Acknowledgments

PRODUCING A BOOK LIKE THIS ONE requires the help of many talented individuals. The production process began with a workshop attended by the authors. It was managed by the staff of the Center for Effective Organizations (CEO). Special thanks to Anjelica Wright for the excellent work she did on logistics. The production of the manuscript was managed by Anjelica Wright, with help from Arienne McCracken. With the large number of contributors to this book, this was a challenging task, and so we are particularly appreciative of their efforts.

The chapter authors were a great group to work with. Almost without exception, they met our deadlines and honored our editorial requests. It was obvious that they felt strongly about the topic and, as you will see, produced first-rate chapters. We especially appreciate the contributions of our practitioner colleagues. David Nadler and Ian Ziskin took time to look through the chapters, listen to the presentations, and share their thoughts about our ideas and about useful research.

We would also like to thank Steve Piersanti of Berrett-Koehler Publishers. He saw the promise of this book and provided guidance as to how to make it more than just a book of readings. He actively participated in the authors’ workshop and helped to shape expectations for the contributions.

Special thanks go to James Ellis, Dean of the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California. He provided the funding for the workshop and strongly supported holding it and producing the book. He, like us, believes that business schools should do research that is useful.

Special thanks are due to the family of C. K. Prahalad. C. K. died during the production of this book, and his chapter appears with the consent of his family. We appreciate the time and attention they gave to it during a very difficult time for their family. C. K. was a valued colleague and he will be long remembered and greatly missed.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the many practitioners and companies who have been supporters and collaborators in the research carried out at the Center for Effective Organizations during the past 30 years. They continually share their knowledge with us, and remind us how important it is that our research is useful to them in addressing the challenges they face in building and managing effective organizations.