Synopses & Reviews
For some time now, the business world has witnessed the emergence of the executive team as a defining force in modern corporate governance. Indeed, as the challenges of corporate stewardship become increasingly diverse and complex, more and more CEOs are opting for the advantages a team-supported approach to organizational leadership holds over more traditional models. But what many CEOs and even team members themselves may not realize is that the effectiveness of executive teams hinges on a solid understanding of what they are and of what it takes to lead them.
\x09Based on the collective experience of the renowned Delta Consulting Group--experience spanning some fifteen years--Executive Teams is a powerful resource change agents can use to create and maintain senior teams that work. It draws upon change initiatives undertaken at Xerox, Corning, Lucent Technologies, Chase Manhattan Bank and other firms to demonstrate exactly what executive teams are all about and detail the proficiencies CEOs must master to ensure their success. Moreover, Executive Teams explores the elusive dynamics at play within these groups that, if not properly addressed, can seriously jeopardize a company's well-being.
\x09In addition to the broad conceptual framework it provides, Executive Teams offers a wealth of practice-driven insights and concrete suggestions for applying the knowledge its authors gained through their work with more than 130 top organizations. CEOs will discover answers to such critical questions as "What strategies have other CEOs employed to skillfully lead their teams?" and "How should individual roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships be defined?" Team members will come away with specific ideas for implementing strategy, leading transformations, changing organizational culture, and achieving other directives within their spheres of influence.
\x09In short, the range and depth of professional experience brought to Executive Teams makes it the most comprehensive, practically conceived work on the subject ever written. It's one reference CEOs, team members, and anyone else concerned with the establishment and ongoing success of executive teams will want to keep readily at hand.
Review
"This book provides timely insight into the world of executive teams from those who have extensive experience with these select groups and know how they really work. Delta provides a tremendous value to those in charge of organizational leadership by sharing the lessons they have learned in a powerful way." -Paul Allaire, chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation
"When David Nadler observes that 'leadership is becoming a team sport,' he's exactly right. A CEO's most important priorities include selecting the right senior team and then providing the leadership to ensure each member a crisp understanding of roles and goals. No set of issues is more critical to success in today's environment. Nadler, Spencer, and their colleagues offer a unique set of insights and perspectives on these issues from their personal experience." -Randy Tobias, chairman and CEO, Eli Lilly & Company
"In our American culture (read 'individualism'), the most difficult group to coalesce into a team is the top group. Issues of power, control, status, and competition abound. This book provides highly useful answers and practical help for dealing with those tough issues and for building and maintaining executive teams." -W. Warner Burke, professor of psychology and education and chair, Department of Organization & Leadership, Columbia University
"If you ever had any doubts that a strong executive team is better equipped to lead in today's corporate environment than just one person, this book will quell those doubts3/4completely. The Delta Consulting Group has undertaken and succeeded in generating more major and significant organizational change projects than any consulting group of which I'm aware. Executive Teams is a must-read for every change agent. That means everybody." -Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, University of Southern California
Synopsis
Based on the collective fifteen-year experience of the renowned Delta Consulting Group, Executive Teams is a powerful resource change agents can use to create and maintain senior teams that work. It draws upon change initiatives undertaken at Xerox, Corning, Lucent Technologies, Chase Manhattan Bank, and other firms to demonstrate exactly what executive teams are all about and detail the proficiencies CEOs must master to ensure their success. Moreover, Executive Teams explores the elusive dynamics at play within these groups that, if not properly addressed, can seriously jeopardize a company's well-being. In addition to the broad conceptual framework it provides, Executive Teams offers a wealth of practice-driven insights and concrete suggestions for applying the knowledge its contributors gained through their work with more than 130 top organizations.
Synopsis
Facing an explosion of workplace complexity, many executives choose a team-supported approach to organizational leadership over more traditional leadership models. Executive Teams provides both CEOs and senior team members themselves with an unprecedented set of insights and strategies they can use to build and maintain teams that live up to their full potential. Team members get ideas for: **Implementing strategy **Leading transformations **Changing organizational culture . . . and much more! " I strongly recommend [this book] to all those in charge of, on, or involved with executive teams."--Paul Allaire, chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation Real-world case studies at Xerox, Corning, AT&T and other top companies to demonstrate exactly what executive teams are all about and detail the proficiencies CEOs must master to ensure their success. The range and depth of professional experience brought to Executive Teams makes it the most comprehensive, practically conceived work on the subject ever written.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-293) and index.
About the Author
DAVID A. NADLER is one of the nation's leading consultants and advisors to corporate executives on the subjects of organizational architecture and organizational change. Since 1980, he has served as CEO of the Delta Consulting Group, Inc. Prior to that, he served on the faculty of the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. Nadler has authored or edited more than a dozen books on management, organizational change, and leadership, including Organizational Architecture (1992), Discontinuous Change (1994), and Champions of Change (1977), all from Jossey-Bass. JANET L. SPENCER is currently a consultant with the Delta Consulting Group, Inc., where she specializes in strategy, organization design, and executive team development. Before joining Delta, she was a principal of the consulting firm W. Warner Burke Associates, Inc. Spencer has coauthored several articles and book chapters on topics relating to organizational change.
Table of Contents
Part One: A New Leadership Model
1. Leading Executive Teams
2. Executive team Effectiveness: Teamwork at the Top
3. The World of the CEO
4. Designing CEO and COO Roles
Part Two: Managing the Executive Team
5. The CEO and the Executive Team: Managing the Unique Dynamics and Special Demands
6. Performance on the Executive Team: When to Pull the Trigger
7. The Importance of Trust
8. Recognizing and Resolving Executive Team Conflict
9. The CEO's Role in Conflict Resolution
10. The Role of Feedback in Executive Team Effectiveness
Part Three: Leading the Organization: The Work of Executive Team Effectiveness
11. The Process of Governance
12. Developing Strategy
13. Leading Strategic Change Teams
14. Creating a High Performance Operating Environment
Conclusion: The Competitive Advantage of Executive Teams