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What makes some communes work, while others fail? Why is it so difficult to put utopian ideals into practice? Rosabeth Kanter offers a unique analysis of the nature and process of enduring commitment, basing her theory of commitment mechanisms on exhaustive research of nineteenth–century utopias, sharpened by first–hand knowledge of a variety of contemporary groups. The book moves in a lively fashion from Oneida, Brook Farm, and the Shakers to present–day phenomena such as rural communes and Synanon.