Encyclopedia of Leadership

1.1

LEADERSHIP IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Inspired by John Kotter, Peter Drucker, Bill Gates, Ikujuro Nonaka, Hirotaka Takeuchi, Alvin Toffler, and others.

Bill Gates suggests that, “if the 1980s were about quality, and the 1990s were about reengi-

neering, then the 2000s will be about velocity, about how quickly business itself will be trans-

acted.” This tool will help you look into a crystal ball and forecast your leadership future!

2 SECTION 1 FOUNDATIONALCONCEPTS

Organizational Culture

✘ Focused on internal processes

✘ Hierarchical, centralized, boundaries

✘ Inwardly focused

✘ Slow to change, long cycle times, risk-adverse

✘ Follow procedures

People

✘ Executives, management, professionals,etc.

✘ Top-down thinking, the General Manager

✘ Individuals working in a coordinated way

✘ Job descriptions and roles

✘ Production workers

✘ Long-term careers, loyalty

Systems

✘ Bureaucratic

✘ Few performance systems

✘ Lots of middle tiers

✘ Policies, procedures

✘ Control-based, production-based

✘ Large inventories, long lead times

Information

✘ Less time-dependent; controlled

✘ Paper-based processes and tools

✘ Political; information used for personal power

✘ Face-to-face teams only

✘ Business at the speed of talk and paper

Leadership Style

✘ Individual work and rewards

✘ Management knows best

✘ Doing things right

✘ Content

✘ Risk avoidance

✘ Telling and selling

Organizational Culture

✔ Focused on results and customers

✔ Flat, distributed, no functional stovepipes

✔ Focused on customers, environment

✔ Quick to adapt, encourages appropriate risks

✔ Innovative, entrepreneurial

People

✔ Leaders at all levels; everyone solves problems

✔ Everyone strategic, thinking, leading, and doing

✔ Teams with joint accountability for results

✔ Project descriptions, roles, and accountabilities

✔ Knowledge workers

✔ Project-based employment

Systems

✔ Think of the whole system; think systemically

✔ Multiple performance systems and measures

✔ Multiple interdependencies

✔ Values, principles, targets, accountabilities

✔ Value-based, quality-based

✔ Just-in-time inventories, delivery, learning

Information

✔ Real-time, multiple, and widely shared

✔ Digital-based processes and tools

✔ Open and candid, widespread information sharing

✔ Use of digital tools creates virtual teams

✔ Business at the speed of thought and light

Leadership Style

✔ Teamwork and team rewards

✔ Everyone is a leader

✔ Doing the right things

✔ Context (hypertext) and processes

✔ Taking appropriate risks

✔ Coaching and delegating

Late Twentieth Century Early Twenty-First Century

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