| | Location: Home » Books » Employees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management Upside Down | |
|
| |
United Nations NGO Committee on Sustainable Development
|
|
|
Employees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management Upside Down |  | Author: Vineet Nayar
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.33
as of 9/9/2010 00:01 CDT details
You Save: $9.62 (39%)
New (28) Used (11) from $15.33
Seller: thermite-media
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 14,821
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9
ISBN: 1422139069
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.3152
EAN: 9781422139066
ASIN: 1422139069
Publication Date: June 8, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9781422139066 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
One small idea can ignite a revolution just as a single matchstick can start a fire.
One such idea—putting employees first and customers second—sparked a revolution at HCL Technologies, the IT services giant.
In this candid and personal account, Vineet Nayar—HCLT’s celebrated CEO—recounts how he defied the conventional wisdom that companies must put customers first, then turned the hierarchical pyramid upside down by making management accountable to the employees, and not the other way around.
By doing so, Nayar fired the imagination of both employees and customers and set HCLT on a journey of transformation that has made it one of the fastest-growing and profitable global IT services companies and, according to BusinessWeek, one of the twenty most influential companies in the world.
Chapter by chapter, Nayar recounts the exciting journey of how he and his team implemented the employee first philosophy by:
• Creating a sense of urgency by enabling the employees to see the truth of the company’s current state as well as feel the “romance” of its possible future state
• Creating a culture of trust by pushing the envelope of transparency in communication and information sharing
• Inverting the organizational hierarchy by making the management and the enabling functions accountable to the employee in the value zone
• Unlocking the potential of the employees by fostering an entrepreneurial mind-set, decentralizing decision making, and transferring the ownership of “change” to the employee in the value zone
Refreshingly honest and practical, this book offers valuable insights for managers seeking to realize their aspirations to grow faster and become self-propelled engines of change.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
 Employees First, something every employer and professional should read May 17, 2010
M. McDonald (Chicago, IL United States)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Vineet Nayar's Employees First, Customers Second (EFCS) is a first person CEO account of the transformation of their enterprise. The book is a refreshing and frank look at the challenges facing leaders looking to transform their company, culture and employees. Nayar discusses his experience leading HCLT and its transformation from a $700 million dollar company that was losing market share to a $2 billion dollar company at the front of their market.
Nayar provides a clear, well-written and frank discussion of the issues he faced and his personal thought process and learning journey during the transformation. It is rare that a sitting CEO provides such a frank and honest discussion of the company and personal journey. At 185 pages in a small format, the book is an excellent size and length for executives to read, reflect on and consider how it fits into their strategies and plans.
Recommended reading for executives who are frustrated with the current structure and culture of the modern organization.
CEO and BU executives will gain an understanding of new views on leveraging the talent, knowledge and passion of their people both internally and more importantly with customers.
HR and Staff Executives will be exposed to a different view of their role. This is not a direct focus of the book, but reading it will help you think differently about what you do and how it creates/connects to value.
Individuals will see an example of the actions and evolution involved in realizing a new way of working. Just about everyone wants to work this way and this book provides an example that can help crystallize your thoughts and how you communicate with your peers and management.
It is particularly recommended to read now or at a minimum have read during the summer months so these ideas can influence their strategic planning and initiatives for 2011.
This book will provide fresh views and a new configuration of approaches to create a new style of organization. A list of strengths and challenges are at the end of this review.
The book covers a number of `tools' and ideas that are particularly helpful for understanding what you can do to change your enterprise. Many of these ideas are based on existing thoughts, but Nayar presents them in a fresh view integrated around the idea of putting employees first. Some of the tools included in the book include:
Value Zone - the place in the organization where the company creates value with the customer. This zone is at the bottom of the enterprise not the top and that reality shapes much of the thinking in the book. You may recognize this in other words as the `moment of value'
Mirror/Mirror - a process where the company and individuals confront the truth of their situation, strengths and weaknesses, and what they need to do about it. This is a direct descendent of confronting reality in the TQM movement.
Transparent House - the role and change created by making traditional management information, plans, evaluations etc available to all.
Zero Tickets - the notion that enabling functions not only work to resolve issues but need to be dedicated to eliminating them. This again builds on TQM principles.
True 360 evaluation and feedback, which can be easily thought of as old hat but which Nayar gives a fresh perspective and experience.
Overall this is a good book and one that will help every executive think about how their company works and what it does to create value. It is important to note that while Nayar's company is based in India, his business is global and these techniques are working in multiple geographies, cultures and workforces. This means that his experience is readily transferable to other organizations and situations.
Strengths:
* Clear and comprehensive in terms of describing the business situation and the actions they took to address the issues. There is no consultant-ese or academic mumbo jumbo, just clear thinking clearly explained.
* Solution specific in terms of defining specific initiatives, tools, things that the company did to create results and address issues.
* Comprehensive discussing multiple aspects of the transformation from the way they worked with customers, to enabling functions, evaluations, transparency and the changing role of the CEO and their office.
* Insightful as Nayar reflects on what has happened at the most basic and fundamental level. For example his discussion of the evolved nature of 360-degree feedback (p. 116 - 126) gives this tool a new power and rational.
* Focused and humble as Nayar accomplishes all of this in just 185 pages without aggrandizing himself, his company or its track record. This gives the book a clear and honest tone that puts conviction behind the words.
* Realistic as Nayar recognized and values the people who say `yes, but' he then goes on to share the insights and changes in the solution generated by people who have legitimate and value issues with the stated direction. This is a balanced and mature approach to change that is refreshingly different than branding people as the enemy.
Challenges:
* Nayar's discussion of the business issues and situations are often at a high level. While I understand the business and publishing rational behind this, it does weaken the context and may lead some people to think that this does not apply to them - it does.
* Nayar presents a fairly straightforward time progression; we did this, then that, then that. This is a strength in making the book clear and focused, but it has caused Nayar to omit what I am sure are some of the
* The book is somewhat impersonal, not from the CEO's perspective, but from the perspective of the people a HCLIT who we hear little about and even less from. It is paradoxical in that the book is about putting employees first, but we really never hear from the employees. A brief first person story of the transformations that an individual manager or front line person when through would have made this a five star plus book.
Overall the challenges do not rob the value of the ideas, experience and insight presented in this book. Read it and think about its applicability to your company, industry and situation. There is much here to think about and even better a deep example of what one company did.
Employees First, something every employer should read.
Innovative, Radical, and Worth Trying! July 10, 2010
David Bennett (Ohio, United States)
As a member of Generation Y (or at least close), Nayar's ideas resonate with me, and are needed badly in today's workplaces. Research shows that many Americans hate their jobs and have no respect for their employers. Why? This could be in part because employees feel undervalued, voiceless, and expendable. My experience is mostly in the non-profit and education sectors, but the idea that a technology company would put employees over clients intrigued me, and I wanted to see if Nayar's company was really different from other businesses that Americans seem to disdain.
While most people wouldn't call a book like this a "page-turner," I viewed it this way. I couldn't wait to see what Nayar and his company did next. The basic content of the book is Nayar explaining the various ideas he implemented, which were designed to put "employees first." By putting employees first, he increased productivity, creativity, and revenue. He accomplished this in part by giving employees in the "value zone" more control. Value zone employees are those that actually provide the most value to clients, i.e. those doing the work and generating the ideas that attract and keep clients.
One idea Nayar explains is "Mirror Mirror," where he challenges employees at all levels (including himself) to "look in the mirror" and truthfully describe what they see. This exercise keeps employees fresh and innovative because they are regularly assessing the reality that they - and the business - find themselves in. When Nayar's company used this exercise, they found that management was often detached from the value zone, and hindered the work of the employees there. This was an "a-ha" moment for me, having witnessed disconnected managers trample innovation among lower level employees.
Another of Nayar's ideas is to increase transparency so that employees at all levels know what is going on within the company. One way is making financial information open to all employees. Another that Nayar has established is an online forum where employees ask questions, to which the leadership team responds. Others can join in on the discussion as well. This forum has allowed open discussion, promoted innovation, and reduced gossip and speculation.
Nayar also has taken steps to invert the traditional hierarchy, making managers accountable to employees. Bosses often believe that they should make decisions that affect the entire company, even if they are virtually disconnected from the value zone. Such an approach makes no sense, but is taken for granted in many settings. One solution Nayar has developed is the "Smart Service Desk," a system where employees open a "ticket" on a work-related issue, and the issue is investigated and dealt with; only when an employee is satisfied with the answer is the ticket closed. Another tool to increase transparency is the "360 degree survey," in which managers are reviewed not by a select group of other managers, but by everyone a manager might affect or influence. The result is that managers have to reach out to, and inspire, many more people, especially employees in the value zone; they no longer just have to please fellow managers.
Additionally, Nayar explains the role of CEO in his "employees first" paradigm: CEOs should enable their employees to do great things and make great decisions. In fact, a CEO is just one voice among the crowd (albeit a highly paid one!), and should feel comfortable reaching out to his or her employees, even asking their advice.
The last chapter deals with possible objections that naysayers might have to the program, and Nayar realistically addresses them. Interestingly, when it came time for possible layoffs in 2008, his company consulted employees about ways forward during that difficult time. The result was innovative and effective solutions. All I can say is "wow." If only businesses and non-profits everywhere were so transparent and open to new ideas. You can't have a negative rumor-mill if employees are openly working with management to address the problem of possible lay-offs.
Overall, I loved this book. Since I am exploring educational administration, I am excited about implementing some of these ideas, if allowed to do so. The only concern I have about this book is that often Nayar doesn't really explain too many of the negative results of his program. He also provides few details of how he dealt with those employees who consistently resisted his ideas. Granted, he candidly acknowledges failure, and he is, overall, very humble, but I think managers and administrators would like to know some of the specific challenges he faced, to be able to effectively address them in their own settings. To end this review, I will say that these ideas are exciting, and I hope that businesses consider putting employees first, since it seems to be a great way to take care of people and increase profits.
A very good read for any business July 12, 2010
Michael D. Briggs (El Reno, OK United States)
This is a very good example of how business can change for the better. Vineet Nayar became the CEO of HCLT in 2005 and took the company to the top of its field. How? By asking the hard questions and actually listening to the answers he got. He made the changes that needed to be made and stayed a part of the solution, start to finish. The most important aspect of his book is that he recognized the value of happy and content employees. People who hate coming to work every day are not going to give their all and those that have been beaten down by company policies have nothing left to give.
I especially liked the chapters where he had to deal with middle and upper management and how his policies put a spotlight on how useless or even disruptive they had become. And yet, he was able to not only bring them aboard, he was able to make them a positive part of his new vision.
If you are a company leader, then this book is a must read! But even if you are just one of the cogs in the machine, it is still very informative and you can lend it to your company's CEO when you are done reading it,
I want to work for Vineet Nayar! July 30, 2010
Bret L. Simmons
I loved this book as much or more than any business/management book I've read in the past few years. This is a first hand account of how Nayar transformed his company by focusing where value is truly created or lost - at the interface between employees and customers. This is the service-profit chain in action, something I've been teaching for years. In order to grow his company, Nayar first had to change his assumptions, then change the organizational systems in which those assumptions were embedded and driving the behavior of his employees. By first changing his mind, the minds of others, and the systems they worked with, he changed the behavior of his employees and even some of his customers with spectacular results. Get this book!
Change in the Paradigm of Management August 25, 2010
Eagle Vision (Southeastern United States)
This is a book that reinforces my type of leadership style. By digging down and talking to your employees, you find out what motivates them and compels them to excel. If you are without a high level of morale, your business will fail miserably. The methods of empowering your team will only lead to success that is more powerful as a whole unit, rather than the sum of its parts. This method works, since I apply it every day. It is through transforming your operations in a more efficient method that will guarantee your success.
If you want to succeed, this book will elevate your game. If you like mediocrity and are willing to fail, don't read it.
I highly recommend this book.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
|
|
|
Copyright © 2009 UNNGOCSD
| |
|
