Beyond the Quick Fix: Managing Five Tracks to Organizational Success (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1984; Washington, DC: Beard, 2004)

by Ralph H. Kilmann

 

From the Back Cover

Anyone who has worked for an organization has experienced the quick fix: a band-aid applied directly to the symptom of a problem while ignoring the true complexities of organizational life. But patch-up jobs cannot possibly lead to long-term success. In today's complex world, a non-quick fix is needed for creating and maintaining organizational success: a completely integrated program.

The core of the completely integrated program is a carefully orchestrated sequence of five tracks. The first three tracks address the people side of the organization, often called the informal organization. The last two tracks address the formal side of the organization to guide the people in the organization as to what they are supposed to do. Without first improving the inner organization through an adaptive culture, updated management skills, and cooperative team effort, any changes in the formal systems will be cosmetic—on paper only—and therefore shortlived, which is the fate of most quick fixes. In contrast, implementing the five tracks aligns all aspects of the organization into a unified effort for long-term success. This book will awaken executives, managers, consultants, and scholars to a truly holistic approach to organizational change and transformation for today's interconnected world.

Book CoverTo Order BEYOND THE QUICK FIX

 

Table of Contents

    Preface

    The Author

  1. Principles for Organizational Success
  2. Theory Behind the Five Tracks
  3. Practice Behind the Five Tracks
  4. The Culture Track
  5. The Management Skills Track
  6. The Team-Building Track
  7. The Strategy-Structure Track
  8. The Reward System Track
  9. Commitment to Organizational Success
Book CoverBibliography
Index

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