In this unprecedented study of America's leading executives, John Kotter shatters the popular management notion of the effective "generalist" manager who can step into any business or division and run it. Based on his first-hand observations of fifteen top GMs from nine major companies, Kotter persuasively shows that the best manager is actually a specialist who has spent most of his or her career in one industry, learning its intricacies and establishing cooperative working relationships. Acquiring the painstaking knowledge and large, informal networks vital to being a successful manager takes years; outsiders, no matter how talented or well-trained seldom can do as well, this in-depth profile reveals. Much more than a fascinating collective portrait of the day-to-day activities of today's top executives, The General Managers provides stimulating new insights into the nature of modern management and the tactics of its most accomplished practitioners.

Table of Contents:
Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition

Preface

1. INTRODUCTION

The Participants in the Study

A Few Examples: Gaines, Thompson, and Richardson

The Findings and Their Presentations: Some Initial Comments

The Organization of the Book

The Major Themes

2. THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT JOBS: KEY CHALLENGES AND DILEMMAS

The Jobs, the Context and the Emergent Demands

Job Demands I: Challenges and Dilemmas Associated with the Responsibilities

Job Demands II: Challenges and Dilemmas Associated with the Relationships

The Overall Demands: A Summary

Differences in Job Demands

Seven Different Kinds of GM Jobs

Different Business and Corporate Settings: The Impact of Size, Age, Performance Level, and Other Factors

Summary and Discussion

3. THE GENERAL MANAGERS: PERSONAL AND BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS

Common Personal Characteristics

Basic Personality

Knowledge and Relationships

Job-related Reasons for the Similarities

Common Background Characteristics

Childhood Family Environment

Educational and Career Experiences

Possible Reasons for the Background Similarities

Differences in Personal and Background Characteristics

Age-related Differences

Job-related Reasons for Individual Differences

Main Factors Creating Misfits

Summary and Discussion

4. GENERAL MANAGERS IN ACTION: PART I -- SIMILARITIES IN BEHAVIOR

The Approach

Agenda Setting

Network Building

Execution: Getting Networks to Implement Agendas

Underlying Reasons for the Basic Approach

Forces Behind the Agenda-setting Process

Forces Behind the Network-building Process

Forces Behind the Execution Process

Manifestations of This Approach in Daily Behavior

The Twelve Visible Patterns in How They Use Their Time

A Specific Example

Job-related Reasons for the Similarities

Patterns Directly Related to Their Approach to the Job

The Efficiency of Seemingly Inefficient Behavior

Summary and Discussion

5. GENERAL MANAGERS IN ACTION: PART II -- DIFFERENCES IN BEHAVIOR

The Basic Patterns

The Range of Differences

Antecedents

Tom Long

The Job and Its Context

Tom

Tom's Approach to the Job

Daily Behavior

Richard Papolis

The Job and Its Context

Richard

Richard's Approach to the Job

Daily Behavior

Long and Papolis: A Few Final Observations

Differences in Behavior, Their Antecedents, and Performance

Summary and Discussion

f0 6. SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR INCREASING GM PERFORMANCE

Summary

Job Demands

The Personal Characteristics of Effective General Managers

Similarities in the Behavior of Effective General Managers

Differences in Behavior

The Overall Findings: A Summary Comment

Implications for Corporate Selection, Development, and Staffing Practices

Finding GMs: Insiders or Outsiders

Developing GMs

Designing and/or Selecting Training Programs

Matching People and Jobs

Implications for Managing General Managers

Helping New GMs Get Up to Speed

The Role of Formal Planning and Performance Appraisal

Allowing Appropriate Differences

Minimizing the "I Can Do Anything" Syndrome

Implications for Formal Education

Admissions

The Curriculum

Career Management

Broadening Perspectives

Implications for Management Theory and Research

Key Implications for Managerial Behavior Theory

Key Implications for Research Topics

Key Methodological Implications

APPENDIX A THE STUDY

The Process of Inquiry

An Example of the Methodology in Action

The Process in Retrospect: A Few Reflections

APPENDIX B INTERVIEW GUIDES

For Associates of the GMs

For the General Managers

APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRES

The Strong-Campbell

The Occupational Scales

Other Scales

The Background Questionnaire

APPENDIX D RÉSUMÉS FOR THE GENERAL MANAGERS

Gerald Allen

Bob Anderson

John Cohen

Dan Donahue

Frank Firono

Terry Franklin

Chuck Gaines

Paul Jackson

Tom Long

Jack Martin

Richard Papolis

Richard Poullin

Michael Richardson

B.J. Sparksman

John Thompson

APPENDIX E APPRAISING GM PERFORMANCE

The Method Employed

The Rating

Notes

Bibliography

Index