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by By AMS (Mantua, NJ USA),
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Date Added: Tuesday 20 May, 2008
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Over the years, I have read many books and written reviews of some that attracted my attention for various reasons. Recently, I discovered a book series that uses historical events and key persons to illustrate concepts and initiatives that could apply to business. The series, Lessons from History, is the creation of a consultant, Mark Kozak-Holland, and the intention of the series is to examine complex business problems by applying lessons from history. He uses historical case studies to demonstrate how challenges were overcome, offering a unique view for business and technology management to apply the lessons of history to their situations.
The book, Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise: Lessons for Business Today, brings the reader to the late 1930's and early 1940's with descriptions of the world situation and the state of politics and lack of preparedness for World War II that existed in Great Britain. When Churchill became Prime Minister in May 1940, his country was facing the onslaught of Nazi Germany alone, France and the Low Countries had fallen under Germany's control, and Britain was poised to be Hitler's next victim. As we know, Britain survived, it regained strength and allied itself with the United States and the Soviet Union to defeat Hitler and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The questions "How did he do that?", "What were the actions and practices that enabled Churchill to emerge as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century?" are the subject of Kozak-Holland's book.
This book is fascinating reading, despite the fact that the outcome of WWII is known to the reader. Kozak-Holland explores Churchill and his Cabinet and other advisors' actions to show how, under tremendous pressure, the Prime Minister transformed his organization to the modern-day version of an Adaptive Enterprise. An Adaptive Enterprise modifies the way an organization behaves, how it addresses and responds to change, giving it a competitive advantage.
With no room for error, the use of organizational adaptation, business practices and current technology, combined with the inspiration of the leaders, gave Britain and the allies the opportunity to turn the tide of the war to their favor.
In reading about the practices, technologies, and organization that Churchill established, we can see the emergence of governance and decision-making concepts well before they are widely believed to have been invented. Although the teams created centers of excellence for code-breaking, military command and executive oversight (Bletchley Park, Bentley Priory, Storey's Gate, respectively), the overriding need was for data and process governance, so that these centers could operate both separately and coordinated, depending on the need. These centers handled large amounts of disparate data from multiple sources, and the executive committee needed consolidated data in real time to make immensely important decisions. Developing a data governance approach and framework was essential and it had to be implemented in an unbelievably short time, with the future of Great Britain (and the rest of the world) hanging in the balance.
Churchill's need was for competitive intelligence, and the data supporting that effort was required to be as accurate and timely as possible, given the limitations of technology that existed in 1940. Data quality was deemed to be of utmost importance, and many analysts were employed to perform the data validation and meta data management tasks that are part of the modern data steward's activities. Validated raw data was given to leading analysts ("chief data stewards") for some synthesis and applied to answer the executive committee's questions and address challenges that erupted by the minute. At Storey's Gate, a sophisticated control center was created. It tracked real-time events from all theatres of the war, showing data identified as essential indicators for the allies' performance. The WWII version of an executive dashboard, the command center / map room became so important to Churchill that it was recreated for travel (train and airplane). When Franklin Roosevelt saw the traveling version on Churchill's first visit to the US, he had a similar center created. Eventually, the two command centers were aligned and governance was given the highest priority, enabling the fateful collaboration between Britain and her former colony (SHAPE - Supreme Allied Headquarters - Europe).
Can history teach lessons for modern business and technology management? Quoting Kozar-Holland, "Churchill's use of executive dashboards, real-time event models, institutionalized decision-making, and competitive intelligence analysis helped turn the course of history. It was the first time that intelligence (and governance) had been used on such a scale, across an enterprise and in such a strategic capacity." Modern business may not be engaged in the epic struggle that was World War II, but the use of concepts such as governance, and practices from historical events can give some perspective on their application in 21st century organizations.
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by John Broughton CEO, Nation Exchange
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Date Added: Tuesday 20 May, 2008
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Is this book a business management book with a healthy dose of historical case study, or a history book with recommendations for IT best practices? In truth, the book deftly handles both points of emphasis. It is best viewed as the former, written with the heavy reliance on use cases and case studies - all of which just happen to have been true. Like any good book with compelling subplots, the reader keeps turning the pages.
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by Hugh Woodward, Editor, PMForum.org and PM World Today
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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If you are looking for clear directions for breathing new agility into your organization, and enjoy history, this is the perfect instruction manual.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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by Tony Redmond, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, HP
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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As this book clearly shows, the notion of an Adaptive Enterprise is not a new concept. Perhaps it's a new term, but the ability of gifted individuals to respond to changing conditions with out-of-the-box thinking and innovative approaches to lead enterprises to solve hard problems has always been a hallmark of brilliance. Churchill wasn't the only brilliant mind working on the problems posed by global warfare and material shortage in World War II and he made mistakes along the way, but the important thing is that Churchill learned from both triumphs and mistakes and adapted his tactics along the way to eventual success.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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by John Matlock
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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We certainly live in a time of change. And it seems that even the rate of change is increasing. In this fascinating book, Mr. Kozak-Holland draws comparisons between the problems that Churchill faced in assuming leadership of the British Government at the start of World War II and the modern business world.
The changes in the military situation facing England were quick and sudden. The changes in the business world only slightly less so. Consider, for instance, the marketplace for cameras. In a matter of very few years, the shelves at your local discount store basically no longer have film based cameras.
The author discusses a technique called Adaptive Enterprise that Churchill used in modifying the way an organization behaves in the face of change. The comparisons are very interesting to a history buff, and have direct applicability if you are manufacturing buggy whips when Henry Ford comes along.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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by Charles Ashbacher
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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In May of 1940, England faced enormous odds. Since the previous September, the German armies had handily conquered Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium and the combined armies of Britain and France. France had surrendered and although the bulk of the British army was rescued from Dunkirk, nearly all of their military equipment was now in German hands. Furthermore, the Italians had entered the war on the German side and the German alliance with Russia seemed firm, as both sides had so much to gain by maintaining it.
Now essentially devoid of significant allies and low on supplies, the only hope the British had to carry out the fight was to make more efficient use of what they had. Therefore, the British carried out one of the greatest improvements in managerial operations ever achieved. Winston Churchill selected the right people for all positions, relying almost solely on talent rather than political or social position. His only concessions to political necessity were in allowing some leaders of the political opposition to have high government posts. For example, Clement Attlee was appointed Deputy Prime Minister during the war years. The direness of the times allowed Churchill and his appointees' great range in their actions and power. Fortunately for the British side, they were men of sense and effectiveness.
In this book, the actions of Churchill and his wartime staff are used as a set of demonstration cases for how effective adaptation can be in the business world. Despite the serious differences in the circumstances, after all, no business staff is really battling for its very life, the analogies work. Kozak-Holland does an excellent job in toning the circumstances down to a set of fundamental business circumstances. It has often been said that we must learn from history, this is a book where several lessons can be learned from history and in this case not all of the lessons are direct.
As Churchill showed, a strong will is necessary but not sufficient for success. You must be willing to delegate responsibility and be willing to let the people do their job without micromanaging. When the circumstances warrant it, you must be willing to fire people and also to hold the line against firing people even though others believe that they should be removed.
There is a great deal of business management knowledge that can be learned from this book. It has been said many times that the modern global business competition is just the next generation of warfare. While that is certainly debatable, the points of the debate are not about the fact, just about how far the analogy can be extended. As can be seen here, there are many similarities between modern total war between nations and competition between businesses.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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by Steve Neiderhauser
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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There must be some kind of way out of here say the joker to the thief.
-- Jimi Hendrix
Today's business gurus evangelize the benefits of story like a TV evangelist on a book tour. Still, there are few authors who use story to teach business strategy. Enter Mark Kozak-Holland who uses the stories of history to teach the lessons of the adaptive enterprise. Long after you've read and forgotten strategy concepts taught in standard text books, you'll find yourself remembering and applying adaptive enterprise concepts through the stories in Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise; stories that breathe life into the sense and respond organization.
In Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise, author Mark Kozak-Holland shows how to create an adaptive enterprise by using lessons from World War II. In spite of Britain's stunning defeat at the Battle of Dunkirk, and her subsequent limited resources to wage war, Churchill was able to stave off German occupation and give America time to join the war, by making an entire country agile.
The author writes of how the German Luftwaffe believed they were on the verge of wiping out Britain's Royal Air force, and yet, Churchill, through a sense-and-respond network was able to make 50 British fighters seem like hundreds, and demoralize the German air command. Indeed, Churchill had his watchtower.
From a story perspective, this book is brilliant. First, the author didn't try to make up his own story, or worse, create a fable to teach the adaptive enterprise. No, that could of been a disaster. Why? Because Churchill's stand against Hitler is an archetype that is almost impossible to improved upon. I mean, even Spielberg, if he wanted to... would find it difficult to produce a better protagonist and antagonist than Churchill and Hitler. And that's why Saving Private Ryan is the story that it is. It's a story within the context of a larger story.
Second, the book provides a business case for agile.
Finally, if you're brilliant, you'll tell the Churchill stories to each other, so you change your corporate culture. And when your customers start to brag about your products and how you run circles around the competition, you will have differentiated your product in a way that others can't match. What's more, you'll now have your own stories to tell each other and new employees, keeping your adaptive organization alive and well.
To be successful in life or war, you need to be flexible... adaptive. Churchill was a socially adept animal -- He knew how to change and evoke change from others. Within Churchill lived a transformation machine. His mad writing skills were not bestowed upon him like the Queen's crown. In grammar school, when the teacher criticized his writing, he studied and practiced grammar patterns for hours. Later in life, when asked about his facile writing skills, he credited the grammar exercises for his renowned ability to turn a phrase.
Yep, Churchill was one hep, adaptive cat. When others were silent, he gave inspiring speeches; when others embraced rigid processes, he created agile frameworks; when others worried about the fate of England and fled to Canada, he calmed the masses; when others sought shelter during the bombings, he ventured boldly into the firestorm.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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by Dr. Tami Brady
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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4.0 out of 5 stars Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise, Oct 7 2007
By Dr. Tami Brady "Whole Health Therapist" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
I truly believe that in order to move forward, we have to look back at our history. I believe the same is true of business. One of the best ways to solve problems and create innovative strategies is to look at those in our past who succeeded in these areas.
Churchill is a model for adaptation and problem solving. His business was Britain which was faced with two overwhelmingly difficult challenges: keep the British economy stable while also keeping the country safe from German invasion. In order to be successful in these endeavours, the leader had to focus his resources wisely to stay one step ahead of the enemy.
Despite it's usefulness as a model for business problem solving, Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise is a somewhat difficult book to read. The text is filled with IT and business terms so the average business person will need to flip to the glossary in the back of the book frequently to fully comprehend each concept. Moreover, many of the historical examples require somewhat in-depth knowledge of Churchill's exploits. I suggest reading the appendix at the back of the book before moving onto the regular text.
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!]
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by 2007 Eric Hoffer Book Awards
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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Churchill is recognized as one of the most inspiring figures of the twentieth century, almost single-handedly keeping a nation on its feet in the face of destruction. Kozak-Holland uses these lessons to motivate Information Technology professionals. The comparison is an environment of rapid change and adaptability. The business world is littered with examples of companies that have failed in the face of sweeping changes, and the IT professional often stands at the forefront of these assaults. In moments of crisis, it's not a bad idea to ask: What would Churchill do? Kozak-Holland shows us, making contemporary comparisons to the famous leader's approach to problem solving.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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by Reader Views (William E. Cooper)
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Date Added: Tuesday 08 April, 2008
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Mark Kozak-Holland has written one of the best and most fascinating management, leadership, and business books I’ve read. As a retired Chief of Police with two graduate degrees, and one who teaches graduate school courses, as well as being the author of my own book “Leading Beyond Tradition,” I found this to be a “can’t put it down” book. It is a literal page turner, comparing Winston Churchill’s incredibly complex set of problems at the outset of and during World War II with today’s management issues, then providing legitimate and very well thought out solutions.
It is about the tremendous change the world and our organizations are facing and the need for being agile and adapting to frequently changing conditions. It is about getting the right people in, the wrong people out, and the right people in the right places. It is about having a vision and a strategy for achieving it; it is about change management. The examples used are incredibly profound and clearly applicable to today’s business needs and environment. This book is a must-read and should not only be in every manager’s library, but should be a university text book and part of every library. I strongly recommend Mr. Kozak-Holland’s book. Well done sir.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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by Stacy Goff, PMP
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Date Added: February 2006
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"This book is a great read for savvy Business Managers. No, it's a compelling history book. No, it is an excellent demonstration of Leadership Style. No, it is a complete Information Technology methodology, in the guise of a chameleon. I reviewed this book this Fall, and (full disclosure) provided some sound bites for the publisher. However, I would not have done so if I had not enjoyed this book so much.
This “Back to Our Future” book does a stellar job of mining the project intelligence from Lessons Learned. It cites not just common practice, not just best practice, but First Practice of methods underlying today’s most successful projects."
As a Methodology
Author Mark Kozak-Holland appears to have begun writing this book using a facile (and well-documented in the Appendix) Component Design methodology as a framework. He then uses his vignettes about Churchill's challenges and accomplishments to provide examples of phases, results or tasks. Only rarely did the need to cover key parts of the methodology get in the way of the compelling story I followed.
I found Mark's use of Churchill examples to be a very interesting "back to the future" approach, that sometimes had me checking my calendar to verify the actual date. The book is a worthwhile investment just for the methodology ideas, especially if the author could provide the Work Breakdown Structure plus work package tasks in an electronic template.
A Study in Leadership Style
I thought I knew a lot about the beginnings of World War II, and the roles of the leaders of the involved countries. I had an appreciation for some of Churchill's contributions. But as my reading progressed, I found I had not even scratched the surface of the role Churchill played. As I read this book, I kept finding myself going out on the web to do broader research about certain assertions, such as America's isolationist tendencies, the debacle of Dunkirk, together with the heroic rescue of the remaining forces.
All through the book, I was frequently reminded of the strong visionary leader Tracy Kidder describes in the lead character in Soul of a New Machine. And I've used Soul since it was first published in my Project Leadership classes to analyze leadership styles and their effectiveness. I may need to update my role models!
Compelling History
I'm a history buff. And once or twice I got a bit frustrated when the next methodology steps interrupted the storyline about what really went on in the areas in and around London in 1940. And each time I found a new fact, I jumped again onto a separate research thread: The role of Polish scientists in breaking the code; the Enigma machine; why Dunkirk happened, and many other compelling threads.
On the book's website there are now resources that explain a bit more of this background. This can make it less time consuming to do the type of extra research I did, because you all know that one search can lead to many links, and we can lose whole days following them all!
For Savvy Business Managers
I did not appreciate the meaning of Adaptive, nor understand what support is needed to be such. But one key is access to Business Intelligence, plus all the support infrastructure needed to actively use it. Managers don't need to know the technology, but the book provides excellent examples of the combination of Strategies plus application of current Intelligence. Most of today's decision-makers operate with less information than Churchill employed with his Adaptive Enterprise. This book could be your first step in rectifying that.
Summary
The subtle PM analogy, Prime Minister as Program Manager, together with a fascinating blend of retrospective and perspective makes this book appealing and revealing to both our historic interests and our current-day challenges. Mark Kozak-Holland guides us through his comprehensive and historic case study as we learn the lessons of the past, so we may not be doomed to repeat them.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]
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