Organizational Performance

About the Book

The modern organization may be the greatest invention of the twentieth/ twenty first centuries. Organizations have executed strategies that sent men to the moon and returned them safely, implemented the Internet and other communication systems, discovered oil through deepwater-drilling and fracking technologies, deployed lifesaving medical technologies to remote areas across the globe, provided clean drinking water where none existed before, and continued to raise the quality of living in emerging markets and economies. This instrument we call the organization has accomplished amazing feats not possible by individuals.

However, as organizations grow, so do the challenges and complexities. Organizations navigate in external environments that are more global, fast-paced, and disrupted by new technologies. Competitiveness is increasing. Political upheaval is rampant. The ability to address these pressing challenges is limited by internal dysfunctions. Strategies aren't well-defined. Leaders don't collaborate. Organizational processes and structures aren't designed to deliver the necessary strategies. Employees aren't aligned, motivated, and capable to deliver at a high level, and the cultures don't support the behaviors for competitive differentiation. Governance and management systems don't produce the desired results, and organizations don't change fast enough to keep up with changing requirements. These problems are compounded by ineffective communication.

These problems can be remedied by developing a successful Organization Performance System. Leaders, consultants, and organization advisors will find the contents in this book a rich reservoir of ideas and practices for developing extraordinary results, competitive advantage and sustainable results.

About the Author

After earning a master’s degree in organizational communications and business at Brigham Young University and pursuing doctoral studies at Rutgers University, Curt worked for eighteen years at Exxon, where his responsibilities included leadership development and advanced-management education. He then worked at Accenture for eight years, serving as an associate partner for the organizational-change-strategy practice in the resource sector. He then went on to found Organization Performance Strategies, where he currently is its president. Curt has consulted with numerous international organizations, including Cobalt International Energy (Houston, Texas), Mecca Municipality (Saudi Arabia), Orascom (Egypt), Protection of Women and Children (Saudi Arabia), the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), Tosco (Phoenix, Arizona), BP Angola (London and Angola), TNK BP (Moscow, Russia), BG (Brisbane, Australia), Exxon affiliates (United States), TXU (Dallas, Texas), Aramco (Saudi Arabia), PDVSA (Venezuela), ADNOC (Abu Dhabi), and the Ministry of Water and Electricity (Saudi Arabia), among many others. In addition to his consulting practice, Curt serves on the advisory board of the organizational-behavior/human-resources track of Brigham Young University’s MBA program and teaches case-study classes in the MBA programs at Brigham Young University and Utah State University. Contact Information: Curt J. Howes President Organization Performance Strategies Salt Lake City, Utah Phone: 001-801-201-6259 E-mail: cjhowes@opstrategies.org Website: www.opstrategies.org