|
There is a potentially infectious condition
inside virtually all organizations that can cause more damage
than economic downturns, management upheavals, and global
business shifts. Until now it has had no name. But it has
impacted some of the world's leading companies, including
Procter & Gamble, IBM, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft.
Robert J. Herbold, whose job as COO of Microsoft
during much of the 1990s was to fight complexity and implement
efficient operating practices in the face of +30 percent
growth per year, calls it the Fiefdom Syndrome. And it happens
at organizations large and small, profit and nonprofit,
at the individual level as well as the group and divisional
level. It can undercut a company's effectiveness, and in
extreme cases it has shaken entire industries and taken
down major corporations.
The problem begins when individuals, groups,
or divisions -- out of fear -- seek to make themselves vital
to their organizations and, unconsciously or sometimes deliberately,
try to protect their turf and gain as much control as possible
over what goes on. It is a natural human tendency, dating
back to the origins of our species, but if it isn't managed
properly, the damage caused by these "fiefdoms"
can spell the death knell of what should have been a strong
and vital organization.
People who create fiefdoms can become dangerously
insular, losing perspective on what is happening in the
world outside their own control. They hoard resources. They
are determined to do things in their own way, often duplicating
or complicating what should be streamlined throughout the
company, leading to runaway costs, increased bureaucracy,
and a loss of agility and speed.
In The Fiefdom Syndrome, Bob Herbold
exposes why fiefdoms occur and the myriad ways they can
compromise a company's effectiveness -- as well as shows
what managers, companies, and individuals need to do to
break up fiefdoms and eliminate turf wars. Illustrated with
countless "war stories" from Microsoft, Procter
& Gamble, and other corporations, this book is an essential
tool in every manager's toolkit.
Robert J. Herbold is an authority on
business operations, marketing, strategy, and profitability.
From 1994 to 2001 he was Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer of Microsoft, managing the operational
aspects of the company. He spent twenty-six years at Procter
& Gamble in a variety of roles, with his last five years
as Senior Vice President of Marketing. In 2001 he launched
The Herbold Group LLC, providing consulting to major corporations.
|
