Life at the Edge of Chaos: Creating the Quantum Organization [Hardcover]

Mark D. Youngblood (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1889847402 | ISBN-13: 978-1889847405 | Publication Date: January 1997 | Edition: 1

This breakthrough book provides practical applications of how to transform companies to operate on the "edge of chaos" based on the principles of living, self-organizing systems.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

At a time when most new business books are boring rehashes of the same stale messages, Mark Youngblood's latest book proves to be a breath of fresh air. Life at the Edge of Chaos provides nothing less than a revolution in how we think not only about business, but about human organizations in all their forms. Another thing I like about Mark's approach is that he doesn't just spout theory and leave it to someone else to determine the "how-to." Mark goes beyond the theory to explain practical actions that the reader can take to immediately begin their organization's journey to become a Quantum Organization.

From the Author

I have a great deal of passion about this topic, this book is truly a "work of heart." Modern society is suffering from a crisis of perception that is contributing to the breakdown and decay of practically every major institution. The consequence is that we are on the verge of creating a world where it is possible to survive, but not to live. Only a change in how we think about the world that is grounded in the latest scientific and philosophical wisdom can bring about the transformation required to create healthy and life affirming organizations, society, and environment. It is to this purpose that I have dedicated my career.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Perceval Pub; 1 edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889847402
• ISBN-13: 978-1889847405
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,930,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT book & a must-read for anyone in business today., April 22, 1999

By 

Kay Gilley (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life at the Edge of Chaos: Creating the Quantum Organization (Hardcover)

Kay Gilley, keynote speaker, executive development consultant, and author of Leading from the Heart and The Alchemy of Fear:

This isn't a good book: it is a GREAT book. And, it is a must-read for anyone doing business on the bridge into the 21st Century.

Mark Youngblood has done a masterful job of simply and succinctly helping us understand the promise of ever-present, fast-paced, and dynamic change in our businesses. Encouraging us to transcend the limitations of Newtonian organizations, he brings tangible application to what it means to lead and work in a quantum one. He offers the promise that when we learn to embrace with the fluidity of chaos that we will be both more effective and enjoy our lives and work more. His examples are simple and direct and bring crystal clarity to the concepts he presents.

My personal copy is always near at hand, well-marked with dog-eared pages, sticky notes, and a long list of page reference notations in the back. When readers show up at my book signing with books that look like this, I know they have been well used...and my copy Life at the Edge of Chaos has indeed been well used. I can't recommend this book too highly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Eye-Opener and a Glimpse Into Our Future, December 6, 1997

By 

Kevin Ruble ([e-mail]) (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life at the Edge of Chaos: Creating the Quantum Organization (Hardcover)

This important book presents a "how-to" guide for dealing with the "tectonic changes" outlined by The 500-Year Delta. It becomes clearer every day that a new paradigm is emerging and the resultant changes in society and our global economy are with us to stay. Life at the Edge of Chaos explains, in a lucid, breezy manner, what these changes will require of our organizations and social institutions. Once you view the world through this lens, you will never see things the same way again. In fact, in spite of its easily-digested style, I found myself re-reading parts of the book to better understand this new model, because it is significantly different from the models we've lived by and applied for the past several hundred years. Yet these very tenets are at work in the most successful organizations today. If you enjoy the principles of Visa founder Dee Hock, or marvel at the success of Southwest Airlines and Whole Foods Market, you will certainly enjoy this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars practical marriage of mgt, theory & quantum principles, December 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Life at the Edge of Chaos: Creating the Quantum Organization (Hardcover)

As the primary author of the world's only organization theory textbook with a transformational perspective, I appreciate Mark's courage and boldness in articulating this new paradigm of organization. This book picks up where mine (and others) leave off: he clearly spells out a "road map" of where we are organizationally, how we got there, and what to do about it. A stunning achievement!!!!