Danger in the comfort zone : from boardroom to mailroom--how to break the entitlement habit that's killing American business PDF
Preview Danger in the comfort zone : from boardroom to mailroom--how to break the entitlement habit that's killing American business
Danger in the Comfort Zone "Abreakthrough! Bardwickshatters many oftoday's mostcherished organi zational principles and assumptions. She offers a viable new paradigm for thosewhochoosetosucceedin theneweconomy." DonMcQuaig President, MICAManagementResources "Dr. Bardwickchallenges late 20th centurycorporate managers.... A stern butfair message, giventoday'scompetitiveworld." MalWatlington Director, Organization Development & Compen sation Vickers, Inc. "Bardwick tackles a complex, controversial subject and crystallizes it into readilyunderstood principles. The EntitlementHabitthreatensourpersonal lives and our nation.... This book should become 'must reading' for every oneinterestedintryingtodealwiththisepidemicproblem." NormanSchoenfeld President, ElcoCorporation "We need new thinking on how to restructure our corporations. This book shouldberead byallexecutives." JackE. Bowsher Retired IBM DirectorofEducation Author ofEducatingAmerica: Lessons Learnedin the Nation's Corporations "A valuable book that adds a whole new dimension to our business analysis. Itprovidesfocus tothosecloudyissuesthatsurroundourgreatestresource ourpeople!" Joe Ruffolo President, NorthAmericanVan Lines "Bardwickhas identifiedstrategiesfor movingan organizationfrom the per vasive modes ofentitlementand fear to the most productive climateofearn ing through accountability.... Provides an innovative and valuable tool for managingchangeincorporateAmerica." Darrell1": Piersol Director, Governor's Executive Development Pro gram UniversityofTexas Danger in the Comfort Zone From Boardroom to Mailroom-How to Break the Entitlement Habit That's Killing American Business Judith M. Bardwick American Management Association NewYork•Atlanta•Boston•Chicago•KansasCity•SanFrancisco•Washington,D.C. Brussels•MexicoCity•Tokyo•Toronto This bookisavailableataspecial discountwhenorderedinbulkquantities. Forinformation, contactSpecialSalesDepartment, AMACOM, adivision ofAmericanManagementAssociation, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY10019. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative in formation in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, orotherprofessionalservice. Iflegaladviceorotherexpert assistance is required, the services ofa competentprofessionalperson shouldbesought. LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-PublicationData Bardwick,judithM., 1933- Dangerinthecomfortzone:from boardroomtomailroom-howto breaktheentitlementhabitthat'skillingAmericanbusiness/ judithM. Bardwick. p. cm. Includes bibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN-10: 0-8144-7886-7 ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-7886-8 1. Psychology, Industrial-United States. 2. Work-Psychological aspects. 3. Entitlementattitudes-UnitedStates. 4. Employees United States-Attitudes. 5. jobsecurity-UnitedStates. 6. Laborproductivity-UnitedStates. I. Title. HF5548.8.B243 1995 158.7-dc20 94-24020 CIP ©1995, 1991judithM. Bardwick, Ph.D., Inc. Allrightsreserved. Printedinthe United States ofAmerica. Thispublicationmaynotbereproduced, storedinaretrievalsystem, ortransmittedinwholeorinpart, inanyform orbyanymeans, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, orotherwise, withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofAMACOM, adivision ofAmericanManagementAssociation, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY10019. Printingnumber 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 A Note to the Reader Dear Reader, Danger in the Comfort Zone was first published in October 1991. That's not soverylongago in absolute terms and is reallya very short time considering the magnitude ofthe changes that have occurred since then in many parts of the world, including the United States. In 1991, Danger referred to the widespread En titlement mentality that had developed because many people had too much security, especiallyjob security. While the legacy of Entitlement is still very much with us, now Danger has come to have a very different meaning. Injust these few years, many people in many nations have gone from having too little risk at work to having too much. They are in the state described as fear-the opposite end ofthe continuum. We have all kinds of fashionable words: reinventing, reengi neering, downsizing, rightsizing, delayering ... these are euphemis tic terms coined to make a hard message easier to take. These words reflect the increasing pressure on most organizations, in the majority ofnations, in the private sector, and even to some smaller extent in government, to cut costs and become vastly more efficient. For those still employed, there are fewer pro motions and many more early retirements than there were at the start ofmost careers. And many who expected security are now unemployed. At the core ofwhat is happening, the implicit employment contract that many people took for granted is either in grave jeopardy or it's gone. Not long ago, peoplejoined an organiza- v vi A Note to theReader tion where they'd likely spend their whole career. But"the con tract" wasn'tjustabout knowingwhere you'd work. Unstated but understood by everyone who worked in large corporations, powerful unions, hospitals, governments, and school systems wasthedeal. Thebasicagreementbetween theemployeeand the organization was that if you didn't screw things up too badly and your loyalty was obvious, between your salary when you worked and your pension when you didn't you were safe be cause the organization took care ofyou as long as you lived. But times have changed, and they've changed big time. Se curity has been replaced by insecurity. Individuals who never had to deal with much risk now have to cope with an unpredict able and very serious reality. And organizations are discovering that they must redefine and redesign commitment because or ganizations no longer have unilateral control over what hap pens to them-and therefore they can't make long-term prom ises to people. Welcome to the future. The model and the concepts ofDanger in the Comfort Zone are as valid and as useful as they were when the book was first published. But in light of the changes I've just described, the focus has shifted so that Fear has become much more impor tant. Despite this change, the legacy ofEntitlement remains ex tremely difficult to uproot. Even while we have powerful amounts offear, anxiety, and anger, we still must deal with the Entitlement mentality and the bureaucratic structure embed ded in many ofour organizations. The last five chapters of this paperback edition ofDanger inthe ComfortZone offeradditional ways to attack the problem going beyond the methods described in the original text and recognizing the climate oftoday's business environment. They will also give you a foretaste ofmy next book, now in the devel opment stage and tentatively entitled Find Comfort in Endless Danger. That's what's become permanent ... and real. This new edition ofDangerin the Comfort Zone also includes updated facts and figures throughout. Last, butdefinitely notleast, while Entitlementis stilla core part of our culture, especially in government and education, A Note to theReader vii our corporations have been making significant progress. I am, therefore, encouraged. In fact, I've become cautiously optimis tic. I hope you enjoy the new material. Sincerely, JMB This page intentionally left blank This book is dedicated to Rachel Elizabeth Ahearn from her adoring grandmother.
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