Leading Geeks

Winner of the 2003 Financial Times Germany/getAbstract Business & Finance Book Award Leading Geeks challenges the conventional wisdom that leadership methods are universal and gives executives and managers the understanding they need to manage and lead the technologists on whom they have become so dependent. This much-needed book? written in nontechnical language by Paul Glen, a highly acclaimed management consultant? gives clear directions on how to effectively lead these brilliant yet notoriously resistant-to-being-managed knowledge workers. Glen not only provides proven management strategies but also background on why traditional approaches often don't work with geeks. Leading Geeks describes the beliefs and behavior of geeks, their group dynamics, and the unique nature of technical work. It also offers a unique twelve-part model that explains how knowledge workers deliver value to an organization.

Editor’s Note xi Warren Bennis Foreword xiii David H. Maister Introduction xv Acknowledgments xxi Overview: The Challenge of Geeks 1 1. Geeks, Leadership, and Geek Leadership 3 Part One: The Context of Geek Leadership 19 2. The Essential Geek 27 3. Groups of Geeks 44 4. The Nature of Geekwork 57 5. Performing Geekwork 74 Part Two: The Content of Geek Leadership 97 6. Nurturing Motivation 103 7. Providing Internal Facilitation 122 8. Furnishing External Representation 142 9. Managing Ambiguity 158 10. Selecting and Organizing Geekwork 179 11. Uniting Geeks and Geekwork 197 Conclusion: Harmonizing Context and Content 219 12. How Geek Leaders Lead 221 Appendix: Models and Lists 235 Notes 241 References 243 The Author 247 Index 249