Getting people in organizations to collaborate effectively has a more fundamental, long-lasting and far-reaching positive impact than any "technique of the month" put forward by the management guru of the moment. But it is also one of the hardest things to accomplish. In Crisis at Santa's Workshop Richard Weaver and John Ferrell use a whimsical fable to describe the Facilitation Process, a proven, step-by-step approach for helping people in organizations systematically focus on the right things, and build the kinds of collaborative relationships that enable them to exceed expectations and achieve "impossible' goals.

We follow Rune, Santa's Production Director, as he learns the use the Facilitation Process to deal with the most serious situation the workshop has ever faced. Having to produce hundreds of millions of toys to a one-day deadline has always been tough, but this year, due to changing demands and a variety of unforeseen circumstances they're further behind than ever before. As he masters the different steps of the process, Rune has to deal with an ongoing conflict between Pekka, his Wooden Toys Manager and Helmi, his Electronic Games Manager, as well as confront his own preconceived notions about the roles of managers and employees.

For the past 15 years, Weaver and Farrell have been helping organizations south of the North Pole, such as AT&T, Chrysler, NCR and many others use facilitation to achieve outstanding results. Now, in this witty and entertaining tale, managers can discover a blueprint for change, and workers at all levels can get a glimpse of their own potential to make a difference.

• From the authors of Managers as Facilitators --- more than 25,000 copies sold
• Presents a simple 3-step process with the potential to totally transform organizations and organizational processes
• Uses a fun fable format to make a potentially difficult subject interesting, engaging, and accessible to a wide audience