The least this book will do is serve as an eye-opener. Given what I came accross in companies, that by itself is already important. I have to agree with the author that very few companies understand the relationship between increases in revenue and employee emotions.
The approach the author presents for "tackling" this enormous task clearly has its advantages over "older" models of managing human resources. However, I recommend to complement this book with messages you'll find in Peter Block's "Flawless Consulting Fieldbook & Companion" and in David Cooperrider's "Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization". In these 2 books you'll find inspiration for better ways of implementing the path Lynda Gratton shows us. For that reason, my rating is limited to 4 stars. Still, you need to buy it to understand the "Why" of the path and to have an additional "drawing".
Anyway, start putting people at the heart of corporate purpose!
This review was written for the 7EQ.com Newsletter (Vol.4,n°4). Patrick Merlevede is co-author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"
In this context, Lynda Gratton firsty introduces the three tenets and the nine capabilities of new agenda as follows:
I. First tenet: we operate in time
* Past beliefs, hopes and commitments influence our current behavior: the 'memory of the past'.
* Current behavior is influenced by beliefs about what will happen in the future: the 'memory of the future'.
* Skills and knowledge take many years to develop.
* Human development progresses through a shared sequence.
* Attitudes and values are resistant to rapid change.
Capabilities:
1. Build visionary capabilities.
2. Develop scanning capabilities.
3. Create strategic capabilities.
II. Second tenet: we search for meaning
* We strive to interpret the clues and events around us, we actively engage with the world to seek a sense of meaning, to understand who we are and what we can contribute.
* Symbols, which may be events or artefacts are important in creating a sense of meaning.
* Over time groups of people create collective viewpoints, a sense of shared meaning.
Capabilities:
4. Develop diagnostic capabilities.
5. Create systemic capabilities.
6. Build adaptive capabilities.
III. Third tenet: we have a soul
* Each of us has a deep sense of personal identity of what we are, and of what we believe in.
* We can trust and feel inspired by our work-and when we do we are more creative.
* We can dream about possibilities and events.
* We can choose to give or withold our knowledge-depending on how we feel.
Capabilities:
7. Develop emotional capabilities.
8. Create trust-building capabilities.
9. Capability to build the psychological contract.
According to Lynda Gratton, to understand 'how' of putting people at the centre of corporate strategy, firstly we must understand 'why' this is crucial. Therefore, at the first stage she explores these tenets and capabilites as briefly mentioned above (more detailed discussion see Part II pp.25-94). At the next stage,to create a living strategy she developes a six-step process (build a guiding coalition, imagine the future, understand current capability and identify the gap, map the system, model the dynamics, and bridge into action) which goes from building commitment to moving into action (more detailed discussion see Part III pp.97-210). Finally, she presents a workbook to provide an opportunity to consider the philosophy and practice of a living strategy (see Part IV pp.213-229).
Highy recommended.