Leadership in High-Performance Organizational Cultures

Still lacking in the literature is a commonly acceptable definition of what leadership is. Management writers, researchers and scholars cannot agree, and after centuries of human history and decades of research the definition, meaning, and measurement of leadership remains elusive and a subject for debate. It is not difficult, therefore, to understand why organizations struggle with selecting and developing the right people to provide effective leadership. Adding to the problem are the negative effects of this struggle: confusion, despair, and demotivation and a resulting diminution of organizational performance. Against this background Stanley Truskie now offers his own clear, concise concept of leadership by delineating its two critical tasks: establishing organizational direction and developing organizational effectiveness.

Truskie focuses mainly on the second task. Leaders can help their organizations become more effective and achieve superior long-term results by establishing an integrated, balanced organizational culture. Truskie draws upon the research literature plus his own extensive professional consulting experience to devise a coherent model, one that integrates the positive elements of four cultural groupings: the family, social institutions, scientific organizations, and the law and military establishments. The successful integration of elements from these groups creates the balance in organizational cultures that enable them to become adaptive and perform better over time. Dr. Truskie's innovative, clearly articulated approach will be of vital interest to organizational leaders at all levels, their colleagues in the academic community, and to those who aspire to policy-making positions throughout the private and public sectors.