About THE ARBINGER INSTITUTE
Arbinger is a worldwide institute that helps organizations, families, individuals, and communities to solve the problems that have been created by the little-known but pervasive problem of self-deception (the problem of not knowing, and resisting the possibility, that one has a problem). Most conflicts, for example, are perpetuated by the problem of self-deception, as are most failures in communication and most breakdowns in trust and accountability. Unless one can solve the problem of not knowing that one has a problem, these other problems necessarily remain.
Try telling others that they have a problem, however, and the depth of the problem of self-deception becomes clear. How can you help others to see something they are unwilling to see? This is the central challenge created by the problem of self-deception and the challenge that Arbinger’s work is designed to overcome. Arbinger’s materials educate people about the problem of self-deception, and Arbinger’s methodologies help people to overcome it.
Arbinger’s ideas resulted from a decades-long exploration by an international team of scholars into the problem of self-deception. The new understanding that emerged gradually began to seep into the public consciousness. By the early 1990s, Arbinger was formed to introduce these discoveries to individuals and organizations around the world.
Leadership and Self-Deception, first published in 2000, became an international bestseller. Launched with no fanfare when Arbinger (and its work) was little known, the book generated tremendous word-of-mouth momentum. Sales of the book grow at an increasing rate even today, and the book continues to appear on bestseller lists around the world, many years after publication. The book is currently available in more than 20 languages.
Since Leadership and Self-Deception was published, many readers have clamored for a book that explores Arbinger’s work more deeply and that applies the work more explicitly to issues outside the workplace as well as within. The Anatomy of Peace, published by Berrett-Koehler in 2006, was written for this purpose and out of the desire to help resolve conflicts both large and small that burden families, workplaces, and communities. The Anatomy of Peace quickly became a bestseller as well, with the same kind of tremendous reviews and word-of-mouth support that have fueled the sales of Leadership and Self-Deception.
Arbinger is composed of people who have been trained in business, law, economics, philosophy, the family, education, coaching, and psychology. They come from diverse cultural backgrounds and from all religious and nonreligious traditions and belief systems. What they share is a deep understanding and passion for the ideas underlying Arbinger’s work—a compelling model of human understanding that offers people a common language around which to mobilize their work and with which to talk about and settle their differences, whatever their cultures, races, classes, religions, and beliefs.
The members of Arbinger are organized to deliver services in two areas where overcoming the self-deception problem is the key to achieving lasting solutions. The first service line is Leadership and Accountability Services, a practice area in which Arbinger leverages its expertise to deliver total accountability in work or personal life. The second service line is Relationship and Conflict Transformation Services. Since self-deception is at the heart of every conflict, Arbinger is uniquely equipped to help parties resolve and transform conflicts, whether within organizations or within and between communities, teams, governments, or families. Arbinger offers public courses, consulting and coaching services, and tailored organizational interventions (including train-the-trainer options) across these service lines, equipping people with powerful insights and practical plans of action for minimizing the effects of self-deception and maximizing accountability both personally and organizationally. Arbinger’s clients range from individuals who are seeking help in their lives to many of the largest companies and governmental institutions in the world.
Headquartered in the United States, Arbinger now has operations around the world, including across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Arbinger is led internationally by its original partners—James Ferrell, Duane Boyce, Paul Smith, and Terry Warner—as well as other executives who lead Arbinger’s global service lines and functions. Local managing directors guide Arbinger’s work in territories around the world.
For more information about Arbinger’s services, please call Arbinger’s worldwide headquarters at 801-292-3131, visit Arbinger on the Web at www.arbinger.com, or join Arbinger’s online community at http://arbingercommunity.ning.com.
About Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Berrett-Koehler is an independent publisher dedicated to an ambitious mission: Creating a World That Works for All.
We believe that to truly create a better world, action is needed at all levels—individual, organizational, and societal. At the individual level, our publications help people align their lives with their values and with their aspirations for a better world. At the organizational level, our publications promote progressive leadership and management practices, socially responsible approaches to business, and humane and effective organizations. At the societal level, our publications advance social and economic justice, shared prosperity, sustainability, and new solutions to national and global issues.
A major theme of our publications is “Opening Up New Space.” They challenge conventional thinking, introduce new ideas, and foster positive change. Their common quest is changing the underlying beliefs, mindsets, and structures that keep generating the same cycles of problems, no matter who our leaders are or what improvement programs we adopt.
We strive to practice what we preach—to operate our publishing company in line with the ideas in our books. At the core of our approach is stewardship, which we define as a deep sense of responsibility to administer the company for the benefit of all of our “stakeholder” groups: authors, customers, employees, investors, service providers, and the communities and environment around us.
We are grateful to the thousands of readers, authors, and other friends of the company who consider themselves to be part of the “BK Community.” We hope that you, too, will join us in our mission.
A BK Life Book
This book is part of our BK Life series. BK Life books change people’s lives. They help individuals improve their lives in ways that are beneficial for the families, organizations, communities, nations, and world in which they live and work. To find out more, visit www.bk-life.com.
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