Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #541599 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-14
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .91" h x 4.87" w x 8.40" l, .72 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 372 pages

From Library Journal
In this fundamentally different management approach, two business professors (Ghoshal is with London Business School, and Bartlett is with Harvard Business School) present a summary of their six years of research into the operations of companies they define as building an "individualized" approach to running a business and the significant impact of this concept on management. The success with this approach by IBM, 3M, and other "individualized companies" helps this far-flung idea connect, while the narration by Peter C. Kovner sounds as if it were being presented in an annual conference of consultants. Be forewarned: the management consultant "gurubabble" is thick, making for a hard listen by a stressed executive. Suggested only on demand for larger public libraries.?Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
As business management style has shifted from the all-knowing manager and a vertical reporting structure to work teams and a horizontal reporting structure, the nature of employee-employer relationships has changed. Ghoshal and Bartlett review the history of management styles and the recent shift to emphasizing individuals and their specialized, hidden skills, such as self-direction, creativity and initiative. Kovner narrates this theoretical, historical work flawlessly, presenting the subject in clear, concise words. While practical, how-to advice is missing, concrete examples of how companies changed their management styles will inspire all business owners to rethink how their companies work. The abridgment doesn't interrupt the flow or continuity of management ideas. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
It is rare for an article in a scholarly journal to attract attention outside academic circles, but a three-part series entitled "Changing the Role of Top Management" that appeared in the Harvard Business Review in late 1994 and early 1995 has created a buzz in the popular business press and spawned a new catchphrase. Now its authors elaborate on the concept of the "individualized corporation," which they unveiled. Ghoshal is chair of strategic leadership at the London Business School and has been identified as one of a handful of cutting-edge management thinkers based in Europe. Bartlett is a professor at the Harvard Business School. Although some of what the two propose sounds a lot like empowerment and organizational learning, theirs is a new, fully elaborated model that calls for a restructuring of the organization and a redefinition of management. The authors challenge top management to emphasize purpose and process, not strategy and structure, and to move beyond direction and control to create an environment that makes the most of each individual's knowledge and skills. Sure to be in demand in the business collection. David Rouse