Scoring a Whole in One (Crisp Management Library) [Paperback]

Edward Martin Baker (Author)

Book Description

Series: Crisp Management Library | Publication Date: May 25, 1999

The premise of this book is that human enterprise is more productive and rewarding for everyone if there is a chance to work within a whole-system view of the enterprise. The key element in approaching an organization's system is the interdependence of activity and how it can affect performance of the whole system even when individual parts may be working well.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Crisp Publications (May 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560525495
• ISBN-13: 978-1560525493
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,686,625 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Systems & The Enterprise, January 18, 2000

By 

John S. Dowd (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scoring a Whole in One (Crisp Management Library) (Paperback)

Like much of the writing of the author's mentor, Dr. W. E. Deming, this book is deceptively simple and straightforward, but contains some basic principles of leadership that have profound implications for the management of any enterprise.

Before proceeding, I have to reveal my bias. I have to good fortune to be friend of the author. Dr. Ed Baler. He and I co-facilitated several Deming 4 day seminars and have kept in touch over the years. It is doubtful that there is much that Ed would say about the subject of Deming's teachings with which I would disagree. This book, however, clarifies and extends those teachings considerably.

A variety of metaphors are used to present the basic concept of systems thinking and the implications of these insights for managers. Of those used, I thought the illustrations using the metaphor of the symphony the most helpful. Ed continually points out that it is the coordination of the talent contained within the orchestra that produces the sound. The interactions of the players produces an effect over and above the sum of each's individual efforts.

It is this concept of interaction that I think is made particularly clear. Some people use the word interaction to mean inter-relationship, but in the sense used here (and by Deming), it means more than that. The interaction is an effect over and above the sum of the parts. This is an important distinction as this book points out clearly, because the interactions must then be considered in any attempt to manage the enterprise as a whole.

The first part of the book is given over to some clarification of the nature of systems generally. They operate over time, they are far-reaching, they are nested within other, larger, systems, and, as pointed out above, a system is more than simply a collection of parts. As someone once pointed out to me, if you divide a pile of sand (not a system) in half, you have two piles of sand. If you divide a cow in half, you are not left with two cows.

The book then draws out the implications of these principles of systems for the human enterprise that operates at the core of any organization. It is disheartening to hear some managers continue to divide organizations into `people problems' and `technical problems'. Surely we know by now that these are all people problems and the technical state of the art at any point in time is usually given.

There is, in Chapter II, a discussion of the interaction between the individual and the enterprise which is right on the money and shows clearly one of the major problems with any policy of pay raises or advances based on individual rating and ranking. Separating the contribution of the individual and the enterprise is virtually impossible. The authors description of the `Enterprise-in-the-Individual' shows clearly how the enterprise molds the activities of those who work in it, and the `Individual-in-the-Enterprise' shows the converse.

More than half the book is taken up with a fairly specific discussions of the requirements of leadership given the foregoing. There are some general points made such as the echoing of Deming's caution about managing by visible figures, and there are some very specific suggestions such as the Interactions Matrix and it's list of "do's and don'ts".

Finally there are some specific examples of enterprises that have operated to one extent or another with these some of the principles as a basis.

All in all, a book well worth reading not only for those who manage enterprises, but also for those who help them. It would be nice to see similar, companion pieces on some of the other aspects of Deming's teachings such as variation and his Theory of Knowledge.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent contribution to organizational theory, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Scoring a Whole in One (Crisp Management Library) (Paperback)

Dr. Baker has given us an excellent reflection on the theoretical and practical aspects of systems thinking. Drawing us from a strictly mechanistic view of organizations, he leads us to a deeper understanding of the social, interactive organization, and the differences such thinking will have on our managerial actions. Second, this is an important book for educators. If we are to reform education, we must do so by return ing to a theoretical basis for ensuing dialog. Dr. Baker offers us an invaluable contribution in this task.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent contribution to organizational theory, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Scoring a Whole in One (Crisp Management Library) (Paperback)

Dr. Baker's book is an excellent contribution to the Deming legacy of systems thinking. Our mental shift from mechanistic to social, interactive concepts is well served in "Scoring a Whole in One". I strongly recommend that educators as well as managers in business take this book seriously. Systems thinking is essential to re-thinking education. Dr. Baker adds substantially to this task.