More Than a Motorcycle: The Leadership Journey at Harley-Davidson (Hardcover)

by Rich Teerlink (Author), Lee Ozley (Author) "IN 1965, SIXTY-TWO YEARS AFTER ITS FOUNDING IN MILWAUKEE by William Harley and the three Davidson brothers-Walter, William, and Arthur- the last surviving solely domestic..." (more)
Key Phrases: awareness expansion, circle organization, motorcycle division, Executive Committee, Motor Company, Jim Paterson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Story behind the Story of One of America's Most Beloved Brands
Harley-Davidson's Unlikely People-Based Transformation

While the business press was celebrating Harley-Davidson's remarkable financial turnaround in the late 1980s, the company's leader, Rich Teerlink, was deeply concerned. He knew that the storied motorcycle maker-flush from having beaten back an assault by skilled and determined Japanese competitors-now faced a new and even more formidable challenge: maintaining and improving upon its success in the absence of an external crisis. Partnering with longtime organizational consultant Lee Ozley, Teerlink did something extraordinary: he moved beyond the top-down strategies that had just saved the company from extinction and began building a different Harley. The new Harley would be driven not by its top executives, but by its employees at every level. What happened over the next twelve years is the stuff of turnaround legend.

More Than a Motorcycle is the story behind the story of the purposeful transformation of an American icon-as told by the two individuals who were most deeply involved in that process. While marketers and the media alike have long celebrated Harley, this candid inside account goes behind the headlines to reveal the highlights and lowlights, the victories and setbacks, and the breakthroughs and dead ends experienced by Teerlink, Ozley, and others as the company engaged in this transformational change effort. Part corporate biography and part memoir of a rare CEO/consultant partnership, the book chronicles Harley's difficult journey from a traditional "command-and-control" culture to an open, participative organization in which employees no longer went along for the ride, but took new levels of responsibility for charting their course.

Teerlink and Ozley deliver three fundamental messages: that people are a company's only sustainable competitive advantage; that there is no "quick fix" to effect lasting and beneficial organizational change; and that leadership is not a person, but a process, to which every employee must contribute. They advocate for a new concept of leadership, which entails not demanding compliance, but earning commitment. They provide practical, reality-based prescriptions for developing employee alignment and effectiveness; lifelong learning opportunities; structures that support participation; and effective approaches to rewards, recognition, and meaningful communication. The authors also distill lessons from the Harley experience-such as living one's values and cultivating an environment within which all kinds of people can thrive-that may apply broadly to any business.

An inspiring, against-the-odds story of a business road less traveled, More Than a Motorcycle encourages today's organizational leaders to look around the next bend-and to give everyone within the organization a view of the road from the driver's seat.

From the Back Cover
"This honest, detailed, and compelling description of the transformation at Harley-Davidson is a must-read for anyone struggling to accomplish organizational change. Teerlink and Ozley provide valuable lessons on how to work cooperatively with employee representatives, and remind us all of the wisdom of the saying, 'technology makes it possible; people make it happen.'"
--Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Author of The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First

"Full of practical insights for management, union leadership, workers, and theorists, More Than a Motorcycle documents how Harley-Davidson recovered from a top-down, confrontational, almost bankrupt company to a more cooperative, people-driven industry leader. Teerlink and Ozley objectively present all the spurts, near disasters, wrinkles, and warts of a real turnaround, all the time linking the company's practical actions to many of the most advanced management theories of the time. This book is a rare gem that will stand the test of time, future practice, and theory."
--James Brian Quinn, Professor of Management, Emeritus, Amos Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, and Author of Intelligent Enterprise and Innovation Explosion

"More Than a Motorcycle captures the essence of the paradox at the heart of leading change: you must motivate people to demand what, in their minds, they really don't want. A powerful insight very well delivered."
-Watts Wacker, Chairman, First Matter Inc., and Coauthor of The Visionary's Handbook

"A wonderfully educational and well-told story about the transformation of an American icon. More Than a Motorcycle is a must-read for anyone interested in effective organizational change."
-Edward E. Lawler III, Director, Center for Effective Organizations, University of Southern California

"This unique book is surely one of the best I have read on leadership and management. It is inspirational and authentic. Only those with a high view of competence and commitment and a genuine respect for people could have written this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it."
--Max De Pree, Author of Leadership Jazz and Leading without Power

"Finally, a book that tells the truth about organizational change! This rich saga relays the fears, the mistakes, the partnerships, and the successes that show how change really happens. What glistens through is the true journey and its demands on us: humility, learning, community, love, and inclusion of others. I thank Rich and Lee for writing this book and applaud their courage in doing so. They respected us enough to give us the straight story."
-Margaret J. Wheatley, Author of Leadership and the New Science, and Coauthor of A Simpler Way

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875849504
• ISBN-13: 978-0875849508
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,133 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The journey behind the journey, August 11, 2000

By A Customer

I don't know how many people have written about, or talked about,or taken some credit for Harley-Davidson's success, or in some way jumped on the bandwagon to somehow be tied to the great successses that have happened at Harley Davidson. I can tell you that Ozley and Teerlink have the BEST view of them all!

They were there through the ups and downs and they are closer to this organization than anyone can understand, unless of course you read their book. Their book gives you (what this reader beleives) is the "real" story with no punches or marketing hype.

A must read for anyone in business and an honest straight forward dialogue of what it takes to build a collaborative and powerful organization such as Harley-Davidson.

What took you guys so long to get this story out?

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a consultant: BUY-BUY-BUY, September 25, 2000

By	JR Geoffrion "consultant, photographer, audio... (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The story (the ups and downs) behind the decade-long change process to move HD from a command-and-control organization to one where employees not only have their say but also their accountability in the overall success of the company.

If you are a consultant, you might learn a trick or two in what to do and not to do in a large change management engagement.

In addition, Lee's (consultant and co-author) move from consultant to Rich's (CEO and co-author) coach/partner in this journey is particularly interesting. Another interesting topic throughout the book is how to deal with unionized workers.

A GREAT BUY FOR ANY CONSULTANT (strategy, change management, operations, etc.). YOU'LL NEVER LOOK AT A HARLEY THE SAME WAY...

The reviewer, is currently a Senior Director of eBusiness Strategy at Xpedior and has worked at Gemini Consulting, IBM, and General Mills. He earned his MBA from York University and completed the Wharton School Multi-National Marketing and Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering from the University of Toronto.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Case Study Material, January 13, 2001

By	John D'angelo (Westchester County, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book when I was looking for turnaround case studies to recommend to a client. Because the client was in the transportation industry, the success story at Harley seemed like a natural choice. I was grateful to find this book, but surprised by the fact that this is the only book on the topic, and that it is so comparatively new. When I read the book I understood why - these guys have been very busy!

More than a motorcycle concentrates on the struggles at Harley over the past decade and a half, and how the Company has transformed itself into a learning, and continually self-improving organization...at all levels. At the heart of this transformation are the co-authors, the now retired CEO, and the consultant/coach that together helped to find and pave the path from near ruin to heady success.

The story is presented without boasting, and in fact, spreads credit for the (continuing) tranformation to those who helped define it, from the leadership, to the unions, to the line employees. It is a good lesson in what happens when you ask those closest to the problem, whatever that may be, to help define and solve it. And then ask them what else can and should be solved, and how to do that. But it's about more than just problem solving, its about asking people simple questions like what should be communicated, rather than assuming that you (management) know the answer. In fact, the section of the book that describes communication is, in itself, a good case study.

The story seems to be a fair and introspective chronicle of what went right, where mistakes were made, and how it happened. This is not one of those turnaround books, written by the CEO, telling you what a smart guy he is and how he single-handedly lead the company away from ruin and certain failure. It is a story about leadership and collaboration that can be applied to large and small companies, manufacturers and service organizations alike.

My only complaint with the book is the somewhat awkward transition from a chronology of events and actions, to a componentization of the story. Roughly the first half of the book is presented as a chronological journey, and roughly the second have is a dissection of major sub-stories. The authors warn you that this is going to happen, so clearly they struggled with how to present the information. I would like, however, to have read the whole chronology, and perhaps have the major components presented seperately. But this is the only reason that I didn't give it the full five stars.

This is a good book for both business leaders and consultants. Business leaders will likely find several ideas about how to mine your organization for good ideas and how to implement them. Consultants should find a story about how to work with your clients to ensure that you are providing appropriate services and that these services deliver value.