Making the Impossible Possible

297 pages. Temps de lecture estimé 3h43min.
Bestselling author Kim Cameron delivers both a riveting story and a thoroughly researched case study that delves into the spectacularly impossible success of the shutdown and clean-up of Rocky Flats, one of the most notorious nuclear weapons plants in the United States.The most contaminated nuclear weapons plant in the country, Rocky Flats was an environmental disaster and the site of rampant worker unrest. Although estimates projected that cleaning up and closing the facility would take 70 years and $36 billion, the project was completed 60 years ahead of schedule and $30 billion under budget, and most of the site is now on its way to becoming a wildlife refuge. Kim Cameron and Marc Lavine explain how this amazing feat was accomplished and how other organizations can apply the same methods to achieve breakthrough levels of performance. The authors discovered that the Rocky Flats leaders used a distinctive “abundance approach,” identifying and building on sources of strength, resilience, and vitality rather than simply solving problems and overcoming difficulties. Drawing on numerous firsthand accounts and public records, they identify 21 specific leadership practices and key techniques that were fundamental to this innovative approach. This fascinating and thoroughly researched case study provides a complete guide for anyone wanting to better understand and apply the lessons of this remarkable, history-making achievement. AcknowledgmentsAn Introduction to the Impossible1 Explaining the Impossible—Positive Deviance and the Abundance Approach2 Impending Disaster—A Brief History of Rocky Flats 3 The Role of Leaders4 Competing Values and Paradoxical Leadership 5 Key Enablers—Vision, Innovation, and Symbolic Leadership6 Key Enablers—Stability, Discipline, and Process Control7 Key Enablers—Relationships, Human Capital, and Collaborative Culture 8 Key Enablers—Politics, Incentives, and Rigorous Performance Standards9 Leadership Principles for Spectacular Performance Appendix 1: Caveats and Alternative Views of Rocky Flats' SuccessAppendix 2: Research MethodsReferences Photo Credits Index About the Authors About the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship