Rob Goffee and Gareth
Jones
Two British experts in corporate culture and leadership (pictured right, Goffee is on the left).
Goffee is a professor at the London Business School, and Jones was head of human resources at the BBC.
Key books
The Character of a Corporation
(1998)
The effectiveness of a corporate culture is decided by its:
- sociability (the degree of friendliness between employees.)
- solidarity (the ability to achieve shared objectives quickly and
effectively).
These create four types of corporate culture:
1. Networked (high sociability, low solidarity)
Works best where long-term employee commitment and knowledge of local markets are important, and communication
between different business units is unnecessary.
2. Mercenary (low sociability, high solidarity)
Most appropriate when:
- processes and procedures can be imposed on business units.
- the organization’s objectives and the competition are both
clear.
3. Fragmented (low sociability, low
solidarity)
Best for highly individualistic and autonomous work that requires very little
teamwork and interdependence.
4. Communal (high sociability, high solidarity)
Most successful in highly innovative industries that require:
- co-operation between business units.
- long-term employee commitment.
These cultures will co-exist in different parts of the organization to cope with their different situations.
Key quotes on corporate culture (from the
2nd edition, 2003)
There is not one ‘right’ or ‘best’ culture for an organization – only the appropriate culture for a business
environment.
Somewhere in the elusive concept of corporate character – culture, if you will – lies a main source of
sustainable competitive advantage.
Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?
(2006)
The best leaders are “authentic” because they are:
1. Empathetic or
tough
Choosing the right time to be either empathetic or tough by knowing and understanding every situation
(“situation sensing”) .
2. Inspirational
Inspiring people by:
- talking to people one-to-one.
- treating them as individuals.
- making “performance meaningful” (by creating excitement about work and a sense of
community).
3. Communitarian
Seeing the organization as a community with a common purpose as well as a group of individuals
with differing needs.
4. Intuitive
Having the confidence and the courage to act on intuition rather than logical analysis.
5. Transparent and know
themselves
Leaders should know their strengths and weaknesses and be
open about them.
6. Continuous
learners
Learning from experience.
7. Moral
Leaders should:
- be guided by ethical values.
8. Genuine
Leaders should be themselves, because they’re happy with who they are.
9. Passionate
Really caring about your vision, aims and ideas.
Great organizations have these authentic leaders at every level (not just at the top) who
must inspire their followers to achieve great results.
Key quote on
leadership
It [leadership] is not only about performance; it is also about meaning.
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