Nadler, D. A., Tushman, M. L., Nadler, M. B. (1997), Competing by Design: The Power of Organizational Architecture. New York: Oxford University Press

Table of Contents: A Blueprint for Change – Mapping the Organizational Terrain – The Principles of Design – The Crucial Design Issues – Choosing a Basic Structure: Strategic Groups – Coordinating Work: Strategic Links – Designing at the Enterprise Level – Designing at the Operational Level – A Process for Design – Implementing New Designs – Knowing When to Redesign – The Lessons of Design

Description: Authors show that the last remaining source of truly sustainable competitive advantage lies in ‘organizational capabilities’: the unique ways each organization structures its work and motivates its people to achieve clearly articulated strategic objectives. For too long, too many managers have thought about “organization” merely in terms of rearranging the boxes and lines on an organizational chart-but as the book clearly illustrates, organizational strength is found far beyond one-dimensional diagrams. Managers must, argue Nadler and Tushman, understand the concepts and learn the skills involved in designing their organization to exploit their inherent strengths.