Author’s acknowledgements

THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE who have contributed to this book. Some did so intentionally and others through wistful conversations that sparked an otherwise latent thought.

Being at London Business School provides a network of information, ideas and inspiration. There are a number of colleagues who have supported me in bringing my ideas to birth. These particularly include Lynda Gratton and Costas Markiadis who offered valuable comments, encouragement and the generosity of their time and experience. Others have provided intellectual encouragement and these include Nigel Nicholson, Madan Pillutla and Randall Peterson.

There are many who have also contributed to the research behind the book. My colleague and friend Lee White has travelled the longest distance and has been an enormous source of energy, ideas and friendly critique. Stefan Thau and Henry Moon reviewed the statistics and Kyle Ingram and Navaid Ilyas helped in completing background research and case material. It also goes without saying that building on the shoulders of other researchers provides strong conceptual and empirical roots.

Several of the ideas were tested in the real world of consulting with clients and teaching in the classroom at London Business School. In particular, I would like to thank Richard Ward of Lloyds, Allen Leighton of Royal Mail, Anne Mette Barfod of Copenhagen Re, Ron Whatford of Lloyds TSB, Jacques Agrain and Cheryl Mayo of Swiss Re and Jeff Mack of Providence Washington Solutions along with Arun Singh of Google and many others who have contributed their insights and access to their organisation so we can learn more. Executives and students have also helped. Participants span a wide range of programmes for Barclays Bank, as well as open programmes at London Business School such as the Accelerated Development Programme and the Senior Executive Programme. Students on the managing change elective and consulting elective have all helped. The thinking and application of ideas have also been sharpened through consulting engagements with my colleagues at Ilyas Jarrett, an independent research and consulting firm.

The world of the internet has also been a wizard. Sources and search engines such as The Economist, Financial Times, Guardian and other tools make the world of writing and checking facts a whole lot easier than when I was an undergraduate. In those days you had to go down into the stacks in the basement. Now you can check papers and information from the comfort of your study. Thank you, Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the world wide web.

I would also like to thank several readers of earlier drafts. Mary Akimoto, Rohina Ilyas and Andrew Scott as well as anonymous referees, all contributed to making this book clearer. The editorial team has been great. Liz Gooster, Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer have provided the helpful steer that brought thoughts to life. I would also like to say thank you to Richard Stagg, who originally encouraged and supported the ideas of the book. I still have his original exchange of emails.

I would also like to thank Jayna Patel, Remi Fasanya and Karen Lacey who helped co-ordinate the different parts of the final manuscript.

Finally, I want to thank my family and friends who have put up with me spending hours in my study and time away. I’d like to give a big thank you to my children and wife.

It goes without saying that all mistakes are my own.