A Company of Leaders Five Disciplines for Unleashing the Power in Your Workforce

"Finally, we have a book that demonstrates the power of true empowerment and how it can motivate an entire workforce. This book will become a classic in no time."—Warren Bennis, University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, University of Southern California Marshall School of BusinessTo be successful in today's business environment, organizations need the knowledge, ideas, energy, and creativity of every employee, from the workers on the front line to the top-level managers in the executive suite. The best companies accomplish this by turning themselves into a company of leaders-an organization in which employees at every level take the initiative without prodding, act in the collective interest of the company without being monitored, and, in short, act like owners of the business. But how do you transform your workplace into a company of leaders? Create an environment that will empower employees to bring their whole person to work and work together for the good of the organization. This eighth book in the University of Michigan Business School Management Series provides a step-by-step guide for turning any organization into a company of leaders. Gretchen M. Spreitzer and Robert E. Quinn draw on ten years of empirical research to show how to transform a workforce and create a very real competitive advantage. They describe five key disciplines that help empower employees to take initiative, be more innovative, engage in transformational change, and act as leaders. Throughout the book, the authors provide real-life organizational examples that illustrate the disciplines of empowerment and present specific tools, techniques, and strategies that will help you to put those disciplines to work in your own organization. THE AUTHORSGretchen M. Spreitzer is an associate professor of management and organization at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, where she is a faculty affiliate of both the Center for Effective Organizations and the Leadership Institute. Her research has been published in Sloan Management Review, Academy of Management Review, Organizational Dynamics, and many other professional journals.Robert E. Quinn holds the M. E. Tracy Collegiate Professorship at the University of Michigan and is a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Michigan Business School. His most recent book is Change the World: How Ordinary People Can Accomplish Extraordinary Results (Jossey-Bass, 2000).