[July 05, 2015] Well, the 4th of July came and went without any terrorist attack on American soil. How much of these predictions by the experts were based on bureaucratic posturing to protect their careers if it did happen, is hard to tell. Nonetheless, the day turned out to be full of those things we associate with a typical Independence Day; parades, cookouts, and of course fireworks … lots of fireworks. Today, I’m bringing up a book that I’ve wanted to read since it came out a few of months ago. Retired General Stanley McChrystal has put together a truly satisfying read on how to overcome the complex environment of large organizations. Good reading to all!
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World, Stanley McChrystal, et al, 2015.
Stan McChrystal provides us with a look at how our views on successful organizations are not always workable. For example, he outlines the origins of modern management with its focus on efficiency and scientific management, revealing their shortcomings in today’s multifaceted world. Yet his book is not so much about leadership than about how to operate in a complex environment using small teams as building blocks. Not necessarily a new look at this problem of how complexity overwhelms leaders but McChrystal and his coauthors show us how to create nimble, resilient, horizontal organizations that empowers its people to get the job done based on a shared consciousness. Creating great teams is only part of the solution, he tells us, we must be able to create a group or band (i.e., a team) of those great teams … thus the title of his book “team of teams”. The book is fairly easy reading and exceptional in many ways. Not surprisingly, this is the kind of book I like and therefore highly recommend it.
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