“For the first time since the dawning of the industrial age, the only way to build a company that’s fit for the future is to build one that’s fit for human beings as well.” (Gary Hamel)

I am not sure that this is in fact accurate. There are many small businesses over the years often family owned that have based their success on what we call today “Human Talent”. To me, as a Organizational Development practitioner, I have always believed this to be the only way we can build healthy organizations now or in the future.

Let’s face it . . . sometimes other people can do a way better job than you can. The trick is to let them and not go about reinventing the wheel. And so when I read a book review last week on “The Future of Management” by Gary Hamel, with Bill Breen; Harvard Business School Press, 272 pages, $26.95 written by Bruce Rosenstein of USA TODAY, it seemed superfluous to try to do it myself. Then it occurred to me that other reputable business magazines would also have a review – not to mention the individual reviews that might show up on Amazon, which are excellent by the way. So of course, I found another good one at Business Week entitled “Throw Away The Cookie Cutter”, I wondered it I should ever write a book review again. That said, I am always opinionated and will continue to get on my soap box. So here goes.

Business Week is a little more critical suggesting that Hamel is long on thought provoking ideas but shorter on “a step by step road map” to change. Of course if there were a recipe, we wouldn’t need books like this.

If you would like to read an excerpt from “The Future of Management,” by Gary Hamel with Bill Breen then the place to visit is Harvard Business Online . Check out new excerpts weekly.

At 1-Focus, we have developed our Seven Step Process that we believe IS a road map – but one that is far from prescriptive. We view it more as a topographical map that will point out the challenges along the way with some suggestions on what needs to be done at various stages to transverse the terrain. It is our premise that each traveler – or organization needs to determine his or her own route and strategies.

Hamel points to the need for management innovation which he describes as being harder to find. We agree and our Step 7 is about sustainability through renewal. In connection to this need, our fifth Collaborative Leadership Competency is all about the capacity to Create. (Facilitates an action orientation that produces meaningful standards, synergistic results and outcomes that are iterative (repeatable and improved upon). Brings the shared vision into reality.)