Future-value

In today's crowded marketplace of business publications, it takes something that bit special to stand out and be noticed. A decade ago, Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline was widely regarded as one of the seminal business books of the 1990's, introducing to an appreciative and expanding audience the integrated concepts of systems thinking and the "learning organisation". This new book by fellow American author Verna Allee carries the potential to compete for similar accolades in this current decade.

The idea that there should be any enthusiasm about another book on knowledge would normally be questionable, given the number of books published on knowledge management in recent years, and the attendant hype accompanying such new challenges to business thinking. What makes Allee's contribution special is the elegant manner in which she takes a living systems approach to connect knowledge and value in a profound yet pragmatic way.

The focus on value is particularly appropriate for business given that profitability, the lifeblood of any commercial enterprise, depends on the discovery and creation of value. With the new era of the "extended enterprise" model of the organisation, in that any company competes in a supply chain and wider business ecosystem of customers, suppliers, joint venture partners and other stakeholders, the value network approach is a potentially powerful one in helping to identify, investigate and, ultimately exploit key relationships within the network.

Where Allee perhaps scores highest with her approach is in her treatment of intangible deliverables within value networks, and the introduction of a simple, practical set of tools to assist with the mapping of both intangible and tangible relationships. Because value networks take a living systems perspective, it deals with real people - either individuals, small groups or teams, business units, organisations, industry groups, communities or nation states - dealing with value exchanges flowing between participants in the network, linked by arrows showing the transactions and deliverables of value exchanges.

The power of value networks lies in its simplicity and practicality. As well as providing a structured framework for dealing with intangibles, it also raises interesting questions and challenges assumptions about the real nature of networks in action and the value being created (or destroyed) within these networks.

If business leaders aspire to understand the deeper dynamics of value creation in their extended enterprise networks, The Future of Knowledge will provide them with the philosophy, the roadmap and the tools to guide them.

In this book Allee considers the changing nature, structure and identity of organizations, and the larger patterns of change that are currently unfolding in society. Taking the view that businesses are evolving into 'networked patterns of living systems', Allee observes that we require a different mindset and management tools to respond to these changes. This new mindset includes thinking of organizations as living systems, understanding the principles of networks and how they operate, taking a 'whole-system' view of the organization, understanding how intangibles go to market, and the significance of value networks, people and relationships.

Overall, the book offers a fresh, thought-provoking look at what have become already become well-worn concepts in the knowledge management field. Allee has synthesized a diverse array of ideas and concepts and theories from multiple disciplines to this work.

Part I tends to be a little abstract and theoretical and some of the ideas here about the new knowledge economy and intangible assets will not be new to anyone familiar with knowledge management. However, it does provide a useful context for subsequent chapters. At the end of chapter 5, the checklist of 'where we are now in the learning journey or knowledge continuum' is a useful summary of current thinking. Allee takes an organic view of knowledge networks and communities, such that rather than trying to create them in organizations, it is better to simply find those that already exist and make them visible to themselves and the rest of the organization.
The discussion on how intangibles 'go to market' challenges the notion that we can create value from them in the same way that we do from tangible assets. But perhaps the most interesting section of the book is that which discusses mapping value networks, and the practical examples that are provided. It is here that Allee brings together the concepts discussed in Part I and we begin to see the whole picture that she is building. These chapters will be of particular interest to practitioners who are attempting to grapple with creating value from knowledge in their own, or their client's organizations, and identifying where to focus their attention.
Allee has the capacity to discuss complex issues in a simple and straightforward way without allowing us to feel that we've been shortchanged. Essentially, each chapter offers a simple message. In her discussion of communities of practice, there is a clear message is that knowledge cannot be separated from the human networks that create it, use it and transform it. Similarly, in Chapter 6, she argues that the best technology infrastructure does not guarantee knowledge sharing - organizational intelligence is not a technology question, it is a human question.
At one point, Allee refers to the ancient saying that one cannot step into the same river twice (pp. 143) because the water is never the same water. This is analogous to what Allee has done with in this book - although the concepts, and ideas may seem familiar and have certainly been discussed previously in the plethora of books and articles currently available, she has presented them in a refreshing new way and brought together diverse ideas to challenge our assumptions. It is well worth reading.

Verna's work makes it clear that the future belongs to those that can manage traditional assets and intangibles alike.
It is time to expand our accounting to reflect this reality.
Increasingly people choose to patron a company not as much by its numbers but how genuine and pleasant its people are.

Lloyd John Ogilvie brings such a breadth of knowledge to applying the principles of the Bible to life's daily challenges. That's the reason this book is so powerful, because it instructs you in how to receive knowledge so that you can apply God's Truth where you are and as a result experience the abundant life Jesus came to give.

We're encouraged to "boldly face the future unafraid with the sure confidence that God will work all things for your ultimate good and His glory." Dr. Oglivie admits he is a fellow struggler that, "no one has it all together."

On speaking well of people who do you wrong, he writes about the power of blessing. He interpretes Romans 12:14, "Bless those who persecutre you; bless and do not curse," as being connected with this power. He says bless comes from the Greek "eulogeo" meaning "speak well of," eu=well, logos=word. He writes about pleasing God, and letting God take care of the results.

If you are a 9/11/01 survivor, literally and/or physically, here's just what the doctor ordered for your further survival. Let me tell you, the words of healing and renewal found here should not be missed. If you are sending out an S.O.S., whether to your fellow earthbound creatures, or have already looked up with eyes searching and hands reaching out for an answer to your questions, and to your feelings of lost security, look no further.
Just like September 11, 2001 will always be etched in your mind and heart, after reading this book, you will forever be changed. Don't take my word for it!
Let me suggest his other books as well.
From one once fearful and anxiety-ridden person who has finally found the peace of which I have all along been seeking.
I wish you all a peaceful future.

This book is an accurate reflection of our society. People may not want to admit what they are to themselves or anyone else, but everyone will see themselves somewhere in this book. Learn from all it has to offer and it can change your life forever. I found this the most useful and imformative book I have read in the past 30 years. I live by what it has taught me everyday. What it taught me has enabled me to value all life experiences to the fullest and make each experience into a positive one. It teaches you how to live each day in touch with eternity, love and complete inner contentment. It can give you awareness, strength and courage to be yourself. This book can help you to examine your inner most self and make changes that help not only you but all others you come in contact with. If taken to heart, this book could change the world one person at a time. I wish this book had been available many years ago. Never has a book had more impact on my life than "Values, Violence and Our Future" has. I patiently await more books from this author. Do it again Acquaviva!

We found this book inspriational and offering hope for humanity. It is written in a very informal style and overall is very easy to follow. Examples not only from the author's reasearch but from his own life are interspersed throughout and give the book a personal feel. We liked the logical progression the author takes through the course of the text. Threads can be seen from such varied sources as the "Bible", "The Power of Myth", and various interpretations of quatum mechanics. A must read for anyone concerned about the present and future state of humans affairs.

This book should be a requirement in every home. It is wriiten for a teen but shoul dbe read by both parent and child. The concept of the 40 assets is fundamentally simple. The book defines the assets and then gives advice on how the adolescent, parent(s), community,school, and congregation can help to ensure that a child is brought up with all of the assets they need to be a successful person. It has examples of the successes that communities across the country have had setting the concepts of the assets into into motion. The excellence of the book is reinforced by a lecture I attended by Dr. Benson 2 months ago. The concept of the developmental assets being the framework for a successful, well-rounded person makes perfect sense. It should be adopted as a National standard.

We like the book so much that we are adopting the asset building concepts featured!

As the Red Ribbon Chair for the Red Ribbon Coalition, I will urge volunteer coordinators to put at least one copy in their school library!

Irvine Unified School District's Guidance Resources will include the list of 40 Developmental Assets (from the book) in our 1999/2000 parent handbook.

This is an excellent resource for anyone who cares about helping youth succeed!

Drawing on his backround in Great Britin and the US, Briscoe explains in simple terms how values have become "relative" and how it effects our life. Briscoe uses wit, wisdom, the scriptures (mostly Proverbs) and current events to carefully explain the way to a better life, with God. I highly recommend this book to the young people of our country. The book changed my life, and my understanding of God.

This book is a wonderfull book that teaches how life choices affect your financial future. The chapters are well written and easy to read. The author gives plenty of examples of how people get themselves into debt and how they can avoid getting into debt by learning from other peoples' mistakes. I read the book in one night and loved it!!!!!!!!

The "future" is of course, many things to many different
people, no two opinions of it agree, but it is "central" to our
personal ability to cope with everyday life, and of course make
sacrifices in the hopes of attaining a 'better-life' for ourselves and our children. Here is a clear headed ananlysis of what makes Global Resources the sensitive issue that it is between Nations, and why it is essential for America to adopt a more Global posture in the Economic Community.

This book continues to influence my thinking about society more than any other I've read in the last ten years. Sakaiya's concept of "social subjectivity" as being one of the driving forces in societal evolatuion has provided a frame for thinking about why people behave the way they do, and has lao provided me witha potent pltfrom for fdeveloping my own brand of paradigmatic thinking. This is not an easy read. The first third of the book is an intricately detailed primer on Asian culture history. Sakiya uses this deep histiry to set up the epochal trends that he sees. To a Westerner not schooled in Asian history, it was a tough read because Sakaiya assumed familiarity with some of the historical figures and events that I didn't possess. Yet for me this history opened a lot of avenues in terms of seeing history unfold over a MUCH longer timeframe than the average Amerrcna is accustmoed to or comfortable with. Once Sakiya gets into the present and points to the future, however, the book fairly crackles with unique ideas about the types of fundamental processes and defintions that constitute a "knowledge value society". The core value or operator is nuance. The ability to create nuance, in fasbhion, music, art, or even terrminology, is the source of value in a knwoledge value society. The tools for aiding ion te creation of nuance, and the networks for conducinting nuance are likewise the core utilities in this kind of society.

When I first started reading this book, I so hooked myself on its contents that I didn't stop reading until two hours later, when I finished it. I continue to dip into this anthology from time to time, and no matter where I open it, I always find something that moves me into a reflective space about how I work and what I believe as a consultant. As an experienced practitioner, I really value this ready access to the current views and beliefs of such a large and diverse group of peers. The authors' chosen style, compelling virtual conversation with minimal pontificating, helps me to treat each visit to the book as an opportunity to obtain a range of trusted inputs all at once! This book is a gift to those of us lucky enough to be working in the OD field, and I can imagine the authors or someone else doing a new version every five years or so, as the challenges for organizations and practitioners evolve.

"Weightless Wealth is a very important contribution to the development of work on Intellectual Capital. It reviews the historical development of IC as well as addresses how to leverage the potential of your intangibles, competences and talents. It has a very interesting appendix called the Value Explorer Toolkit. It shows how to identify core competences and then calculate the value contribution of these competences. This will give a model and fundamental platform for identifying wealth creating dimensions and sustainable shareholder value cultivation."

Leif Edvinsson, the world's first corporate director of IC at Skandia, now associate professor of IC at the University of Lund

As a full time practitioner and researcher on Intellectual Capital Management since the beginning of the 90's, I am always looking for new useful concepts, methodologies and tools on managing intangible assets. This time in Weightless Wealth of Andriessen and Tissen I have found something unique that breaks the conventional thinking: a new practical method that leads to better strategic decisions focusing on core competencies, as the foundations of present and above all future value creation and as the unique bundle of intangible assets.

A took kit the "Value Explorer" guides the reader through the practical applications of the method. I would like to say, that my experience on the model ICBS (Intellectual Capital Benchmarking System), that follows a similar way, guarantees the effectiveness of this new alternative approach. Weightless Wealth is a well-written book, easy to read, enjoyable and engaging from start to finish.

Finding a workable and practical means of linking the core competence approach to business management with financial measures has been the goal of many researchers. In Weightless Wealth, Andriessen and Tissen suggest an approach and illustrate it with the easily-followed example of a toy manufacturer which runs through the book. Andriessen and Tissen provide practical advice on how to define and test company competencies and link them to the basic intangible assets that underlies them. Their

toolkit, the Value Explorer, is described in the last part of the book and guides the reader through their suggested process. Their linkage of competencies to financial results and the future earning power of the company is new and provides an alternative perspective for managers faced with critical strategic decisions. This is of special importance in a world in which the value of businesses by traditional means has become very difficult. Weightless Wealth is a well-written book, easy to read and engaging from start to finish.