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Praise for William E. Schneider's work The framework used in
Lead Right for Your Company's Type was named one of the top systems of thought that have made the greatest contributions to consulting psychology over the past century by the American Psychological Association! "Your approach showed us that though we were organizing one way, we were acting another. Of all the alternatives, your approach to culture and its alignment with strategy and leadership is the one that makes the most sense."
-- Diane J. Bradford, VP Human Resources, Boeing, Huntington Beach, CA "Possibly the best report like this I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Thanks very much."
-- Lisa Sutherland Kirkman, The Governance Institute "Wow. This is, by far, the best approach I have ever seen."
-- Joe Levy, Managing Director, Apollo Theater "Just what we need for our leadership development program."
-- K. Purcell, Director, Leadership Development, Microsoft "Your approach showed us that we were misunderstanding our customer promise and, as soon as we implemented what our proper customer promise required, our revenues increased by 40% in the first year and continue to increase to this day."
-- Gregg Buchbinder, CEO, JBI Interiors "Your work on customer promise, culture and leadership is great distilled wisdom."
-- Tom Rand, Ph.D., CEO, Rand Consulting Group, Inc.
List of contents
Contents
Foreword xi
Introduction: Your Enterprise Is a Living People System xv
SECTION I
THE FOUR LIVING ENTERPRISES 1
1. The Four Living Enterprises: Determining Your Organization's Type 3
2. The Predictable and Dependable Enterprise: Providing Basic and Dependable Products and Services 21
3. The Enrichment Enterprise: Elevating Customer's Lives 39
4. The Best-In-Class Enterprise: Creating and Delivering Distinctive Products and Services 57
5. The Customized Enterprise: Delivering a Tailored Solution for Each Unique Customer 75
6. The System-Centric Mind-set: Start and Stay with Your Living System 93
SECTION II
HOW TO CONNECT YOUR CUSTOMER PROMISE, CULTURE, AND LEADERSHIP 115
7. Focus: Establishing the Magnetic North for Your Enterprise 117
8. Configuration: Properly Connecting Core and Support Work Processes 129
9. Integration: Linking the Fifteen Drivers of Culture and the Three Drivers of Leadership to Your Unique Customer Promise 139
10. Balance: Keeping Your Strengths from Becoming Weaknesses 153
11. Adaptation: Adapting to Environmental and Life Cycle Changes 165
12. Conclusion 177
Appendix Analytics
Using the Validated Assessments Available to You and Your Enterprise 181
The Enterprise-Level Assessments 182
Enterprise Customer Promise Indicator (ECPI)TM 182
Enterprise Culture Indicator (ECI)TM183
Enterprise Leadership Team Indicator (ELTI)TM183
The Individual-Level Assessments 183
Individual Leader Indicator (ILI)TM 183
Individual Contributor Indicator (ICI)TM 184
References 185
Index195
About the author
William E. Schneider, Ph.D. is a consulting psychologist and co-owner of Corporate Development Group (CDG), a leadership and organizational development firm. He is the author of
The Reengineering Alternative.
Summary
Lead Right for Your Company’s Type will help you find the best strategies for success for your unique business.
Every year, businesses needlessly fail because they adapted the wrong strategies suited for their organization’s strengths. A mid-tier retail chain is derailed by leadership demands for superior products instead of reliably low prices. A software giant is brought to its knees by prioritizing profits over innovation. A small arts college is destabilized by top-down rules designed for a predictable and dependable company. There is no one-size-fits-all game plan for success when it comes to the wide array of businesses today. Success starts with knowing the kind of business you’re really in.
In Lead Right for Your Company’s Type, learn the four categories that every enterprise falls into, depending on their customer promise:
- customized (e.g., ad agency),
- predictable and dependable (e.g., utility company),
- benevolent (e.g., educational institution),
- and best in class (e.g., high-tech company like Apple).
Then follow a proven five-step process to help you in diagnosing your organization’s ills and stop them at their source. Apply the wrong practices and the mismatch pulls the enterprise apart. However, when leadership practices fit the customer promise and company type, the organization thrives.
