From: Ken Shepard [mailto:
KenShepard@CanadianCentre.com]
Elliott Jaques developed his Requisite Organization theories over the
years in the UK, Australia, the USA and Canada with many
interventions at senior levels in large multi-national corporations
where his concepts have major implications for
* organization design,
* staffing based on his concepts of levels of human capability, and
* effective managerial leadership practices that become core in
corporate management development programs.
We are currently organizing the Global Organization Design Society of
academics, business users, and consultants to link the hundreds of
practitioners world-wide to further develop and apply the work.
SUMMARY:
* Register your interest in Elliott Jaques' concepts in our
world-wide census enumeration of those interested and current
projects at <http://www.GlobalRO.org>http://www.GlobalRO.org
* Then, download the newly released 3rd edition of Craddock's
comprehensive annotated 540-page bibliography with special
introduction setting Jaques's concepts in the broader management
literature. There's lot of material related to the impact of Jaques'
thinking on management practices including 3-level management. You
can print the 540 pages if you wish, but in my opinion it's best to
keep it on your computer for immediate key word searching on key
management concepts. This bibliography is truly a powerful support
to your management studies.
* Then email me if you have an interest in Jaques and are planning
to attend the Academy meetings in New Orleans in August. Perhaps we
can arrange a gathering of those interested in his concepts.
Elliott Jaques developed his Requisite Organization theories over the
years in the UK, Australia, the USA and Canada with many inventions
in the private, public, and social sectors.
Jaques studied organizations for fifty-five years and the roots of
his research go back to the now legendary Glacier Metal Company
studies begun by the Tavistock Institute in 1948. With the exception
of Peter Drucker's writings no body of work has this kind of
pedigree. Why then is Requisite Organization theory so little known?
Elliott Jaques has the rare distinction of being the worst marketer
of any management thinker in the 20th century. His habit of
dismissing the work of academics across the whole range of social
sciences as "bunkum" did not serve to win friends. Nevertheless, the
power of his Requisite Organization concepts when integrated with
effective OD processes for implementation kept winning quiet
adherents as increasing numbers of senior OD-process savy consultants
incorporated Jaques' concepts into their methods.
The Fortune 500 office supplies firm United Stationers makes
extensive use of RO theory but Tom Helton, long time EVP of HR says,
"I don't even talk about requisite organization except with people
like you." Northern Telecom used Jaques' theory to inform their
delayering and broadbanding compensation in the late 1980s, high
pay-off innovation that was then picked up by GE and many of the
Fortune 100 companies, but you won't find that written up anywhere.
Royal Dutch / Shell developed a method for assessing a manager's
potential, but unless you know the people at Shell who created it you
won't know that it is based on the research of Dr. Jaques.
Despite the lack of PR and the intellectual challenge Jaques' dense
books present, organizations keep implementing work based on RO
theory because, as Tom Helton says, "[they] have never found anything
better. It's practical, it's useable, and the concepts make sense to
line people."
A Complete Theory
Requisite Organization is a complete theory-based design and
implementation process. It starts with an understanding of the
complexity of different kinds of work, derives rules for organization
structure, looks at how to staff the different layers of the firm
based on managerial assessment of information processing capability
and moves on to issues of setting accountabilities, defining
authority, establishing managerial leadership practices and even
establishing fair pay levels. It presents a rich, consistent and
research based view of how to structure and manage an organization.
Similarly using Jaques' concepts to tailor OD processes greatly
increases their effectiveness. Facilitation of strategy with careful
attention to these principles clears away muddle and points to
effective strategies and implementation plans. Jaques concepts also
multiply impact of planned participation and training processes.
Potentially his concepts can align and strengthen many existing
organization processes---seemingly putting a tiger in the
organization's tank.
The RO approach appeals to an architectural mindset. It is about
building a well-crafted, solid, and efficient infrastructure that
will be able thrive in turbulent times. When the Bank of Montreal
used GO principles in their Personal and Commercial Client Group
(17,000 employees) they were clear they were not just trying to deal
with the problem of the week. They were building "a structure that
will be in service for at least the next decade." That's a
different way of thinking, but that is why Jaques keeps winning
adherents, he always was different.
Now one year after Dr. Jaques death, we have organized Global
Organization Design Society to carry on his work.
Our first project is to carry out a world-wide census ennumeration of
those interested in his concepts and projects undertaken. Please go
to
<http://www.GlobalRO.org>http://www.GlobalRO.org
and express your interest.
After completing a two-minute census of interest, you may download
the newly released 3rd edition of Craddocks comprehensive annotated
540 page bibliography with special introduction setting Jaques's
concepts in the broader management literature.
You can print the 540 pages if you wish, but in my opinion it's best
to keep it on your computer for immediate key word searching on key
management concepts. This bibliography is truly useful and makes me
feel and think smart.
Best wishes,
Ken Shepard Ph.D.
President, Global Organization Design Society
(Graduate of the UCLA Anderson School of Business doctoral program
with interest in behavioural processes and OD facilitation of
planning and strategy. Taught at Whittier, Loyola Marymount, and
Pepperdine MBA programs and now a Strategy and Structure consultant
in Toronto with practice based on Jaques RO concepts and tailored OD
processes for senior executives.)
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Global Organization Design Society GOrganizationdesign
32 Victor Avenue
Toronto M4K 1A8
Tel: 416-463-0423
Fax: 416-463-7827
Mailto:
KenShepard@GlobalRO.org
http://www.GlobalRO.org (web site is under construction)
GO Officers include:
Ken Shepard, GO President, is also Principal of the Canadian Centre
for Leadership and Strategy
Jerry Gray, GO Treasurer, is also Dean of the Asper Business School,
University of Manitoba, and
Sue Croft, GO Secretary, is also Senior VP HR & Organization
Development, Indigo Book & Music Inc.
GO Toronto members were the original founding energy for GO and they
now serve as the local Conference Committee and they include:
Charlotte Bygrave, Ron Capelle, Don Fowke, Herb Koplowitz, Ken
Shepard, Anne Stephen and Paul Tremlett
GO International advisors supporting this effort to date by
teleconference include:
Argentina: Aldo Schlemenson, Harald Solaas, and Maria Raquel Popovich
Australia: Julian Fairfield, Paul Lynch, Barry and Sheila Deane,
BIOSS International: Piet Calitz, Judy Hobrough and Gillian Stamp
Canada: John Bryan, Mark Van Clieaf, Maurice Dutrisac, Michel Desjardins,
Sweden: Ulf Lindberg
UK: Ian Macdonald, Stephen Cang,
USA: Steve Clement, Ken Craddock, Glenn Mehltretter, Gerald
Kraines, Nancy Lee; Fran Marshall, Tim Hart, and Linda Gloe
The First Biennial GO Conference will be held August 8th to 12th,
2005 in Toronto at the BMO Financial Group Institute for Learning.
Global Organization Design is a style name of the Global Society for
Science-based Management incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation
in Ontario.
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