Business Leadership

'Throughout, Bjerke carefully cites the supporting literature of the general social sciences as well as that of management and business organization. The volume's cumulative development is impressive in its marshalling of the diverse approaches and insights while probing into the special characteristics of each of the five national cultures selected.... Recommended for international business collections, upper-division undergraduate through professional.' - J.C. Thompson, Choice How do business leaders think as a result of their national culture? This book provides a discussion and comparative analysis of five major cultures - American, Arab, Chinese, Japanese and Scandinavian - and how they reveal themselves in business practice. The author begins by introducing the concept of culture and why it is important, addressing issues such as values, beliefs and assumptions and the consequences of these. Björn Bjerke then goes on to address corporate culture and business strategy as well as some myths associated with national cultures. Looking at the five specific cultures he addresses cultural themes and presents a typified picture of the business leader in each of these. He concludes that there are five different capitalist systems governing these cultures, and that the business leader plays a different role in each. Extending this discussion, the author questions whether the culture-free business leader exists and, if so, what the characteristics of such a person might be. Business Leadership and Culture will enlighten students, scholars and business people about the consequences of culture for international business and management.

This impressive volume is a collection of thought leadership pieces written by leaders in business, academia and consulting firms from around the world, in conjunction with the firm Heidrick and Struggles. The book offers a compliation of knowledge from people across industries and across the globe on a variety of strategic issues facing the executives of today such as Governance, Leadership, Leading Transformation, Human Capital and the War For talent, Investing in the New Economy, and Emerging Business Models. Each section will consist of thought pieces and interviews by some of the leaders who are successfully navigating today's difficult and changing market environment including Craig Conway, President and CEO, PeopleSoft, Inc.; David S. Pottruck, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Charles Schwab Corporation; Fred Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO, FedEx Corporation; Hank McKinnell, CEO, Pfizer; Kenneth Chanault, CEO, American Express; Steve Reinmund, CEO, PepsiCo; Edward Tian, CEO, China Netcom; and Heinrich von Pierer, CEO of Siemens. Framing these sections will be articles by leading academics in the field, including Jay Conger on governance, Mohanbir Sawhney on new business models and Elspeth Murray on change. This book cuts through the jargon and the fluff, and serves as a reference manual that senior managers can digest quickly, and which MBA students will find invaluable.

In these times of intense change, what role should our most important business leaders play in society? How do the CEOs of major corporations define their jobs? How should they define them? These are the questions posed and answered in The Mind of the CEO.

Based on extensive and highly personal interviews with forty chief executives around the world -- among them GE's Jack Welch, AOL's Steven Case, Intel's Andy Grove, Newscorp's Rupert Murdoch, BP Amoco's John Browne, Nokia's Jorma Olilla, and Toyota's Hiroshi Okuda -- The Mind of the CEO takes us on a journey into the innermost thoughts of today's corporate titans and paints a compelling picture of the strategic and daily challenges facing them. Jeffrey Garten's findings are a challenge to those who are suspicious of corporate power, those who believe CEOs should focus only on enriching shareholders, and even to many CEOs who see their jobs much more narrowly. No one interested in the future can afford not to read, think about, and debate this book.

This book seeks to promote a new spiritual approach to organizational leadership that goes beyond visionary management to a new focus on the spiritual for both leader and led. Reflecting on the current crisis of meaning in America, this book takes up the search for significance in peoples' worklives--in the products they produce and in the services they offer. Recognizing that the new corporation has become the dominant community for many-- commanding most of our waking hours by providing a focus for life, a measure of personal success, and a network of personal relationships--Fairholm calls on business leaders to focus their attention on the processes of community among their stakeholders: wholeness, integrity, stewardship, and morality.

The chapters in this book explore the ethical dynamics between leaders and followers in business and in society as a whole. They argue that power and authority in today's world stem not from position or coercion, but from trust, commitment, and values shared with those who are led. The authors raise important questions such as: How do people give and get trust? What moral hazards are inherent in transformational and charismatic leader/follower relationships? What roles do deception and self-deception play in giving and receiving power? The reader will gain a better understanding of the complex moral interaction of leaders and followers and why healthy moral relationships between leaders and followers are central to effective leadership. Practitioners, academics, and students will find this passionate collection invaluable in understanding the exciting and often controversial field of leadership and ethics.

Today's leaders are faced with more complex and critical challenges than ever before. Inspirational charisma, financial acumen, and strategic thinking are all prerequisites for the job but are not enough to build -- or, more important, sustain -- vibrant and successful organizations. In The Real Work of Leaders, Don Laurie digs beneath the surface to explore the "act of leadership", the essence of what leaders need to do on a daily basis to frame challenges, mobilize people, and adapt to constant change. Based on fifteen years experience advising dozens of the world's most progressive and influential business leaders, including Lew Platt of Hewlett-Packard and Ralph Larsen of Johnson & Johnson, The Real Work of Leaders offers a fresh and energizing perspective on the craft of leadership -- establishing cultural values, promoting continuous learning, managing conflicting goals simultaneously, building trust, incubating new ideas, and seeing as far into the future as possible.

Warren Bennis has become synonymous with leadership, exploring all its dimensions as both practitioner and scholar for over four decades. Managing the Dream is an intimate portrait of leadership, comprising over a dozen essays that represent the author's most incisive and creative thinking. It features many of Bennis's most recent works, including "The End of Leadership", and a new preface reflecting on the challenge of leadership in the new millennium.

The quality of corporate leadership is often the key factor that determines success - or failure - in a fiercely competitive business world. However, it is often the last item on the list when budgeting for training. Competencies, Coaching, and Corporate Leadership closes the gap between the need for leadership coaching and its actualization. The book helps companies create the core competencies that leaders must master in order to propel their companies forward. Ultimately, these core competencies become the basis for the supportive coaching process. The key concepts in the book are supported by a unique competency model, tools for successful implementation, and never before published case studies.