The Human Touch: Today's Most Unusual Program for Productivity and Profit - Hardcover

Arnold, William W.; Plas, Jeanne M.

9780471572916: The Human Touch: Today's Most Unusual Program for Productivity and Profit

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471572918 ISBN 13: 9780471572916

Publisher: Wiley, 1993

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most revolutionary... "An eloquent argument for the cost effectiveness of civil leadership and civility in the workplace. Every executive should read this book before concluding she or he knows the real meaning of total quality management" —M. Scott Peck Author, The Road Less Traveled and A World Waiting to Be Born "This is a compelling story from someone who’s actually lived it. Bill Arnold’s ‘hard-nosed humanism’ is that rare blend of respect and trust, rights and responsibility. The results speak for themselves. Arnold and Plas know their stuff."—Nancy K. Austin Coauthor, A Passion for Excellence "Bill Arnold has turned the corporate pyramid upside-down. He has opened his office to everyone, and he has spread decision-making responsibility throughout his organization... Bill Arnold has proved that it doesn’t need to be, and shouldn’t be, lonely at the top." Vernon R. Loucks, Jr. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Baxter International Inc. "This is an exciting book. It’s an inspiring story of leadership and success. If anyone still needs proof that a people-oriented focus on quality works, this compelling description of the transformation of Centennial Medical Center should do it."—Dean O. Morton Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Hewlett-Packard Main Selection of the Newbridge Executive Program

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From the Publisher:

A compelling account of Bill Arnold--an innovative, radical CEO who tranformed a company from a bureaucratic bastion into one that focused on quality, productivity and humaneness. Features a concrete program guaranteed to make person-centered leadership not only work but thrive within the smallest or most complex organizations.

From the Inside Flap:

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most revolutionary... When Bill Arnold became president of Centennial Medical Center, he announced an "open door" policy. But nobody came. Everyone figured it was just another management slogan. But Bill Arnold doesn’t believe in slogans. When he came to Centennial he told all his associates: "I work for you. I really mean it." To get his message across he had his office door literally taken off its hinges and hung in the lobby as a monument to outdated leadership styles. "Getting rid of that door," Arnold recalls, "was the smartest thing I’ve done as a corporate leader... People began to realize that my doorless office is the most credible symbol of a new order." That was just the start. As Bill Arnold and Jeanne Plas chronicle, Centennial was energized by these new back-to-basics leadership methods. This revolutionary program for success centers on quality and stresses the vital importance of every individual in the organization—from the people who park the cars to the most senior level executives. Person-centered leadership is not just another unproven theory of yet one more leadership style. It has dramatically improved business results in companies where it has been implemented. At Centennial, for example:

Cash flow increased dramatically
Bad debt decreased to less than one half of one percent
Turnover decreased by 50%
Accounts receivable days decreased from 78 to 44
Earnings increased by 33%

The Human Touch is a remarkable first-person account of change and transformation. It’s a success story that chronicles the human, real-life way that change takes place in organizations: person-by-person. By stressing the crucial role of every individual, Centennial provides a new way for leaders to increase productivity and profit. It provides a leadership agenda for tomorrow by showing how to combine tough performance standards with the courage to be human in the workplace. Person-centered leadership will reinvent the way you think about and practice management. It will help you get back to basic values like common sense, respect, good listening, and helping people to work together rather than just for themselves. Person-centered leadership connects an individual’s self-esteem and goals to the self-esteem and goals of the organization. This critical connection helps bring it all in at the bottom line... Sometimes the simplest things are the most revolutionary.

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