatterjee.

The path of the desirable is paved with human values, he explains. “Human values are the invisible roots of organisational values. They determine the rationale for which an organisation exists.”

D. Murali

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

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