The Boundaryless Organization

In 1995 The Boundaryless Organization showed companies how to sweep away the artificial obstacles-such as hierarchy, turf, and geography-that get in the way of outstanding business performance. Now, in this completely revised edition of their groundbreaking work, management experts Ron Ashkenas, Dave Ulrich, Todd Jick, and Steve Kerr offer an up-to-date version of their comprehensive guide to help any organization go "boundaryless"-and become a company with the ability to quickly, proactively, and creatively adjust to changes in the environment. With new examples, a new commentary on the developments of the last five years, and illuminating first-hand accounts from pioneering senior executives, the authors once again show why "boundaryless" is a prerequisite for any organization trying to succeed in the economy of the twenty-first century.
Winner of the Executive Leadership Award

"If your organization is ready for transformation, The Boundaryless Organization will provide a simple but provocative framework either for getting started or for accelerating the pace."
— from the foreword by Lawrence A. Bossidy, chairman and CEO, Honeywell Corporation

"This is the best book on globalization and the seamless organization that I have read."
— David H. Komansky, chairman and CEO, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

"A very important contribution."
— from the foreword by C. K. Prahalad, coauthor of Competing for the Future

"Attacks the very core of traditional management structure, with all of its walls, boundaries, and limitations."
— Quality Progress

"Outlines how companies can make the change from rigid structures to ones where ideas, resources, and information can flow freely."
— HR Strategies & Tactics

"A refreshing guide to innovative ways to do business . . . . Each part includes a questionnaire that readers can use to determine where they stand on a continuum between boundaried and boundaryless status."
— Journal of Management Consulting

"Recommended reading."
— CIO

In this book, four top management strategists show how leading companies are busting boundaries in all directions--vertical, horizontal, external and geographic--and achieving stellar results. Using in-depth stories from such successful companies as GE, Samsung, and AlliedSignal, the book provides a practical action guide for creating boundaryless organizations.

Ron Ashkenas is a managing partner of Robert H. Schaffer & Associates in Stamford, Connecticut. A leading consultant to CEOs on organizational transformation, his articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review and other leading business publications. His clients have included General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, the World Bank, and numerous other public and private sector firms.

Dave Ulrich is professor of business administration at the University of Michigan. He was named by Business Week as one of the world's top ten educators in management and the top educator in human resources.

Todd Jick, formerly a professor at Harvard Business School, is a managing partner with the Center for Executive Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has consulted with numerous companies in the United States and Europe including Merrill Lynch, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Novartis, and Cadbury Schweppes.

Steve Kerr is chief learning officer and a managing director of Goldman Sachs. A former dean at the University of Southern California and former professor of management at the University of Michigan, he was the first chief learning officer for General Electric.