Timeless Management

231 Pages·2002·1.575 MB·English

by  Alan Coppin, John Barratt (auth.)

Timeless Management
Alan Coppin and John Barratt
‘Timeless Management oozes good sense – a valuable book for managers at
all levels.… It places the emphasis squarely on people and the nature of their
interactions – as well as their need to feel comfortable, to belong, to under-
stand and be valued.’
Professor Peter R. Crane FRS,Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
‘So many of the practices of “good” management they advocate as appro-
priate for life in the twenty-first century are recognisable as aspects of good
governance in the actions of others much earlier in history. I was also left
wondering how many other businesses in the UK acted so promptly and
with such vision to protect their viability and employees as has Historic
Royal Palaces under Alan Coppin’s leadership.’
Sir Rodney Walker, Chairman, UK Sports Council; English National
Stadium Trust; West Yorkshire Broadcasting
‘a comprehensive “primer” for managers and anyone in a leadership position
– it is highly readable and accessible, almost a manual; very clearly struc-
tured, with clear “models”; and a remarkable and unusual use of historical
figures. Part 3 … is a very powerful section, describing how all this doctrine
was applied to a real organisation undergoing change, and especially the post
September 11th crisis. I lost count of the times I said to myself things like
“Yes of course!” and “I must remember that point” and “That feels right!”’
David Quarmby,Chairman, British Tourist Authority
‘I found the work to be a refreshing change from the run of the mill
academic and sterile management books.… I was particularly taken with the
concepts that make for good leadership that run through the book and espe-
cially the simple and uncluttered human understanding that can separate
ordinary leaders from the great ones.… I very much enjoyed reading
Timeless Management.’
John Conlon,Chairman, Chorion plc
‘Too often books on management practice are utterly predictable – the same
old concepts and the same old jargon. Timeless Management breaks the
mould. This is an imaginative attempt to deal with the real life problems of
management. The book has one extra virtue: Alan Coppin and John Barratt
care about the workers. The employees are not regarded as some disposable
asset or even as an inconvenient necessity. They are part of the business and
their welfare is what makes the business thrive. Timeless Management is a
thought-provoking manual of good practice.’
John Edmonds, General Secretary, General Municipal and Boilermakers
Union
‘This is an excellent management primer that cuts through the faddism of so
many management theories, books and practices.… Moreover, there is a fine
case study from the present day in which the authors put their theories into
action … it is as relevant to the rookie reader as it is the experienced
professional. No reader can fail to draw some inspiration from its contents.’
Rob Cameron,Chairman, Flag Communications
‘This book is a strong reminder that common sense was invented a long time
ago.’
Paul Baines,Managing Director, Hawkpoint
‘The best “how to” business book. Practical, user-friendly and illustrated
with amusing anecdotes related to everyday modern business practice.’
Nicholas Hai, CEO, Arrowcraft plc, Member of the Young Presidents
Organisation
‘A very accessible and thought-provoking read for anyone in management
or those interested in the motivations and behaviours of people.’
Mike Jolly CBE,CEO, Penna Consulting plc
‘The book is a good read. I appreciated the people-orientated approach. I
particularly valued the fact that you start by focusing on emotional make-up,
values and integrity. I am sure the book will be a very successful management
tool.’
William Weston,CEO, The Royal Parks
‘This is an excellent guide for all managers, written in plain English and
based upon common sense. The book sets a practical standard for us to
aspire to.’
Sir Bruce MacPhail,Managing Director, P&O; Chairman of the Council for
School of Management Studies, Oxford University; Barclay Fellow of Templeton
College, Oxford
Timeless management
Alan Coppin and John Barratt
© Alan Coppin and John Barratt 2002
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2002 978-0-333-98080-4
All rights reserved.No reproduction,copy or transmission of this publication may be
made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,copied or transmitted save
with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988,or under the terms of any licence permitting limited
copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,90 Tottenham Court Road,
London W1T 4LP.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be
liable to criminal prosection and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in
accordance with the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2002 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Houndmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire RG21 6XS and
175 Fifth Avenue,New York,N.Y.10010
Companies and representatives throughout the world
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the new global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St.Martin’s Press LLCand of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States,United Kingdom and
other countries.Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other
countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-43017-8 ISBN 978-1-4039-0715-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781403907158
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed
and sustained forest sources.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Editing and origination by Curran Publishing Services,Norwich,Norfolk
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02
Contents
Preface viii
Part I Introduction
1 Introduction 3
Summary 7
The Timeless Management concept 7
Part II The key timeless traits
2 Character 15
Values 17
Integrity 20
Moral courage 22
Graciousness 23
Character: key points 26
Toolbox 26
Timeless Manager 1: Sir Thomas More – character 28
Timeless Manager 2: George III – graciousness 32
3 Audacity 37
Confidence 37
Positive dissatisfaction 40
Vision 42
Thinking outside the box 48
Taking action 51
Audacity: key points 52
Audacity toolbox 54
Timeless Manager 3: Oliver Cromwell – audacity 58
Timeless Manager 4: Queen Elizabeth I – positive dissatisfaction 61
4. Focus 67
Simplicity 67
Process thinking 69
Causes 73
v
Timeless Management
80/20 thinking 78
Measurement, planning and review 80
Focus: key points 88
Focus toolbox 91
Timeless Manager 5: Prince Albert – focus 92
Timeless Manager 6: Sir Isaac Newton – process thinking,
causes and measurement 96
5 Clarity 101
Communication 101
Expectations 111
Responsibility 115
Allowing and delegating 118
Clarity: key points 122
Clarity toolbox 125
Timeless Manager 7: Duke Of Wellington – clarity 127
Timeless Manager 8: William I – responsibility 131
6 Mutuality 135
Trust and synergy 136
Win–win 137
Coaching 140
Recognition 145
Review 152
Fun/humour 156
Mutuality: key points 158
Mutuality toolbox 163
Timeless Manager 9: Sir Christopher Wren – mutuality 165
Timeless Manager 10: King Charles II – fun! 169
Part III Timeless Management in the twenty-first century:
practising what we preach
7 Introduction to Part III 177
The five palaces 178
8 The Timeless Management approach in the Historic Royal
Palaces 181
The listening exercise 182
Relationship fixing 184
Developing the Strategic Plan 185
Implementing the Strategic Plan 198
Resolving organisation structure anomalies 206
vi
Contents
Results of the Timeless Management approach at Historic
Royal Palaces 209
Conclusion 210
9 The response to the terrorism of 11 September 2001 213
Timeless Management lives on at www.timelessmanagement.com 224
Selected bibliography 225
Index 227
vii
Preface
We hope this book appeals to (at least) two distinct reader groups:
managers in organisations large and small (public, non-profit and
private, profit seeking), who are all looking for business solutions; and
enlightened individuals simply wanting to improve their own effec-
tiveness. In our view the traits and most of the tools and techniques
we outline are fully applicable to both groups. But perhaps it is partic-
ularly relevant for the public services who need to fully understand
that it is not ministerial diktat or councillors’ decrees or permanent
secretaries’ memos that get things done. Developing and trusting
people is the only way to get improved results.
It is our intention for this book to be different. This is not in a vain
attempt to increase sales. It actually is to mirror one of the guiding
traits featured later in these pages. We hope the book is different in
three ways:
• Principally, that it provides a different, easy to understand and
hopefully interesting approach to increasing personal effectiveness
at work and at home.
• Second, for those readers interested in the practical application of
the timeless management traits, we hope to provide a live and
ongoing case study. Apart from the Historic Royal Palaces case study
in Part III of the book, we shall be providing regular updates on
progress (or not), ‘warts and all’ reports via our Timeless Manage-
ment website at www.timelessmanagement.com. These updates will
be provided from June 2002 and each quarter thereafter.
• Last, we are actively seeking feedback from readers on the approach
we have taken, our concept, our writing style and ways in which we
could improve. Again this is in accordance with one of the important
Timeless Management components: continuous improvement.
Please contact us in writing at Historic Royal Palaces, Apartment 39,
Hampton Court Palace, Surrey KT8 9AU, or via e-mail at
www.timelessmanagement.com.
viii
Preface
During the last year or so, we have been helped enormously in putting
the book together by a large number of individuals, and we would like
to thank them most sincerely for their time and assistance. We
certainly do not want to repeat the mistake of the Duke of
Wellington: as an old man, when asked by a friend what he would
have done differently if he had his life over again, the Iron Duke
replied, ‘I should have given more praise.’
First and foremost we would like to thank our families to whom
this book is dedicated with our love for their understanding, encour-
agement and support: Alan’s family, his wife Gaynor and son Ed (who
helped Alan to develop the Timeless Management concept for the
book initially), and John’s family, Jayne and James, and his mother
and father, Jose and Bill, for making it possible in the first place!
Second, we are very grateful to the various teams of people who
helped us from Historic Royal Palaces. Pam Heard and Anna Adil
from Alan’s office at Hampton Court have done an amazing job in
typing up numerous iterations, in providing intelligent comments and
retaining their sense of humour. Suzanne Groom and Anna Keay from
the Palaces Curatorial department have contributed magnificently on
the historical character illustrations and the context for their
involvement in the Palaces. We thank Graham Josephs, the Personnel
and Development Director, for his contributions and for overseeing
the change programme. Sam Hearn, the internal auditor and a fervent
closet historian, has provided a wealth of resource and background
material. Rob Wood, IT manager, provided more up to date data on
aspects of change. Annabelle Boyes and Peggy Sharkey initiated
publisher contact and have given much needed retail and merchan-
dising advice. Alyson Lawton, Trust and Company Secretary of
Historic Royal Palaces, kindly reviewed Part III and checked it for
accuracy. Field Marshal the Lord Inge, a Trustee, was extremely kind
in commenting on the Timeless Management concept in its infancy
and providing material on leadership.
We would pay special thanks and tribute to the Chairman of
Historic Royal Palaces, the Earl of Airlie, who will complete his stint
with the organisation in late 2002, and also to Lord Inge for, at least
in part, inspiring this book by their everyday usage of most of the
Timeless Management traits.
Our research task was made all the more easy by the excellent
books on the market, and we are very grateful indeed to the authors
listed in the bibliography section at the back of the book.
ix