elizabethmosskanterinnovation

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InterviewsThis interview originally appeared

in Chamber Executive magazine

published by American Chamber

of Commerce Executives. It is the

first of a two-part interview. The

second part focuses on Professor

Moss Kanters most recently

published book, Confidence: How

Winning Streaks and LosingStreaks Begin and End.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration

at Harvard Business School, specializing in strategy, innovation, and leadership for

change. She advises major corporations and governments worldwide, and is the

author or co-author of 15 books, including her latest book, Evolve!: Succeeding in the

Digital Culture of Tomorrow. Other award-winning best-sellers include Men & Women

of the Corporation, The Change Masters, When Giants Learn to Dance, and World

Class: Thriving Locally in the Global Economy, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the

Frontiers of Management.

She has received 21 honorary doctoral degrees from distinguished universities

nation-wide and over a dozen leadership awards, and has been named to lists of the

50 most influential business thinkers in the world (ranked #11), the 18 business

gurus to watch, the 100 most important women in America and the 50 most

powerful women in the world. She co-founded Goodmeasure Inc., a consulting

group, and serves as chairman of its board as well as serving as a director or adviser

for other companies. Her consulting clients include some of the most prominent

companies, and she has delivered keynote addresses for major events in every U.S.

state and dozens of other countries, sharing the platform with Prime Ministers and

Presidents. Goodmeasure is currently developing Web-based versions of her lead-

ership and change tools (www.changetoolkit.com), to help embed them in

organizations everywhere.

Who have had the greatest impact on your own development as a businessthinker? How so?There have been many influences over the years, Peter Drucker being one of the

most important because he has helped so many of us to think differently about

organizational leadership and management. Frankly, I learn something of value from

everyone I meet -- my Harvard colleagues, my students and the executives I work

with. For an eager student (which is what I am), there is so much to be learned from

everyday experiences. Im a sponge. Always will be.

Of all the books you have written thus far, which seem to have had the greatestimpact on senior-level executives? Why?

Time is a function of impact. The longer a book of mine has been in print, the greater

its impact seems to be as people absorb and digest my ideas. I am especially proud

KnowledgeLeadershipA Conversation With

Rosabeth Moss Kanter Part I


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of The Change Masters; Innovation and

Entrepreneurship in the American Cor-

poration[first published in 1983]

because it raised questions and

addressed issues at a time when so

many great changes were occurring in

our society, indeed throughout the

world. Change masters are my heroes

and heroines because they are

mavericks, they challenge the status

quo, they see what others dont see.

They are dreamers who make theirdreams come true. They have vision

and courage. They really care about

making a difference. They are

revolutionaries. And they are very hard

workers.

I am also pleased by the reception to

When Giants Learn to Dance: Mastering

the Challenges of Strategy,

Management, and Careers in the 1990s

[first published in 1989]. In it, I insist that

even the largest organizations really cantransform themselves and I explained

how. By the way, John Akers once said

that changing IBMs culture was more

difficult than getting elephants to dance.

Of course its really difficult, as Lou

Gerstner also found out years later. The

title of his own book is Who Says

Elephants Cant Dance?He and his top

executives were change masters at

IBM. All organizations, especially the

larger ones, will always need change

masters. Dissatisfaction with the status

quo and efforts to improve it should be

encouraged rather than discouraged.

Regrettably, that is often not the case.

What do the most effectiveorganizations share in common?They demonstrate the Five Fs: They are

focused, flexible, fast, friendly, and fun.

They are constantly improving on what

they do and how they do it. They are

resilient and can rapidly respond to

problems as well as to opportunities. By

friendly I mean partnership-oriented,

understanding the value of collaboration

across organizations as a way to get

more for everyone, appreciating the

value of each and every person involved

in the enterprise. Friendly people are

caring people, eager to provideencouragement and support when

needed most. Not just associates in the

workplace but also customers,

vendors...literallyanyone with whom

there is contact.

Throughout human history, people have

developed strong loyalties to traditions,

rituals, and symbols. In the most

effective organizations, they are not only

respected but celebrated. It is no

coincidence that the most highlyadmired corporations are also among

the most profitable. Why? Because

everyone involved is committed to

certain non-negotiable core values.

Traditions keep them alive. Rituals such

as special occasions reaffirm them.

Symbols serve as constant reminders of

their enduring importance.

What about innovation?

It is absolutely essential and everything

begins with curiosity. A great thinker

once described innovative thinkers this

way: "Some men see things as they are

and say, 'Why?' I dream of things that

never were and say, 'Why not?'"

Innovative thinkers are constantly

asking questions such as these. How

can we improve recruiting, hiring and

training? How can we add greater value

to our products and services by

making them even better? How can

we do more to nourish the personal

as well as professional development

of our people? What more can we do

as a good citizen where we do

business? Without constant

innovative thinking, an organization

will have few (if any) of the Five Fs.

Please explain the role of leadership

when overcoming what JimOToole characterizes as theideology of comfort and the tyrannyof custom.That is a major obstacle because

successful organizations become

complacent and thus are vulnerable t

competitors which have mastered the

Five Fs. Competition has never been

more threatening than it is now.

Innovative thinkers challenge the

status quo in their organizations. The

are often viewed as troublemakers.

They threaten the defenders of the

status quo. So competition within an

organization can also be brutal. The

most effective leaders overcome the

ideology of comfort and the tyranny o

custom by being change agents

themselves. They encourage and

reward innovative thinking. I have

observed that people only resist

changes imposed on them by other

people. I like to say that Change is

always a threat if its done tomebut

an opportunity when done by me.


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Is that one of Kanters

Rules?

In my new book Confidence, I explain

how both winning streaks and losing

streaks begin and end. Organizations

(especially start-ups) get on a roll and

thrive for a while. They enjoy success

and assume it will continue. Then their

neglect of the Five Fs causes serious

problems, ending the winning streak.Now theyre on a losing streak. Efforts to

solve the problems do not produce

immediate results. So heres another of

Kanters Rules": Everything looks like

a failure in the middle. So often, people

become impatient and then

discouraged, especially when they

encounter delays, obstacles, problems,

etc. They give up too soon.

ack Dempsey once said thatchampions get up when they cant.Exactly and the same is true of or-

ganizations.

In recent years, there has been greatinterest in the relevance of theFounding Fathers (especiallyBenjamin Franklin and John

dams) to the contemporary businesworld. Why?

During the Boom Years, it was so easy

to lose sight of basic values. For

example, there was lots of nonsense

said and written about the so-called

New Economy. Some people said all

economic laws have been overturned!

Then all the dot.com problems

developed. Corporations were heavily

fined for illegalities. Many of their senior-

level executives were indicted,

convicted, and sent to prison. The

economy suffered. Meanwhile, global

terrorism -- both before and following

the tragic events on September 11th --

made us realize how vulnerable we all

are. During times such as these, we

rediscover or reconnect with the core

values of our heritage. Thats why we

feel a greater appreciation of our

Founding Fathers. Talk about change

masters! Washington, Jefferson, the two

Adamses, Franklin, and others (literally)

built an entirely new nation after

defeating England, a country

which was then the most powerful in the

world.

Finally, to those about to begin a career inbusiness, what advice do you have?

Fully understand the importance of the

Five Fs, not only to your organization

and career but also to your personal life.

Embrace change as an opportunity to

learn, to improve, to make a difference

in others lives as well as in your own.

Have the courage to challenge the

status quo. Remember that preparation

and ambition in combination with

opportunity equals success. And have

fun!

For more information about Knowledge-

Leadership@ThomasGroup, please

contact:

Jim TaylorCEO and PresidentThomas GroupInternational Headquarters5221 N. OConnor BoulevardIrving, TX 75039-3707Direct (972) 401-4435

Fax (972) [email protected]

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