The Working Leader: The Triumph of High Performance Over Conventional Management Principles - Tapa blanda

Henry Mintzberg McGill University A truly revolutionary book in the field of management...Sayles writes with dignity about managing as an art, rooted deeply in action -- in making things happen, getting real things done -- based on a profound understanding of what is being managed. Read this book. Louis P. Mattis Chairman and CEO, Sterling Winthrop Inc. A must read for executives who seek a deeper understanding of how and where the work in their organizations really gets done. A substantial new contribution to the study and practice of leadership. J. Ronald Fox Tiampo Professor of Business Administration Emeritus, Harvard University This is a book to be read, reread, savored, and digested. It is a major contribution to the scholarship and practical literature on leadership. Walter F. Ulmer, Jr. President and CEO, Center for Creative Leadership Fascinating examples of real world complexities...this book will be a powerful catalyst toward the enhancement of American productivity...it couldn't come at a better time. James F. Bruce former Senior Vice President and Director, Eastman Kodak Company An illuminating, well researched critique of management training programs with interesting solutions for course corrections. Robert E. Frazer former Chairman, Dayton Power and Light "Thought provoking"...This book guarantees to activate the minds of caring leaders. A look into the future of American management style. Phoman L. Scorrn former Chairman, NationsBank Leonard Sayles describes the successful manager as the involved manager who seeks ways to do things better. No room for the aloof planner, the reactive problem-solver, the quick-fix junkie. I believe he is correct.

Schooled to oversee fixed, almost unvarying routines, managers today are unprepared to manage the conflicts in modern work flow relationships. The demand for more and quicker responsiveness to customers, market, product, and process changes means there are few "routine" technologies left to manage. The modern line manager, according to Sayles, must be a "working leader," managing work flow relationships on the boundaries between jobs, functions, departments; making things "work" through trade-offs with superiors and peers. The working leader has an agenda, knows the system inside out, is comfortable with fluidity, and recognizes that the parts do not always fit into an integrated whole. The recent emphasis on "core competencies" and "operating capabilities" as keys to competitive advantage represents a radical shift away from the presumption that business leadership is primarily about strategic decisions. Corporate success, Sayles insists, now depends upon execution, implementation, and expertise. In the past managers presumed that work systems were programmed to be efficient; now astute managers recognize that extraordinary efforts are required to attain and maintain effective operations. Sayles shows with vivid case studies how middle managers with an in-depth understanding of the organization can resolve the inherent contradictions and ambiguities among design, sales, and manufacturing. He also shows that while many companies are instilling "customer consciousness" and "quality consciousness" as compartmentalized activities, "effective" management of work systems automatically leads to high performance in quality, efficiency, and service. By facilitating high performance, hands on working leaders can increase the sense of responsibility and motivation of subordinates. Finding solutions to inconsistencies and dilemmas in work systems forces managers to become real leaders. Checking the interfaces and making modifications where necessary -- managing on the boundaries -- are core competencies for the working leader.