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– Have we got a “leapfrog mentality”?

– Do we want to be better than the best?

– Are all our people, not just top management, determined to
become and remain the best of the best?

n What is the key contribution that our people can make today?

– What will it take to get them to make that contribution? (Try
not to think in terms of concrete rewards. Research in
psychology has shown again and again that what people are
pleased to contribute because they share a vision and the values
that drive it, is devalued in their eyes by concrete reward
systems. Once a contribution has been devalued it is continued
only for bigger and bigger rewards. Let people benefit from
success, but ask yourself constantly whether concrete rewards
are either necessary or desirable.)

n If we have organized our business in such a way as to have a
department of planning professionals, how can we get everybody
contributing to the future direction of the company?

n How do people in our organization achieve, wield and recognize
power?

– Is the basis of power the right one in a world in which we may
have to learn how to manage the imagination and creativity of
all?

n Do we really understand how and when to use consensus? (See Key
Management Solutions, pages 73–75 and 117–122 for some facts
and ideas.)

– How can we get across to people how to use consensus decision-
making for best effect? (If you have real experts in your
organization it is usually cheaper and more effective to let them
get on with what they are best at. Consensus decision-making is
only effective when the team is committed and the situation is
so novel that the information that could lead to a high quality
decision might lie anywhere in the team. That is why training
people use such unlikely scenarios – Lost on the Moon, Lost in
the Desert or whatever for consensus decision-making
exercises. Only by creating a situation in which it is highly
unlikely that there will be an expert in the group are they able
to practically ensure that the team decision is better than that
of individuals. The trouble is that they then claim that
consensus decision-making is the best option. It usually is not.)

n Are we careful enough with money and other resources so that we
ensure that we can always invest in a change of direction or
resources when the need arises?

Introduction xvii