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“A must have for all OD practitioners”
Ruth B wrote this review Sunday, October 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Almost ended up twittering every sentence in this book. A jewel for anyone interested in being with, working with, living with other human beings.”
Julie G wrote this review Tuesday, August 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Like Peter Block's other books, a bit esoteric at times. He sometimes talks in circles (and is quite redundant) but his ideas and messages are sound.”
Raman Chadha wrote this review Sunday, August 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“LOVE THIS BOOK!!! There is so much wisdom and information in this book for people who want to transform their communities from places of retribution and problem solving (which is not a bad thing) to places of restoration and possibility seeking (which is even better). The book is well written with introductory paragraphs for each chapter and even a Book at a Glance section at the end. A must-read for any organization or group of citizens committed to transformation.”
Jodeeb wrote this review Sunday, August 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I have a love hate relationship with this book. On one level, it’s incredibly profound. Yet from an economic/political perspective I question many of his premises. I find Block’s understanding of economics to be minimal, as if economists only discussed scarce resources. He fails to understand how economists are venturing into behavioral economics, new growth theory, and assumptions other than rationality. I also question some of the sources he cites in his book, such as Robert Putman’s “Bowling Alone” book, which I believe to be deeply flawed. As a libertarian, you might be offended by how Block refuses to focus on the individual, the smallest minority in the world.
Ron B wrote this review Sunday, April 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
And yet, all that said, this book has profound lessons for those trying to instigate change in organizations. So much so that my colleagues engaged in a two hour phone discussion of this book. Block cites Werner Erhard’s dictum that “all transformation is linguistic.” This is so true. Words matter, and how we frame our subjects greatly influences people’s reception to new ideas. I also liked Block’s discussion of the word “possibility” as opposed to vision, goals, purpose, destiny, mission, optimist. Possibility is a declaration of what we create in the world each time we show up. Perhaps this is why the founders titled it “The Declaration of Independence”? Possibility without accountability is wishful thinking, while accountability without possibility is despair.
I also love his definition of leadership: “to confront people with their freedom.” Block appears to think that accountability and freedom are the same thing (rather than two sides of the same coin), and it’s a good point. You can’t be free unless you can say no. He also claims that it’s the small group that is the unit of transformation, thus we must set aside our concern for scale and speed.
Community is all about conversations, and we must change the conversation to effect change. If all we do is solve problems we are limiting the chance that the future will be different than the past. Yet communities, such as professions, hold on to their problems as a major source of their identities. If we answer these problem solving (How To) questions, we are shutting off the possibilities of the future. It reminded me of George Gilder’s comment that creativity always comes as a surprise to us, never planned. If it wasn’t a surprise, we wouldn’t need it, and the economy could be run by computers. Block also spends time towards the end of the book on crafting invitations to become part of a dialogue of transformation, which we are experimenting with in our work to help professional knowledge firms change.
There’s much more in this book that is useful. What I love about Block is he’s a deep thinker who’s done his homework (except on economics), and in turn, he makes you think deep. I’m still processing the lessons from this book several weeks after reading it, as well as the lessons in his prior book, "The Answer to How is Yes" (reviewed herein). If you are involved in a leadership position, or in attempting to change your company, charity, neighborhood, city, or country, I highly recommend you read this though-provoking book. My guess is you’ll have several epiphanies.
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