Structural Cybernetics: An Overview [Paperback]

N. Dean Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1997

Political in-fighting, limited teamwork, lack of customer focus, weak strategic alignment, slow pace of innovation, fragmentation and disintegration, a bureaucratic rather than entrepreneurial culture, pressure for decentralization and outsourcing, poor morale, and too much management time spent resolving internal problems...

Why do these familiar problems seem so ingrained in organizations? Because they are. Many performance problems are unintentionally designed into the organization's structure.

Organizational structure is a science, not a matter of personalities, politics, fads, and intuition. There are twelve fundamental building blocks of structure present in any organization. The way these are combined determines the health and performance of the organization. And the mechanisms of teamwork determine whether or not the organizational design actually works.

Structural Cybernetics is a comprehensive treatment of the issues of organizational design. This brief overview presents the basics of organizational theory, clear definitions of the building blocks of structure, practical principles for designing organization charts, and an approach to high performance teamwork based on a "network" of entrepreneurs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Changing everyone's paradigm is tough work. This process provides a framework for effecting significant change." -- M. Brad Hall, Controller and C.I.O., Koch Industries. "We've been struggling with organizational issues for years. Our discussions were often confused, occasionally emotional, and rarely decisive. Structural Cybernetics brought everything into focus. It's not a rigid answer -- it's a well-structured process with a clear language that helped our leadership team come to consensus on a whole range of tough issues." -- Bill Wilkins, Chief Information Officer, John Alden Financial Services Corp. "The Structural Cybernetics language itself is an enormous benefit. It's helping us clarify our boundaries, and improves our ability to discuss our business with our clients." -- Ron Pace, Director of Information Management, U.S. Army, Fort Detrick. "NDMA's theory, tangible design implications,and participative implementation methods encompass a comprehensive solution that is consistent with current theories regarding outsourcing, delayering, empowerment, and teaming." -- Susan Cramm, V.P., Information Technology, Taco Bell. "One of our first rewards was the positive feedback we received from our clients and senior management." -- Lee Wettlaufer, Director, Information Systems Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Social Services.

About the Author

N. Dean Meyer -- recognized as one of the foremost authorities on organizational structure -- has made organizational health his life's work. He has been teaching, lecturing, and consulting since 1968, and is known for his systematic approaches to difficult leadership issues. Meyer Founded NDMA Inc. in 1982 to focus exclusively on organizational issues. He is widely published, and coauthor of the book, The Information Edge, originally published by McGraw-Hill and now in its sixth printing. His research is documented in two major studies: Structural Cybernetics, and The Internal Economy, A Market Approach. Meyer has implemented Structural Cybernetics in dozens of diverse corporate and public-sector organizations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: NDMA Publishing; 1 Ed edition (November 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964163519
• ISBN-13: 978-0964163515
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,067,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Organization Structure That Really Works, June 28, 2001

By 

"osmonjh" (Lake Villa, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Structural Cybernetics: An Overview (Paperback)

In a world of books written to inspire and guide managers to success, few are practical "workbooks" on how to do it. Dean Meyer's book, "Structural Cybernetics", tells us exactly what to do to design an organization that will work. Regardless of the size or mission, every organization will benefit from his clear definitions of accountability and responsibility. Often, we are in situations that are self-defeating and we don't quite know why it's not working. The answers become clear as the author leads the reader through a structured approach to developing a healthy organization that will continue to function in our ever changing environment.