REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

214 REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

priest of business process re - engineering, a highly regarded transformer

of organizations (a change - catalyst), while Percy Barnevik was hailed at

the time for assembling the ultimate global organization, and was seen

as a highly effective integrator — an individual with a great strategic vision.

Despite these basic differences, there are, however, many similarities

in their outlook towards organizational design and the way they view

their role.

Initially, all three were dissatisfi ed with the way organizations are

traditionally run, and so were motivated to experiment with new ways

of making their organizations more effective. Searching for alternatives,

each one developed a new concept of how a corporation should be run

and a vision of where they wanted to take their organization in the

future.

Their beliefs and values were an integral part of their vision, moti-

vating them to spread their message with passion and conviction. Observ-

ing Welch, Barnevik, and Branson in action, we see three people who

knew how to create the kind of enthusiasm and commitment that

inspired others to join them. They recognized the importance of their

roles as strategists, change agents, coaches, and mentors. They wanted to

change the way people work in their respective companies by changing

their attitude. Moreover, these three CEOs wanted to instill in their

employees a kind of pride that would go beyond the numbers game.

They wanted to contribute something to society. Through their collec-

tive effort, they hoped that their companies would be perceived as

changing the world in a positive way. Just as Alfred Sloan of General

Motors was once the master architect of the ‘ modern ’ corporation — a

model that held up for many decades — these three executives became the

designers of a new prototype more in line with the postindustrial age.

The architectural aspect of leadership

So what makes these three men so different from many other executives?

First, and most importantly, all three acted as organizational architects,

and redesigned their corporate culture to inspire people wherever they

happened to be positioned in the organization to get them involved.

They wanted to foster a sense of ownership in their people.

Flat Structures, Not Tall Hierarchies

It has been a strong belief of all these three leaders that strategic aware-

ness should not be limited to the top echelons of the organization but