In his review of Staying Healthy in Sick Organizations: The Clover Practice™,  UK Consultant Philip Whiteley seized on “Declare Your Interdependence.”

He says, “When I reached the third of the three principles…I thought I had mis-read. Where I expected to read ‘declare your independence’, it runs: ‘declare your inter-dependence’ (my emphasis). This was the first indication that something original is going on. I rather tire of ‘how to’ books that place too much of a burden on the individual to sort out their workplace context. But she strikes the right balance, warning individuals against victimhood, and blaming the context for lack of effort to achieve.”

Whiteley says he uses the book as a guide in negotiating and contracting with people he doesn’t know well and recommends it for anyone “charting difficult waters” at work. In addition to these practical uses, Whitely says the book’s focus on teamwork and interdependence has deeper implications for organizational design and philosophy. “I’m aware that a few organizations, Nokia, Southwest Airlines, WL Gore, for example, have broken out of this and embraced much more teamwork. The next step is to start to encourage shareholders and others to look at companies through this prism, rather than stick to the mono-culture of the quarterly report.”

See the full review at http://felipewh.wordpress.com.

Whiteley is the author of How to Manage in a Flat World: 10 Strategies to Get Connected to Your Team Wherever They Are.