An overview of 'The Knowledge'

'The Knowledge' is a practical handbook for personal, professional and organizational development that begins with a story. Why?

Because stories offer us a means to see and understand our individual worlds in new and enlightened ways. If you doubt this, reflect for a few moments on some of the stories from your childhood that affected you. The sources of these may have been books, films, plays or the spoken words of significant people in your life. I have no doubt that you’ll be able to identify at least one story that has been significant to your development.

‘Zen and the Art of Cathedral Building’ is the story of the building of the Sagrada Familia, or Gaudi Cathedral, in Barcelona. This story, which is part truth, part fiction, offers you a chance to think about management and leadership from a range of different perspectives. You can zoom in on the operational details or take the long view of the strategic content depending on your interests or current needs. You can then explore your own management and leadership challenges through the A to Z sections of the book, which link explicitly with the opening story. The A to Z sections contain a range of models which have been selected for their value in meeting the challenges of modern management and leadership. These models are:

• Described in brief to promote uncluttered learning
• Related to the opening story to promote deeper understanding
• The foundation for 26 exercises to promote individual, team and organization development.

A different mix of models and concepts could have been selected for this section. Indeed, I spent a long weekend with a large sheet of paper exploring different options. In the end, I made this particular choice on the basis of what I judge to be of greatest relevance to 21st-century organizations as I have experienced them. In these sections you will find an eclectic mix of the old and the new. This eclecticism is further reflected in the bibliography of the book.

Within this website you have a range of options to purchase 'The Knowledge' and to further explore the material contained in the book through themed Forums and the provision of an expanding set of complementary resources and links to other websites.

In summary, 'The Knowledge' and its associated resources will: