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Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning

Posted on September 4, 2012 by David

By Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris
Harvard Business School Press, 2007
234 pages

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Staying Power: Six Enduring Principles for Managing Strategy and Innovation in an Uncertain World

Posted on September 4, 2012 by David

By Michael A. Cusumano
Oxford University Press, 2010

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From Machines to Plants: Wandering in The Gardens of Democracy

Posted on August 21, 2012 by David

In The New Ecology of Leadership I draw an extended, disciplined analogy between the cycle of an ecosystem (my favourite is a fire-dependent, lodge-pole pine forest) and the trajectories that organizations follow as they go through their lives. The objective … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged complex systems, destruction, ecological perspective, ecology, economics, Eric Liu, Gardenbrain, Gardens of Democracy, government, hedge-funds, Machinebrain, means and ends, Nick Hanauer, politics, Second Enlightenment, The New Ecology of Leadership | Comments Off

Bain or Bane? Private-Equity and Creative Destruction

Posted on May 22, 2012 by David

With Mitt Romney now the inevitable Republican Presidential candidate, renewed attention is being focused on his incredibly lucrative years running Bain Capital. In that private-equity firm he and his colleagues played key roles, mostly as the turnaround managers of mature … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged American economy, Anglo-Saxon capitalism, Bain, complex systems, creative destruction, ecological perspective, forest renewal, incentives, innovation, Mitt Romney, neoclassical economics, Obama, predator, private-equity, scavenger, shareholders, tax policy, The Economist, venture capital | Comments Off

Management Without Principles

Posted on April 10, 2012 by David

Management “principles” have been a prominent feature of the field ever since the 1950s, when a concerted attempt was made to put management on the path to becoming a social science. With economics as their guide and physics as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged Cartesian mind, complex systems, context, contextual intelligence, ecological rationality, economics, history matters, innovation skills, management principles, Master's golf, meaning, POSDCORB, The Innovator's DNA | 1 Comment

Measuring Buzz: Hunting Dynamics in the 21st Century

Posted on April 6, 2012 by David

Every manager knows that the “buzz” on a team is an important indicator of their likely success. You can poke your head into a meeting room and, without hearing a word of what is being said, get an instant impression … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged body language, buzz, communication media, engagement, exploration, fission-fusion, hunter-gatherer, hunters and herders, hunting dynamics, narrative | Comments Off

Growing People: Give head and elbow room

Posted on February 28, 2012 by David

How does one develop senior people? The evidence is rather clear from sources as far apart as the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and the consultants, McKinsey. At CCL they have found that the best preparation for a senior role in any … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged Andreas Kluth, bad bosses, Center for Creative Leadership, Chris Anderson, crisis, ecocycle, elbow room, flawed bosses, fractal, head room, job structure, learning from experience, McKinsey, The Economist, turnaround, Wired magazine | 1 Comment

Halftime in America: The power of story

Posted on February 23, 2012 by David

A day or so ago on the Harvard Business Review Readers discussion group the topic was posted: What did you learn from the best Super Bowl ad? The Super Bowl is a huge marketing showcase… of which a few commercials stood … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Leadership | Tagged analogy, Clint Eastwood, community, desire, Halftime in America, narrative, narrative truth, seamless success, shareholder value, story-telling mammals, Super Bowl, trouble | Comments Off

Diary of a Reformed Duffer

Posted on February 1, 2012 by David

TURNAROUND LESSONS LEARNED AT A GOLFING BOOT CAMP By David K. Hurst “If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play it, it’s recreation. If you WORK at it, it’s golf.” BOB HOPE When it comes to performance improvement, … Continue reading →