In the book the knowingdoing gap, jeffrey pfeffer and robert i. After the break up of my eighteenyear marriage and the end of a subsequent threeyear relationship, i found myself in the dark, confusing chasm between knowing and doing. The main purpose of the book is to explain the dilemma of knowing what should be done,sharing it, and putting it into action. In the knowingdoing gap how smart companies turn knowledge into action they attempt to address one of the main root cause of the problems organizations face in. The problem is not in knowing and so the solution will not be in more learning. Although the authors research is drawn from the corporate world, i read the book as a selfhelp guide, looking for ways to stop. So they buy another book, attend another training, sign up for another course, consult with another coach, etc. The authors guide practitioners through the labyrinth of organizational roadblocks and help them turn knowledge into action. This is one of the factors behind what jeff pfeffer and bob sutton call the knowingdoing gap. Firms that turn knowledge into action avoid the smart talk. Youve already learned how to bake a cake from a traditional cook book, but the ingredients you currently have before you are a little different from the ones you originally learned about. Stanford bschool professor jeffrey pfeffer has a question. Promote people to top management positions who have a history of building groups where members cooperate. If you know something needs to be done but you are having trouble getting into a routine try setting a 66day goal.
If oprah has trouble carving out a selfsustaining life balance, then is it really any surprise that, from time to time, the rest of us do, too. This book is about how to convert knowledge into action. How smart companies turn knowledge into action 3 big ideas. As they are learning more, they are still not doing. People are really focused on knowing what the right thing to do for their business is, but no one seems to give much thought to the fact that people might already know what to.
The knowingdoing gap stanford graduate school of business. Preventing relapse with email reminders to yourself. I first learned about the knowingdoing gap circa 2002 when i first read jeffrey pfeffers amazing book. The knowingdoing gap is an insightful book for anyone that works as a management professional. Pfeffer and sutton coined the knowingdoing gap after asking. Ever tried to make a change you want to make, but you still. Sutton, authors of the knowing doing gap hbs press, believe the answer lies not in the. Common leadership trap gathering knowledge but taking no decisive action five examples of the knowing doing gap. The knowingdoing gap quotes showing 19 of 9 now consider the essence of the management education processthe business school experienceas practiced at leading institutions in the united states as well as those throughout the world. How smart companies turn knowledge into action published by. How school leaders can transfer knowledge into action to. Jeffrey pfeffer and robert sutton, wellknown authors and teachers, identify the causes of the knowingdoing gap and explain how to close it.
The learning problem that has plagued organisations. Here are 16 rules to help you make things happen in your organization. Why are there so many gaps between what firms know they. Ever tried to make a change you want to make, but you still cant do it. Sutton discuss why our actions often dont match our ideals, and what we can do about it. How smart companies turn knowledge into action, the authors confront the challenge that companies now face in their battle to turn knowledge into productive action. The knowingdoing gap reveals the major obstacles to action that confront people in organizationsfrom ceos to entrylevel professionals. Jeffrey pfeffer and robert sutton, wellknown authors and teachers, identify the causes of. The other was cheryl richardsons new book, the art of extreme selfcare. Marketers and game developers know more about learning than we do. The knowingdoing gap is the first book to confront the challenge of turning knowledge about how to improve performance into actions that produce measurable results. Sutton wrote about the gap as seen in the business world, where much time and money are spent on learning how to improve the way things are done. Pdf the knowing doing gap download full pdf book download. As many of us have experienced in our careers, the knowingdoing gap can be a gargantuan issue for management to overcome.
The knowingdoing gap is the first book to confront the challenge of turning knowledge about how to improve performance into actions that produce measurable. The author easily guides the reader to solutions to overcome the knowing doing gap in todays business world. This complete summary of the ideas from jeffrey pfeffer and robert suttons book the knowingdoing gap raises a crucial question. How smart companies turn knowledge into action, authors jeffrey pfeffer and robert i. The case against competition, explained that people can achieve high goals. In this short video we cover the core ideas and what surprising simple actions you can do about it. This book confronts the paradox of companies that know too much and do too little by showing the barriers to turning knowledge into action and how some. Sutton born 1954 in chicago is a professor of management science at the stanford university school of engineering and a researcher in the field of evidencebased management. Knowing what you should do is very different than actually doing it.
He is a new york times bestselling author sutton received a ph. All talk no action consistency with past behaviours valued over changing, even if old behaviours are ineffective fear prevents acting on knowledge measurements obstruct good. This book did a great job of presenting an important idea in business, the knowingdoing gap, something that probably deserves a great deal more attention than it gets. Transform your life one month at a time hay house, 2009. The oven you have is electric, not gas like in the book, and youre at a much higher altitude. This book is an interesting read, hitting on many reasons why companies fail to take what they know and put it into action. We cant let fear or the fear of making mistakes stop us from making decisions. The knowing doing gap is an essential read for every business professional.
How smart companies turn knowledge into action, authors jeffrey pfeffer and robert sutton explain that some people are drowning in a sea of good intentions because they spend an inordinate amount of time talking about an idea word spinning instead of making any progress. The mustread summary of jeffrey pfeffer and robert suttons book. Knowing what to do is not enough the authors, jeffrey pfeffer and robert sutton, who teach at stanford emphasize that the gap between knowing and doing is more important than the gap between ignorance and knowing. The knowingdoing gap is partly because firms misconstrue what they should be knowing or seeing to know in the first place.
Although the difference between the two words is just a few letters, the gap between knowing and doing can be as wide as a universe. Jeffrey pfeffer and robert sutton are both professor of organizational behavior in stanford university and this book, written in the late 90s, remains as relevant as ever today. Build a culture that defines individual success partly by the success of the persons peers. He has been on the stanford university faculty since 1983. The strengths of this book are the honest examinations of the knowingdoing gap and how we can learn from the examples of others while examining our own practices regarding inaction. Encourage leaders to model the right behavior by acting collaboratively, sharing information, and helping others. However, new ideas often are not implemented, leaving businesses with little to show for their newly acquired knowledge. The knowingdoing gap there is often a big gap between knowledge of something and translating that knowledge into action. They identify the causes of the knowingdoing gap and explain how to close it.
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