Leading Across Boundaries: Creating Collaborative Agencies in a Networked World [Hardcover]

Russell M. Linden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0470396776 | ISBN-13: 978-0470396773 | Edition: 1st

Praise for Leading Across Boundaries

"Leading Across Boundaries is a terrific resource for nonprofit leaders. It is filled with great stories of collaboration, and also with the how-to's to make them work!"
–Arlene Kaukus, former president, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, and a nonprofit consultant

"Linden illustrates the importance of collaboration, but drives further into issues of networks to teach us valuable lessons about core interests, trust, leadership, and success. This book is a very valuable and timely resource for practitioners who seek to produce more value from effective collaboration."
–Stephen Goldsmith, Daniel Paul Professor of Government, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and author, The Power of Social Innovation

"Linden provides a fresh, practitioner-oriented perspective on the topic of collaboration–especially for those in the public and nonprofit sectors wanting to benefit from Web 2.0 and social-networking technologies. It's a gem of a book and a terrific road map for leading change."

–Warren Master, president and editor-in-chief, The Public Manager

"Linden uses fabulous examples to illustrate the essential ideas for collaboration and for effective leadership. His discussions of political acumen and the interpersonal side of collaboration are especially enlightening. I've been a manager for a long time, and wish I'd read this book earlier in my career!"
–Ellen Switkes, assistant vice president emeritus, academic advancement, office of the president, University of California

"Trust, transparency, and relationships are keys to successful collaboration. Linden takes these concepts and more and constructs a masterful lesson plan for us to follow."
–Tim Longo, police chief, Charlottesville, Virginia

"...an invaluable contribution to anyone charged with shaping organizations, big and small."–Don Kettl, author, The Next Government of the United States

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In our complex environment, nonprofit organizations and public agencies must work together collaboratively and cut across organizational boundaries if they are to solve today's tough problems.

Leading Across Boundaries offers a stimulating and highly accessible guide for leaders of nonprofit and governmental organizations who want to develop successful and lasting partnerships. Written by Russell Linden, an expert in the field of organizational change, this important resource shows how to make collaboration work in real-world situations. Linden explores the interpersonal and organizational forces that can inhibit collaboration and offers strategies for overcoming these often daunting challenges.

Created as a companion to Linden's Working Across Boundaries, this book is filled with illustrative examples of collaborations–both successful ventures and those that have failed. These examples can help leaders anticipate, prevent, and deal with the most vexing challenges to collaboration. In addition, the author offers expert guidance on leveraging emerging trends in this field, including the use of social-networking tools on the Web. Based on a clear framework, Leading Across Boundaries includes the practical and time-tested tools needed to tackle any difficulties that confront collaborative leaders.

Leading Across Boundaries offers public managers and nonprofit leaders a wealth of new material, case studies, and instructive international examples. In-depth case studies–drawn from education, health and human services, law enforcement, finance, intelligence agencies, the arts, and other fields–are available online.

About the Author

Russell M. Linden is a management consultant and adjunct faculty member at the University of Virginia, the University of Maryland, and the Federal Executive Institute. He specializes in organizational change and has more than 30 years of experience helping government, nonprofit, and private-sector organizations develop leadership, foster innovation, and improve organizational performance. He is the author of Working Across Boundaries and Seamless Government.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (March 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470396776
• ISBN-13: 978-0470396773
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Book for Leaders March 8, 2010

By Terry

Format:Hardcover

As a federal government manager for more than 30 years, I have too often seen the results of an inability or unwillingness to collaborate for the public good. With Russ Linden's book, I no longer have an excuse for failing to make collaboration work. Leading Across Boundaries offers insights and concrete tools that make collaboration understandable and achievable in a world that demands it more and more.

The author seems to leave no aspect of this important topic unaddressed. From the opening chapter which makes the case for why collaboration is essential, he moves to present a straightforward and easy to understand framework for collaborating. Selecting a high priority project, the appropriate people to work together, forging shared goals, using an open process, and gaining the support of a champion are elements of the framework, but Linden is "spot-on" in noting that any successful collaboration is anchored in building relationships and trust. Ordering people to collaborate is a prescription for failure.

Leading Across Boundaries does not stop there, because Russ Linden, having worked with thousands of state, local, and federal government leaders, knows that the best of frameworks will confront serious real-life challenges. This is no academic treatise on collaboration. It is anchored in the meeting room, not the classroom (though studying it in the classroom will avoid a lot of meeting room failures!). Its true power comes in teasing out, beautifully illustrating, and offering real-world, workable answers to the personal, interpersonal, cultural, and organizational problems that confront those who seek to foster collaborative efforts. And a real plus - there is no academic jargon here, just down-to-earth, clear prose.

One of Linden's great strengths as a writer is his ability to immerse the reader in short but well-crafted case studies - enabling us to see collaboration up close. And he does not shy away from presenting failures as well as successes. Why did FEMA's Michael Brown fail in responding to Hurricane Katrina while the Coast Guard's Thad Allen proved a model of effectiveness amidst the same chaos? How did one federal manager bring about a major collaborative effort among nine University of California campuses to enhance minority enrollment in graduate programs, despite an inherently go-it-alone academic culture? How is it that Israelis and Arabs can actually work together despite centuries of mutual distrust? How do you get tobacco farmers and health advocates to actually cooperate - indeed, how do you get them to even talk to each other? No one can say that Linden doesn't take on tough issues.

One of the beauties of this book is that it can be read - and used - in so many ways. Sixteen major case studies allow in-depth probing of collaboration and what makes it work or fail to work. Over 70 tables, figures and exhibits bring out major points in easy to locate and remember fashion. Many of these offer tips that are valuable checklists for collaborative success. An appendix offers a "Create Your Own Game Plan" set of worksheets to think through and strategize for your own collaborative efforts. And if the book whets your appetite for even more, which it will, a companion Web site offers additional resources.

If you are an existing or aspiring leader, your success will depend on your ability to collaborate. Someone once said that "practice alone does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect." Leading Across Boundaries will help you engage in prefect practice - and much stronger and more successful collaboration than you probably thought possible.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great teacher June 7, 2010

By jriddle3

Format:Hardcover

During my 33 years of federal service, I worked for a time managing federal-sector leadership programs. Russ Linden taught in many of my programs and I used two of his previous books, "Seamless Government" and "Working Across Boundaries" as user-friendly texts whether or not Dr. Linden was available to speak. I found Linden to be an excellent teacher due to his extensive experience working with many of the entities he writes about and his way of structuring the lessons learned so that those lessons could be applied to a variety of situations. As I read "Leading Across Boundaries", I had high expectations and they were met.

Three things stood out for me. First, his emphasis on leadership is stronger in this book. Leadership of collaboration that he addresses is much more difficult (and less understood) than leadership that comes from formal authority. With examples ranging from the lessons of Katrina (yes, some were good such as the Coast Guard response after they took the lead) to the State of Washington's government-performance efforts, Linden delves into the leadership tactics employed to glean lessons that can be applied elsewhere.

Second, recognizing that the baby-boomers are about to exit the stage, Linden spends time writing about the collaborative nature of younger members of the workforce and the technology that can aid in collaboration.

Third, Linden maintains the management part of his advice. That is, those process and structures (such as group formation, team work and "fusion centers") we can use as leaders to assure fairness and buy-in of conflicting stakeholders. As I read, I was looking to whether or not this book could be a stand-alone text and not require reading his previous work - and it can. "Leading Across Boundaries" is version 3.0 of Linden's lifetime work and an up-to-date reference for anyone interested in leadership involving multiple players. I look forward to Linden covering the leadership lessons learned from the response to the current oil spill.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Collaboration in a Networked World May 24, 2010

By Charles R. Stripling III

Format:Hardcover

After over thirty years in local government management during which I sampled a multitude of organization, staff, personal, professional and team development tools (along with the alphabet soup of HPO, TQM, and related fads), I concluded that it is best to focus on those tools that will have a long term impact on the quality of service delivery. Not many do. Russ Linden's new "workbook" on Leading Across Boundaries is on of those resources or tools that when used properly can have a game changing impact on a person and organization. Its not only an easy read, but approaches the subject with implementation as the focus. He encourages the reader to connect to the concepts of collaboration through completion of helpful exercises, writing notes to oneself and continually revisiting learned concepts with self tests.

As a disciple of the case method, I was particularly drawn to Linden's use of that technique for illustrating in real world settings how collaboration succeeds and fails.

I was particularly struck by his observations on Dick Gregg's experience at the Financial Management Service in the Treasury Department. I am a believer in Gregg's philosophy of "leaders should articulate a small number of priorities and expectations, keep the message simple, reinforce at every opportunity and fiercely guard the agenda."

His description of "fusion centers" and how the main barrier to success is trust is right on. And, what book on management would be complete in today's world without mention of the Millennials. Linden is a great advocate of the positive role they can play in our world.

How can I not love his reference to Abraham Lincoln's use of collaboration as documented in Doris Keanrs Goodwin's Team of Rivals (one of my top five favorite books).

Recognizing the networked society in which we live, he also connects us to the Web through his offer of free premium content an Internet link away as an added bonus. I found these extra resources very helpful in understanding Linden's explanation of the collaborative philosophy.

Thanks Russ for a great tool all of us can use in an increasinly complicated world. A must read.