The Agility Factor: Building Adaptable Organizations for Superior Performance - Hardcover

Christopher G. Worley; Thomas Williams; Edward E. Lawler III

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1118821378 ISBN 13: 9781118821374

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2014

Synopsis

A research-based approach to achieving long-term profitability in business

What does it take to guarantee success and profitability over time? Authors Christopher G. Worley, a senior research scientist, Thomas D. Williams, an executive advisor, and Edward E. Lawler III, one of the country's leading management experts, set out to find the answer. In The Agility Factor: Building Adaptable Organizations for Superior Performance the authors reveal the factors that drive long-term profitability based on the practices of successful companies that have consistently outperformed their peers. Of the 234 large companies across 18 industries that were studied, there were few companies that delivered sustained performance across the board. The authors found that across industries, the most successful companies were not the "usual suspects" found in the media, but companies who possessed a quiet agility that allowed them to quickly perceive and respond to changes so that they could continue to grow. Agility gives organizations the ability to adapt to fluctuations in the environment, test possible responses, and implement changes quickly. This book offers specific, research-based case studies to help organizational leaders use agility to achieve sustained profitability and performance while also becoming more adaptable to a changing marketplace.

For executives, leaders, consultants, board members and all those responsible for the long-term health of organizations, this insightful guide outlines:

• The components of agility for business organizations
• How to successfully build agility within an organization
• How agility has its foundation in good management practices
• How to use agility to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace

About this title

About the Author

Christopher G. Worley is Senior Research Scientist at the University of Southern California’s Center for Effective Organizations. He is also professor of management at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management.

Thomas Williams is a Senior Executive Advisor at Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company) where he consults to large global companies on issues of strategy, organization, and management systems.

Edward E. Lawler III is Director of the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California and Distinguished Professor of Management and Organization in the USC Marshall School of Business.

From the Back Cover

Since 1980, there have been tremendous changes in the competitive environment in every industry, and every indicator suggests that the pace of change is increasing. Recent research suggests that the expected life of a new American company is about six years. How can organizations beat the odds, survive, and sustain long-term growth and profitability?

In The Agility Factor, Christopher G. Worley, Thomas Williams, and Edward E. Lawler III reveal the key factors that drive sustained profitability based on the practices of companies that have regularly outperformed their competitors. Drawing on research from large companies across a variety of industries, the authors explain that the most successful companies are not the typical organizations lauded by the media, but companies that possess a quiet agility which allows them to internalize the outside forces of variation, selection, and retention, and put these forces to productive use. Agility gives an organization the ability to develop and pursue options that it would not otherwise have. It is a dynamic capability that allows companies to make timely, effective, and sustained responses to environmental change. Agility is more than simply good management and more than a single set of capabilities. It provides a way to perceive environmental threats and opportunities, test possible responses, and implement change quickly over long periods of time.

Agility is a very advanced organizational capability that relies on a system of routines, enlightened management, and sophisticated human resource processes. Filled with illustrative, research-based case studies, The Agility Factor gives leaders the information they need to put in place a strategic framework of agility within their organizations.

For executives, consultants, board members, and all those responsible for the long-term health of organizations, agility creates opportunities to give their companies a performance edge.

From the Inside Flap

Since 1980, there have been tremendous changes in the competitive environment in every industry, and every indicator suggests that the pace of change is increasing. Recent research suggests that the expected life of a new American company is about six years. How can organizations beat the odds, survive, and sustain long-term growth and profitability?

In The Agility Factor, Christopher G. Worley, Thomas Williams, and Edward E. Lawler III reveal the key factors that drive sustained profitability based on the practices of companies that have regularly outperformed their competitors. Drawing on research from large companies across a variety of industries, the authors explain that the most successful companies are not the typical organizations lauded by the media, but companies that possess a quiet agility which allows them to internalize the outside forces of variation, selection, and retention, and put these forces to productive use. Agility gives an organization the ability to develop and pursue options that it would not otherwise have. It is a dynamic capability that allows companies to make timely, effective, and sustained responses to environmental change. Agility is more than simply good management and more than a single set of capabilities. It provides a way to perceive environmental threats and opportunities, test possible responses, and implement change quickly over long periods of time.

Agility is a very advanced organizational capability that relies on a system of routines, enlightened management, and sophisticated human resource processes. Filled with illustrative, research-based case studies, The Agility Factor gives leaders the information they need to put in place a strategic framework of agility within their organizations.

For executives, consultants, board members, and all those responsible for the long-term health of organizations, agility creates opportunities to give their companies a performance edge.

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1118821378
• ISBN 13: 9781118821374
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 202