On the Zubra.ru website we continue to publish reviews by community members of books published by business literature publishing houses. This time we bring to your attention Anna Ivanova’s review of the book by Isaac Adizes “ Ideal leader”, published in 2009 by Alpina Publishers.
The subtitle of the book, “Why you can’t become one and what follows from this,” immediately intrigues the reader. And it's true! We buy business books, go for business trainings, we study at business schools to get answers to the questions “how to become an ideal leader”, “where to get ideal employees", "how to create an ideal business." But isn't anyone wasn't disappointed at least once in the responses received? The pursuit of perfection is wonderful, but perfection, alas, is unattainable in any area human activity.
Isaac Adizes is one of the world's leading consultants, working with major companies. He is the author of many books on management. How does this book differ from dozens of other books written by Adizes based on his scientific and consulting experience, as well as from popular management books by other authors?
Let's try to figure this out.
The main idea of the book is expressed in the already mentioned subtitle - ideal leaders do not exist.
This banal statement, which, nevertheless, many are trying to challenge, Adizes reinforces with an interesting methodology with the help of which the problem of non-ideality can be solved effectively.
A real manager at a high level of efficiency can perform only two of these four functions. It follows that for the successful development of a company, a complementary team is needed, whose members are fluent in all four functions. Management theme teams have long been popular among authors of management theories. You can recall the work of Belbin, who wrote a lot about the need to distribute roles within a team. But Adizes proposed a new role model of the team, linking it with his theory of organizational life cycles.
So, according to Adizes, the four functions of management are something like “vitamins”. Their balanced the combination allows the organization to be healthy, but if any of them is missing, then diseases arise - bad management, which in turn leads to a reduction in market share, a decrease in profits, staff turnover, etc.
If one, two or three functions are performed successfully, and the rest barely reach the required level, then a certain management style is manifested. When a manager successfully performs function I (integration), then a leadership style arises (which one is specific is discussed in the book).
If only one function is performed more or less satisfactorily, and the rest do not even reach the minimum requirements, then a certain style of mismanagement arises, the variety of which depends on which specific functions are not being implemented.
Adizes is a management practitioner, his theory of management functions is based not on psychology, which distinguishes it from many recently published books on leadership styles and behavioral models, but on his experience in solving practical problems in numerous companies for which he worked as a consultant.
The book has 14 chapters. It takes a very long time, and it is not necessary, to tell the contents of each chapter. But what is valuable is that each chapter begins with the formulation of the problem and the formulation of the question that it should answer. From each answer obtained in the chapter, it follows new question or problem, which are discussed in the next chapter. So, for example, chapter 7 "Constructive conflict" poses the problem: How to curb conflict and direct it into a constructive channel Adizes believes that conflict is inevitable and, moreover, is a sign of effective management. But conflict is not always desirable, it can be constructive and destructive functional After learning how a complementary team can implement its (PAEI) functions to ensure that conflict is constructive and not destructive Adizes summarizes that the leader of a team (company, country, family, etc.) must create an atmosphere of trust and respect. To do this, it needs four factors: the right people, the right process, the right structure and shared visions and values. Thus, Chapter 8 is about “Proper Structuring of Responsibilities”, Chapter 9 is about “Style Fit to the Task”, Chapter 10 is about “ Correct process: dialogue" (how to deal with team members whose style is different from yours), Chapter 11 is devoted to meetings in which
different styles
, and chapter 12 is called “Right People and Community of Vision and Values.”
If the problem you have encountered in your practice is not reflected in one chapter, then the next one is probably devoted to it. This structure of the book guarantees not only the practicality of the proposed recommendations, but also that no significant issue will be left unattended, and all areas of the functioning of the complementary team will be comprehensively considered. I cannot help but note that the book is written in easy, accessible language, non-rolling at the same time for cheap popularization. Quite complex (and new!) formulas and explanations are presented so convincingly that they can be used immediately after reading. Since Adizes' ideas are applicable to management as such, they can be useful not only in managing companies, but also in managing any groups or relationships that are subject to change -
from intergovernmental
organizations to the “cell of society”. The Adizes approach is value-free and therefore applicable to all cultures, industries and companies. who are initially weak and not supported by motivation, a leader can successfully improve his natural strengths, while studying the characteristics of the functioning of people with a different management style and forming effective healthy teams from differently gifted people.
Isaac Adizes, a specialist in restructuring companies and political structures, spoke about his own management methodology, which is completely different from the generally accepted one. He points out the shortcomings of business schools and MBA courses, believing that their approach is long outdated and only confuses future managers who are confident that they are being taught to be ideal leaders.
Konstantin Smygin, founder of the book ideas service MakeRight, shared conclusions from the book “The Ideal Leader” by Isaac Adizes with readers of the site.
The book talks about mythical creature, which the author compares to a fairy-tale unicorn, is an ideal leader. It is beautiful, but it does not exist in nature. Few people know about this or even think about it: many companies are sure that such a person can be trained, educated, or better yet, hired for a job who is already prepared. However, one disappointment after another awaits them. And all because the ideal manager must combine qualities that are too many for one person.
There are many business schools, colleges and universities in the world that train highly professional managers. Why can't they do what they were trained to do?
According to the author, they were prepared incorrectly. At the first encounter with practice, their entire theoretical base turns out to be useless. And all because the teaching of management and the idea of it are focused on individualism. A manager must plan, manage, and motivate. He gathers teams and assigns them tasks. At the same time, he simultaneously shows sensitivity, rationality and the gift of foresight, has charisma, meticulousness, rigor and prudence.
But can all this be embodied in one person? The author believes that the management process is too complex for one person, regardless of his talents and theoretical training. It is also important that modern managers are practically not taught to work in a team.
In this regard, Adizes talks about his experiment. He gathered the top management of a company in a conference room and proposed a list of the five most important tasks facing the organization. Adizes clarified that names cannot be mentioned and problems cannot be explained, but all problems must be within the competence of those present.
When everyone made their lists, Adizes, without looking at the notes, asked the question: “Which of these problems were there last year? And the year before?” The answer is almost everything. Then he asked: “Which of them will still not be resolved in three years?” Again, the answer is almost everything. Last question: “How many of these problems would go away if you worked as a team?” It turned out that every single one of them. In practice, one manager takes on a dozen problems and does not know how to work in a team.
So, do you need to distribute responsibilities among several people?
This is the first thing that comes to mind, and rightly so. It is necessary not only to distribute responsibilities among equal managers, but to ensure that these people form a team. It must be effective and efficient, and at the same time work for the future. Efficiency and effectiveness in the long term is what successful management is all about. This is how, according to Adizes, any organizational structure works, be it a family or an international corporation.
Adizes specifically focuses on long-termism: it happens that a company prospers for some time, and then the success fades away. Most often, this happens because senior and middle managers are too busy solving current problems and do not find time to think about the future.
And how to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the long term?
Adizes believes that this requires the following functions:
P is responsible for producing results, A is responsible for efficiency, E manages change, and I brings all the elements together for long-term cooperation. The initial letters of these words form the abbreviation PAEI - the so-called leader code, invented by Adizes.
Adizes considers these functions to be a kind of vitamins to support the “organism” - the company. If some function is missing, it begins to have health problems: decreased income, slower processes, staff turnover, loss of market position.
There are not many of these functions. Is it possible to find a manager who combines them all?
The author believes that there are no such managers; the average person can combine at most two functions. You can perform all four functions for some time, solving current problems, but not in the long term. Therefore, you need to look for a team of managers that complement each other, each of whom performs one function.
In one person, these qualities contradict each other: P (the producer) is irritated by the meticulousness and bureaucracy of A (the administrator), E (the entrepreneur) is constantly gushing with ideas, confusing P and I (the integrator who strives to harmonious relationships a team). Everyone must play their role and understand what everyone else is doing.
Adizes gives an example good combination several functions in one person - in a leader whose P, E, and A are equally well developed. He is a wonderful administrator, a successful producer and entrepreneur, thanks to which his business is thriving. But it will instantly collapse if he leaves or dies, since there is no unifying function I. The shift is not prepared, everything rests on one person.
According to Adizes, these functions should be performed by any organizational structure, including the family. The husband builds a career and earns money by doing E and P, and the wife is responsible for the house and children, keeping order and uniting the family, that is, performing functions A and I. If both are busy with a career and making money (P and E), then their complemented by the housekeeper (A) and family psychologist(I).
What happens if an organization does not perform all PAEI functions, but only a few?
In this case, according to Adizes, incorrect management arises. This also happens if some control function is redundant, while others are weak or absent altogether. Adizes introduced his own classification of such management.
The lone hero (P) is an excellent performer, which is why he became a boss. This is where the problems began: he does not know how to work in a team, is not used to taking risks, does not want to take responsibility for decisions and prefers to do everything himself, like a true workaholic. Although he is constantly busy, his productivity is low. He drops one and grabs another. His desk is constantly cluttered, and in this chaos most of the unfinished tasks disappear. He doesn’t teach his subordinates anything: he doesn’t have time for that.
The bureaucrat (A) is very concerned about following the rules. He documents everything, constantly draws up instructions and forces the entire team to follow them. Being mired in trifles, he does not see the whole picture. The subordinates of the Bureaucrat, according to Adizes, are typical office rats. He loves to search and find those to blame.
If the manager has a pronounced function E and completely lacks the others, he turns into an Arsonist. The Arsonist's head is busy with innovations and transformations, overflowing with ideas, he has no time to deal with routine. Unlike the Bureaucrat, he sees the picture from a bird's eye view, but is not going to delve into the details. His ideas are most often fantastic, and one constantly supersedes the other. His subordinates are in no hurry to carry out his orders, knowing that they will soon be replaced by new ones.
An ardent supporter (I) strives to please everyone and support all proposals, avoiding conflict at all costs. He is a politician and an intriguer, but on the whole he is not a leader, but a follower. His beliefs change depending on the situation. The main thing for him is that there is peace and quiet in the organization, and that employees do not quarrel.
Adizes believes that over time, any single-functional manager, whose missing qualities are not compensated by the team, can turn into a Dead Stump, who is indifferent to his work and wants only one thing - to calmly wait for retirement.
If functions are incompatible with each other, how can they interact?
This, according to Adizes, is successful management. It requires a whole team of leaders who complement each other like fingers on a hand. All fingers are different, each has its own parameters. A hand on which all fingers are index or ring fingers is inoperative. For management, this means hiring different types of people.
Each member of the management team should not have dashes in the PAEI code. A dash appears when a person has a single function, which is also greatly exaggerated. It does not try to perform other functions from time to time, as most people do. Not because he can’t or doesn’t want to - he doesn’t understand them and doesn’t accept them. A good manager has a set of management skills, recognizes the strengths of others, and is happy to work with those who are different from him.
Even if conflicts are inevitable, they, according to Adizes, have a creative power if they are constructive in nature. Marriages are often concluded by people who are different from each other - conflicts are inevitable in this case as well. Someone can't stand it and leaves, but good families learn to listen and understand the other despite all the differences in personalities.
What if the conflict is destructive?
It all depends on the leader. In a team of managers performing four functions, there must be a leader who is able to turn the energy of conflict into creative one. He knows how to create an atmosphere of goodwill, in which clashes of opinions are commonplace, but no one resorts to mutual insults or weaves intrigues.
The leader is a member of the management team, but by common agreement he always has the final say. By exchanging different, often opposing opinions, the team learns to see the problem with different sides. This makes use of the full potential of the four functions. A leader, according to the author, is the thumb of the hand. It can interact with any other finger or with all of them at the same time, and without it the hand will not be able to fully function.
Adizes says that at his team meeting, everyone present should be heard. Performances take place in an order that Adizes calls “iron rules.” Everyone speaks as much as he wants, and no one should interrupt him - otherwise he will pay a fine. When the speech is over, the speaker looks to the right - this means that he is waiting for questions. Those wishing to ask questions raise their hands, and the first person on the right, whom the speaker addresses by name, gets the floor first (this address reduces the possibility of conflict).
The meeting lasts 1 hour 20 minutes, not a second longer. If it was worked out general idea, then everyone writes it down on a piece of paper, dividing it into the columns “Questions”, “Doubts”, “Objections”. Subsequently, the leader studies all this: thanks to different points of view, he sees the whole picture.
If the leader senses that a confrontation is about to occur in a meeting, he interrupts the discussion and postpones it until the next day, when everyone has come to their senses. Gradually, thanks to the leader, the team learns tolerance, understanding and develops effective joint solutions.
What kind of leader should be to lead a team of completely different people?
A leader may not differ in position from other team members, stand a step above them, or even head the company - this is not of fundamental importance. The main thing is that he has extensive life experience and psychological insight and knows how to unite people.
Adizes mentions McDonalds President Ray Kroc, who considered himself a country boy who did not understand the intricacies of finance and marketing, but emphasized his ability to hire suitable people and teach them to work for a common cause. According to Adizes, the main thing for a leader is that I should prevail in his PAEI code, although from time to time he can perform other functions.
Adizes believes that any participant in the work process controls it to some extent. As an example, he cites the work of enterprises in socialist Yugoslavia, where he was a consultant. Decisions there were made jointly, by the entire team, and no one could impose them from above. Despite all the shortcomings of the socialist system, Adizes appreciates its spirit of collectivism and is ready to borrow something from it.
When speaking about a team instead of one, Adizes does not mean hiring new people, but reorganizing those already employed. A team can be formed
Adizes argues that this principle should be used in any organization, while classical management is mainly devoted to production or sales.
Is it possible to develop the missing function? Or is it like talent - either you have it or you don’t?
Function is not really talent. It, of course, greatly depends on certain character traits. A good manager, according to Adizes, can know all four functions, but perform only one of them well - the one that is closest to him.
Administrators with a craving for order do not make entrepreneurs bursting with ideas, and the latter cannot be forced to engage paperwork. For good results in the long run, people need to work according to their inclinations and talents. The main thing is to be able to identify this talent.
What is the practical benefit of Isaac Adizes' book?
Practicing managers will find in it many useful ideas, some of them may adopt the four functions methodology and learn to work productively in a team. It will be useful for someone to learn how to turn conflicts into a constructive direction. The average reader who is not directly involved in management will be interested in the author’s ideas about the principles of modern management.
Rated the book
I don’t think that my opinion, in the absence of at least some experience or at least a decent education in this area, can be quoted. But nonetheless.
Adizes is one of those who changed the idea of the “ideal manager” and blew it to hell. I think that I won’t sin too much by saying that he is the first who not only clearly described the functionality, having previously worked out the definition of management, but also pointed out the need for a team as the only possible management level. (Many people dealt with the functions of “good” management separately, as well as the separate distribution of functionality in the team).
About 40 years ago he wrote a book. Then each chapter turned into an independent book. This book part of a trilogy on leadership. In addition, you can read from him (Adizes) about the life cycles of an organization, about change management and in general about everything related to management: “I’m not a psychologist. I’m a management specialist” (Adizes “The Ideal Leader”)
If this topic is close to you, it makes sense to have several of his books on various areas of management, but it makes sense to read only one from cover to cover. In each of his books you will, in fact, find, in brief, the content and everyone else.
Rated the book
The use of a style with one control code may be exactly the opposite of the style of another code. Those. It is almost impossible to collect all the codes (of maximum strength) in one person.
PAEI code is the ideal leader code.
Paei – Manufacturer
pAei – Administrator
paEi – Entrepreneur/idea generator
paeI – Integrator
Extremes:
P- Solo Hero
-A– Bureaucrat
–E- Arsonist
-I Ardent Supporter
Factors determining the company's effectiveness:
1. People
2. Process
3. Structure
4. Common views and values
Responsibilities need to be structured correctly. Effective management– when it suits the task. You need to behave differently with people who have different PAEI codes:
How to Deal with P (Lone Hero/Producer)
“Chief, we have a crisis, time is running out, so I already have a solution. All I need is your approval." He always doesn't have time. Be as brief as possible. If your problem is NOT a crisis, it will have to wait.
How to Deal with A (Bureaucrat/Administrator)
“There is a clear deviation from the rules here. We agreed on everything, but just imagine, they don’t fulfill the agreement. This will not work. It is not right." Be sure to use the word “correctly.” And it’s not about what, but how.
Write a long explanatory note. Show that your solution is risk-free and approved by authorities. Ask to schedule a meeting in advance, tell the topic, indicate how much time you will need. Also slow down!
How to Deal with E (Arsonist/Entrepreneur)
“We have an opportunity to do a better job” or “We have an opportunity to change some things. What is your opinion?" Don't talk about problems. Use “I suggest...”, “I was thinking...”, “it seems to me that...”, “what do you think?” Give E the opportunity to put his personal stamp on the decision.
Option 2: State the problem and solution, but deliberately make an obvious mistake. E will immediately notice and correct, and feel involved in the decision. Carefully! The mistake should not be too stupid, otherwise you will be fired. If E rejects what you say, back off. E doesn't like bad news to cast a shadow over him.
How to Deal with I (Eager Supporter/Integrator)
“Chief, we have a problem, we discussed it and came to a common opinion. Here's our solution. We want your approval." Highest Priority I – “Has consensus been reached?” Before going to I, prepare, talk to everyone with whom I is considered, find out their opinion.
And, by the way, all this applies not only to managers, but also to ordinary workers/employees, they also manage something and when communicating with them, it is also better to take into account their codes (otherwise communication will not be effective).
Management: team instead of committee.
Decide: Guidelines, Rules, Corporate Principles
Review them regularly!
A leader is a manager who has an I code (plus at least one other, i.e. PaeI or pAeI or paEI)
Formal business education - better to take people with ready EI skills and train PAs. (Because it is impossible to formally teach EI)
Rated the book
For effective management, it is necessary to fulfill 4 roles: Production, Administration, Enterprise and Integration. Since all four roles conflict with each other (the author describes in detail why), one person cannot juggle them all successfully. Therefore, for effective management in the short and long term, a group of people is needed, each representative of which has a clearly defined one or two roles, understands the importance of the remaining roles, and, if necessary, can perform them at a minimum acceptable level. By denoting a strong role with a capital letter, the presence the required minimum - capital letter, and the absence of a role is marked with a dash, we get the ability to display the manager’s code: Paei, pAeI, --E-, etc. Further, knowing the code of each individual, we can analyze the total code of the entire team, determine the lack of a particular role, and establish more effective communications.
In the process of reading chapters about mismanagment styles with a clearly defined one role and a complete absence of others (P---, -A--, --E-, ---I), I laughed heartily, because I saw myself in each of these characters. At first this was a little alarming. But then I calmed down, because by combining all 4 styles, I would have the code of an ideal PAEI leader, which, according to the author, cannot be.
Later, I already precisely defined my code - PaEi, which helped me understand myself and the reasons for my behavior much more deeply, and therefore gain greater control over myself. And identifying the prevailing roles of colleagues helped to understand the reasons for misunderstanding and mistakes made in communicating with them.
But most important discovery It was not even this, but the understanding that in the very essence of management, or rather the effective combination of 4 conflicting roles, lies conflict, therefore an organization cannot exist without conflict. That's exactly what he is driving force company development. And the litmus test that determines whether a conflict leads to rapid growth or completely paralyzes a company is a culture of mutual respect and an understanding of the importance of each role.
It was also very interesting to note the strong and weak roles in the context of entire nations and cultures. For example, Japan is very strong in integration (I) and Greece and Israel in entrepreneurship (E).
It is no coincidence that the book is on everyone’s lips; I will definitely continue reading this series by the author.
I wish everyone only constructive conflicts.
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to Nan Goldberg, who carefully edited this book, made it readable, and patiently put up with my endless revisions. Without her, this book would not have been published.
Zvonko Kuzmanovski put a lot of effort into publishing this book and did everything that was required for its publication.
Martha Bright handled technical editing and spell checking.
Dr. Itzhak Calderon Adizes is one of the world's leading experts in improving the efficiency of companies and government agencies through fundamental changes that do not create confusion and destructive conflicts that impede change. Over the past 35 years, Dr. Itzhak Calderon Adizes has worked with the world's largest business organizations and advised many heads of state. The methodology that bears his name has helped organizations different countries achieve decent results and gain leading positions in a variety of industries - from banking to industry Catering and in a variety of structures - from churches to governments. He is the founder and CEO Adizes Institute. His work has been published in Inc. Magazine, Fortune, The New York Times, The London Financial Times, Investor Relations Daily, Nation's Business and World Digest.
Dr. Adizes is an outstanding lecturer and author. Fluent in four languages, he has lectured in more than 40 countries. He was a tenured faculty member at the UCLA Anderson School of Management for thirty years and has served as a visiting faculty member at Stanford and Columbia Universities, as well as at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University. Dr. Adizes wrote seven books that were translated into 22 languages. His book Corporate Lifecycles: How Organizations Grow and Die and What to Do about It, first published in 1988, has become a recognized classic of management theory and has been recognized by the Library Journal as one of ten best books about business. A revised and expanded edition of this work was published in 1999 under the title Managing Corporate Lifecycles. life cycles company"). Full list his works are given at the end of the book.
Foreword by the scientific editor
The book you are holding in your hands was written by one of the most influential management experts of our time. But Isaac Adizes is also very interesting person. His views on management and people engaged in management activities developed over decades, rich in diverse and sometimes tragic events.
Adizes was born in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, in 1937. As he writes in his autobiographical essay, his family are descendants of Jews expelled from Spain at the end of the 15th century for refusing to convert to Christianity. In March 1943, Jews living in Macedonia were deported to concentration camps, where most of them were exterminated. Only 12 families survived, among which was the Adizes family (however, only his parents and closest relatives survived). The reason for the amazing rescue was the fact that at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Spanish consul in Yugoslavia discovered that Macedonian Jews - immigrants from Spain - still spoke the Spanish-Jewish language Ladino. He convinced his country's government to grant Spanish citizenship to willing members of the Jewish community. This is how Adizes’ father received a Spanish passport. Therefore, members of his family, as citizens of Spain - an ally of Germany - received the right to leave concentration camp. They went to Albania, where they hid under the guise of Muslims - immigrants from Bosnia. The Muslim family that sheltered the Adizes, as it turned out many decades later, knew that the Adizes were Jews, but did not give them up. After the war, Isaac moved to Israel, where he served in the army and received a university education. He moved to the United States in 1963, completed his doctorate at Columbia University, and taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, from 1967 to 1982. In 1982, Adizes created the Institute, which conducts research and training, implements consulting projects and is engaged in publishing activities. Adizes is truly a “citizen of the world”: his books have been translated into many languages, and his consulting practice extends to almost all continents. He worked in Russia several times.
