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The Thin Book of Naming Elephants; How to Surface Undiscussables for Greater Organizational Success
There's an elephant in the room that everyone knows about but no one is acknowledging. The elephant is implicit and undiscussable and lurks in every organization. Everyone talks around the elephant and thinks that everyone else knows about the elephant. But, until the elephant's presence is made explicit, the level of dialogue and therefore the quality of decision-making is limited. Sound familiar?
Using NASA's tragic accidents and Enron's bankruptcy as examples of the price of not having open, constructive dialogue, the book shows how great companies create an environment that encourages and listens to input from all levels of the organization.
After reading this book, you'll understand: The role of assumptions and multiple realities; why surfacing assumptions is so important; how to have constructive dialogue; why arrogance, hubris and smart talk gets in the way of constructive dialogue; and what strategies you can use to name the elephants in your organization.
Using NASA's tragic accidents and Enron's bankruptcy as examples of the price of not having open, constructive dialogue, the book shows how great companies create an environment that encourages and listens to input from all levels of the organization.
After reading this book, you'll understand: The role of assumptions and multiple realities; why surfacing assumptions is so important; how to have constructive dialogue; why arrogance, hubris and smart talk gets in the way of constructive dialogue; and what strategies you can use to name the elephants in your organization.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2004
17 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 14, 2020
Nice Refresher
It’s been awhile since I read this book. It’s a great resource and I recommend others to come back to it again and again. Challenging our assumptions and unveiling the elephants is important for igniting success.
It’s been awhile since I read this book. It’s a great resource and I recommend others to come back to it again and again. Challenging our assumptions and unveiling the elephants is important for igniting success.
January 5, 2021
A quick & solid business book with simple, applicable approaches. Good concepts and habits for understanding the root of needing psychological safety and how to check-in and make sure there is consistency in practice across the org.
February 7, 2023
everyone should read this book
His is a clear, concise book about common issues that lead organizations and individuals to fail—and how to to avoid disaster and actually improve outcomes. Practical, readable, actionable.
His is a clear, concise book about common issues that lead organizations and individuals to fail—and how to to avoid disaster and actually improve outcomes. Practical, readable, actionable.
June 26, 2019
A very interesting read on getting people to surface the things they know about but are reluctant to discuss - for reasons ranging from job loss, to plain shyness.
October 12, 2019
Important reading for anyone whose organization has some dependency on safety, sound decision making and diversity. That's you.
March 7, 2017
The author takes on a subject often hidden within organizations: the undiscussable subject. Drawing from several examples in the rise and fall of corporations, as well as insight into the Challenger and Colombia accident investigations within NASA, this book makes an argument for creating a safe environment for members of a group to freely communicate without retribution or backflash. Having been a part of number organizations over the years, as I turned the pages of this little book I was pleased to discover I was not alone in my experiences.
If you have ever felt crushed for speaking your ideas within an organization, or witnessed others receive such treatment, then you will likely gain a large measure of relief in reading this book. This book should be a basic manual for anyone seeking a leadership role, as well as anyone working at any level in the corporate world.
The only thing I would have liked to see in this book would have been more broad historical examples, drawing from more than just corporate culture. There would have certainly been fodder for larger examples within the many branches of the U.S. government, as well as other international examples to bring this into a larger scope of awareness.
Nevertheless, it is a brilliant book, and perhaps it is at its best just as it is.
If you have ever felt crushed for speaking your ideas within an organization, or witnessed others receive such treatment, then you will likely gain a large measure of relief in reading this book. This book should be a basic manual for anyone seeking a leadership role, as well as anyone working at any level in the corporate world.
The only thing I would have liked to see in this book would have been more broad historical examples, drawing from more than just corporate culture. There would have certainly been fodder for larger examples within the many branches of the U.S. government, as well as other international examples to bring this into a larger scope of awareness.
Nevertheless, it is a brilliant book, and perhaps it is at its best just as it is.
March 26, 2011
This was great. We see these horrible situations inside corporations that make us feel miserable and helpless because we're not empowered to do anything about them or to even know why the situations exist. Naming Elephants uses some case histories of disasters as examples of what is probably going on inside the average corporation. Disasters such as the Challenger accident and the Enron scandal are used because there was a lot of investigative documentation produced to find out what went wrong. It sounds plausible. The diagnosis and treatment for such a diseased corporation might work. Now, if only we weren't the peons at the mercy of a catastrophic failure on re-entry instead of being managers who might be able to do something about it.
Still, the message is that, of course, most corporations need to start allowing people to express themselves without punishment. But the process also has to start with individual showing integrity, recognizing the basic human needs around them, and challenging decisions that they weren't invited to participate in.
Still, the message is that, of course, most corporations need to start allowing people to express themselves without punishment. But the process also has to start with individual showing integrity, recognizing the basic human needs around them, and challenging decisions that they weren't invited to participate in.
January 16, 2016
Thin Book = Thin book and therefore condensed information. Concentrate and you will learn a lot that would take others pages and pages to impart. The hardest part of reading this book is that the finger points directly at me. I might be participating/colluding in not naming elephants as the stress is too much. BUT read the book yourself and discover how to name the thing everyone sees but no-one talks about in their company/organisation. (BTW: The other term I have heard, and is mentioned here, is 'the corpse in the room'
August 13, 2016
This book was recommended to me by Janet Boguch (Seattle fundraising coach) at a conference I attended. The session was about change.
This book takes head-on the issue of "elephants in the room" and how to address them. The "Think Book of..." series is very good, packed with lots of practical advice.
I highly recommend this book for people who are leading change or hoping to be effective change agents.
This book takes head-on the issue of "elephants in the room" and how to address them. The "Think Book of..." series is very good, packed with lots of practical advice.
I highly recommend this book for people who are leading change or hoping to be effective change agents.
June 5, 2013
Good primer on how to name the difficult situations in organizations that everyone's aware of but are afraid to mention. Particularly liked the chapter-end summaries with a list if excellent conversation starters.
February 5, 2014
It's not a game-changer, and if you've read enough management books, there's nothing in here that's even particularly new. However, it's a quick read and an excellent summary of the tragic results of failing to really communicate.
July 19, 2013
Great resource for teams.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews