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Humanize: How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World
A practical guide for realizing the true potential of social media--not for marketing, but for leadership. Knowing the tools of social media is a must for successful marketing these days, but the real promise of social media is the way it can teach us a whole new way of doing business. "Humanize" takes the principles underlying social media's growth and applies them to the way we lead and manage our organizations. Leading organizational consultants Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant help you change your organization, from the culture down to individual behavior, in ways that make it more human--and more effective. Drawing on their extensive experience, Notter and Grant help you make management innovation real and doable. Regardless of your title or position, this book can help you: - Build a more trustworthy, open, generative, and courageous organization by embracing social and human principles.- Change organizations from the inside out.- Address critical elements of organizational behavior, process, and culture.- Move beyond the social media buzzwords like transparent, decentralized, and open--and actually make them happen.- Promote forms of "generative" success that go beyond profit and loss.- Learn how to get started-you, personally, today, right now
265 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2011
23 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Notter
10 books22 followersJamie is an author and culture consultant at Human Workplaces who helps leaders drive growth and engagement by activating and aligning workplace culture. With 25 years of experience in conflict resolution, generational differences, and culture change, Jamie is also the author of three books (Humanize, When Millennials Take Over, and The Non-Obvious Guide to Employee Engagement), and holds a Master’s in conflict resolution from George Mason and a certificate in Organization Development from Georgetown, where he also serves as adjunct faculty.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 25, 2012
Humanize is an interesting business-focused read, with the main premise being that the business world is changing very rapidly and that the processes and cultures within most businesses are not able to operate well in this new world. Social media is used as a primary illustration of a catalyst for the need to change, rather than as a tool or an end in itself - this is not just another 'social media book'.
Humanize does fall down in a couple of areas. Firstly, many of the problems that are detailed have little to do with the latest situation and are really just critiques of current management practices in general. Secondly, the authors are sometimes too quick to assume that everyone should want to follow their path - hat their way is the right way for every company. Assumptions like that can be dangerous.
The biggest problem with this book, though, was not the content but the form it took - the font size was so small that it was hard to read and digest. It's classic case of form subverting function, which could have been avoided with something as simple as a larger font. Instead, it feels like there was a page limit and instead of editing the book down, they decided to shrink the font size to make it fit. That made Humanize a tough read for me.
Still, the content is there. If you can get past the font size, find a larger-print version or get the ebook, this is a worthwhile read.
Humanize does fall down in a couple of areas. Firstly, many of the problems that are detailed have little to do with the latest situation and are really just critiques of current management practices in general. Secondly, the authors are sometimes too quick to assume that everyone should want to follow their path - hat their way is the right way for every company. Assumptions like that can be dangerous.
The biggest problem with this book, though, was not the content but the form it took - the font size was so small that it was hard to read and digest. It's classic case of form subverting function, which could have been avoided with something as simple as a larger font. Instead, it feels like there was a page limit and instead of editing the book down, they decided to shrink the font size to make it fit. That made Humanize a tough read for me.
Still, the content is there. If you can get past the font size, find a larger-print version or get the ebook, this is a worthwhile read.
September 2, 2012
The subtitle of this book is "How people-centric organisations suceed in a social world" which quite well describes the angle that the authors have taken on the subject of creating a sucessful business.
The book uses the revolution in social media over the past decade as an example and mirror of the advantages of bringing the focus back on the people in and around the organisation - treating employees, customer, shareholders as people instead of resources or numbers.
As noted by many contemporary thought leaders in management (For instance see the communique from the recent Stoos gathering) managing companies like intricate machines is no longer a valid approach if you the business to thrive or even just survive.
The book uses the revolution in social media over the past decade as an example and mirror of the advantages of bringing the focus back on the people in and around the organisation - treating employees, customer, shareholders as people instead of resources or numbers.
As noted by many contemporary thought leaders in management (For instance see the communique from the recent Stoos gathering) managing companies like intricate machines is no longer a valid approach if you the business to thrive or even just survive.
January 11, 2012
This book puts forth a really, really big idea: we need to complement our mechanical model of companies (automation, process, organizing into discrete components) with a human model (adaptive, self-organizing).
It's a thoughtful and realistic book. That is, it doesn't preach revolution nor does it provide a blueprint for a New Way. It simply lays out a compelling argument, provides insights into the elements of a new kind of org (things you can actually do) and includes extremely helpful references to learn more.
Humanizing companies is an idea we can build on for 100 years. This was a good first step.
It's a thoughtful and realistic book. That is, it doesn't preach revolution nor does it provide a blueprint for a New Way. It simply lays out a compelling argument, provides insights into the elements of a new kind of org (things you can actually do) and includes extremely helpful references to learn more.
Humanizing companies is an idea we can build on for 100 years. This was a good first step.
April 15, 2012
Traditional business practices are slowly recognizing the reality of social media. At first, many thought Twitter and Facebook were passing fads. Now, they are beginning to see that these mechanisms allow greater opportunities to interact with their customers.
Humanize is for that traditional business that is intrigued by the idea of social media but has no clue how to start. It really is a whole new way of thinking. Just a few years ago, people were fired for checking their facebook accounts. Now, we are recognizing the value in these conversations.
Humanize is for that traditional business that is intrigued by the idea of social media but has no clue how to start. It really is a whole new way of thinking. Just a few years ago, people were fired for checking their facebook accounts. Now, we are recognizing the value in these conversations.
June 14, 2012
The authors present a refreshing new management perspective, based on Senge as well as social media; now that we're all so social online, organizations must catch up and humanize, and reject Taylor's factory ethos.
November 27, 2018
Written in 2011, all of the info and especially the focus of content is highly relevant today. Relationships!
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January 3, 2023I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
June 22, 2025
This book was supposed to be about social media and its impact on people dynamics in modern companies, and it turned out to be a great primer on leadership, DEI, and everything in-between. Lots of good blurbs and recommendations of other great books to read.
December 12, 2014
Humanize is a book about Leadership, Management, Organizations, and Change in relationship to adapting to new communication technologies (Social Media)....
The references cited alone are worth the price of admission. This book would be an excellent companion to a Graduate School level course in Communication, Management (MBA, MPA, ...), and/or Behavior Science.
The writing is a tough read, and I almost gave up after 140 characters, but I am glad that I sledded through the shore ice to reach the end. I look forward to reading where these authors venture into the future....
The references cited alone are worth the price of admission. This book would be an excellent companion to a Graduate School level course in Communication, Management (MBA, MPA, ...), and/or Behavior Science.
The writing is a tough read, and I almost gave up after 140 characters, but I am glad that I sledded through the shore ice to reach the end. I look forward to reading where these authors venture into the future....
January 21, 2014
I learned very much from this book, but I did not find it the easiest of reads. There are many great thoughts in the book that will help lead yourself and your organization, allowing you and your organization to become better at what you do. This book lays a foundation for how to change you and your organization with the goal of improving overall business value through this foundation.
January 2, 2013
So much good stuff, I had to read it twice!
March 27, 2013
This was a fantastic book. I highly recommend it!
March 17, 2014
See my review at http://www.cpasuccess.com/2011/11/the....
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews