 |
   |
 |
Positive Turbulence - A Book Review
Positive Turbulence For years, as I attended various conferences in the northeast, I hung on every word from Stan Gryskiewicz. He had a habit of contributing to the store of creative knowledge and making sure that store contained equally well-stocked shelves of common and uncommon sense. Over a long haul Stan emerged (to me) that possible oxymoron: a practical visionary. He earns the status more than ever with his recent publication: Positive Turbulence. In this easy-to-read (easy to tuck in your briefcase) volume he makes the case for desirable upheaval. He says: "Creativity does not have to be random. Organizational structures can, in fact, be put in place that provide for a core predictable, ongoing occurrence of innovation and renewal. This book is about setting up those structures through a process that begins with the recognition that change is inevitable, and then uses change, in manageable amounts, to the organization's strategic advantage. I call this process Positive Turbulence." Chapter One explains why Positive Turbulence is necessary in companies. It examines the fast-changing workplace that businesses face. It then looks at how such turbulence, skillfully ushered into an organization, can be turned into a positive force for continuous renewal. Chapter Two explores the four key elements that drive Positive Turbulence: difference, multiple perspectives, intensity and receptivity. Chapter Three looks at strategies that companies can implement for increasing receptivity to Positive Turbulence. In Chapter Four the book considers what constitutes a team, discusses strategies that such teams can adopt for developing Positive Turbulence and considers the role of a turbulence-driven team in a turbulence-averse company. Chapter Five discusses the strategies that companies can undertake to manage Positive Turbulence. Chapter Six gives a sense of the whole picture, with real-world examples of Positive Turbulence in action. Gryskiewicz feels that Positive Turbulence is a "marvelous process that breaks through the walls reinforcing the status quo and rushes in with new information and novel ideas to reinvigorate companies on a sustainable basis." However staunchly you may have sought to avoid turbulence in your home, your community or your workplace, you may heed Stan's closing words: "This book has given you everything you need to know to successfully implement Positive Turbulence -- a sense of its verity; an approach to promoting it companywide; mechanisms for developing it among individuals, with teams and throughout the organization; and strategies for managing it." Ample advice from a practical visionary! Review contributed by Anne Durrum Robinson, anniecreate@hotmail.com |