Beyond Performance
How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Published on 1. June 2011
304 pages
978-1-118-09746-5 (ISBN)
Description
The secret of achieving and sustaining organizational excellencerevealed
In an ever-changing world where only a third of excellentorganizations stay that way over the long term, and where evenfewer are able to implement successful change programs, leaders arein need of big ideas and new tools to thrive. In BeyondPerformance, McKinsey & Company's Scott Keller and ColinPrice give you everything you need to build an organization thatcan execute in the short run and has the vitality to prosperover the long term.
Drawing on the most exhaustive research effort of its kind onorganizational effectiveness and change management, Keller andPrice put hard science behind their big idea: that the health of anorganization is equally as important as its performance. In thebook's foreword, management guru Gary Hamel refers to this notionas "a new manifesto for thinking about organizations."
* The authors illustrate why copying management best practicesfrom other companies is more dangerous than helpful
* Clearly explains how to determine the mutually reinforcingcombination of management practices that best fits yourorganization's context
* Provides practical tools to achieve superior levels ofperformance and health through a staged change process: aspire,assess, architect, act, and advance. Among these are new techniquesfor dealing with those aspects of human behavior that are seeminglyirrational (and therefore confound even the smartest leaders), yetentirely predictable
Ultimately, building a healthy organization is an intangibleasset that competitors copy at their peril and that enables you toskillfully adapt to and shape your environment faster thanothers--giving you the ultimate competitive advantage.
Reviews / Votes
"Beyond Performance is a gem - it is evidence-based,emotionally compelling, and relentlessly useful. If you wantto create a team or organization that enjoys sustained financialperformance--and where people love to work--thisdelightful book is for you." --Robert Sutton, Stanford Professor and author ofGood Boss, Bad BossMore details
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Scott Keller | Colin Price
Beyond Performance
How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Book
06/2011
Wiley
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Persons
Scott Keller is a director in the Southern California officeof McKinsey & Company, and leads its transformational changepractice inthe Americas. He has published several articles onchange management and organizational behavior, as well as a bookfor colleagues and clients. He holds an MBA and a BS in mechanicalengineering from the University of Notre Dame and has worked as amanufacturing manager with Procter & Gamble and a photovoltaicengineer for the U.S. Department of Energy. Outside McKinsey, Scottis a cofounder of Digital Divide Data, an award-winning socialenterprise that utilizes a sustainable IT service model to benefitsome of the world's most disadvantaged people.
Colin Price is a director in McKinsey's London office,and leads its organization practice worldwide. He has advised manyof the world's largest corporations, several national governments,and a number of charitable institutions. His booksinclude Mergers(with his colleague David Fubini and Maurizio Zollo of INSEAD), andVertical Take-Off (with Sir Richard Evans, former chairmanof British Aerospace). He holds degrees in economics, industrialrelations and psychology, and organizational behavior. He is anassociate fellow at Saïd Business School, University ofOxford, and a visiting professor at Bath University.
Content
Foreword ix
INTRODUCTION Excellence Found? Xiii
Only a third of organizations both achieve and sustain excellence.Why so few? People have been working together formillennia--you'd think we'd be better at it bynow. And what's the cost to business and society thatwe're not?
PART I WHY PERFORMANCE IS NOT ENOUGH
CHAPTER 1 The Big Idea: Performance and Health 3
Performance is about delivering financial results in the hereand now. Health is about the ability to do it year in, year out.The two are not the same. Some companies have neither; others havejust one. The ultimate competitive advantage lies in having both.But how?
CHAPTER 2 The Science: Hard Facts behind the Soft Stuff25
Health is every bit as measurable as performance. The path tohealth is just as clear as that to performance. The most exhaustiveresearch ever undertaken in the field tells us so. Is a change inmanagement accounting called for?
PART II THE FIVE FRAMES
CHAPTER 3 Aspire: Where Do We Want to Go? 47
Should we put more emphasis on short-term goals or long-termvision? Actually, it's the medium term that matters most. Isthere a recipe for success? In fact, there are four. Discover whata lottery ticket has to do with deciding which one is right foryour organization.
CHAPTER 4 Assess: How Ready Are We to Go There? 77
You know where you want to go, but does your organization havethe will and the skills to get there?
Finding out isn't easy, but it is possible. Understand howthrough lessons learned from running a four-minute mile andobserving disenfranchised monkeys.
CHAPTER 5 Architect: What Do We Need to Do to Get There?109 Now it's time to plan the journey to achieve yourgoals.
Working out what to do to improve performance isn'tenough--you need to decide what not to do aswell.
And designing the how just as thoughtfully as thewhat will be the key to unlocking better health.
CHAPTER 6 Act: How Do We Manage the Journey? 155
Staying the course requires flexibility--adjusting as yougo. Understand a tale of two pilots, put in place the rightstructure, and measure the right things. You'll needextraordinary amounts of energy, so use both military and marketingtactics to drive ownership.
CHAPTER 7 Advance: How Do We Keep Moving Forward? 177
Now what? Keep changing! Once you've built theinfrastructure for continuous improvement and the leadershipcompetencies to drive your organization forward, change will comenaturally. Ultimate competitive advantage is yours.
PART III PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
CHAPTER 8 The Senior Leader's Role: Does Change Have toStart at the Top? 203
The senior leader casts a long shadow. The road to success isimmeasurably easier if they embrace the role that only they canplay. That means making it personal, getting the right team inplace, and applying the right levels of challenge and support.
CHAPTER 9 The Five Frames in Action: How Do You Make a GreatOrganization Even Better? 219
It's one thing to face the challenge of turning around astruggling organization. But how do you set about transforming whenlife is good? Follow one company as it makes its journey throughthe five frames.
CHAPTER 10 Making It Happen: Do You Have What It Takes?231
Now you've got the knowledge, what are you going to dowith it? Start by getting a firm grip on your organization'sperformance and health. Then work through the five frames. If theodds of becoming and staying excellent are to improve, it startswith you.
Notes 243
Recommended Reading 261
Acknowledgments 263
About the Authors 269
Index 271
