- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday Business (Aug 24 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385510675
- ISBN-13: 978-0385510677
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.3 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #739,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Herbold, a corporate consultant and former COO for Microsoft, finds "fiefdoms"—individuals or groups who control the flow of information out of their offices as a way of gaining agency or power—one of the most dangerous problems a company can face, and he sees them everywhere. Even the collapse of Enron, he argues, can be attributed to the actions of a small cabal in the finance department. The insight isn't quite as groundbreaking as he makes it out to be, however, and the proposed solutions will likely strike readers with even a minimum of substantial work experience as equally obvious. Much of the advice is the sort of boilerplate ("continually strengthen the talent pool") that can be found in nearly all business books, though Herbold's enthusiasm for standardized reporting and evaluation practices is possibly more zealous than his peers'. Illustrative anecdotes drawn from his corporate background do liven things up somewhat, but they also create an emphasis on industries involving product sales. Tantalizing hints about the problems fiefdoms create in other fields, such as NGOs and government bureaucracies, are left largely unexplored, diminishing the potential for generating broader interest.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Herbold has had an impressive 36-year career working with some of the world's leading corporations, including Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, IBM, and Coca-Cola. His own observations of people problems has led him to define an "infectious condition" that exists in virtually all organizations, which he calls the "fiefdom syndrome," and it is equivalent to the turf wars that were rampant during the Middle Ages. It manifests itself when individuals or groups seek to make themselves vital to the organization and protect their territory by any means possible, to the detriment of the organization as a whole. This is classic bureaucracy at its worst, and if left unchecked, it can stifle creativity, shake entire industries, and take down major corporations. Herbold gives numerous examples of scathing behavior at major corporations, often disguising identities to avoid embarrassing the individuals or companies involved. He introduces seven disciplines of a well-run corporation and provides ways to identify and overcome the fiefdom syndrome and break down the barriers to major change. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read for C-level execs of start-ups,
By Aras Geylani "Aras" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies - And How to Overcome Them (Hardcover)
There is a lot you can learn from this book and enjoy doing so. Having 15 years of IT experience, I agree with many aspects of what the author calls a "Fiefdom" (eg, individuals or groups that tend to isolate themselves from the larger organization under the cover of seemingly-superior management styles leading to the decline and end of an otherwise-good company). The author's experience (especially his tenure at Microsoft) is very interesting, but I somehow was not totally satisfied with his suggestions on how to overcome this problems. What sometimes the author sees as a fiefdom is actually not so if you take into consideration that not all countries go about doing business like an Western corporation. However, if you are an Western business and don't want to let your organizations structure and dynamics isolate you from the rest of the world outside (were a larger percentage of customers live) then this book is a great guide.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews) 20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
How turf battles undermine careers and companies,
By Michael Erisman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies - And How to Overcome Them (Hardcover)
This is a much needed book. The rise of the "individual" above the organization or team has caused more companies to fail to reach their potential than perhaps anything else. The book starts with the premise that there are three basic human tendencies that seem to result in fiefdoms:1. We have an innate need to control the data or information that reflects on our work. 2. We have a natural desire to be independent and in control of our destiny. 3. We have a natural tendency to exaggerate the quality of our work and its importance to the organization. I have no reason to doubt these basics of the human condition, and certainly both see this in practice and experience it myself. The rest of the book is then about how to solve for these tendencies and create an organization that is more effective. He outlines seven disciplines of the well-run corporation: 1. The discipline of creating lean global processes and accessible data company-wide 2. The discipline of standard templates and data 3. The discipline of inspection 4. The discipline of avoiding over confidence 5. The discipline of avoiding fragmentation 6. The discipline of constantly learning new skills 7. The discipline of avoiding bottlenecks Each of these is described in detail, including examples and pitfalls, and suggestions for improvement. He also discusses 6 disciplines of people development, critical to ensure that the problems that result in fiefdoms are overcome. His comments on the often poor differentiation and reward systems among employees in regards to performance are well documented and laid out. Overall, the book can be read quickly, and is full of good ideas and suggestions, and most importantly a way to think about the people and the organization that may help create an environment that can lead to better execution and success. I deducted one star because the book is often dry. The author is a former COO of Microsoft, Proctor and Gamble, and therefore most of the examples come from these two companies. The book was often too academic in its prose, which is not to say that the content is not meaningful or relevant, but that it is a more studied approach as opposed to inspirational. Good material and a good message for leaders. 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A key book for all organizations...,
By Thomas Duff "Duffbert" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies - And How to Overcome Them (Hardcover)
I recently picked up a book at the library titled The Fiefdom Syndrome by Robert J. Herbold. This is an excellent book on understanding and eliminating corporate turf battles.Chapter list: Introduction; The Problem With Fiefdoms; Fiefdoms And Human Nature; The Seven Disciplines Of The Well-Run Corporation; The Six People Disciplines; Creativity And Fiefdoms; Balancing Discipline And Creativity; Achieving Discipline; Fostering Creativity; How Fiefdoms Affect Strategy And Execution; How Fiefdoms Hamstring Mergers And Acquisitions; Communication As A Tool To Fight Fiefdoms; Beating The Fiefdom Syndrome; Index If you've worked in corporate America for any length of time, you've experienced the fiefdom syndrome. A manager runs their department as if they were a wholly separate company, and decisions are made to benefit the department, not the corporation. This type of behavior, if not confronted and eliminated, leads to less than optimal performance for the organization. In extreme cases, it can kill the department AND the corporation. Herbold does a great job of both cataloging the behaviors that indicate the existence of fiefdoms, as well as the steps of well-run organizations that prevent them from forming. This book should be required reading for management in large corporations, regardless of whether they think they have problems or not (and you probably do have them). Smaller companies would do well to take these lessons to heart in order to successfully grow without sabotaging one's success. 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Key Book for Any Organization: The Fiefdom Syndrome,
By Tobias B. "Toby" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies - And How to Overcome Them (Hardcover)
Well-written, from the standpoint of a well-known COO, Robert Herbold's book is vital for organizations, governments, as well as small-business owners. The temptation to control the flow of information can happen to anyone and it's important to recognize it when it begins to take shape. It's a wonderful tool for people who want to work well with others, overcome the obstacle of fiefdoms, and be successful in almost any job that requires teamwork.
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