Transformers: Executive Conversations About Creating Agile Organizations

In 2005, a group of major global corporations launched an international dialogue platform to jointly explore how to foster agility and develop sustaining strategic and organizational capabilities for fast changing environments. Transformers is the result of 10 years of these conversations. It combines contributions from renowned thought leaders with perspectives and experiences from dozens of global corporations, among them GE, L’Oreal, Ericsson, Fiat-Chrysler, Cisco, Allianz, Airbus, Siemens, Santander, UBS and many more - close to 100 summaries of speeches, discussions, case studies, and research results, including a synthesis of insights from a Silicon Valley visit that 20 members of the Forum undertook in 2011.

Browsing through Transformers is an inspiring experience – not only because of its rich and diverse content, but also because of its unique creative design. The book will appeal to everybody interested in the development dynamics of large organizations; it is especially valuable for senior executives, managers, and consultants whose practices focus on strategy, organization, leadership, change management, and strategic innovation.

Chapters:•The Future of Leadership •The Transformational Power of Learning•Strategy is Learning & Learning is Strategy•Making Innovation Happen•CEOs and Top Execs Talk about L&D•Corporate Universities and Academies•Mastering the Value Chain of Learning•Technology Changes the Game•Smart Initiatives that Make a Difference

Roland Deiser is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Center for the Future of Organization at the Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Prior to his engagement with the Drucker School he served for 10 years as a Senior Fellow with the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California (USC).

Throughout his career, Roland put a strong emphasis on linking academia with practice. As a scholar of Organizational Politics and Transformational Leadership, he has held teaching and senior research positions at numerous universities in Europe and the United States and has published three books and more than 40 articles in scientific and professional journals and books. He is the author of Designing the Smart Organization - How Breakthrough Corporate Initiatives Drive Strategic Change and Innovation (Jossey Bass, 2009), and co-author of the widely recognized McKinsey Quarterly article Six Social Media Skills Every Leader Needs (together with Sylvain Newton, 2013)

Roland was also the founding Dean of DaimlerChrysler’s Corporate University and is the founder and Chairman of the Executive Corporate Learning Forum (ECLF), a global network of more than 70 major multinational corporations from 14 countries that jointly explore how to develop and sustain strategic capabilities in fast changing environments (www.eclf.org). He has also been working in advisory and board positions with major global players such as BASF, Bertelsmann, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Telekom, E.ON, SAP, Siemens, or Xerox as well as with emerging growth companies, primarily in the digital media convergence space.