SWAT: A New Twist on Systems Thinking

Timothy Johnson is an accomplished project management and systems thinking professional and professor. He has the ability, using the tools in his tool belt, to help companies analyze the pieces and parts of their organizations and to determine, using systems thinking principles, how to facilitate change.

His new book comes out today. SWAT is a book that showcases Timothy's knowledge of how companies set priorities and bring about change. The book takes you through the basics of systems and then shows you how to break down the system into its components, interpret and manipulate the components and ultimately change the system for the better.

Timothy's use of the SWAT analogy (Systems Working All Together) is actually part of Timothy's effort to incorporate real character's from his local SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team into the book and his passion for photography is included, as well.

So, why would a PR Princess care anything about a systems thinking book?

First and foremost, Tim is a friend and informal mentor. When I was a new adjunct professor at Drake, Tim took me under his wing and imparted all kinds of wisdom that I would not have known going in. He saved me a lot of time and demystified a lot of questions that I had.

Secondly, every PR professional needs to have a good understanding of the way a business works. For corporate communicators in large, complex organizations, it is critical that you realize there are sometimes dozens of systems and personalities influencing every decision.

I encourage anyone who interacts with medium or large corporation, or complex government agencies, to read this book. Communicators need to learn how to be at the table when big decisions are being made. One way to gain the respect and trust of the executives in your organization is to speak their language and realize that complex decisions sometime muddle the message coming out to employees and stakeholders. Encourage leaders in your organization to put the complexity aside after a decision has been made. The final decisions need to be communicated clearly and without management speak.

Timothy's book is on Amazon. I encourage you to read it. It's the best $14.95 you'll spend on a business book all year. Congratulations, Tim, on the release of your third book!

Comments

[Timothy Johnson]

Thanks, Claire, for being such a great cheering section for me! And you are right: every organization, no matter what they produce, needs to understand their systems (not just the computer kind) and how they work.

[Project Management Software]

"SWAT: A New Twist on Systems Thinking"

Excellent....