The Orange Revolution by Adrian Gostick & Chester Elton
In Summary Vijay Ramachandran
The Orange Revolution
By Adrian Gostick & Chester Elton
Published by Free Press, Simon & Schuster.
Rs 550
I was having an interesting conversation at the last CIO Leadership Council over the roles of process, talent, business plans, teams and leaders in shaping groundbreaking corporate strategy. Many CIOs pointed to maverick leaders as the one factor that could cause disruption (and, almost all referenced Apple’s Steve Jobs).
Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton disagree. Their research shows that focused colleagues passionately driven toward a shared vision generate a very special momentum that can beat anything the corporate landscape may fling their way.
Their research, which covered 350,000 individuals also reveals a mere 20 percent of teams work near optimal capacity. “What we found was unexpected and eye-opening. We were able to statistically establish a pattern of characteristics displayed by members of the best teams, as well as a set of rules that great teams live by. Even more rewarding was the realization that these qualities could be shared with other teams,” they observe.
Their book, The Orange Revolution, is a simple yet powerful guide that can transform any group of staffers into a breakthrough team.
Read on for excerpts from reviews of this book from two of your peers who heartily recommend it and not just to CIOs:
As Kipling says in The Jungle Book: “The strength of the pack is the wolf; and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” This book is all about building breakthrough teams.
What caught my attention is the authors’ observation that many organizations could be putting their team building culture in jeopardy by enforcing job rotation.
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SATISH DAS CSO & Director-ERM, Cognizant Technology Solutions
Their research also reveals that continuously recognizing team members is what motivates them to achieve breakthrough results, as opposed to financial rewards or increments. They have drawn analogies with league games where everyone participates in cheering for their teams, which in turn motivates players to do their best. Most breakthrough teams reflect this phenomenon, they discovered. In chapter 8—the best part of the book—the authors have compiled a list of 101 ways one can bring team members together. I recommend this book to CIOs and their HR teams.
GOVIND SINGH Director-IT, Levi Strauss India
In my personal opinion, every people manager must read this book and implement the authors’ ideas. It has the capability to unlock the hidden potential of employees and improve their overall productivity. A very powerful callout from the book is the equation: Communication +trust+accountability+recognition =breakthrough team. This is the sure shot formula for a great team. Today, the role of a CIO has evolved into a team management one. He is now responsible for driving business growth rather than just taking care of the ‘technical stuff’. This growth cannot be achieved without a high performing, dedicated and ethical team. This book has the power to build such teams for any organization and for any function.
