Many leaders realize that in today's economy it will no longer be the smart
highly paid people in the corporate center that drive success. Instead it will come from
harnessing the knowledge and creativity of all their people, especially those that work at
the interface between the organization and its customers. They also know that their
budget-driven management processes are too slow, rigid and expensive and encourage the
wrong behaviour. But business leaders are on the horns of a dilemma. How do they empower
their people and adapt to change without losing control?
This book is about rethinking how we manage organizations in a
post-industrial, post credit crunch world where innovative management models represent the
only remaining source of sustainable competitive advantage.
Above all The Leader's Dilemma is about learning how to change business - based
on best practice and innovation drawn from leaders world-wide who have built and managed
successful organizations.
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Preface.
Some definitions.
Introduction.
The organization as an adaptive system.
1 Principle #1 - Values.
Bind people to a common cause, not a central plan.
2 Principle #2 - Governance.
Govern through shared values and sound judgment, not detailed rules and regulations.
3 Principle #3 - Transparency.
Make information open and transparent; don't restrict and control it.
4 Principle #4 - Teams.
Organize around a seamless network of accountable teams, not centralized functions.
5 Principle #5 - Trust.
Trust teams to regulate and improve their performance; don't micro-manage them.
6 Principle #6 - Accountability.
Base accountability on holistic criteria and peer reviews, not on hierarchical
relationships.
7 Principle #7 - Goals.
Set ambitious medium-term goals, not short-term fixed targets.
8 Principle #8 - Rewards.
Base rewards on relative performance, not fixed targets.
9 Principle #9 - Planning.
Make planning a continuous and inclusive process, not a top-down annual event.
10 Principle #10 - Coordination.
Coordinate interactions dynamically, not through annual budgets.
11 Principle #11 - Resources.
Make resources available just-in-time, not just-in-case.
12 Principle #12 - Controls.
Base controls on fast, frequent feedback, not on budget variances.
13 Implementation insights.
14 Make management change your legacy.
Notes.
Index.
344 pages, Hardcover