An in-depth example of The Agility Factor in action Becoming Agile: How the SEAM Approach to Management Builds Adaptability illustrates the process of becoming an agile organization. Reflecting the principles presented in The Agility Factor, readers are taken on a real-world journey of transformation and change. This short-format case study of the French company Brioche Pasquier highlights how one organization successfully implemented the principles of agility using the socio-economic approach to management, detailing each step of the process and describing how every decision brought the goal closer within reach. Readers get inside the heads of decision makers to gain insight into how tough decisions were made, how new, important, and flexible management tools were implemented, and how the necessary changes ultimately benefitted both the organization and the people who made it work. From overarching policy to day-to-day procedure, the story provides a clear example of how an agile organization is developed, giving readers a foundation upon which to implement similar changes in their own organization. Smart companies understand the importance of agility, but identifying where and how to initiate those first steps often leads to paralysis by analysis. This case study allows readers to learn from an organization that got through the inertia and put the principles of agility into action, with incredible results. * Understand how the principles of agility can be implemented using a specific intervention strategy * Tailor those principles to suit any organization * Calculate and convert the "hidden costs" of traditional organizational design into flexible, value added activities * Formulate and execute an actionable agility strategy Big changes require a deep understanding of the problem at hand, and a viable plan for steering the organization in a better direction. By seeing how it's been done before, organizations can take a proven approach and tailor it to their specific needs. For those tasked with formulating the agility strategy, Becoming Agile: How the SEAM Approach to Management Builds Adaptability provides invaluable insight.

In the current crisis context, capitalism is questioned by its detractors or defended by its partisans. The concept of Socially Responsible Capitalism (SRC) is based on the entrepreneurial spirit. It encourages exemplary behaviors, such as effective, efficient and ethical behaviors, by stimulating social responsibility of companies and organizations. This is combined with the development of economic empowerment and legitimate efforts of each citizen-actor. Socially Responsible Capitalism and Management does not confuse financial capitalism and entrepreneurial capitalism. The first one improves the creation of artificial value which leads to financial bubbles that periodically burst and bankrupt the real economy. Quite the reverse, entrepreneurial capitalism creates both solid economic value and employment. This is justified by the production of goods and services that meet legitimate needs of consumer-citizens. This book shows that by putting Human Beings at the heart of action enables producing sustainable economic value, and anthropological values which are inseparable. The innovative aspect of this book lies in its analysis starting from the macro-economic level to the individual one, by presenting a detailed analysis of the micro-economic level of companies within its managerial issues. Socially Responsible Capitalism and Management is dedicated to present the different aspects of SRC for the Society, companies and organizations and also individual actors, as citizens, producers and consumers.

In the current crisis context, capitalism is questioned by its detractors or defended by its partisans. The concept of Socially Responsible Capitalism (SRC) is based on the entrepreneurial spirit. It encourages exemplary behaviors, such as effective, efficient and ethical behaviors, by stimulating social responsibility of companies and organizations. This is combined with the development of economic empowerment and legitimate efforts of each citizen-actor. Socially Responsible Capitalism and Management does not confuse financial capitalism and entrepreneurial capitalism. The first one improves the creation of artificial value which leads to financial bubbles that periodically burst and bankrupt the real economy. Quite the reverse, entrepreneurial capitalism creates both solid economic value and employment. This is justified by the production of goods and services that meet legitimate needs of consumer-citizens. This book shows that by putting Human Beings at the heart of action enables producing sustainable economic value, and anthropological values which are inseparable. The innovative aspect of this book lies in its analysis starting from the macro-economic level to the individual one, by presenting a detailed analysis of the micro-economic level of companies within its managerial issues. Socially Responsible Capitalism and Management is dedicated to present the different aspects of SRC for the Society, companies and organizations and also individual actors, as citizens, producers and consumers.

This volume continues the collaboration between the Research in Management Consulting book series and the French management research think tank ISEOR (Socio-Economic Institute for Firms and Organisations). Those familiar with Henri Savall's and his colleague Veronique Zardet's earlier work on the socio-economic theory of organisations will recognise their assessments of organisational dysfunctions and hidden costs - but in a different context. In their current work, the emphasis is on the tensions created by the wider environment - the idea of tetranormalisation - and how those tensions shape and influence organisational life. Drawing on a wide range of examples from the news media and popular press, Savall and Zardet paint a disturbing picture of the underlying dynamics and challenges posed by a literal avalanche of standards and norms - which are often ambiguous and conflicting - that literally encompasses all that we do. Their analytic framework is composed of four "poles" - two social dimensions and two economic dimensions - that capture social norms and quality, safety and environment standards (the social dimension), and trade-related norms and accounting and financial standards (the economic dimension). Throughout the volume, Savall and Zardet's analysis captures the myriad ways in which these dimensions interact, shaping the "rules of the game" that dictate how organisations compete and collaborate. Differentiating the "rules of the game" from "playing with" those rules, they delve into the subtleties and nuances that underlie these "poles," providing further insight into how these forces are manipulated through lobbying and the seemingly 24/7 cycle of exposing, publicising and rule-making surrounding social and economic as well as scientific and technological controversies. As Savall and Zardet argue, we are in the midst of a profound upheaval that will play havoc with our economic and social lives for some time to come. If we are going to exert influence on that reality, the challenges that we face moving forward must be conceptualised, constructed and implemented today, for, as they argue, "the road to durable prosperity will be a long haul." Yet, moving beyond these challenges per se, they underscore that we are also presented with an exceptional opportunity - the very real opportunity to create a sustainable commitment to responsible and responsive organisational performance, one that can be fuelled and financed by our ability to translate the hidden costs that exist in all our organisations into productive, value-added activities and true wealth creation. Their analysis presents an intriguing challenge to traditional notions of corporate social responsibility, delving into the idea of "durably acceptable" responsibility, ways to facilitate greater stakeholder engagement, and how we can capture ongoing and sustainable improvement in organisational performance.

A volume in Research in Management Consulting Series Editor Anthony F. Buono, Bentley University This volume continues the collaboration between the RMC book series and the French management research think tank ISEOR (Socio-Economic Institute for Firms and Organizations). Those familiar with Henri Savall's and his colleague Veronique Zardet's earlier work on the socio-economic theory of organizations will recognize their assessments of organizational dysfunctions and hidden costs - but in a different context. In their current work, the emphasis is on the tensions created by the wider environment - the idea of tetranormalization - and how those tensions shape and influence organizational life. Drawing a wide range of examples from the news media and popular press, Savall and Zardet paint a disturbing picture of the underlying dynamics and challenges posed by a literal avalanche of standards and norms - which are often ambiguous and conflicting - that literally encompasses all that we do. Their analytic framework is composed of four "poles" - two social dimensions and two economic dimensions - that capture social norms and quality, safety and environment standards (the social dimension), and trade-related norms and accounting and financial standards (the economic dimension). Throughout the volume, Savall and Zardet's analysis captures the myriad ways in which these dimensions interact, shaping the "rules of the game" that dictate how organizations compete and collaborate. Differentiating the "rules of the game" from "playing with" those rules, they delve into the subtleties and nuances that underlie these "poles," providing further insight into how these forces are manipulated through lobbying and the seemingly 24/7 cycle of exposing, publicizing and rule-making surrounding social and economic as well as scientific and technological controversies. As Savall and Zardet argue, we are in the midst of a profound upheaval that will play havoc with our economic and social lives for some time to come. If we are going to exert influence on that reality, the challenges that we face moving forward must be conceptualized, constructed and implemented today, for, as they argue, "the road to durable prosperity will be a long haul." Yet, moving beyond these challenges per se, they underscore that we are also presented with an exceptional opportunity - the very real opportunity to create a sustainable commitment to responsible and responsive organizational performance, one that can be fuelled and financed by our ability to translate the hidden costs that exist in all our organizations into productive, value-added activities and true wealth creation. Their analysis presents an intriguing challenge to traditional notions of corporate social responsibility, delving into the idea of "durably acceptable" responsibility, ways to facilitate greater stakeholder engagement, and how we can capture ongoing and sustainable improvement in organizational performance.

A volume in Research in Management Consulting Series Editor Anthony F. Buono, Bentley College This volume is a first for the Research in Management Consulting series. As research and theory building in management consulting have grown rapidly during the past several years, the series is dedicated to capturing the latest thinking from applied scholars and scholarly practitioners in this field. Complexity and uncertainty in today's fast-paced business world have prompted a growing number of organizations-profit and not-for-profit alike-to seek guidance in their concomitant change efforts. External and internal consultants and change agents have become increasingly visible in most, if not all, organizational change initiatives. Individual consultants and consulting firms have become increasingly involved in not only providing organizational clients with advice and new ideas but in implementing those ideas and solutions as well. While the series will continue to seek out and explore emerging trends, innovative perspectives, and new insights into the world of management consulting, it is also useful to look back- especially in different countries and cultures-to recapture and revisit past frameworks, intervention models and contributions. This volume is a translation and modest updating of Henri Savall and Veronique Zardet's original work on mastering ""hidden costs,"" initially published in French in 1987.

A volume in Research in Management Consulting Series Editor Anthony F. Buono, Bentley College This volume is a first for the Research in Management Consulting series. As research and theory building in management consulting have grown rapidly during the past several years, the series is dedicated to capturing the latest thinking from applied scholars and scholarly practitioners in this field. Complexity and uncertainty in today's fast-paced business world have prompted a growing number of organizations-profit and not-for-profit alike-to seek guidance in their concomitant change efforts. External and internal consultants and change agents have become increasingly visible in most, if not all, organizational change initiatives. Individual consultants and consulting firms have become increasingly involved in not only providing organizational clients with advice and new ideas but in implementing those ideas and solutions as well.While the series will continue to seek out and explore emerging trends, innovative perspectives, and new insights into the world of management consulting, it is also useful to look back- especially in different countries and cultures-to recapture and revisit past frameworks, intervention models and contributions. This volume is a translation and modest updating of Henri Savall and Veronique Zardet's original work on mastering ""hidden costs,"" initially published in French in 1987.