Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter is the Eartha Kitt of change-management gurus. Just when you think the grand dame has taken her final bow, she comes bounding back onto the scene with a new act that's as shrewd and insightful as anything any young kitten has to offer--but benefiting from decades of wisdom and experience that puts the whole litter to shame. Take, for instance, Evolve!, Kanter's latest in a string of highly influential books on organizational management (including Innovation, World Class, When Giants Learn to Dance, and The Change Masters). Yes, the ubiquitous dot (as in "com") after the E in "Evolve" on the book's cover may suggest to the cynical that this is another old-school change guru weighing in with the obligatory guide to making it on the Net--and months after e-commerce mania has subsided, to boot! And granted, the thumbnail keys to successful I-preneuring that form the book's structure--namely, a willingness to improvise, a desire to network aggressively with other sites, a readiness to create "integrated communities," and a commitment to creating a workplace culture that attracts and retains the best talent--aren't necessarily breakthrough insights, however cogently presented.

But Evolve! stands out among the vast spate of e-commerce how-tos of the past few years because of the meticulous, rigorous research on the part of Kanter and her legion of Harvard Business associates. Here, coupled with Kanter's always-keen prose, that research translates into perhaps the most vivid, probing, and instructive anthology of e-commerce success (and failure) stories yet to appear in one book. Kanter & Co. conducted over 300 interviews, plus surveys with nearly three times as many companies worldwide, to tease out their conclusions on what works and what doesn't when doing business online--with brash start-ups as well as brick-and-mortar giants. That serious-minded, Harvard-quality sleuthing is reflected in the long narratives that make up the meat of the book, detailing the complete online journeys of some of the world's most high-profile companies, from venerable offliners venturing online (among them, Arrow Electronics, Barnes & Noble, NBC, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell, IBM, Williams-Sonoma, and Sun) to the Net-born (Amazon, eBay, Razorfish, EarthWeb, iXL, Renren.com, and Abuzz, which clearly emerges here as Kanter's pet model of how to do it right in entrepreneurial cyberspace). If you've followed the start-up scene with eagle eyes every day for the past five years, you might already be familiar with these companies' twisting, turning story lines. If, more likely, you haven't, you're in for some illuminating object lessons on what works (and what doesn't) on the precarious, often uncharted terrain of e-commerce--not to mention some really good reading.

Shortly before Evolve! went to press, Kanter added two new chapters to address the latest changes in the e-commerce market. That's a valuable update, but even if she'd skipped the postscript, Evolve! is blessedly free of reckless cybermania. And, unlike many such dot-com how-tos, it's wise enough to know that, far from having completely rewritten the rules of good business, the callow world of e-commerce has much to learn from the offline forbears it often scoffs at. For these reasons, the observations and advisories in Evolve! should transcend the inevitable fluctuations of the e-commerce market in the years to come. In other words, this is the real thing: smart, deeply researched advice from a pro whose talents are evident on every page. Well, except for the rap lyrics she's penned for "Evolve!--The Song," which kick off the book, and run along such lines: "You're not alone, so start placing your bet/On finding lots of partners throughout the Net!" Cole Porter she's not. Then again, maybe they wouldn't sound so lame if only we could get that other old pro, Eartha Kitt, to slip into her catsuit and purr her way through them. --Timothy Murphy

From Publishers Weekly
In this engaging but uneven book, Kanter (When Giants Learn to Dance; The Change Masters), a Harvard Business School professor and organizational change expert, predicts how the Internet will alter the way we work in the future. Business strategy for Web-dependent companies, she argues, should be like improvisational theater, with the CEO in the director's chair setting a direction for the firm and guiding the action based on market conditions. Kanter argues convincingly that the biggest obstacles to change are management and employee attitudes, not the technological tools they employ, adding that the best employees consider internal change a way of life and see the creative possibilities that can arise from conflict. Unfortunately, Kanter's case rests on anecdotes from well-known companies, such as Sun Microsystems, and draws on old Harvard Business School case studies on well-documented firms such as eBay. Despite her assertion that the book is based on new research, one gets the feeling many of the examples were selected from the obvious specimens she featured while speaking and consulting. But the biggest flaw is that some of Kanter's key observations have been overtaken by events in the market (e.g., it is no longer true that "unprofitable [Internet businesses] get high stock market evaluations"). E-book already available in MS Reader and Glassbook editions. (Mar. 1)Forecasts: Though this effort isn't as deeply insightful as Kanter's best work, which has been pitched to v-ps and senior managers, a first serial excerpt in Inc. magazine, a major advertising campaign in national and niche periodicals and a 15-city author tour may bring it to the attention of middle managers who are new to her thinking.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
A professor at Harvard Business School, Kanter offers material for traditional companies looking to respond to new challenges. Her ideas are based upon a study of companies born of the technological revolution of the Internet. Kanter's presentation is clearly that of a motivational speaker in its upbeat tone and tips for developing strategies and imple-menting plans. Her reading is smooth and clear. She sets a strong pace and neither falters nor hesitates from start to finish. The fundamental tenets of the material do not seem to be disrupted by the abridgment. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Harvard Business School professor Kanter, having authored, edited, or coauthored more than a dozen previous books and appearing frequently on business-oriented chat shows, is a brand-name academic. Expect to hear a lot about the buzzwords she's invented or adopted in this study of the "e-culture," which is a product of the Internet and related technologies. There's her typology: the much-discussed "dot-coms" (pure Internet companies), but also "dotcom-enablers" (technology/service providers) and "wannadots" (bricks and mortar companies struggling to find their way onto the Net). There's "Strategy as Improvisational Theater," "Nurturing Networks of Partners," "Deconstructing and Reconstructing the Organization," and "Winning the Talent Wars." This book draws heavily on case studies of more than two dozen companies that Kanter and her team studied for several years, as well as their structured interviews and print and online surveys of additional firms around the world. Reading Kanter's latest work won't guarantee success in the New Economy, but it will provide solid hints about what approaches work and don't work in an increasingly wired world. Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

People and organizations at every stage of Internet sophistication face the same burning question: How should they change in order to succeed in a digital world?

Renowned thinker and business trailblazer Rosabeth Moss Kanter says answers will be found not in cyberspace but on the ground, where real people connect, collaborate, and form thriving human communities. In this eye-opening book, Kanter explores what she calls "e-culture"-a new way of living and working that will transform every aspect of today's organizations.

Kanter argues that networks of relationships, not just new technologies, permit speed and seamlessness, encourage creativity and collaboration, and release energy and brainpower-the "soul" of e-business. And every organization-from dotcoms to dotcom-enablers (technology and service providers) to wannadots (traditional companies struggling to embrace the Web)- must learn to build and foster them.

Based on a landmark project with rare on-site access, over 300 interviews, and a 785-company global survey, Evolve! provides a hands-on blueprint for adopting the core principles of e-culture: treat strategy as improvisational theater; nurture networks of partners; reconstruct organizations as online and offline "communities"; and attract and retain top talent.

With colorful and memorable stories, Kanter illuminates vast differences between older, more conservative companies and aggressive, born-digital dotcoms. She takes us deep inside evolving organizations-including IBM, eBay, Reuters, Sun Microsystems, Razorfish, Abuzz, Barnesandnoble.com, Williams-Sonoma, and pioneering public schools-to provide best practices frome-culture pacesetters and cautionary lessons from Internet laggards. Defining the skills leaders need to master change, she reveals how dotcoms and dotcom-enablers can grow fast while crafting a great culture, and how wannadots can benefit by becoming Web-enabled.

For anyone who wants to realize the potential and avoid the pitfalls of the Internet age, this pathbreaking book identifies and analyzes the emergence of e-culture-and provides a lively, roll-up-your-sleeves guide to profiting from tomorrow.

FROM THE CRITICS

Booklist

... [Evolve!] ... will provide solid hints about what approaches work and don't work in an increasingly wired world.

AudioFile

A professor at Harvard Business School, Kanter offers material for traditional companies looking to respond to new challenges. Her ideas are based upon a study of companies born of the technological revolution of the Internet. Kanter's presentation is clearly that of a motivational speaker in its upbeat tone and tips for developing strategies and imple-menting plans. Her reading is smooth and clear. She sets a strong pace and neither falters nor hesitates from start to finish. The fundamental tenets of the material do not seem to be disrupted by the abridgment. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

An effective step-by-step primer showing how to harness the power of electronic business. (Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Chairman and CEO of IBM)  — Louis V. Gerstner

Evolve! presents fascinating evidence and makes a powerful case for both the promise and the perils of ever-expanding Internet use. Kanter's entertaining stories show that the new requirements for success touch all of us, whether in our professional roles or in daily life. This appealing book is not just for the wealthy or the wired?it is a must-read for all who care about the future.  — Alan Dershowitz

Evolve! provides leaders the frameworks they need in the emerging electronic marketplace. An indispensable tool for any company interested in pioneering in this fascinating new sector. — Martha Stewart

Will the dotcoms beat the wannadots? Will the young confine the middle-aged to history? Not even Rosabeth Moss Kanter knows for certain?but don't expect to be among the winners if you haven't read her brilliant and compelling guide to our digital tomorrow. (Sir Martin Sorrell, Group Chief Executive, WPP Group)  — Martin Sorrell

Rosabeth Moss Kanter always gets it right! She has succinctly and humorously shown us what the digital revolution really means. (Cathleen Black, President, Hearst Magazines)  — Cathleen Black

Filled with real-life examples, Evolve! is insightful, inspirational, and fun to read. While demonstrating how many business fundamentals never change, the book also enlightens us on the potential of the Internet to make all business better. (George Conrades, CEO, Akamai Technology)  — George Conrades

Fascinating and deeply insightful. Leaders everywhere will want to grab Evolve! and apply its lessons. (Daniel Vasella, Chairman & CEO, Novartis)  — Daniel Vasella

AUTHOR DESCRIPTION

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is an award-winning author, a pioneer in the field of change management, a respected visionary about economic and social trends, and an internationally-recognized business leader with a lifetime dedicated to making corporations more humane, inclusive, and innovative.

Kanter's latest book is Evolve!: Succeeding in the Digital Culture of Tomorrow (Harvard Business School Press, March 1, 2001), which explores the countless ways in which the Internet is shaping our lives, both personally and professionally. Notably, Evolve! looks at the role of community and community service in an age where more and more often human communications take place in cyberspace. Kanter argues that the key to understanding our digital world lies not online, but on the ground-where real people connect, collaborate, and form thriving human communities, and gives us our first look at an emerging phenomenon she calls e-culture: a new way of living and working that combines the best of the New Economy and the Old, that marries the power of technology with the essential human relationships that make technology meaningful, companies profitable, and life better for all of us.

Kanter is the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration (an endowed chair) at Harvard Business School. She also advises major corporations and government entities worldwide, and is the author or co-author of 15 books, including bestsellers such as Men and Women of the Corporation, The Change Masters, When Giants Learn to Dance, and World Class. Named one of the 100 most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal and one of the 50 most powerful women in the world by the Times of London, Kanter has received 19 honorary doctoral degrees and over a dozen leadership awards.

Kanter is a well-known advocate for community service initiatives, on the local and national levels. Her work as a national trustee for City Year-the inner-city youth service corps active in 13 major cities that was the model for AmeriCorps-has been widely heralded. Kanter was invited by the former First Lady, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, to work on several White House millennium projects, including speaking at the White House Conference on Philanthropy and at the Forum on Sustaining Democracy in a Global Economy. She was active in the Presidential Summit which launched General Colin Powell's America's Promise and chaired its advisory board on youth service with Timothy Shriver, President of the Special Olympics. She has translated her knowledge of change management from business to public education in collaboration with IBM's Reinventing Education projects in 21 states and 8 countries. She is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum, has served on the Massachusetts Governor's Economic Council, and was named a vice president of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund board in recognition of her advocacy for women.

Kanter serves on the faculty board of HBSi, the group creating e-learning tools and interactive strategies. In 1997-1998, she conceived and led the Business Leadership in the Social Sector project for Harvard Business School, involving over a hundred national leaders (including U.S. Senators, Governors, corporate CEOs, national association heads, and the First Lady) in dialogue about business-government partnerships for welfare and education reform. From 1989-1992, she served as Editor of Harvard Business Review, which was a finalist for a National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 1991. She also co-founded Goodmeasure Inc., a consulting firm that develops leadership and consulting tools based on her work.