In Praise of Good Business

In Praise of Good Business celebrates the great business turnaround of the 1990s. But it does more than that. It shows the management skills needed to continue the management revolution. In her 1991 international bestseller, Danger in the Comfort Zone, Judith Bardwick showed the basis for the hard management decisions that provided the framework for the American economic resurgence. She now cautions us not to rest on our success and lays out very specifically how we need to manage in the new economic environment.

Drawing on her work both as a psychologist specializing in management psychology and her 25 years as a consultant to the Fortune 500, Dr. Bardwick explains how and why the benefits of today's best business practices-those forged in the crucible of a global marketplace-extend well beyond a healthy balance sheet. Human beings thrive on manageable risk, and, by compelling employees to take more risks, accept more responsibility and succeed, business is not only achieving record profits, but it is also helping to create psychologically healthier people and a more resilient society.

To more vividly illustrate her points, Dr. Bardwick presents fascinating and instructive case studies of uniquely successful companies across North America. From these she extracts valuable object lessons and action steps, and she develops a revolutionary new management model based on the principle of productive insecurity. A style of management pitched to the demands of a "borderless economy," her prescriptive approach entails steering a middle path between the macho, show-no-mercy downsizing approach and the "no-consequences" model of too much security and too little accountability. Both, she contends, are a leading cause of company failures.

In Praise of Good Business presents a very positive message. Offering an elegant, highly doable prescription for creating more courageous, self-reliant employees ready to meet the challenges of today's supercompetitive global economy, In Praise of Good Business is an invaluable working resource for executives and managers in organizations of all sizes. Far-reaching and grounded in the very nature of the human psyche, this is the only management book you'll ever need.

In her more than two decades as a consultant and speaker, Dr. Bardwick has researched and contributed much to broaden business's understanding of the key contributing factors to human and organizational effectiveness. Her client list includes dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including Hewlett Packard, Champion Paper, IBM, Andersen Consulting, and National Steel.

Ein neuer Stil des Personal-Managements: Die Autorin stellt ihr Konzept der 'produktiven Unsicherheit' vor. Kernpunkt des Ansatzes ist, das Personal durch Risiko und Verantwortung herauszufordern, ohne es zu überfordern - denn beide Extreme, zu viel und zu wenig Streß, sind Gründe für das Scheitern von Unternehmen. Elegant und intelligent geschrieben, dürfte das Werk für ein breites Publikum aus der Geschäftswelt interessant sein. (06/98)

WHERE ARE WE AND HOW DID WE GET HERE?

The Borderless Economy

Driven by Results: Operating in Earning

Changing an Organization's Culture is Hard

MANAGING NOW

Introduction to the Interventions

Reality-Driven Action: Urgency

Reality-Driven Action: Leadership

Reality-Driven Action: Purpose

Operate in Optimum Ways: Collaboration

Operate in Optimum Ways: Selection

Operate in Optimum Ways: Method

Create Critical Conditions: Trust

Create Critical Conditions: Commitment

Create Critical Conditions: Success

What Matters Most in Managing Today

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

You Are Your Own Business

Education

Presumption of Rights, Fear, and the Loss of Ethics

The International Experience

Creating A Future

Postscript: The Three-Dimensional Model

Notes

Index

JUDITH M. BARDWICK, PhD, is President of the management consulting firm Bardwick & Associates and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. She is the author of the international bestseller, Danger in the Comfort Zone, which has been described as "a wake-up call to end a culture of entitlement."

"Every Living System, Including Human Beings, Needs a Certain Amount of Tension to Operate at its Best. People Achieve the Highest Levels they're Capable of, and Feel More Vividly Alive, When They're Challenged by Risks."
—Judith Bardwick

In Praise of Good Business celebrates the great business turnaround of the 1990s. But it does more than that. It shows the management skills needed to continue the management revolution. In her 1991 international bestseller, Danger in the Comfort Zone, Judith Bardwick showed the basis for the hard management decisions that provided the framework for the American economic resurgence. She now cautions us not to rest on our success and lays out very specifically how we need to manage in the new economic environment. Drawing on her work both as a psychologist specializing in management psychology and her 25 years as a consultant to the Fortune 500, Dr. Bardwick explains how and why the benefits of today's best business practices-those forged in the crucible of a global marketplace-extend well beyond a healthy balance sheet. Human beings thrive on manageable risk, and, by compelling employees to take more risks, accept more responsibility and succeed, business is not only achieving record profits, but it is also helping to create psychologically healthier people and a more resilient society. To more vividly illustrate her points, Dr. Bardwick presents fascinating and instructive case studies of uniquely successful companies across North America. From these she extracts valuable object lessons and action steps, and she develops a revolutionary new management model based on the principle of productive insecurity. A style of management pitched to the demands of a "borderless economy," her prescriptive approach entails steering a middle path between the macho, show-no-mercy downsizing approach and the "no-consequences" model of too much security and too little accountability. Both, she contends, are a leading cause of company failures. In Praise of Good Business presents a very positive message. Offering an elegant, highly doable prescription for creating more courageous, self-reliant employees ready to meet the challenges of today's supercompetitive global economy. In Praise of Good Business is an invaluable working resource for executives and managers in organizations of all sizes. Far-reaching and grounded in the very nature of the human psyche, this is the only management book you'll ever need.

"Judith Bardwick really dishes it out in this challenging book and does it in her own unique style. She...brilliantly illuminate[s] the darkness around innovation and risk and its enemy, entropy. What shines through is a seminal achievement of how organizations can maintain a delicate balance between risk and recklessness."
—Warren Bennis, author of Organizing Genius

"...an excellent resource for any CEO faced with transforming a 'no-consequence' culture into one of 'reality-driven action.' Her insights ring true and are tremendously reassuring to those of us facing intense and/or very different competition for the first time."
—Erroll B. Davis, Jr. President and CEO, Alliant

"Judy Bardwick here sets out a bold new management paradigm, where employees learn to take risks and accept accountability. A powerful and long overdue message."
—David G. Robinson, President, CSC Index

"Insightful, thought-provoking insights into human behavior and leadership...a must-read book."
—Ned Barnholt, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Test and Measurement Organization, Hewlett-Packard

"Every living system, including human beings, needs a certain amount of tension to operate at its best. People achieve the highest levels they're capable of, and feel more vividly alive, when they're challenged by risks."
—Judith Bardwick