One from Many VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization [Paperback]

Far more than a riveting inside story of the creation of VISA—now the largest commercial enterprise on earth—One from Manyis an absorbing story of personal and institutional transformation. Lyrical, profound, often humorous, it explores the ever-increasing change, complex societal problems, and failing institutions that confront us all. Dee Hock chronicles the emergence of a new form of organization that blends chaos and order, which may be critical to a livable future, and shows how it is emerging in such effective organizations as VISA, the Internet, World Weather Watch, and Alcoholics Anonymous. A beautiful blend of history, biography, and philosophy,One from Manynot only challenges the way we think about organizations, management, and our relationship to the natural world, it's a rollicking fine story as well.Foreword by Peter M. Senge
Introduction
1. Old Monkey Mind
2. A Lamb and the Lion of Life
3. The Bloodied Sheep
4. Retirement on the Job
5. The Zoo
6. The House of Cards
7. Peeling the Onion
8. The Impossible Imagined
9. The Next to the Last Word
10. The Corporation or the Cane
11. And Then There Was One
12. Quite Ordinary People
13. The Victims of Success
14. The Golden Links
15. What’s in a Name?
16. Breaking the Mold
17. The Successful Business Failure
18. The Jeweled Bearing
19. Out of Control and into Order
20. The Emergent Phenomenon
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author“Every now and then a book breaks through to new ground in discovery. Looking at business and innovation together, Dee Hock offers an exciting look at the role of creative thinking in a sustainable future. I was quite simply stunned at how this man broke old, staid rules in defining a new theory of social economics: accessible, personal, and deeply inspiring.”
-Robert Redford

“From the military, to commerce, to the arts, our first priority is l.