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Rocking the Boat : How to Effect Change Without Making Trouble
Most people feel at odds with their organizations at one time or another. Yet many organizations leave little room for differences, and people who don't "fit in" think that their only option is to assimilate or leave. In Rocking the Boat, Debra E. Meyerson presents an inspiring building diverse, adaptive, family-friendly, and socially responsible workplaces-not through revolution, but by walking the tightrope between conformity and rebellion.Meyerson shows us how these "tempered radicals" work toward transformational ends through incremental means-sticking to their values and provoking change without jeopardizing their careers. Whether it's by resisting quietly, leveraging small wins, or mobilizing others, tempered radicals are making a positive difference in their companies-and in the world. Timely and provocative, Rocking the Boat puts self-realization and change within our reach-regardless of where our differences lie.
About the Debra E. Meyerson is Associate Professor of Education and (by courtesy) Business at Stanford University and faculty codirector of Stanford's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
About the Debra E. Meyerson is Associate Professor of Education and (by courtesy) Business at Stanford University and faculty codirector of Stanford's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
Paperback
First published February 19, 2008
About the author
Debra E. Meyerson
5 books7 followersIn 2010, when I was a professor at Stanford, I suffered a severe stroke. I lost all movement of my right arm and leg; even worse, I lost all ability to communicate.
While I won my struggle to survive, much of my identity – as a Stanford professor, a speaker and writer, an athlete, a mother and a wife – was taken from me. My mind was working but I was trapped inside a broken body, unable to do what I used to do. And maybe even worse, I couldn't tell anyone what I was experiencing.
With hard work and a lot of help I regained enough mobility to again be independent, and have recovered some ability to speak. But I have come to accept that I will never again have all the capabilities I once had.
Seven years later, I'm still slowly recovering more of my abilities and am continuing to rebuild my identities. I've found few resources to help with the emotional piece of this journey, and have heard the same from many of my fellow survivors. That is why I'm writing Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves after Stroke.
As a professor, I studied and taught about how small, everyday actions can disrupt what’s normal, chip away at the status quo, and create positive change. That work led me to write Tempered Radicals, first published in 2001.
Now, in a very different context, I live by the message I previously taught. With small, deliberate efforts, and a lot of conscious choices, I continue my slow recovery, discover more about myself, and shape my new identities.
While I won my struggle to survive, much of my identity – as a Stanford professor, a speaker and writer, an athlete, a mother and a wife – was taken from me. My mind was working but I was trapped inside a broken body, unable to do what I used to do. And maybe even worse, I couldn't tell anyone what I was experiencing.
With hard work and a lot of help I regained enough mobility to again be independent, and have recovered some ability to speak. But I have come to accept that I will never again have all the capabilities I once had.
Seven years later, I'm still slowly recovering more of my abilities and am continuing to rebuild my identities. I've found few resources to help with the emotional piece of this journey, and have heard the same from many of my fellow survivors. That is why I'm writing Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves after Stroke.
As a professor, I studied and taught about how small, everyday actions can disrupt what’s normal, chip away at the status quo, and create positive change. That work led me to write Tempered Radicals, first published in 2001.
Now, in a very different context, I live by the message I previously taught. With small, deliberate efforts, and a lot of conscious choices, I continue my slow recovery, discover more about myself, and shape my new identities.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 1, 2020
This was the book I needed to read right now - lots of good survival tips for anyone who doesn't "fit" into the majority culture, and strategies for not losing who you are in a sea of maleness, heterosexuality, and whiteness. More a presentation of research than a "self-help" book, very fascinating.
February 21, 2018
This book was on a shelf at my work at a big art museum. It seems well suited for that. This book validates small wins and the struggle of duality for people who a) push against the grain while b) maintaining their livelihood AKA maintaining the status quo in large portions.
At first I wanted to rail against this book for being Not Enough, but finishing it (okay, skimming a good bit bc lots was obvious) makes me respect it for what it is, and I don’t know if I like or hate that it gives me a small sense of “relax, self, change takes time and you’re Doing Something” which is counternarrative to the SJW rhetoric I subscribe to of “NONE OF THIS IS ENOUGH NOR WILL EVER BE ENOUGH”
So I don’t know. It’s nice to feel validated for 30 seconds. And the premise is nice. And having a common language is nice. Could be a good book club for new corporate deviants.
At first I wanted to rail against this book for being Not Enough, but finishing it (okay, skimming a good bit bc lots was obvious) makes me respect it for what it is, and I don’t know if I like or hate that it gives me a small sense of “relax, self, change takes time and you’re Doing Something” which is counternarrative to the SJW rhetoric I subscribe to of “NONE OF THIS IS ENOUGH NOR WILL EVER BE ENOUGH”
So I don’t know. It’s nice to feel validated for 30 seconds. And the premise is nice. And having a common language is nice. Could be a good book club for new corporate deviants.
October 27, 2020
This book’s theme is very different than what I thought it would be based on the description and reviews. The author is a graduate of Stanford and MIT and writes beautifully about the things that differentiate us in the workplace: mostly gender, sexual orientation, race, and parenthood. I thought this book was going to be about grass roots movements and how to get your ideas at work to be heard by the upper level management. It was interesting, but not a topic I was looking to read more about.
November 8, 2020
Why write this book at all? It was either super obvious information or white-splaining.
...and kinda read like what White Liberal America©️ has been telling BIPOC and other minority groups for decades..."laugh off the blatant racism so you don't make people too mad/don't take it personally/don't get a victim mentality/have a white person back you up so you have more clout"
Plan to put this one in the trash after reviewing it in the class I had to read it for.
...and kinda read like what White Liberal America©️ has been telling BIPOC and other minority groups for decades..."laugh off the blatant racism so you don't make people too mad/don't take it personally/don't get a victim mentality/have a white person back you up so you have more clout"
Plan to put this one in the trash after reviewing it in the class I had to read it for.
November 2, 2019
Read this for one of my classes in graduate school and thoroughly enjoyed it. The idea of “tempered radicals” is extremely intriguing and it gave me a lot to think about. Highly recommend this book to everyone!
October 7, 2019
Interesting take on personal agency in enacting change from within an organization. Good read for those studying leadership
January 19, 2024
“Rock the boat but don’t rock the boat too hard but here’s how people rocked the boat” if you don’t have a general backbone this book is for you.
July 30, 2024
Very validating read for this misunderstood punkademic
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April 20, 2026‘On-gehoord’
On-gehoord voelen. On-gehoord worden. On-gehoord zijn. ‘Rocking the boat | How to effect change without making trouble’ is een waardevol boek over dit - actuele - thema.
Op het spoor van dit boek gekomen door een podcast uit de HRTOP100 serie - een initiatief van HRcommunity & Rvdb - met Joost Sluijs. Hij sprak over ‘tempered radicals’ (de originele titel van het boek) op een wijze die verwantschap bij mij opriep.
Ondanks dat het boek casuïstiek aanhaalt die ‘niet’ direct betrekking op mij heeft, biedt het waardevolle inzichten voor mensen die een minderheidsopvatting ‘lijken’ te hebben. Op een toegankelijke wijze werkt Debra Meyerson 5 ogenschijnlijk overduidelijke strategieën uit:
- resisting quietly and staying true to one’s “self”
- turning personal threats into opportunities
- broadening the impact through negotiation
- leveraging small wins
- organizing collective actions
Ik vind het een mooi overzicht van handelingsrepertoire als je dingen wilt bereiken die niet voor de handliggend zijn of buiten de realiteit/urgentie van je omgeving liggen.
#diversiteit
#inclusiviteit
#GABWT @Rabobank
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jankam...
On-gehoord voelen. On-gehoord worden. On-gehoord zijn. ‘Rocking the boat | How to effect change without making trouble’ is een waardevol boek over dit - actuele - thema.
Op het spoor van dit boek gekomen door een podcast uit de HRTOP100 serie - een initiatief van HRcommunity & Rvdb - met Joost Sluijs. Hij sprak over ‘tempered radicals’ (de originele titel van het boek) op een wijze die verwantschap bij mij opriep.
Ondanks dat het boek casuïstiek aanhaalt die ‘niet’ direct betrekking op mij heeft, biedt het waardevolle inzichten voor mensen die een minderheidsopvatting ‘lijken’ te hebben. Op een toegankelijke wijze werkt Debra Meyerson 5 ogenschijnlijk overduidelijke strategieën uit:
- resisting quietly and staying true to one’s “self”
- turning personal threats into opportunities
- broadening the impact through negotiation
- leveraging small wins
- organizing collective actions
Ik vind het een mooi overzicht van handelingsrepertoire als je dingen wilt bereiken die niet voor de handliggend zijn of buiten de realiteit/urgentie van je omgeving liggen.
#diversiteit
#inclusiviteit
#GABWT @Rabobank
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jankam...
December 10, 2017
Lots of ideas and anecdotes
Much like the tempered radicals whose stories are told in the book, this is a very measured approach to looking at how to affect change within organizations.
There is a lot of good material in here, though figuring out to to take action from the theory is likely to take substantial work on the part of each and every reader.
Much like the tempered radicals whose stories are told in the book, this is a very measured approach to looking at how to affect change within organizations.
There is a lot of good material in here, though figuring out to to take action from the theory is likely to take substantial work on the part of each and every reader.
February 8, 2023
disappointing read
Hard to get through and redundant. A whole book to define something but no real tools or tips to effectuate change. Not enough applicable information for me
Hard to get through and redundant. A whole book to define something but no real tools or tips to effectuate change. Not enough applicable information for me
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews