The uncompromising leader (chief executive officer’s job in managing the tension between people and profits)

Citation

(2009), "The uncompromising leader (chief executive officer’s job in managing the tension between people and profits)", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 23 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2009.08123aad.006

The uncompromising leader (chief executive officer’s job in managing the tension between people and profits)

Article Type: Abstracts From: Development and Learning in Organizations, Volume 23, Issue 1

Eisenstat R.A., , Beer M., , Foote N., , Fredberg T. and , Norrgren F. Harvard Business Review, July-August 2008, Vol. 86 No. 7-8, Start page: 51, No. of pages: 7

Purpose – to study how chief executive officers (CEOs) are able to reconcile the tension between people and profits within companies through collective leadership. Design/methodology/approach – the two questions studied involved how CEOs successfully reconcile the inevitable tensions between the quest for high organizational performance and their desire to build a sustainable high-commitment institution and what allowed them to introduce the frequently drastic changes that their companies needed while also winning the acceptance and commitment from the people most affected. Discusses the leadership aspects of the CEO’s efforts to win over subordinate managers and persuade them to embrace the sometimes uncomfortable changes needed to achieve success. Argues that the goal for the CEO should be to devote considerable efforts to building the company’s collective leadership capabilities. Findings – the major strategies of a high-commitment, high performance (HCHP) CEO in successfully developing a collective leadership within a company are discussed at length in terms of: earning trust; engaging with the organization; maintaining focus and consistency of purpose; creating a collective leadership capability; developing shared purpose; and keeping a balanced perspective. Concludes with a list of 22 HCHP CEOs in companies worldwide. Originality/value – Helps to understand the difficulties facing CEOs in managing change through the development of a collective leadership environment. ISSN: 0017-8012 Reference: 37AR077

Keywords: Chief executives, Leadership, Organizational change, Organizational performance, Organizations