http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/354304

Rethinking the corporation : the architecture of change

"Change or die" has become the rallying cry of companies around the globe. But despite these brave words, actual, sustainable change often remains an elusive ideal as companies flounder around in a foaming sea of buzzwords, theories, and approaches. Leaders wonder: Should we downsize ... or rightsize ... bring in TQM ... empower the workforce ... maybe reengineer ... or find our core competence? For many companies these crisis-driven cures have not delivered on their promises. "Some have been worse than the ills they tried to cope with," points out author and organization planner Robert Tomasko. "Thriving into the twenty-first century requires more. It necessitates abandoning the nineteenth century logic that still drives many organizations. It requires a from-the-ground-up rethinking of the corporation - its size, its structure, and its infrastructure." Using lessons and parallels from architecture, Rethinking the Corporation provides a blueprint for such a reexamination. It does not specify any one-size-fits-all solution for every type of business, but shows how to go beyond the superficial and make the kinds of fundamental changes in corporate structure that are essential if today's popular improvement programs are to have a lasting impact. This ground-breaking book offers numerous examples of ahead-of-the-pack companies around the world that are already rethinking what they do best. Tomasko explains how these leading companies have broadened jobs, replaced departments with teams, and reorganized themselves around their most critical business processes. Rethinking the Corporation lays out this new way of looking at a company in three major steps: resizing, reshaping, and rethinking. The book supplies diagrams, mini-models, and practical guidelines that help resolve issues such as how big a company should be; how bloatless growth can occur; how unnecessary work can be identified and outplaced; why hierarchy shouldn't disappear; how it can be tamed and become a positive force for change and adaptability; how high-performing knowledge workers can advance in pay and power - without needing to become managers; how a company can benefit by giving each employee a portfolio of assignments, instead of a narrowly confining job; and how innovative organizational improvement can be tested without putting the entire company at risk. In the midst of much talk about change, Rethinking the Corporation provides a realistic framework for businesses that will successfully navigate the final decade of this turbulent century and emerge as leaders of the next.

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