Boundaryless Organization : Breaking the Chains of Organization Structure » (REVISED)

Ron Ashkenas is a managing partner of Robert H. Schaffer & Associates in Stamford, Connecticut. A leading consultant to CEOs on organizational transformation, his articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review and other leading business publications. His clients have included General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, the World Bank, and numerous other public and private sector firms.

Dave Ulrich is professor of business administration at the University of Michigan. He was named by Business Week as one of the world's top ten educators in management and the top educator in human resources.

Todd Jick, formerly a professor at Harvard Business School, is a managing partner with the Center for Executive Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has consulted with numerous companies in the United States and Europe including Merrill Lynch, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Novartis, and Cadbury Schweppes.

Steve Kerr is chief learning officer and a managing director of Goldman Sachs. A former dean at the University of Southern California and former professor of management at the University of Michigan, he was the first chief learning officer for General Electric.

In the words of Jack Welch— the legendary former CEO of General Electric— today's organizations must become "boundaryless" if they are to be successful. In this thoroughly revised and updated edition of The Boundaryless Organization four of the management experts who helped GE create a boundaryless culture explain what it takes to make the boundaryless organization a reality. Drawing on both theory and practice, they show how to break through the four most common types of organizational boundaries-hierarchical (or vertical), functional (or horizontal), external, and geographic-to achieve the speed, flexibility, integration, and innovation needed to survive and thrive in today's business environment. Using examples from GE, Schwab, GlaxoSmithKline, and other successful companies, the authors demonstrate how the free flow of ideas, resources, and talent in and out of the organization, up and down the hierarchy, and across geographic boundaries can result in outstanding performance.

The Boundaryless Organization reveals how leaders can use four powerful "levers" to foster a shift from "command and control" methods to those that rely more on creating shared mind-sets, stretch goals, and empowered colleagues, including:

• Information-encouraging greater access to information across all boundaries
• Authority-giving people at different levels the power to make decisions
• Competence-helping people develop the skills they need to succeed
• Rewards-giving people the incentives to achieve shared organizational goals

With a focus on results, accountability, and tough decision-making, this new edition of The Boundaryless Organization shows why, more than ever, being "boundaryless" is an absolute requirement for organizational success in today's economy.

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

In a completely revised edition of their 1995 groundbreaking work The Boundaryless Organization, the authors offer new examples, fresh commentary about the developments of the last five years, and first-hand accounts from visionary senior executives - proof that "boundaryless" is a necessity for any company that wants to succeed in today's economy. Copyright (c) 2002 Soundview Executive Book Summaries

	Foreword
	Foreword
	Preface
	The Authors
1	A New World Order: Rising to the Challenge of New Success Factors	1
Pt. 1	Free Movement Up and Down: Crossing Vertical Boundaries	31
2	Toward a Healthy Hierarchy	37
3	Rewiring and Retuning the Hierarchy	62
Pt. 2	Free Movement Side to Side: Crossing Horizontal Boundaries	103
4	Beyond Turf and Territory	109
5	Integrating Resources to Serve the Customer	138
Pt. 3	Free Movement Along the Value Chain: Crossing External Boundaries	179
6	Toward Partnership with Customers and Suppliers	185
7	Strengthening the Value Chain	212
Pt. 4	Free Global Movement: Crossing Geographic Boundaries	243
8	Toward the Global Corporation	247
9	Actions for Global Learners, Launchers, and Leaders	277
10	Conclusion: Leading Toward the Boundaryless Organization	304
	Notes	325
	Index	333