Rally People Around a Vision	With the failure of many corporate initiatives and difficult economic times, people tend to smile at the very idea of proclaiming a vision for the future of their company. Nonetheless, organizations have a real opportunity to mobilize people in a world where citizens are more vocal in demanding their rights, and employees are increasingly disillusioned with their employers. The author of The Committed Enterprise explains why organizations should seize this opportunity, and how to do so successfully.
Hugh Davidson, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002.
La logique de l'informel	Corporate leaders often see themselves as organizational “architects.” They tend to think that behavior will naturally flow according to the operating rules that they define, such as organizational structures, procedures, objectives, incentive mechanisms, etc. La logique de l’informel highlights the many other phenomena outside direct executive control that nonetheless have a decisive influence on behavior – power struggles, sense of identity, team culture, etc. The author underlines the importance of understanding these phenomena and integrating them into management thinking. In particular, he proposes various ways to improve collaboration between different business units?
Gérard Pavy. Les Editions d'Organisation, 2002.
Profit Beyond Measure	Stock market pressure has encouraged many companies to adopt management by financial results, particularly since setting stretch objectives pushes employees to perform. Yet, Profit Beyond Measure reveals that this approach often generates hidden costs and can be demoralizing. The authors instead recommend management by means, an approach used by Toyota and Scania. They show how focusing on operational improvement produces better long-term results. They also offer the keys to the successful implementation of this management method.
H. Thomas Johnson & Anders Bröms. Simon & Schuster, 2000.
The Strategy-Focused Organization	It is not as difficult to develop an effective strategy as it is to get it implemented. The authors of The Strategy-Focused Organization show how an appropriate management system provides essential support in strategy implementation. They show how a Balanced Scorecard helps ensure that the different initiatives taken at all levels of the organization are aligned with corporate strategy. This tool also helps managers focus on long-term strategic thinking rather than short-term objectives.
Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, Harvard Business School Press, 2001.
Peak Performance	All companies cast an envious eye toward organizations that get high performance from their employees. Peak Performance analyzes the reasons for their success. The author shows that these companies are able to find the right combination between corporate success and employee satisfaction. He identifies five paths to high performance and provides many useful tips on how to implement them. However, he does warn executives that creating the conditions for high performance is a strategic choice that requires strong management commitment and significant investment..
Jon R. Katzenbach, Harvard Business School Press, 2000.
The Knowing-Doing Gap	Corporate problems are rarely caused by a lack of ideas. Managers are often familiar with techniques to improve financial performance and processes. Many easily-accessible studies have documented best practices. The real cause lies elsewhere--in implementation. The Knowing-Doing Gap analyzes the obstacles that stop managers from taking theory into practice and turning knowledge into action. This book offers precious advice on how companies can turn good ideas into tangible progress.
Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton, Harvard Business School Press, 1999.
The Individualized Corporation	How to instill initiative and entrepreneurial spirit in a vast organization? The authors offer an answer in the form of a customized corporate model, built from their observations of corporations like ABB, General Electric, 3M, and McKinsey. One important dimension is composed of the values promoted by the company, such as self-discipline, confidence, coaching, etc.
C. Bartlett and S. Ghoshal, Haper Collins, 1998.
Winning'em Over	Managers now need more than just good ideas. They also must be able to convince others. Winning'em Over shows that persuasion has become an indispensable tool for any executive. The author analyzes the key steps in the art of persuasion, i.e. building credibility, finding common ground, formulating compelling proposals, and connecting emotionally. The book also offers practical tips on how to reinforce one's persuasive skills.
Jay A. Conger, éd. Simon & Shuster, 1998.
Beyond the Hype	This book uses an original approach to help readers rediscover the fundamental principles of management, namely, rhetoric, action, and identity. Based on these principles, the authors construct an interesting treatise on strategy, structure, and management drivers that eschews trendy influences.
Robert G. Eccles, Nitin Nohria and James D. Berkley, Harvard Business School Press, 1992.
Visionary Leadership	The author, Burt Nanus, holds that leaders are primarily people who have forged a clear vision of the future of their company. He consequently offers a method to build a relevant vision of the future of a company, and proposes a scenario-building approach to accomplish this, starting with methods and tools to create and select target scenarios, followed by explanations on how to define scenario paths to attain desired goals.
Burt Nanus, Jossey-Bass, 1991.
Trust in the Balance	Trust is a critical component of smooth organizational functioning, and supports delegation, information sharing, and cooperation. This book sheds light on how to develop trust, analyzed as the end-product of showing results, integrity, and concern for others.
Robert Bruce Shaw, Jossey-Bass, 1997.
La stratégie du projet latéral	When leading a project that encounters stiff opposition, managers can call upon the specific approach described in this book, i.e.: how to understand the project environment; strategies to avoid; the four steps of the recommended approach.
Olivier d'Herbemont and Bruno César, Dunod, 1996.
Leadership Without Easy Answers	Companies are often said to need visionary leaders, but this book offers a completely different perspective that merits some reflection. For the author, the test of a good leader is how well he helps his organization adapt its values and behavior to changes in the environment. This approach certainly has social merit and should help executives avoid common traps into which visionary leaders often fall.
Ronald A. Heifetz, Harvard University Press, 1994.
The Self Managing Organization	To answer the question of how to foster the autonomy of operational teams, this book describes two tools that have proven their worth, i.e., the search conference and participative design. The first of these methods allows all employees to participate in developing corporate strategy, thus giving everyone more autonomy during implementation. The second method helps entrust organizational design to to the operational staff who will then be in charge of managing it once it is up and running. The author describes these two tools using concrete illustrations of companies that have successfully implemented them, such as Microsoft, Motorola, etc.
Ronald Purser and Steven Cabana, The Free Press, 1998.
Leading Change	This book describes the role of leaders in managing change programs, i.e., create a sense of urgency; form a strong coalition; develop a vision; communicate the vision; eliminate obstacles to change; demonstrate quick wins; build on initial wins to accelerate change; embed new practices into the corporate culture.
John P. Kotter, Harvard Business School Press, 1996.
The Search Conference	Developing strategy in conjunction with concerned employees is a powerful means to ensure their later support when the strategy is effectively implemented. This book details a proven participative strategy method, i.e. the search conference, which consists of organizing a two- to three-day conference where employee representatives meet to develop a strategic action plan.
Merrelyn Emery and Ronald E. Purser, Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Mind-Set Management	This book explores the challenges facing managers as they attempt to lead people they do not really control. Employees are expected to become increasingly autonomous in the workplace, while managers are still responsible for leading everyone toward a common goal. The author incites managers seeking to reconcile these two seemingly-conflictual imperatives to serve as ÒadvisorsÓ to their employees, and outlines several principles to help them succeed in this difficult task.
Samuel A. Culbert, Oxford University Press, 1996.