Speed Lead: Faster, Simpler Ways to Manage People, Projects and Teams in Complex Companies

According to Kevan Hall, "the book is about how to simplify the way we work together in complex companies to increase speed, make them easier and cheaper to operate, and provide a more satisfying place to work." Obviously, these are highly desirable objectives but seldom easy to achieve...especially now in what James O'Toole and Edward Lawler characterize as a "crazy-quilt world of work." In The New American Workplace, they share the results of their research and identify "some clearly identifiable developments": Insufficient creation of "good jobs" Increased choice and risk Increased influence of competitive and economic drivers Increased tension between work and family life Mismatch between skills and business needs Increased social stratification based largely on educational attainment Changing nature of careers Reduction in community and commitment Shortcomings of the healthcare system The boomer demographic imperative Unrealized opportunities to make more effective use of human capital These and other developments suggest a context, a frame-of-reference, for the material that Hall provides in Leading Speed. He focuses on what he calls the "4Cs": Cooperation, Communication, Control, and Community. None is a head-snapping revelation and I would have included Collaboration. However, this is Hall's book, not mine. He is to be commended for identifying the most serious efficiency and productivity problems in the workplace, and, common causes of each. He then proposes practical solutions to those problems. I presume to suggest to those about to read this book that they first formulate a list of their organization's 3-5 most serious problems and be as specific as possible. Next, review the Contents (Pages v-vii) and see what each of the eight chapters covers. For example, are there problems with cycle time (e.g. preventable delays) or first-pass yield (i.e. quality of work the first time around)? Are there too many meetings that accomplish little (if anything) of value? Is too much time spent on what is urgent and not enough time spent on what is really important? How about communication, cooperation, and collaboration between and among departments, divisions, business units, etc.? Does the organization have silos, bunkers, castles, moats, drawbridges, hermits, snarling dogs, etc.? I then suggest to those about to read this book that they lock in on those sections that seem to be most relevant to the given organizational needs. Of special interest to me is Hall's emphasis on the need for what he calls "selective decentralization" when identifying simpler ways to manage people, projects, and teams, especially in (but not only in) complex companies. He also stresses the importance of simplicity throughout his narrative, agreeing with Einstein that policies and processes should be "as simple as possible but no simpler." Hall has no illusions whatsoever as to how difficult it is to overcome all manner of barriers (especially cultural b

This book is a little gem full of pragmatic, "how to" advice aimed at simplifying the way we work together to deliver greater results faster. Its laser focus on the "4C's": Cooperation, Communication, Control and Community cuts through organizational clutter to undo unnecessary complexity and create the high performance, high velocity organization we always hear about but rarely see in practice. Great read for those working in large, global organizations or organizations on their way to becoming large and global, and really for anyone interested in improving the way they work and speeding up the delivery of results. Highly recommended as a follow up to or in conjunction with Christopher Meyer's classic "Fast Cycle Time: How to Align Purpose, Strategy, and Structure for Speed"

This book could easily be renamed, "Speed Read", as once I picked it up, it was impossible to put down. It's an easy book to read and the tips are so practical I was skipping ahead for the next ones. Having spent all my working life in and around complex companies, it was refreshing to have some of the assumptions around how businesses work challenged - they certainly resonated with my own frustrations as a line manager. The focus on satisfaction worked well for me, as I have often seen very efficient businesses full of unhappy and dissatisfied people, often as a result of the complexity of the business or function they work in. The ideas and advice will help in the future.

Anyone who works in a large(ish) company will enjoy and benefit from this book -- it is well worth reading. Its basic premise is that traditional management practices no longer work in the complex world that most business people inhabit. The author points out various problems that I'm sure are common to many other companies especially in other major multinationals. Two that really caught my attention were too many bad meetings and too many pointless e-mails. Provocatively (but in my experience rightly) he says that in companies there is too much Co-operation, Communication, and Control (these are the first three sections of the book) but not enough "Community" (a sense of Trust and Team Spirit)which comprises the fourth section. The book doesn't stop there but tells you what you can do about it. It is logical, easy to follow, and is full of simple practical insights, tips and tools to help you solve these issues. So there are lots of practical things to take away. Of course if you don't have these problems you won't need this book.