A better way to fight poverty: Ashe and Neilan show that savings groups are simple, extremely low cost, self-managing and spread virally "there are savings groups in 100,000 villages in 65 countries Sponsored by Oxfam America: This book was developed wit

• A better way to fight poverty: Ashe and Neilan show that savings groups are simple, extremely low cost, self-managing and spread virally-there are savings groups in 100,000 villages in 65 countries
• Sponsored by Oxfam America: This book was developed with Oxfam America, part of an international coalition of Oxfams operating in 90 countries-in 2005 Ashe and Oxfam, with their partner Freedom from Hunger, pioneered a program to expand savings groups worldwide.

Two and a half billion people worldwide, too poor and too rural to be served by traditional financial institutions desperately need a better way to save and borrow. Jeffrey Ashe and Kyla Jagger Neilan say the answer is savings groups.

In savings groups, members put what they can in a communal pot and make loans to individual members for needs like buying food to survive the "lean season" before the harvest, building a business, investing in livestock, or paying school fees. Once a year, the entire pot plus interest on loans is divided among the members. Unlike other poverty alleviation options, savings groups are run entirely by their members, and, they spread by word of mouth from village to village, allowing them to reach remote areas with remarkable success. By catalyzing the problem-solving capacity of the poor they avoid subsidies, debt, dependency, and high costs while reducing hunger and building assets and solidarity.

Ashe and Neilan show that applying savings group principles could revolutionize development in areas as diverse as health, agriculture, education and grassroots political empowerment. "Being organized gives us courage," as one woman said. It is their courage translated into action that explains the success of "in their own hands" development.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, frequent feedback and “course correction” is absolutely vital. But about the only time most managers offer employees feedback is during scheduled (and generally infrequent) performance appraisals, which tend to be stiff, formal, and—whether intentionally or not—adversarial, and therefore ineffective. Formula 2+2 offers a simple yet powerful approach to revolutionizing feedback conversations. It details the five secrets of effective feedback: • Timeliness • Balance • Focus • Specificity • Follow-up Formula 2+2 shows how to foster a culture of continuous feedback which increases the effectiveness of the manager, protects the spirit and dignity of employees, and provides a systematic approach to reinforcing and improving employee performance.The latest volume in Berrett-Koehler's Ken Blanchard Series Includes a foreword by Ken Blanchard, an introduction by Bill Cosby, and a mid-book message from lunar astronaut Buzz Aldrin Offers managers a simple system that will increase their effectiveness and improve employee morale and productivity Written in the accessible and compelling Blanchard storytelling style In today's fast-paced and rapidly changing business environment, frequent feedback and "course correction" is absolutely vital. But about the only time most managers offer employees feedback is during scheduled (and generally infrequent) performance appraisals, which tend to be stiff, formal, and-whether intentionally or not-adversarial, and therefore ineffective. Formula 2+2 offers a simple yet powerful approach to revolutionizing feedback conversations. It details the five secrets of effective feedback: making it timely, balanced between compliments and critiques, focused on high priority areas, supported with specific examples, and reinforced with appropriate follow-up. The book tracks the transformation of Pauline, a strong but traditional leader whose attempts at coaching and feedback are failing miserably. An old friend introduces her to Formula 2+2 and walks her through the five secrets of effectively implementing 2+2 feedback. Pauline discovers that providing feedback is not a necessary evil, but can become a welcome part of the manager's job. Formula 2+2 shows how to foster a culture of continuous feedback which increases the effectiveness of the manager, protects the spirit and dignity of employees, and provides a systematic approach to reinforcing and improving employee performance.

• The latest volume in Berrett-Koehler's Ken Blanchard Series
• Includes a foreword by Ken Blanchard, an introduction by Bill Cosby, and a mid-book message from lunar astronaut Buzz Aldrin
• Offers managers a simple system that will increase their effectiveness and improve employee morale and productivity
• Written in the accessible and compelling Blanchard storytelling style

Dealing with organizational change is about getting through the emotion and commotion with minimal damage to your blood pressure, career, relationships, and confidence. In The Change Cycle, Ann Salerno and Lillie Brock help readers cope by explaining the six predictable and sequential stages of change—loss, doubt, discomfort, discovery, understanding, and integration—and offer examples, tools, and success strategies so you can move resourcefully through each stage. Each chapter focuses on a single stage of the Change Cycle, described in a lively, informal style peppered with frequent humor. Utilizing stories and essays about the ways people, departments, and teams have successfully dealt with challenges, Salerno and Brock offer examples, tools, and success strategies so individuals at all levels will know what to expect from themselves and others and will be able to resourcefully move through each stage. Based on the authors’ fifteen years of experience in hundreds of companies and government agencies worldwide and firmly grounded in recent discoveries in social psychology and cognitive neuroscience, The Change Cycle will help readers at all levels take responsibility for how they react and respond in a changing work environment.

Strategic planning deals with long-term goals and objectives. Performance management focusing on the performance of an organization, department, process, or employee is what makes strategic planning work. Neither can be done without the other, but both must be adapted to the organization. This volume is designed as a reference for those involved in the day to-day challenge of performance management and measurement. Government managers will find ideas and practices that can be applied effectively in the federal environment.

The misuse of AI has led to wrongful arrests, denial of medical care, even genocide-this book offers 7 powerful principles that business can use now to end the harm.

AI holds incredible promise to improve virtually every aspect of our lives, but we can't ignore its risks, mishaps and misuses. Juliette Powell and Art Kleiner offer seven principles for ensuring that machine learning supports human flourishing. They draw on Powell's research at Columbia University and use a wealth of real-world examples.

Four principles relate to AI systems themselves. Human risk must be rigorously determined and consciously included in any design process. AI systems must be understandable and transparent to any observer, not just the engineers working on them. People must be allowed to protect and manage their personal data. The biases embedded in AI must be confronted and reduced.

The final three principles pertain to the organizations that create AI systems. There must be procedures in place to hold them accountable for negative consequences. Organizations need to be loosely structured so that problems in one area can be isolated and resolved before they spread and sabotage the whole system. Finally, there must be psychological safety and creative friction, so that anyone involved in software development can bring problems to light without fear of reprisal.

Powell and Kleiner explore how to implement each principle, citing current best practices, promising new developments, and sobering cautionary tales. Incorporating the perspectives of engineers, businesspeople, government officials, and social activists, this book will help us realize the unprecedented benefits and opportunities AI systems can provide.

The Business of Government is your guide to a new breed of business planning that meshes private sector strategies with a methodology designed exclusively for the public sector. No other strategic planning guide offers this hands-on, public sector focus. The Business of Government provides guidance, tools, and real-world examples you can use right away to analyze where you stand and what specific steps are needed to take you to the "managing for results" platform that is the centerpiece of the Results Act of 1993 and your springboard to a whole new level of performance. It explains how to initiate, manage, measure and sustain a remarkable transformation - an approach proven to produce a dramatic impact on public policy and service to the citizen. Plus, the book includes model documents ready to adapt for your own program, including an actual business plan, sample financials, and sample performance report. Learn how to define and deliver a new era of results as you: Dramatically improve critical thinking and innovation Develop a business strategy proven to work in government Overcome implementation obstacles - including "old culture" Align support organizations Establish a senior management council Oversee strategy implementation teams Write annual performance reports explaining your results Profit from expert advice on applying today's best "smart government" tools, including these: 1.Strategies: Transformational leadership strategies that address change-resistance, skills gaps and other challenges. 2.Gap analysis methodology: A proven model for assessing how your organization may have drifted from mission and how to get back on track. 3.Tactics: Specific technology, human resource, and process solutions for adjusting and invigorating your programs. Case studies: Real-world "lessons learned" to help you apply the most successful solutions