The management of organizational resources is extremely difficult. Managers face serious and complex challenges when managing the required resources for the benefit of their organization. This book presents a unique approach that aims to tackle these management challenges. This approach is based on four propositions that together form a solid framework for the management of organizational resources. The propositions state that organizational resources that are considered as management objects must first be conceptually modeled. With the help of these models, stakeholders are integrated into the management process.

The new management approach presented in this book is called the Evolute approach. The Evolute approach precisely defines the meaning of organizational resources for management on three levels: concept level, organizational resource level, and situation level. The Evolute approach helps managers lead their people and manage their resources in a more targeted way, providing better results with less effort. The author includes real-world case studies that illustrate how this approach can be used in several different fields.

The Evolute approach has been used and tested in many companies, organizations, and universities in more than ten languages around the world. The scope of the book is general management, since the Evolute approach is applicable to any kind of management field. It can be applied to the management of any kinds of objects--not only organizational resources. With this book, managers will have the tools to develop more relevant organizational resources and, thus, improve the performance of their entire organization in an efficient and targeted manner.

Jussi I. Kantola is a professor in the department of production at the University of Vaasa, Finland. Before that, during 2009-2012, he was associate professor in the Knowledge Service Engineering department at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). During 2003-2008 he worked in the Tampere University of Technology, Pori, Finland, and the University of Turku, Finland, in various research roles, including that of research director in the IE and IT departments. He earned his first PhD in industrial engineering from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, in 1998, and his second PhD in industrial management and engineering from Tampere University of Technology, Pori, Finland, in 2006. During 1999-2002 he worked as an IT and business process consultant in the United States and in Finland for Romac International and ABB. His current work interests include the Evolute approach and system, design theories, and fuzzy and ontology applications.