Lynda Gratton – författare

Climate change. Income inequality. World poverty.

Who can solve these global problems? Corporations.

Never before have corporations been so large, so wealthy, so powerful, and so rich in human creativity and endeavor. Organizational change expert Professor Lynda Gratton shows that it is now critical that these corporations step up to play a more positive role in the world by building inner resilience, actively anchoring themselves in their communities and supply chains, and leveraging their unique capabilities to address complex global challenges such as climate change and youth unemployment.

In The Key, Gratton maps out how bringing resilience to a fragile world starts with what happens inside a corporation—when intelligence and wisdom are amplified, emotional vitality enhanced, and social connections harnessed. She explains how corporations can leverage this inner resilience to help solve global problems and how a corporation’s unique innovative, scaling and mobilizing, and alliance building capabilities—are some of the tools for combating global ills.

Both realistic and optimistic, The Key is a practical guide that provides the rationale, strategies, and tools you need to not only spearhead resilience for your own company but also how to use this resilience to contribute to the betterment of the world. Building on her unique research base, Gratton provides insights from more than 20 companies from across the world including Vodafone, Unilever, Tata Consulting Services, and Natura to illustrate the very real benefits of aligning organizational interests with those of the world.

“To create a good future,” Gratton writes, “it is crucial that those who lead corporations become increasingly transparent about their actions and intentions and see themselves as part of the wider world they inhabit.”

The world’s business leaders must make a decision: Either connect your company’s interests with those of the world at large—or watch these separate interests crash into each other. You have the resources to save the world. Gratton provides The Key.

Praise for The Key

“The Key offers a novel perspective on the emerging role of corporations in society. Leadership expert Lynda Gratton offers practical insights for unlocking the hidden resources in organizations and using them to bring resilience to a fragile world.”—Adam Grant, Wharton Professor and bestselling author of Give and Take

“Gratton has again given us a lens into a brighter future. With prescience and insight, she has offered a way to resolve some of the most serious challenges of our complex world. Her ideas are a call to arms and a commitment to action that will benefit individuals, organizations, and communities.”—Dave Ulrich, Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and Partner, the RBL Group

“Contrary to Hollywood stereotypes, big corporations can be a force for good. The Key helps to explain why that is so and how business leaders can be part of the vanguard.”—Gavin Patterson, CEO, BT Group

“In this important book, Gratton shows how companies can both build resilience for the future and make a positive difference in the world.”—Martin Gilbert, CEO, Aberdeen Asset Management

“In order to achieve ongoing growth, executive leaders must not only reinvent themselves and their businesses but must also continually ask what role their corporation will play as a force for the common good. The Key shows, in a groundbreaking way, how the bridge between the two can be built.”—Robert Kovach, PhD, Global Executive Talent, Cisco

“This inspiring book takes the discussion about corporate social responsibility to a new level by clearly describing what it takes for leaders and employees to collectively make the corporation a force for good in the world.”—Diana C. Robertson, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

One of the world’s foremost experts on the topic of the future of work and human capital, Lynda Gratton argues that global corporations can be major players in changing the world, with their massive networks of human resources, varieties of expertise, and vast organizational skills.

In The Key, Gratton shows how companies like IKEA, Nike, Vodaphone, and Unilever are devising innovative ways to tackle critical social issues, and she describes how corporate leaders can transform their own company into an organization equipped to tackle today’s toughest issues.

Lynda Gratton is Professor of Management Practice at London Business School and the founder of the Hot Spots Movement. She has written seven books and numerous academic articles and is considered one of the world''s authorities on people in organizations.

Brought to you by Penguin.We are experiencing the greatest global shift in the world of work for a century. So, how do we make the most of this unique opportunity and radically redesign the way we work - forever?Professor Lynda Gratton is the global thought-leader on the future of work. Based on thirty years of research into the technological, demographic, cultural and societal trends that are shaping work, and building on what we learnt through our experiences of the global pandemic, Lynda Gratton presents her innovative four step framework for redesigning work that will help you:Understand the challenges your business is facingReimagine creative, new approaches and processesModel and Test these within your organisationAct and Create based on contemporary, data-led feedbackWhether you''re leading a small team or running a multinational, this is the time to make lasting change and equip your business for the future. Redesigning Work is the definitive book on how to transform your organisation and make hybrid working work for you. It will help your team embrace change, increase productivity and thrive in our new, more flexible working world.© Lynda Gratton 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Most teams underperform. Yours can beat the odds.

If you read nothing else on building better teams, read these 10 articles. We’ve combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you assemble and steer teams that get results.

Leading experts such as Jon Katzenbach, Teresa Amabile, and Tamara Erickson provide the insights and advice you need to:

Performance management is changing. Adapt your approach along with it.

For decades, performance management has been seen as an annual chore by managers and HR departments alike. But this process is changing, and there are ways to make it more effective at all levels of your organization.

If you read nothing else on performance management in your organization, read these 10 articles. We''ve combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you make your process more adaptable, conduct better feedback conversations, and encourage the growth of your employees.

This book will inspire you to:

This collection of articles includes "The Performance Management Revolution," by Peter Cappelli and Anna Tavis; "Reinventing Performance Management," by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall; "Getting 360-Degree Feedback Right," by Maury A. Peiperl; "The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome," by Jean-François Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux; "Job Sculpting: The Art of Retaining Your Best People," by Timothy Butler and James Waldroop; "Performance Management Shouldn''t Kill Collaboration," by Heidi K. Gardner and Ivan Matviak; "The Happy Tracked Employee," by Ben Waber; "Don''t Let Metrics Undermine Your Business," by Michael Harris and Bill Tayler; "Numbers Take Us Only So Far," by Maxine Williams; "Managers Can''t Do It All," by Diane Gherson and Lynda Gratton; and "Creating Sustainable Performance," by Gretchen Spreitzer and Christine Porath.

HBR''s 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR''s 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.