Black Holes in Organizations
Define Dissect Diffuse
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgment
Introduction
PART I
In a Nutshell
Chapter 1
What Are Black Holes in Organizations?
Definition of a Black Hole
Three Basic Components
Hidden Aspect of Black Holes
Concealment Aspect of Black Holes
Pervasiveness of Black Holes
Chapter 2
What Causes the Formation of Black Holes?
Syntropy and Entropy
Big Change Event Entropy
Subtle Factor Entropy
Internal Forces and External Forces
Basic Building Blocks
Aggravating Factors
Chapter 3
Damage Caused by Black Holes
Mechanical Damage
Structural Damage
Results Damage
Spin-Off Damage
Downward Spiral
Chapter 4
Relief from Recurring Problems
Clear the Burden
Bottom-Up Approach Required
Data Gathering
Sequence of Execution
Terminating Root Causes
An Analogy
Align the Thought Processes
Chapter 5
The Simplicity of it All
The Simplicity of the Problem
The Simplicity of the Solution
Chapter 6
The Prize
Real Gains
Numerous Opportunities
Substantial Gains
Chapter 7
The Ultimate Price to Pay
PART II
Other Considerations
Chapter 8
The Employee Connection
The Employees Are the Experts
New Boss
Chapter 9
Corporate Governance
Preserving the Continuity of the Business
Need for Transparency
Sound Risk Management
Chapter 10
Exterior Attempts to Predict Organization Failure
Problems with Prediction Models
Add Black Holes
Too Distant in Mechanics
Too Distant in Time
Seeking Root Causes
The Gap Can Be Narrowed
PART III
The Future
Chapter 11
There Is Hope
Observations
Conclusions
Academia
Chapter 12
The Future of Organizations
Management Tool
Compliance Officer
Interface with Other Methods
Afterword
About the Author
PART IV
Reference Material
Appendix A
What Do Black Holes Look Like?
Transcend Departments
Overlapping Categories
UPh™ (Unifying Philosophy Statement)
Dishonesty Is Present
Backlogs
Disconnects
Inconsistencies
Unstable Data
Missed Opportunities for Standardization
Lack of Business Controls
“Broken” Spirits
Root Causes Remain to Foil the Organization
Poor Data Integrity
Management Reports Created from Inaccurate Data
Potential Hidden “Time Bombs”
Insufficient Attempt to Balance Key Data
Insufficient Measurement of Productivity
Blame Has Replaced Problem Solving
Good People Are Leaving the Organization
Too Many Routine Items Become Projects
Excessive Randomness (too many variables)
Unacceptable Number of Complaints
Excessive Number of Non-Routine Meetings
Deteriorating Financial Position
Deadlines Continually Missed
Withered Responsibility
Crib Notes Hold the Organization Together
Same Time-Consuming Actions Keep Surfacing
The Ship Is Directionless
Operation of an Informal System
Dreaming of a Single “Big Hammer” Solution
Poor Alignment
The Preceding List Being Concluded to be Petty
Appendix B
Good Governance Guides
Appendix C
Real Life Examples
Glossary
Index
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
What's Inside?
Definition of an organizational black hole;
The destruction caused by black holes;
What causes black holes to develop;
How to tell if your organization is being pulled into a black hole;
Signs of black holes desperation;
The price you pay for ignoring black holes;
Can black holes be eradicated?;
How a seemingly inconsequential clerk is holding the organization together;
The importance of lining up organizational thought processes;
Identification and termination of the root causes of black hole problems;
"Just when leaders in business and industry thought they thoroughly understood organizations, another major breakthrough is made-a breakthrough in organization functionality and corporate governance."
-Walter Ramka, FCI, CICP
Associate Director (Credit & A/R Mgmt), Bell Canada
This book was written with passion
and a feeling of desperation, for
good reason: organizations are in trouble.
Threat to the long-term survival and prosperity of the organization-which is the source of employee, stakeholder and family income-comes from within.
About the Author
RON LUTKA CMA, ACIS, P.ADM, CorpS, Acc.Dir developed Corporate Streamlining Technology® and founded Corporate Streamlining Company Inc., a firm specializing in addressing black holes in organizations, after witnessing numerous organization functionality failings. Ron has had many articles published in professional magazines such as CMA Management Magazine, Canadian Treasurer, and Corporate Governance Quarterly. Ron's article titled Black Holes in Accounting based on Ron's book titled Black Holes in Organizations won first place in the 2008 Articles of Merit Awards of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) beating all articles written during 2008 in all 158 professional accountancy bodies' publications in 122 countries and jurisdictions.