O’Toole is the author of 14 books on management and leadership. He was a Rhodes Scholar and holds a Doctorate in Social Anthropology from Oxford University, is a Research Professor in the University of Southern California Center for Effective Organizations, and is the Mortimer Adler Senior Fellow of the Aspen Institute. Lawler is the founder and director of the Center for Effective Organizations and Distinguished Professor in the Marshall School of Business at USC. He is the author or co-author of 41 books, most recently Built for Change, in collaboration with Christopher G. Worley.
In this book, O’Toole and Lawler rigorously examine “some clearly identifiable developments” in American society which help to explain what has happened in the recent past and what is likely to happen in the future. They began their analysis by inquiring about the values and needs of American workers. “In a democracy, it is appropriate to begin from the perspective of the aspirations of the citizenry.” Over time, they also examined various ways in which American workers are supervised. They identified and discuss three “emerging management models that are becoming dominant.”
Of special interest to many readers is what can be learned from companies in which executives have more choices than commonly assumed in terms of creating and sustaining workplace practices “that serve the multiple needs of their various constituencies.” They include diverse companies such as Alcoa, Costco, WL Gore, Harley-Davidson, Nucor, SRC Holdings, and Southwest Airlines. It is no coincidence that many of the companies on Fortune magazine’s annual list of those most admired reappear on the annual list of those most profitable. They serve the three deepest needs of workers: financial resources and security, meaningful work that offers the opportunity for human development, and supportive human relationships. Warren Bennis claims that “It would be impossible to understand the 21st century workplace without this book.” He’s right.
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