Who Really Matters
The Core Group Theory of Power, Privilege and Success
Advanced Praise for Who Really Matters...
Art Kleiner's "blinding flash of the obvious" just might become
a classic. Everyone in organizations knows that the 'rules' are not the
real rules. The logic of what ideas are accepted and which are not, who
gets listened to and who does not, and what decisions are taken and which
are not falls somewhere in a vast terrain between rational economics,
blind tradition, and pure power politics. Into this wilderness enters
Art Kleiner with a beguiling simple compass: the core group. While it
does not explain everything or reduce the complexity of organizational
actions to a new set of rules, the core group offers a powerful perspective
that I am certain will prove remarkably helpful to many, including those
in and outside apparent positions of power - even those who are part of
the core group but never recognized it, or the responsibility that comes
with it.
-- Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline
Seminal idea, brilliantly presented and wonderfully useful.
-- Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration
at USC and author of GEEKS AND GEEZERS: How Era, Values and Defining
Moments Shape Leaders.
"Art Kleiner has uncovered a central truth about the way organizations
work. His concept of the Core Group clarifies one key reason why rational
people often act in seemingly irrational ways within the confines of an
institution. Like any deep insight, it makes explicable what had previously
been mysterious."
--Jim Collins, author of Good
to Great and co-author of Built to Last
Art Kleiner gives his readers the outsider's look into the inner workings
of companies, some of which - like the role of power and rank - are rarely
spoken about, or are even considered dangerous to speak about. The book
is full of anecdotes in which the reader may recognise himself or recognise
her situation in the corporate scenery. It places fashionable subjects
like the Balanced Scorecard and the present fad to run organisations by
means of elaborate targets in a sharp spotlight where it says that these
are the means "to help the organisation perform well enough to make
it through the day without overtaxing the attention of the people in control."
In short, this book is an invitation to meet your own organisation, whether
you are in business, government, trade unions or a NGO and understand
your own position, your prospects and reactions to the privileges, power
and rank around you.
-- Arie de Geus, author of The
Living Company, former Coordinator of Royal Dutch/Shell Group Planning
From a historian's point of view, the Core Group concept makes good sense.
Almost all successful companies have had a cohesive Core Group of key
people who knew what each other were doing. I see this as a critical way
of understanding success and failure.
--Professor Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.,
Harvard Business School emeritus
Art Kleiner has written a book that can bring about a sea change in how
we understand and relate to organizations. His analysis is so clear and
insightful that it illuminates and makes obvious the real hidden forces
shaping organizations. Fresh, pragmatic, wise and eminently accessible.
Foundational.Who Matters cuts through our needlessly complex views of
organizations and brilliantly reveals what's at the core of both their
promise and dysfunction. Kleiner's astute and grounded analysis makes
it possible for all of us who work within or around organizations to be
more skillful and successful while maintaining our personal values and
purposes.
-- James Flaherty, founder of New
Ventures West and
author of Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others
Thank you for the wonderful gift of your book. It was a godsend to me
at this time... analogous to giving a life raft to someone who has been
treading water for a long time. For 24 years I have worked in public institutions,
all of them related to education. Then, in 1996, I started my own business.
I have experienced the concepts in Who Really Matters as an employee and
as an employer. The concept of the "shadow core group," for
instance, was excellent. I was a member of such and the four of us got
so much done! Other concepts that were so helpful to me were: "amplification,"
"employees of mutual consent," "thresholds of confidence
and sustainability," "legitimacy," "core group enablers,"
and the concepts of "equity." I have highlighted so many parts
of the manuscript.In short, the book is a must for any individual working
in an organization who wishes to understand his or her role there. The
book shines a light on what was previously hidden and gives the language
to discuss it.
-- Ruby Payne, author of the education
bestseller, A Framework for Understanding Poverty
Art Kleiner offers well reasoned, clearly written insight into the fundamental
question - what accounts for why a particular corporation has certain
characteristics. More intriguingly, this original and carefully argued
text suggests how to penetrate the apparent and understand the real driver
of corporate conduct. Most important are the practical suggestions for
how to effect change. This addition to the conventional wisdom should
be part of everyone's library - buy it!
-- Robert A.G. Monks, shareholder
activist and author of Corporate Governance and The New Global Investors
This book provides a much needed _new_ perspective on leadership, power
and authority in showing clearly how Core Groups unconsciously guide and
control organizations. This is a must read for all managers and would
be leaders.'
-- Edgar H. Schein, Sloan Fellows
Professor of Management Emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management.
Who Really Matters is absolutely brilliant. I was just blown away
by how packed with insight it is. As much as I liked The Age of Heretics,
I have to say that this is even better -- and potentially could appeal
to a wider audience and have real impact. It has to be one of the 10 best
business books I have ever read, up there with Mintzberg, Heyfetz, et
al. It's also a natual sequel to Max Weber and C. Wright Mills (remember
him?). It is so obvious that you went the extra mile in researching and
thinking this through. Needless to say, it is also very well written and
edited. I am especially surprised by how little redundancy and flab there
is here -- a rampant issue with most books published these days.Whoever
your publisher is, I hope that they are going to put some marketing resources
behind this, because it is not hard to see this taking off. It is essentially
"Organizational Power 101 for Middle Managers" -- a vast potential
audience.Thank you so much for this great service! I know that I will
be making good use of these ideas -- consciously and otherwise -- in the
months and years to come. I am going to make it mandatory reading for
our junior consultants.I hope that you get the reward you deserve for
producing such a significant work.
-- Chris Ertel, Global Business Network
I was a huge fan of the Fifth Discipline in the 90's and my Fieldbook
is filled with yellow "post it's" and is dog-eared from all
the use it received by myself and my management team. I recently enjoyed
Art Kleiner's article in the July's Harvard Business Review as I have
worked in corporate America for 23 years, and have found myself both in
and out of the 'in crowd.' Art has the ability to put into words both
the subtle and not so subtle things that we need to be watching for if
we are going to be managing our careers effectively. It was a pleasure
to have the opportunity to speak with him and to learn more. I am very
excited about his new book and will most likely purchase copies for my
management team as well.
-- Jayne Hill, Executive Branch Manager
and Managing Director, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, New Haven,
CT