[Re]Create the Organization You Really Want!: Leadership and Organization Design for Sustainable Excellence. Paperback – October 24, 2016

I got this book for my husband who teaches innovation management and works with organizations to help them improve their product success. He frequently encounters organizations that are not properly aligned to achieve what they really want. I thought this would be a good book to help him with some of the issues he sees. I am writing this review from his perspective. One of his favorite business books is Jim Collins "Good to Great" because it identifies what several companies did as they moved from being good to being really great. However, he encounters organizations who try to apply the same principles and take the same actions but they are not creating success. This new book, "[Re]Create the Organization you Really Want" picks up where Good to Great stops. It starts by identifying problems with organizations that are a collection of silos -- which are most organizations -- and makes the case for functioning as an integrated system instead. Then it lays out the steps for achieving that -- creating a well-aligned organization that generates value for everyone involved -- employees, customers, investors, society, etc. Unlike Good to Great, it doesn't say do XYZ to be successful, but it provides the steps for leaders to identify the processes and systems that will make the organization successful. One-size-fits-all approaches seldom work or last. Leaders need to account for what is unique about their organization and [re]create it to be more successful. The author does a good job of applying the results of credible research of companies that did reach a higher level of performance and his experience to create the steps for knowing what to change and how to change it. This is THE book every leader should read.

Dr. John Latham's book is a very insightful guide on creating a high performance organization. His writing style is readable and engaging - a conversation on organizational excellence and the journey. I especially enjoyed his Reflection Questions that conclude many chapters - they help consider how you might apply his concepts to your own situation. The chapter on collaborative leadership and his nine leader behaviors highlight the responsibilities of leaders everywhere in an organization to be the change they want to create. Highly recommended for leaders looking for guidance to move their companies to higher performance in the 21st century.

I needed this book to complete a school project. The content is exactly what the instructor wants to see on the assignment.

Dr. Latham describes organizational transformation in an informal no nonsense manner. This book lays out a blueprint for leaders who wish to transform their organization.

Great tool for anyone who is serious about using a platform accounting for all stakeholders to [Re]create a sustainable organization. Awesome work, Dr. Latham!

If you want to improve your organization you need to read this book, This a great book for entire organization.

In full disclosure, as one of John Latham’s academic colleagues, I received a complimentary copy of the book I am about to review: [Re]Create the Organization You Really Want!Many organizations are complex, opaque entities, with hierarchical levels of managers and employees, each subscribed to a particular role and function. Denied a voice and influence, employees are often resigned rather than loyal and energized when responding to organizational directives. The result is an under performing organization. An optimistic observer might say at best, it has a “working yet dysfunctional culture,” and is in need of systemic change.For leaders to displace this flawed, under performing workplace, something far more potent and intrusive than training is needed. Dr. John Latham has crafted a powerful prescription for organizational change in his highly readable book, [Re]Create the Organization You Really Want! The premise of the book is that to become a high performing, organization, it needs to be re-designed with full participation and “buy in” from all stakeholders, starting with the customer on the outside and ending with the employees on the inside. Latham asserts organizational leaders need to actively take charge, assume the role of change agent, become an “architect” to intentionally design and “create a humanistic environment that allows multiple stakeholders to create value for others and themselves.”With literally thousands of books on leadership available, we should read and apply this one because it is based on the experience and research of Dr. John Latham. His many years of successful experience as an organization change agent have earned for him the knowledge and credibility to write a prescription that can effect reliable change if carefully followed.Latham’s prescription is anchored by four cornerstones of organization re-design: stakeholders, strategies, systems and scorecard. They must be developed in sequence, then integrated and aligned. Given the formidable task of organizational change, another major strength of the book is the clarity of the separate, step-by-step procedure for implementing each of the four cornerstones. While executives will like the logic, clarity and elegance of this organizational change model, there are two caveats for its successful implementation. First, systemic, organizational change is a long-term, often arduous process. Secondly, as would be re-designers of their organization, executives will invariably need help from externally based, organization development (OD) professionals. These OD change agents function as neutral (no skin in the game) facilitators who will keep everyone on track, and help overcome inevitable procedural barriers and the sometimes toxic political dynamics so often present when systemic change is the goal.Reviewed by Keith J. Johansen, Ph.D, Founding Chair, Programs in Training and Performance Improvement, Capella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This is a fantastic book that I will consistently revisit when needing to re-create my organization. Professor Latham taught the capstone course of my MBA. He was incredible and this book is him on paper. I love it and will keep it forever.