The 21st Century Organization: Reinventing Through Reengineering (Warren Bennis Executive Briefing Series) [Paperback]

Warren Bennis (Author), Michael Mische (Author)

Book Description

Series: Warren Bennis Executive Briefing Series | Publication Date: July 3, 1997

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A Warren Bennis Executive Briefing Series Book

With this book, two distinguished experts present a proven five-phase process for making an organization leaner, more responsive, and more aware of it's customers' needs. Drawing on real-life change iniatives undertaken at Motorola, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard and other industry leaders, Bennis and Mische demystify the process of reinventing a company and address many questions critical to the success of comprehensive change efforts. Through trAnd analysis, case study examples, and facts lists--all presented in an easy-to-absorb SuperReading format--The 21st Century Organization examines the economic, quality control, and productivity issues associated with organizational restructuring and demonstrates how each will impact a company's ability to compete in the growing global marketplace.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nothing I have read or heard about reengineering comes close to the levels of inspiration and motivation that this book incites." —Gregory Nielsen, director, Greeneville Operations, Bausch & Lomb

From the Inside Flap

Most organizations won't survive into the next century unless they reinvent themselves. They must become leaner, more competitive, more responsive, and more aware of their customers' needs. Key to that metamorphosis is business process reinvention, or reengineering. And with this book, two distinguished experts present a reengineering resource for industrial giants and small service providers alike.The 21st Century Organization examines:**Why reengineering is necessary**When the time is right to begin the process**Who is best equipped to fill leadership roles**What impact reengineering has on the organization**Where common pitfalls are found**How employees will reactThrough trAnd and issue analysis, illustrations, and "facts" lists, all presented in an easy-to-absorb SuperReading format, The 21st Century Organization brings home the significance of reengineering for companies worldwide. It addresses economics, quality, and productivity and shows how all of these factors can critically affect a company's ability to compete, both today and in the future.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 115 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (July 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787909394
• ISBN-13: 978-0787909390
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,825,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Warren Bennis (Los Angeles, CA), born in 1925, is an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, who is widely regarded as the pioneer of the contemporary field of leadership. He is University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California. In the past decade, he served as chairman of the Advisory Board of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, working with David Gergen.
Bennis has consulted for many Fortune 500 companies and served as adviser to four U.S. presidents. He has served on the faculty of MIT's Sloan School of Management and was Chairman of the Organizational Studies Department. He is a former faculty member of Boston University, former Provost and Executive Vice President of State University of New York at Buffalo and President of the University of Cincinnati. His global experience includes teaching at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta, INSEAD, the London Business School, and IMEDE (now IMD). In 2007, Business Week called him one of ten business school professors who have had the greatest influence on business thinking. He has received 20 honorary degrees and has served on numerous boards of advisors.
Bennis has written or edited 30 books, which have been translated into 21 languages, and many articles on three of his passions-leadership, organizational change, and creative collaboration. The Financial Times recently named Leaders as one of the top 50 business books of all time.
Bennis is proud of the four years he served in the U.S. Army, 1943-1947. At the age of 19 he was one of the youngest infantry commanders in Germany and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. His dream remains: to write a terrific one-act play.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Oversimplified, August 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The 21st Century Organization: Reinventing Through Reengineering (Warren Bennis Executive Briefing Series) (Paperback)

This book came up repeatedly under various search engines for "leadership." I would say it is probably a far more valuable resource for private-sector business folks. The book misses the mark on "leadership" analysis, but could probably be a McDonald's drive-thru success for the business world. I am not a student of business, but it appeared to wildly over-simplify a complex topic. I noted the author's doomsday-ish tone, particularly in sentences such as: "The choice is clear; Reengineer and flourish, or fail to reengineer and perish." The book was not one of the resources in the "leadership" arena that appealed to me.

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Much like a "Job Aid", July 2, 2006

By 

Jeff Staddon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 21st Century Organization: Reinventing Through Reengineering (Warren Bennis Executive Briefing Series) (Paperback)

There are some very good ideas in this book, but like the other reviewers I found it lacked depth. Also, it is EXCESSIVLY ORAGNIZED. Too many:
* Bulleted Lists
1.1 Number Lists
At least one list on every page! Lists have their place, but the excessive structure got in the way of content.

The first chapter or two were actually quite interesting and seem to contain most, if not all, the main ideas of the book. Unfortunately, the book rapidly digresses into something that looks more like a job aid than a book. (A richly commented listing of the steps involved in reengineering a company) From the organization/content of the material, the bulk of the book appears to either have been written for, or at least from the perspective of consultant/client, rather than author/reader. Unfortunately, while a "roadmap" style may work great in that world, it doesn't translate into a very readable book. (Honestly--I burned out about half way through, but the rest appears to be more of the same.)

Overall, the first few chapters aren't bad and I'm glad I read them. If you are planning on implementing a re-engineering project, then the remainder of the book is definitely a great resource, but as a general book to introduce re-engineering I wouldn't recommend it.