In The Chaos Imperative, organizational expert and bestselling author Ori Brafman (Sway, The Starfish and the Spider) shows how even the best and most efficient organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to today’s US Army, benefit from allowing a little unstructured space and disruption into their planning and decision-making.
Selected Editorial Reviews
Brafman and Pollack, organizational and leadership experts, respectively, explain their thesis on the need for “contained chaos” in our personal and work lives so that new and creative ideas can emerge “out of nowhere.” Framing their argument within case studies, including the U.S. Army, Brafman and Pollack explain that while organizational structure and hierarchy are essential in both large corporations and small groups, they stifle creativity. A small amount of “controlled chaos” confined within certain borders can benefit an organization’s overall well-being. Elements of chaos include “white space,” or time off from organized work to allow innovation and new ideas to take root; meetings without agendas; renegades, or those who don’t fit into the group’s traditional profile of participants; and planned serendipity, or engaging as many aspects of your organization as possible in problem solving. This small, excellent book offers thought-provoking insights for a wide range of library patrons as they face complicated challenges personally and within their businesses large and small. A must read.
Mary Whaley, Booklist
This useful and practical book will be welcomed by managers looking for new ways to innovate.
Publishers Weekly