In the context of our increasingly VUCA world and with the proliferation of modern crises, crisis management has evolved into a key task area that is no longer critical only to the energy, aviation, and security sectors and neither is it only the work of appointed crisis managers. Beyond the traditional acute crises, there are creeping crises, looming crises and black swan events, and also crises that have multiple, differentiated and non-linear trajectories. What then are the structures and capabilities necessary for organisations and leaders to be prepared to face this diverse range of modern crisis situations?The book presents several key competencies that crisis leaders and managers should possess and develop for effective crisis management. For instance, leaders would have to possess digital and cross-cultural competence, embody adaptive authenticity, manage tasks, engage in collective sensemaking, display transformative and agile leadership, and manage misinformation. The genesis of the qualities entailed a literature review, opinion surveys administered to officers who manage crises in their roles, and interviews with leaders and incident managers, as well as discussions with subject matter experts on the topic of Crisis Leadership. This book offers practitioners a better understanding of essential crisis leadership qualities and practical recommendations for action and development.Beyond the crisis leader, the book will also highlight the importance of the crisis-ready organisation and network. The interplay between the crisis leader and the broader organisational and operating systems in shaping effective crisis management will be discussed, with implications for leaders and organisations in developing and enhancing the crisis ecosystem so that crises can be effectively prevented, managed and learned from.

This exciting new resource guides readers through a step-by-step process on how to deliver quality, robust products and services while strengthening teams and customer relationships. Drawing on the author's extensive knowledge in aerospace and defense contracting, Practical Project Management for Engineers shares real world examples to recover schedule, cost and performance, explaining the tools, techniques, and methodologies to ensure success. It compares NASA, Department of Defense (DoD), and Project Management Institute (PMI) processes and provides best practices that work in the real world to deliver quality products on time and on budget. This book applies the Pareto Principle, which focuses on the 20% of the material that contributes to the majority (80%) of success to help engineering managers to move a project from contract award to delivery while increasing productivity tenfold. This book is a "how-to" manual for those struggling to get their projects under control as well as for new project managers looking who need a holistic view of project management.

Over the past 15 years Nancy Kline has identified 10 behaviors that form a system called a Thinking Environment, a model of human interaction that dramatically improves the way people think, and thus the way they work and live.

The power of effective listening is recognized as the essential tool of good management. In this book, Kline describes how we can achieve this, and presents a step-by-step guide that can be used in any situation. Whether you want to have more productive meetings, solve business problems or build stronger relationships, this book offers you a new world of possibilities.

Nancy created and pioneered the development of The Thinking Environment and is Founder and President of Time To Think. A published author and public speaker, she also teaches Time To Think courses, leads the Time To Think Faculty and delivers keynote presentations around the world.

Time To Think began in 1984 and grew out of Nancy's consulting and teaching work near Washington, DC, where she had served as a Founding Director of The Thornton Friends School for twelve years and as Director of The Leadership Institute for six years. She is a Fellow of Ashridge Management College, UK, and the International Listening Association's Listener of the Year 2010.

When it comes to optimization techniques, in some cases, the available information from real models may not be enough to construct either a probability distribution or a membership function for problem solving. In such cases, there are various theories that can be used to quantify the uncertain aspects. Optimization Techniques for Problem Solving in Uncertainty is a scholarly reference resource that looks at uncertain aspects involved in different disciplines and applications. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics including uncertain preference, fuzzy multilevel programming, and metaheuristic applications, this book is geared towards engineers, managers, researchers, and post-graduate students seeking emerging research in the field of optimization.

One global leadership challenge is managing the complexity of the political and economic climate of a society. As the global environment changes, it is essential for global leaders to adapt and develop flexible strategies for resolving conflicts and achieving peace. Global Leadership Initiatives for Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding provides emerging research on a leader's role in the international, national, and nongovernmental organization within post-conflict resolution and peaceful leadership. While highlighting topics, such as civil society organizations, leadership education, and social reconstruction, this book explores leadership theories and practice models to conceptualize the intersection of leadership within conflict management and resolution. This book is an important resource for leaders, scholar-practitioners, educators, and researchers seeking current research on the strategic and diplomatic methods of a peaceful global organization.

Baroque philosopher Balthasar Gracian's The Art of Worldly Wisdom consists of three hundred maxims spanning a wide range of topics relating to all aspects of life and human behavior. Gracian was a Spanish Jesuit Priest whose sermons and writings were disapproved of by his superiors. Admired by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche for the depth and subtlety of his observations, Gracian's collection of pithy insights deserves place alongside similar classic manuals of self-improvement from antiquity like the Enchiridion of Epictetus and Seneca's Letters.

Over the past decade, increasing competition has created immense opportunities for businesses globally. As such, it important to research new methods and systems for creating optimal business cultures. Cases on Quality Initiatives for Organizational Longevity is a scholarly publication that examines cases on practices in organizations and how they have facilitated transformation over the years. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as customer loyalty, benchmarking, and employee training, this book is geared toward business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, researchers, and students seeking current and relevant research on contemporary cases in the field of business quality management.