The virtual organization is a form where only what is used has to be paid for. It has the capability of the real organization, but does not itself have the tangible facilities and permanent employees that is the traditional way of meeting the requirements of customer. It is a concept which gives flexibility, lower overall cost, and reduces the capital needs of a business. It is equally applicable to new and established businesses, and can provide both with a means of achieving success in business development and renewal.
Like others in this series, this book provides a practical guide for managers and entrepreneurs. It shows how those with vision and energy, who do not have the facilities of a large traditional company, can nevertheless achieve success, with no competitive disadvantages. The book shows how to expand and grow without enlarging the organization, and how to gain access to competences without employing more staff.
Well illustrated with case histories and examples, the book reflects the experience of the authors in actually applying the concepts they write about. Checklists and questionnaires are provided where they are helpful. Practical experience is supported by research, and the result is a practical guide to setting up and managing this new form of organization.
'Bo Hedberg is again out in front and leading us into the future of management. Managerial insight and advanced technology are making it possible to create coalitions with the advantages of both markets and hierarchical organizations. In this book, Hedberg and his colleagues explain how these coalitions work and what they need to work best'. William H. Starbuck, ITT Professor of Creative Management, Stern School of Business, New York University
'Professor Hedberg's and his colleagues' pioneering work in identifying and highlighting what makes virtual organizations tick is very timely. The competitive environment in financial services requires that highly motivated professionals voluntarily share their best ideas and dreams with their leaders to ensure customer satisfaction. The authors have rightly identified this crucial point in our success story.' Jan R. Carendi, Senior Executive Vice president, Skandia AB and Chief Executive Officer, Skandia Assurance & Financial Services.
BO HEDBERG is currently Professor of Management and Chairman of the PhD Program at Stockholm School of Business, Stockholm University. He has worked as a consultant to, among others, The World Bank, IBM, Daimler-Benz and Skandia Insurance Group. His specialist areas include organizational learning and design, management information systems, service management and virtual organizations.
GÖ
RAN DAHLGREN took his PhD at the Stockholm School of Economics. As a consultant, he has advised companies on marketing and strategic change. He is the author of several books in Swedish.
JÖ
RGEN HANSSON worked as personnel director of leading Swedish corporations and is now a consultant, mainly supporting companies in their development of competitive HR strategies linked to their business. He has written in the area of human resources and management development.
NILS-GÖ
RAN OLVE is Adjunct professor at Linköping University. He worked extensively in management training, including acting as director of international management programmes. As a consultant, his work currently concentrates on management control issues, in particular the Balanced Scorecard and management of IT.
All four authors are senior partners in ConcoursCepra Management Consultants in Stockholm. John Wiley & Sons 20010709 2001 01 000 01 220.5 mm 02 152.5 mm 03 15.2 mm 08 13 oz John Wiley & Sons IP 54 01 P 40.00 0471413356 03 0471413356 BB Welch An American Icon 1 A01 Janet Lowe Lowe, Janet Janet Lowe eng 304 BUS000000 2.3 01 A rare perspective on the personal philosophy, business savvy, and future of the chairman of the most admired company in the world
Jack Welch, chairman of General Electric, is due to retire this spring. Welch has transported GE into the new economy with his management style, his forward-thinking approach to new technology, and by encouraging creativity among his employees. This book provides a look at what the innovative powerhouse executive has brought to American business and what will ultimately be his legacy. Thorough, authoritative, and absorbing, Welch: An American Icon includes interviews with CEOs at other leading companies who have worked under Welch and been trained by him, as well as interviews with other GE executives.
Janet Lowe (Del Mar, CA) is an investment writer and author who has written sixteen business and biographical works, including the recent Damn Right!: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire-Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger (0-471-24473-2). Ms. Lowe is past editor of the San Diego Daily Transcript and Financial Editor of the San Diego Tribune. More than 200 of her business articles have appeared in such publications as Newsweek, the Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. 04 02 Preface.
Acknowledgments.
THE JACK WELCH LEGACY.
The House of Magic: How Welch Became an American Icon.
The Gospel of Good Management.
GENERAL ELECTRIC THEN AND NOW.
The Companies General Electric Dumped.
The Companies General Electric Acquired.
Building from Within.
The Globalization of General Electric.
Wired Welch.
The Dark Side of the Legacy.
THE FUTURE.
The Meta-Corporation: General Electric after Welch.
Welch after General Electric.
Welch's Place in History.
Appendix A: General Electric and Jack Welch: The Chronology.
Appendix B: GE Values.
Appendix C: The CERES Principles.
Appendix D: General Electric Businesses.
Appendix E: General Electric—Nineteen-Year Performance Figures: 1980—1999.
Notes.
Index. JANET LOWE is the bestselling author of numerous business books including Damn Right! Behind the Scenes with Berkshire-Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger (Wiley) and Value Investing Made Easy. Formerly the financial editor of the San Diego Tribune, she has written more than 200 business articles for such publications as Newsweek, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Los Angeles Times.
