Overview: It is entirely possible to develop organizations that excel at change and innovation, while also being attractive workplaces. What is typical of such an organization?

The Dream Organization is characterized by eight features, each presented in its own chapter. The purpose of the book is to show how and why these features improve the ability to change and innovate.

Verdict: The insights presented in the book are rock-solid, while being free of unnecessary technical terms or complicated language. Numerous concrete examples are provided to illustrate and explain the subject matter. These case-examples make it easy for the reader to remember and use key insights in their everyday work.

In truth, author Oscar Amundsen is the perfect person to create this new prose on the subject, given he is a Professor of Organization Studies at Norwegian University of Science and Technology where his research is focused on change and innovation in organizations. Indeed, this includes related topics such as leadership, culture, trust, motivation, and organizational development etc. Employee-driven innovation (EDI) is also a central field for me.

Wherein his goal is to develop research-based knowledge and at the same time make the research concrete and accessible. The point is to make the knowledge useful for creating better organizations. Whether the enterprise is in the public, voluntary or private sector.

Thus his latest book How to Become a Dream Organization: Eight Things Leaders Need to Know to Promote Change and Innovation is insightfully practical, highly engaging and fundamentally accessible. Which all means that this highly engrossing and dutifully thought-provoking book - complete with a slew of clear-thinking examples - not only brings forth a clear understanding of both sides of change and the processes therein, but moreover provides all of us, let alone leaders with clear cut advice that we/they could really use.

In closing, what I myself found the most alluring about this book is its expertly crafted approach to balancing the need for innovation with the creation of a positive workplace culture. Thus it dutifully showcases that achieving business goals may well be the top of the tree goal, but ensuring the workplace remains openly engaging, safe, heartening and inspiring for all its employees is something that runs narratively smooth also.

About the Author - Oscar Amundsen is Professor of Organization Studies at Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He lives in Trondheim, Norway.

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