Execution, The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Citation

Cassell, K.A. (2002), "Execution, The Discipline of Getting Things Done", The Bottom Line, Vol. 15 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2002.17015dae.001

Execution, The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Edited by Kay Ann Cassell and Marina I. Mercado

Execution, The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Bossidy, L. and Charan, R.Crown BusinessNew York2002

Keywords: Management, Personnel management, Strategy planning

Larry Bossidy is a well-regarded CEO who is chairman and former CEO of Honeywell International and Allied Signal and Ram Charan is an advisor to CEOs of many companies. This book concentrates on the issue of "execution", which the authors say is the biggest issue facing business today. The authors define "execution" as "a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability. It includes making assumptions about the business environment, assessing the organization's capabilities, linking strategy to operations, and the people who are going to implement the strategy, synchronizing those people and their various disciplines, and linking rewards to outcomes. It also includes mechanisms for changing assumptions as the environment changes and upgrading the company's capabilities to meet the challenges of an ambitious strategy."

The authors discuss execution through a series of three building blocks and three core processes. The first building block is the seven essential behaviors of leaders which are:

1. 1.

   know your people and your business;

2. 2.

   insist on realism;

3. 3.

   set clear goals and priorities;

4. 4.

   follow through;

5. 5.

   reward the doers;

6. 6.

   expand people's capabilities;

7. 7.

   know yourself.

The second building block is creating a framework for cultural change, which the authors describe as setting up processes "that will change the beliefs and behavior of people in ways that are directly linked to bottom-line results". The third building block is focusing on people selection that the authors say is having the right people in the right jobs.

The three processes are the people process, the strategy process and the operations process. The people process is the most important. The authors say it is not enough to know whether someone can do their present job, but to know whether they can do the job of tomorrow. No strategy will work unless the right people to execute it are in place. In addition to the corporate strategy, the authors discuss the business unit strategy that should be developed by the people working in the unit. This should be realistic and easy to understand. The operating process provides the detailed plan for the work. It is taking the strategy and making it into a work plan. The authors say that "it ties a thread through people, strategy and operation, and it translates into assigning goals and objectives for the next year".

This very pragmatic approach to running businesses large and small is a much-needed contribution to the literature. It ties all the parts together. It shows that leadership must be anchored in reality, that change is always on the horizon, and leaders must be prepared for it. An interesting book that will give administrators lots to think about.

Kay Ann CassellAssociate Director, Programs and Services for the New York Public Library's Branch Libraries