I loved Corporate Rebels. A definite recommend. Here are my takeaways:
- It’s speaking my language throughout. Bin the hierarchy, organise as a network of autonomous, entrepreneurial teams, enabled with radical transparency and ruthless decentralisation of decision making.
- Full of good reminders that transformations take time!
- Some excellent case studies that I’m certainly going to read up more on. Like Haier the Chinese white goods manufacturer, and the Swiss bank Handelsbanken. This in particular is a great case study of starting from a position of gross overcentralisation, particularly of transformation/improvement efforts, and has strong parallels to many UK Govt Department efforts to transform through a central, top down, mandated effort.
- Some great practical advice on ways to decentralise decision making, particularly the ‘Advice process’ - (this links to Decentralised Decision Making)
- I was particularly struck how all the successful case studies were linked by the presence of one (or occasionally two) radical leader with some drive/idea/passion that they personally exemplify and make happen. These are the Corporate Rebels in the title of the book, but are they really a necessary pre-requisite? Can organisations do this from the bottom up without the radical figurehead?