wisdom to win

 Wisdom to Win
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Christopher Bartlett Christopher Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal(1943- ) and Sumantra Ghoshal (1948-2004)

 

Experts in strategy and global corporations .

Bartlett (born in Australia) works at Harvard Business School (pictured right above)..

Ghoshal (Indian) tragically died of a brain haemorrhage.(pictured right below).

 

Key booksChristopher Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal

 

Managing Across Borders (1989)

A global corporation should be a transnational organization with three simultaneous characteristics:

 

1. Responsiveness 

In every country it operates extreme sensitivity to the requirements of stakeholders (particularly customers, employees, and governments).

 Its factories are controlled by local employees to maximize their motivation.

 

2. Efficiency 

Achieving global economies of scale (cost savings like discounts from bulk buying) by making and selling the same products worldwide.

 

3.Transfer of learning

All its employees:

  • learn through the spreading of knowledge throughout the organization.
  • are united and co-ordinated by the same values (or corporate culture), purpose, vision and global strategy.
  • are trained to think internationally,and quickly respond to the needs of local customers.

 

Key quote

Top management must obtain the personal commitment of every individual in the firm to the overall corporate agenda.

 

The Individualized Corporation (1997)

(see for more detail The Individualized Corporation in the Business Books section)

 

An “individualized corporation” is best, because it puts the individual employee’s needs, empowerment, creativity and learning at the centre of its corporate strategy.

This will help it to implement the three stages necessary to transform its performance:

 

1. Rationalization 

  • cost savings.
  • human resource strategies (like training) to improve employee performance.

 

2. Revitalization 

  • building mutual trust, support and respect (essential for empowerment).
  • stretching people to achieve challenging goals.
  • getting them working quickly and flexibly in teams across different parts of the organization.

 

3. Regeneration 

Challenging and supporting individual employees to continually learn and improve.

They will be motivated to do this if:

  • their needs are satisfied.
  • the organization has a moral purpose 

 

Key quote on empowerment

Empowerment is not abandonment.

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