Dr Chris Edger is Professor of Multi-Unit Leadership at the Academy of Multi-Unit Leadership (AMUL), Birmingham City Business School, Birmingham City University, UK. Concentrating exclusively on the art and science of effective ’local leadership’ within multi-unit contexts, Professor Edger’s teaching specialisms at AMUL are Service Leadership and Operational Improvement. He has a PhD from Warwick Business School (ESRC award), a DMS and MBA from Nottingham Business School, an MSc(econ) with distinction from the London School of Economics and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Professor Edger has held Area, Regional and Executive Director positions in UK, US and European-owned multi-site Corporations. Latterly he was Group HR, Service and Productivity Director of Mitchells and Butlers Plc., the UK's leading casual dining operator (22 brands, 2,000 sites and 44,000 employees). In 2010 he and his HR team won the Personnel Today 'HR Impact of the Year' Award.

’For decades we have focused on what makes top leaders successful. [Chris] Edger has taken us to a different level and focuses on leading from the middle. It is not the strategies that are necessarily wrong in under-performing multi-unit enterprises but rather the failure to consistently execute them. This book balances academic rigour with practical application ideas that can help companies to use this undervalued group of leaders more effectively.’ Reg Sindall, Executive Vice President, Corporate Resources , Burberry plc 'This book offers an in-depth assessment of the pressures, challenges and changes facing those of us in multi-unit leadership, together with a framework for making sense of, and developing, our practical experience. Multi-unit leaders, working in constant tension between units and the centre, should read this book and then look again, as I did, at how they lead their teams to deliver results for customers and investors.' Ian Burke Chairman and Chief Executive, The Rank Group plc 'This book provides the definitive guide to successful Multi-Unit Leadership in Multiple Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Chains' Kevin Todd, President and Chief Executive of Rosinter Restaurants, Russia ’Effective Multi-Unit Leadership is a refreshingly engaged enquiry into an important and under-researched topic. In the vanguard of recent enquiries into the activities and practices of critical executives in large businesses, this book draws upon primary data and pithy examples from industry to identify key factors answering the question, "what makes a good multi-unit leader?’" These findings will be of great interest to academics and practitioners alike.' Duncan Angwin, Oxford Brookes University, UK 'Recommended reading...This book is a detailed and informative read, but its layout and organization of information means that it can be broken into units of learning. It can be used by ,ulti-unit leaders looking to improve their own performance or by tho

• Context of the Multi-Unit Enterprise; 1: Introduction; 2: Strategic Responses to Disruption; Activities; 3: Activities and Issues; Behavioural Practices; 4: Generating Commitment; 5: Ensuring Control; 6: Implementing Change; Characteristics; 7: Personal Characteristics; 8: Conclusions

Dr Chris Edger is Professor of Multi-Unit Leadership at the Academy of Multi-Unit Leadership (AMUL), Birmingham City Business School, Birmingham City University, UK. Concentrating exclusively on the art and science of effective ’local leadership’ within multi-unit contexts, Professor Edger’s teaching specialisms at AMUL are Service Leadership and Operational Improvement. He has a PhD from Warwick Business School (ESRC award), a DMS and MBA from Nottingham Business School, an MSc(econ) with distinction from the London School of Economics and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Professor Edger has held Area, Regional and Executive Director positions in UK, US and European-owned multi-site Corporations. Latterly he was Group HR, Service and Productivity Director of Mitchells and Butlers Plc., the UK's leading casual dining operator (22 brands, 2,000 sites and 44,000 employees). In 2010 he and his HR team won the Personnel Today 'HR Impact of the Year' Award.

’For decades we have focused on what makes top leaders successful. [Chris] Edger has taken us to a different level and focuses on leading from the middle. It is not the strategies that are necessarily wrong in under-performing multi-unit enterprises but rather the failure to consistently execute them. This book balances academic rigour with practical application ideas that can help companies to use this undervalued group of leaders more effectively.’ Reg Sindall, Executive Vice President, Corporate Resources , Burberry plc 'This book offers an in-depth assessment of the pressures, challenges and changes facing those of us in multi-unit leadership, together with a framework for making sense of, and developing, our practical experience. Multi-unit leaders, working in constant tension between units and the centre, should read this book and then look again, as I did, at how they lead their teams to deliver results for customers and investors.' Ian Burke Chairman and Chief Executive, The Rank Group plc 'This book provides the definitive guide to successful Multi-Unit Leadership in Multiple Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Chains' Kevin Todd, President and Chief Executive of Rosinter Restaurants, Russia ’Effective Multi-Unit Leadership is a refreshingly engaged enquiry into an important and under-researched topic. In the vanguard of recent enquiries into the activities and practices of critical executives in large businesses, this book draws upon primary data and pithy examples from industry to identify key factors answering the question, "what makes a good multi-unit leader?’" These findings will be of great interest to academics and practitioners alike.' Duncan Angwin, Oxford Brookes University, UK 'Recommended reading...This book is a detailed and informative read, but its layout and organization of information means that it can be broken into units of learning. It can be used by ,ulti-unit leaders looking to improve their own performance or by tho

• Context of the Multi-Unit Enterprise; 1: Introduction; 2: Strategic Responses to Disruption; Activities; 3: Activities and Issues; Behavioural Practices; 4: Generating Commitment; 5: Ensuring Control; 6: Implementing Change; Characteristics; 7: Personal Characteristics; 8: Conclusions