Strategic Intelligence: Conceptual Tools for Leading Change

Changes in technology, customer demands, competition, and the social character challenge organizations to innovate and change. How they change depends on their leaders, and their knowledge, and philosophy. To create a better future for organizations and to improve the wellbeing of customers, collaborators and communities, leaders need to be strategic thinkers. This book describes the qualities of strategic intelligence and provides the conceptual tools that equip leaders to improve and transform organizations in the age of knowledge work. These qualities include foresight, visioning, partnering both within and outside the organization, and engaging and motivating collaborators. To develop these qualities, it is necessary to articulate a leadership philosophy and to gain knowledge of systems, variation, personality psychology, and the theory of knowledge. This book uniquely integrates leadership, personality and organization. Michael Maccoby has almost unparalleled experience of working with organizations in a wide variety of contexts. He draws his insights from several disciplines - organization theory, psychoanalysis, anthropology; and from working with distinguished and pioneer thinkers. These include the psychoanalyst Erich Fromm; the systems theorist Russell Ackoff; and management pioneer W. Edwards Deming. A major challenge for leadership today is the transformation of traditional bureaucracies into learning organizations. It can't be done by following formulas or roadmaps. Leaders need the qualities and conceptual tools of strategic intelligence and this book shows them what they must do and provides exercises to develop them.