Synopses & Reviews
Based on six years of research and hundreds of interviews with managers at every level of companies such as Intel, ABB, Canon, 3M, and McKinsey,
The Individualized Corporation explores the collapse of an outmoded corporate form and reveals the emergence of a fundamentally different management philosophy--one that forces on the power of the individual as the driver of value creation in the company and the importance of individuality in management.
The image of the "Organization Man" as a cog in a corporate machine has become both dated and dangerous. Rather than try to force employees into a homogeneous corporate mold based on a company's strategy, structure, and system, world-renowned scholars and consultants Sumantra Ghoshal and Christopher Bartlett argue that managers must embrace a philosophy based on purpose, process, and people that focuses on developing and leveraging the individual's unique talents and skills--a company's most important source of competitive advantage.
Without proposing a universal solution or a quick-fix prescription, this important book provides an indispensable guide for those who must lead their companies into the next century.
Synopsis
Chapter 1. From Organization Man to the Individualized Corporation
Chapter 2. Rebirth of an Organization Man: Don Jans
Chapter 3. Inspiring Individual Initiative: Releasing the Entrepreneurial Hostages (3M)
Chapter 4. Creating and Leveraging Knowledge: Building the Learning Organization (Skandia, McKinsey)
Chapter 5. Ensuring Continuous Renewal: Beyond Refinement to Regeneration (Intel)
Chapter 6. Balancing Alignment and Challenge: Beyond Strategy, Structure, Systems to Purpose, Process, People
Chapter 7. Developing Individual Competencies: Beyond the Russian Doll Model
Chapter 8. Redefining the Corporate Model: Beyond Tasks and Responsibilities to Roles and Relationships
Chapter 9. Building Organizational Capabilities: The Company as a Portfolio of Processes
Chapter 10. Shaping the Corporate Context: Changing the Smell of the Place (Philips)
Chapter 11. Transition to the Individualized Corporation
Chapter 12. Managing the Transformation Process: A Blueprint for Corporate Renewal (AT&T, GE, Kao)
Chapter 13. A New Management Philosophy: A New Societal Role
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [333]-338) and index.
About the Author
Sumantra Ghoshal holds the Robert P. Baugham Chair of Strategic Leadership at London Business School and is the author of The Individualized Corporation .