Integrating the latest insights from diverse scientific disciplines, the book establishes some very basic truths about human innate behavior that determine how people best work together and are managed, or in some cases "unmanaged.” "Unleashing Intellectual Capital is so well written that it is a delightful treat in management books. As for me, who has spent my life on similar issues, I bow to Dr. Ehin." Frederick Herzberg, Cummins Engine, Distinguished Professor Emeritus "Unleashing Intellectual Capital is a daring and provocative book. Ehin opens our minds and demonstrates how our inherent genetic tendencies can be leveraged for competitive advantage. This book provides the reader with new and useful ammunition in which to operate in the new millennium." John W. Patten President Emeritus, Business Week |
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Time for Unmanagement C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters Increasing intellectual capital cannot be managed in the traditional sense. Therefore, Unleashing Intellectual Capital is not another book about how to "manage" knowledge in our organizations with all sorts of new-age technologies and associated elaborate methodologies, although intellectual capital creation is one of its major themes. Its intent is also not to prescribe another novel way to manage people in our collective endeavors, although the development of highly sustained levels of social capital is the other principle topic of the work. Rather, this book is about the power of "unmanagement." It is grounded in the inherent genetic tendencies of human beings, which have so far been almost totally ignored by business and our other social institutions. Thus, the work is based on common sense that, regrettably, seems to be quite uncommon at times. |
Foreword It has been approximately 70 years since the Hawthorne studies were reported. These studies went against the grain of Taylorism, which provided the rationale for managing workers as if they were robots. In these 70 years, evidence grew for the fruition of the concepts about people and the organization of plants. It is only recently that these ideas have come to the consciousness of management, mainly because of the explosion of knowledge and the increasing value of people who possess knowledge. Dr. Ehin goes further than most writers in exploring the reasons why management has to change from reliance on only the obvious need of workers for decent treatment as a means of motivation. He explores the other side of human nature which is not avoidance behavior, but rather, the equally important need of workers to express their need for creativity. Dr. Ehin has had tremendous experience in a variety of situations and therefore, is unique in undertaking this task and relating it directly to present-day situations in the "knowledge time." His erudition to support his call for drastic changes in what he refers to as a transition from management to "unmanagement" is delightful to read when contrasted with the surface books on how to handle human relations. Beginning with A (anthropology) to Z (zoology), he reinforces his radical suggestions to management in traversing to so large an area of human potential and its value. This endeavor would seem pretentious, but the reader can see not pretension, but scholarship, as evidenced by the bibliography that follows every chapter, right up to the time that Dr. Ehin started writing his book. The other accomplishments of this manuscript in covering such a wealth of material, and coherence of his arguments and suggestions are so well written that it is a delightful treat in management books. As for me, who has spent my life on similar issues covered in this book, I bow to Dr. Ehin. Frederick Herzberg |
Model Only a total systems perspective will allow us to fully grasp how high sustained levels of new knowledge can be generated, captured, and leveraged for competitive advantage. The model displayed above (discussed in detail in my book, Unleashing Intellectual Capital) can be classified as a dynamic non-equilibrium operating system that does not function in a cause-and-effect serial sequence. Thus, all components of the system work together simultaneously as is the case with any organic or living self-organizing entity. In other words the model is founded on bio-logic instead of machine-logic and any change taking place in one part of the system will have an immediate effect on the rest of the system. Therefore, success for knowledge-based organizations depends on some form of self-organization because knowledge cannot be managed in the traditional sense. My comprehensive model differs from others either currently being advocated or followed since it clearly shows the vital links between social capital generation, intellectual capital generation, and market responsiveness. Hence, it makes little sense to focus exclusively on intellectual asset creation (which most organizations seem to be doing) before developing a solid social capital foundation consisting of something similar to the four tenets for facilitating the emergence and sharing of tacit knowledge (discussed in Chapter 5). Looking at the model from left to right shows how the circular interaction between the four tenets and human innate drives first develops and sustains the social capital needed before new intellectual assets can be readily generated. Such an arrangement is termed the shared accesssystem in Unleashing Intellectual Capital. Next, we see the fluid relationships between explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge and the dynamic core competencies which provide an organization the requisite variety or the capability to match whatever complexity its environment presents. Finally, the model depicts how a continuous stream of new products and services results from the interplay of all the components of the system providing the organization high levels of market responsiveness. Unfortunately, most people engaged in "knowledge management" (an oxymoron because tacit knowledge—the wellspring of new ideas—cannot be managed out of people) still focus almost exclusively on the technical aspects of capturing, storing, and accessing explicit knowledge which, ironically, can be managed in the traditional manner. Clearly, however, without first paying close attention to human nature and the self-organizing aspects of social capital creation affecting the emergence of tacit knowledge, technology alone is of little help. |
An excerpt : Discovering The “Real” Organizational Have you ever wondered how things actually get accomplished in most organizations despite all the obstacles continuously encountered by the people who perform the day-to-day activities? I’m sure you have unless, of course, you are one of those rare individuals who is independently wealthy and has never worked for someone else. Not surprisingly, all of us have our own individual theories about why businesses survive in spite of the seemingly unworkable systems and processes they frequently employ. Just in case you may have, for a moment, forgotten what those obstacles are let me list just a few of the most common: • Unclear goals and objectives Can you imagine what gains in wealth, creativity, and social responsibility could be realized if enterprises discovered how to leverage the hidden but powerful attributes that allow firms to make a profit in spite of these barriers? The possibilities are boundless. And think as well about how much more successful mergers and change initiatives in general would be if they could tap into these attributes. My aim here is to provide insight into the dynamics of the three most essential — albeit invisible — organizational success factors and to show how they can be amplified in an integrated manner, but not managed in the traditional sense. Essentially, my focus will be on the nature of the emergent systems or informal networks present in all social entities and what leaders must do to “allow” the tremendous energy and creativity inherent in these systems to support the overall organizational vision and objectives.
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Review Nominated for The Best Books Published in 2000 by Management General It is true in every corporation, in every organization, in every enterprise: one still cannot find the entity where people believe that everyone -- everyone! -- is working to their full mental potential and bringing that intellectual capital to bear on the purpose and productivity of the firm. Thus, Ehin has written a book that is part paean to the power of the human mind -- and part prescription for how management can tap into that powerful resource. Then again, perhaps the word is not "management," for Ehin boldly announces early on that "Increasing intellectual capital cannot be managed in the traditional sense." This upfront distinct point-of-view makes this book a standout. For at its core, this book is not about managing organizations; it's about human nature. Ehin argues that to tap into intellectual capital, one must "grasp the vital function of the genes. Second, we need to be aware of how our multilevel minds process information received through our senses. Finally, we should be familiar with some of our fundamental drives." Ah, now the reader starts to understand what Ehin was talking about when said in his Preface that he was going to build a case for unleashing organizational intellect by "building on the most recent research in a variety of fields, such as anthropology, paleontology, molecular biology, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and sociobiology." And, guess what? He does. He does! And he does it in 183 crisply written pages that won't bore you but will, instead, fascinate you. In fact, they may electrify you. For when he closes the book talking about "human values" as "the fundamental tapestry of our organizations," you will know that you have found in this book a new way to look at intellectual capital, organizations, and yourself. More than that, it would be hard to put this book down and not feel that you have encountered an unusually-gifted author, one whom you will want to keep as a knowledgeable friend for many years to come. * * * * * * * * * * THE BUSINESS READER REVIEW, V.2.9 UNLEASHING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL by Charles Ehin (Butterworth Heinemann, 203 pg, $19.95, ISBN 0750672463). Our organizations don't work because they are designed to treat people like machines, says Ehin. Instead, their structures need to be aligned with the genetic predisposition of people -- a "human nature" that has not fundamentally changed in the past 200,000 years. This thought-provoking, and impressively researched, book explores the organizational ramifications of that conclusion. |
Endorsements "Dr. Ehin has provided us with the management strategy we need to succeed in this new age of business. Unleashing Intellectual Capital is definitely a must read for anyone involved in the Internet Age" "Dr. Ehin is the rarest of business authors: the subject expert whose writing is clear, focused, and actionable. Unleashing Intellectual Capital is a must read for tomorrow's business winners." "[A]n absolutely fascinating work which must be read by all contemporary managers. This book not only points the way for future global business evolution, but truly is a 'capstone work' which draws from Dr. Ehin's professional expertise, and also incorporates all of his life's experiences into an exceptional 'common-sense approach' to the science of management for the new millennium...Personally, I believe that the elements that he sets forth provide an exceptional sound basis to guide all managers well into the future." "Charlie Ehin has done us all a great favor. He has clearly demonstrated that in the long run there can be no middle ground between controlled and shared access based organizations. And he has shared with us the precious knowledge that organizations flowing from a shared access foundation are those more likely to succeed in very unpredictable environments. Those who do not see a clear connection between the 'new science' and how human endeavors ought to be 'scientifically' organized should read this book." "In Unleashing Intellectual Capital Dr. Ehin has developed a model that will help create the necessary competitive advantage for companies through intellectual capital generation. He has provided the keys that open the best in an individual, team and a company as a whole. His book is the key to success for all change managers and anyone else interested in prospering in the Knowledge Age." "Dr. Ehin's Unleashing Intellectual Capital is a rare treasure in the evolution of management theory. Never before have we enjoyed a more comprehensive, integrated framework for managing human assets that incorporates the critical components necessary for success in the new millennium." "In this day and age of rapid change in both society and scientific endeavor, we all begin to see a convergence of biology, sociology, world economy, computer science, etc. I admire your courage in trying to amalgamate these diverse facets of human-kind and lead the reader to the obvious 'right and good' choice for our society and our enterprise structure." "Finally a book which not only brings back today's complex world of work to a human dimension, but reveals explicitly that in our basic humanness lies a source of incredible potential for building a successful business. A unique and very useful book." "Dr. Ehin's Unleashing Intellectual Capital is thought provoking and enlightening. He built a compelling evolutionary argument demonstrating how hierarchical organizational structures stifle human social needs, thereby limiting organizational competitiveness. [Dr. Ehin] opened my eyes as to how an alternative structure, the shared access organization, affords modern organizations to compete in today's complex global society. Anyone planning to be a part of a successful 21st century enterprise should read this book and heed its advice on developing shared access organizations." "Unleashing Intellectual Capital showcases Dr. Ehin's great breadth of knowledge, passion and intuitive reflection. This book provides the reader with deep personal insight necessary for the development of management theory. Ehin weaves corporate principles with human behavior resulting in a unique model which will bring success to any company in the Knowledge Age." "Most pleasing about this work is the interdisciplinary approach to explaining management. Dr. Ehin's book redistributes the balance of power so that we can all see ourselves as innately-driven, and in search of personal fulfillment. Perhaps organizations will at this point learn, grow and self-organize as the keys to productivity. The argument in Unleashing Intellectual Capital should help us get back to some basic scientific truths about human behavior so that our organizations can all move forward, in a more honest and productive manner." Stephen R. Baar, Academic Vice President, Dean of Faculty, Westminster College "Dr. Ehin, a business professor and leader, weaves corporate principles with molecular biology, to reveal the many obstacles of what is considered 'traditional management.' Morality, responsibility and understanding are essential to not only the corporate world, but to the planet at large. This book will be an innovative tool for the corporate culture." "Dr. Charles Ehin makes a logical and interesting case for understanding human behavior in knowledge organizations by focusing on our biological and evolutionary development. He provides us with another way of building "brain-rich" companies, who are the engines of progress and economic growth in modern society." Anu Kaljurand, Managing Director, Baltic Management Conferences, Estonia "Unleashing Intellectual Capital combines current management theory with important observations about human biology to create an organizational construct based on bio-logic. Professor Ehin brings these theories together with a model for creating a self-organizing learning organization that will be helpful in building and developing knowledge-age business." "Organizations and individuals want a partnership where the individuals can use their ideas and skills and the organization will reward them for their contributions to the success of the business. Dr. Ehin is making a strong case that this movement is founded in recognizing and building on the positive aspects of our human nature. He has clearly explained why this is critical for satisfying the needs of both the business and the individual." This is excellent material. I found that many of the principles in the book were management concepts that I have been incorporating in my coaching career, which would indicate that his premise is right on track. I feel the information presented would help a wide variety of people tap into their potential, both professionally and personally." "Ehin's well written and accessible book draws the links between the evolutionary basis of behavior and the design and leadership of the knowledge-based enterprise. Finally a book that addresses the roots of human social behavior and the implications for organizations. Ehin links a fundamental insight with practical organizational implications. Well done!" |
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