| Four mistakes leaders keep making. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20821968 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Again and again, senior managers fall into four behavioral traps that thwart organizational change. The behaviors are difficult to recognize and reverse because they serve to protect egos and prevent anxiety--but executives can overcome them. First, managers fail to set proper expectations. When they announce major directional changes or new goals, they don't spell out credible plans or specify who's accountable. Second, they excuse subordinates from the pursuit of overall goals, allowing people to remain preoccupied with their own units. Third, executives essentially collude with staff experts and consultants by going along with a deeply flawed contract: The experts agree to deliver and implement a "product" (a new system, for instance) but don't include measurable gains as part of the deal. Fourth, managers wait while associates overprepare. After challenging their employees to make needed improvements, they accept the response "Yes, but first we have to..." Finish the sentence: Train our people. Set up focus groups. Bring in Six Sigma. And so on. The best way to confront the traps is to conduct small personal experiments that rapidly produce tangible results, incur little risk of failure, and are confined enough to demonstrate a clear link between trial and outcome. For example, one iron plant addressed quality problems by targeting five areas for improvement, setting clear and measurable goals for each, and holding team Leaders accountable for outcomes. AlL five experiments succeeded and were extended to the rest of the plant. Quality problems eased up within 100 days and virtually disappeared a few months later. |
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Authors:
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Robert H Schaffer |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Harvard business review Volume: 88 ISSN: 0017-8012 ISO Abbreviation: Harv Bus Rev Publication Date: 2010 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-09-08 Completed Date: 2010-10-05 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 9875796 Medline TA: Harv Bus Rev Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 86-91, 126 Citation Subset: H |
Affiliation:
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Schaffer Consulting, Stamford, Connecticut, USA. rschaffer@schafferresults.com |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Administrative Personnel* Leadership Organizational Innovation Personnel Management / methods* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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