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Rocking the Boat: How Tempered Radicals Effect Change Without Making Trouble
Most people feel at odds with their organizations at one time or Managers with families struggle to balance professional and personal responsibilities in often unsympathetic firms. Members of minority groups strive to make their organizations better for others like themselves without limiting their career paths. Socially or environmentally conscious workers seek to act on their values at firms more concerned with profits than global poverty or pollution.
Yet many firms leave little room for differences, and people who don't "fit in" conclude 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 through walking the tightrope between conformity and rebellion.
Meyerson shows how these "tempered radicals" work toward transformational ends through incremental means—sticking to their values, asserting their agendas, and provoking change without jeopardizing their hard-won careers. Whether it's by resisting quietly, leveraging "small wins," or mobilizing others in legitimate but powerful ways, tempered radicals turn threats to their identities into opportunities to make a positive difference in their companies—and in the world.
Timely and provocative, Rocking the Boat puts self-realization and change within everyone's reach--whether your difference stems from race, gender, sexual orientation, values, beliefs, or social perspective.
Yet many firms leave little room for differences, and people who don't "fit in" conclude 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 through walking the tightrope between conformity and rebellion.
Meyerson shows how these "tempered radicals" work toward transformational ends through incremental means—sticking to their values, asserting their agendas, and provoking change without jeopardizing their hard-won careers. Whether it's by resisting quietly, leveraging "small wins," or mobilizing others in legitimate but powerful ways, tempered radicals turn threats to their identities into opportunities to make a positive difference in their companies—and in the world.
Timely and provocative, Rocking the Boat puts self-realization and change within everyone's reach--whether your difference stems from race, gender, sexual orientation, values, beliefs, or social perspective.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2008
8 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Debra E. Meyerson
7 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 - 9 of 9 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
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews