Stay Informed!

By Bill Schweke on 04/09/2009 @ 04:42 PM

Tags: Ideas in Development, Recommended Reading

It may be true that nonprofits attract executive directors and staff who find something lacking in working for a firm in the private sector. And it is also generally the case that the management side of running a nonprofit is not beloved by most who aspire to make a difference in the not-for-profit world. It's the content that attracts them, not the administration.

However the nonprofit must be managed and will not be effective unless it's doing the right thing in the right way...and that's management in a nutshell.

Fortunately, this issue is getting more attention by writers and thinkers and doers. The literature on how to manage nonprofit organizations is growing. In addition, there is an increasingly relevant library of volumes on knowledge-based firms and consultancy in the private sector that is being published.

I confess to being one of those who loves the substance of my work and is more than a tad ambivalent sitting down for another meeting about aligning our culture and structure with our mission, or whatever.

I also find a lot of the management "brew" a little lite. It is faddish and delivers maxims often equivalent to "buy low and sell high." But I admit there is a great deal of good stuff to read out there. Some is quite creative and clever, while other books could be regarded as delivering uncommon common sense. (Uncommon to the typical nonprofit, that is.)

This reading list includes both recent books and those that have been available for a few years. But I find them worth study and rereading. Here's a short list of helpful works:

• Peter Drucker with Jim Collins, Philip Kotler, James Kouzes, Judith Rodin, V. Kasturi Rangan, and Frances Hesselbein, The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization (2009). This posthumous book really delivers in a little more than 100 pages. The format has the late Peter Drucker's initial thoughts, followed by comments made by leaders in the management field. Relevant to those in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, it includes lots of useful insights that can be especially applied by the manager in civil society. The book is motivated by the idea that wisdom is all in the questions and in the honesty and thoroughness in which they are answered. ($14.95)

• Ethan Rasiel and Paul Friga, The McKinsky Mind: Understanding and Implementing the Problem-Solving Tools and Management Techniques of the World's Top Strategic Consulting Firm (2001). Not since the publication of Peter Block's Flawless Consulting has there been a work that lays out a broadly applicable, step-by-step problem identification and solving process so clearly, while also offering insights into the psychology of the person or group that may decide to hire your services. Nonprofits that do lots of research as well as consulting should have it on their bookshelves. ($29.95)

• Allen Weiss, Getting Started in Consulting: Third Edition (2009). This is another gold mine. Well-written and wise, the book is primarily focused on establishing your very own consulting firm, but it is not hard to translate most of its advice into making a consulting organization work like a charm. It is very good on marketing and includes a variety of amazing lists of questions - most notably ones that are designed to clarify what sort of financial resources that the client possess and what are they "really" looking for in a partner. ($19.95)

• Charles Hecksher, The Collaborative Enterprise: Managing Speed and Complexity in Knowledge-Based Businesses (2007). This is a more academic product than the works above. Based on the author's own research and case studies, Hecksher tries to illuminate best practice in this sector of the economy. He even speculates on whether they constitute the organizational models of the future. In its conclusions, the author examines what sort of economy is producing these kinds of firms and what are their pros and cons as places to be employed for today's knowledge worker. ($38.00)

• Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten, The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You (2009). Ever been overwhelmed by the sheer number of management books available? Ever wonder which private sector-focused works that nonprofit types could benefit from a close read? Here are 100 possible answers. The authors do a superb job of tackling "what they say, why they matter, and how they can help you." Sounds good, doesn't it? It also "reads well." ($29.95)

This will keep you busy.

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