Customer Reviews

Value Driven Management: How to Create and Maximize Value Over Time for Organizational Success

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The premise that Gardiner and Pohlman speak of in their collaborative effort Value Driven Management is that the most valuable resource in the new economy is neither technology or information, but rather human attention. Managers and professionals of all types should be thinking about how their own attention is best allocated and how to harness the attention of their colleagues, customers and business partners. The key markets in the future will be those in which attention is bought and sold. It's an attention economy and those who succeed in it will be those who know how to manage attention. Using what the co-authors call "value drivers", the reader is given a guided tour of what the future may hold for the world of business for those managers who define, prioritize and give a support system that promotes achievement. Clarity is one of several key words used throughout the book. With clarity comes success and many companies have had some success using pieces of this concept, but the authors stress the fact that any business that intends to stay in business will have to grasp this concept and make it a ongoing part of their organizational life. "Value Driven Management "implies that plans, decisions, actions and rewards are all governed by a value focus" which is illustrated throughout the book. Without short-term wins, too many employees give up or actively join the resistance. Innovation is not flash of genius; it is hard work; building strong customer relationships begins with smarter employees, clients and partners. Value Driven Management is a must read for managers, real world warriors, business students as well as extremely potent motivational force for anyone. In these turbulent times, an organization's ability to survive will depend upon on a number of factors illustrated throughout VDM. Any manager would be wise to heed its message.

Whether managing a brick-and-mortar or click-and-mortar business, Pohlman's Value Driven Management is de rigueur for today's managers. The key to his theory is not repeating the past management gurus. In his book, he, too, has added value over time to the foundations on which yesterday's management strategies were founded. Pohlman's secret? Adding a component of long-term vision. His "Value over Time for Organizational Success" adds a new dimension to value driven management.

His successes in both academia and the business world are the test of his pedagogy. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.

This book is highly recommended for all levels of students of business: undergraduates, graduates, and real-world warriors.

"Value Driven Management" was written for managers at all levels of the organization who want a intellectual and philosophical foundation of how to think about business. Namely, the book focuses on why its every employee's role to create value for eight fundamental stakeholders: external, the overall organization, employees, customers, suppliers, third-parties, owners, and competitors. The book is clearly written, has an excellent bibliography, uses real-world examples to illustrate main points, and is a very quick read (can be read on a short flight).

The authors admit that the book does not offer a simple formula for calculating value, but is intended to "represent a running start toward the successful implementation and use of the principles of Value Driven Management." To do this they offer "Eleven Assumptions of Value Driven Management"; "Eight Value Drivers"; and "Seven Critical Steps to Implementing Value Driven Management."

The book serves well as a foundational piece, but may fall short for those interested in the latest analytical techniques that include quantifying and forecasting value. Specifically, the framework puts equal importance on all eight value drivers, where many would argue that there are fundamental value drivers (like product value, product cost, and pace of innovation) which are what make a business a business and secondary value drivers (like employees, suppliers, owners, etc.) which can only enter the discussion after the business performs.

In summary, this book is perfect for managers interested in a foundational understanding of value driven management. This book is not for those interested in the latest analytical concepts and tools.

I cannot rave enough about Pohlman's VALUE DRIVEN MANAGEMENT book. I purchased this book as a requirement for both my first class in the MBA program and as a fundamental requirement of the premise of NSU's business style. The book is filled with theory, the reason behind them and examples to understand their significance. Essentially, the fundamental factor is value. Determining the value drivers of your team to lead them to achieve, adding value to the organization, its customers, and other shareholders. This book does an excellent job of outlining the important elements of a management style that incorporates value at every step. This book is unlike other business books that just rattle off theories and throw in an example or two to reinforce the point. Rather, this book explains the theory, the underlying motivation behind the reasons why they are effective (the value drivers) and provides many examples offering different perspectives on the same theory. This helps the reader understand the concept and truly appreciate the need for this type of management. This should be on every manager's reference list.

This book spells out the concepts of Value Driven Management. Chapter 7 does well with giving the reader a mindset on how to approach the concept. The book on a whole is a great piece of marketing for Dean Pohlman and his cohorts. You'll find that he refers to them often within the text. Good Book.