The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies - And How to Overcome Them

Rating:
Summary: A key book for all organizations...
Review: I recently picked up a book at the library titled The Fiefdom Syndrome by Robert J. Herbold. This is an excellent book on understanding and eliminating corporate turf battles.

Chapter list: Introduction; The Problem With Fiefdoms; Fiefdoms And Human Nature; The Seven Disciplines Of The Well-Run Corporation; The Six People Disciplines; Creativity And Fiefdoms; Balancing Discipline And Creativity; Achieving Discipline; Fostering Creativity; How Fiefdoms Affect Strategy And Execution; How Fiefdoms Hamstring Mergers And Acquisitions; Communication As A Tool To Fight Fiefdoms; Beating The Fiefdom Syndrome; Index

If you've worked in corporate America for any length of time, you've experienced the fiefdom syndrome. A manager runs their department as if they were a wholly separate company, and decisions are made to benefit the department, not the corporation. This type of behavior, if not confronted and eliminated, leads to less than optimal performance for the organization. In extreme cases, it can kill the department AND the corporation. Herbold does a great job of both cataloging the behaviors that indicate the existence of fiefdoms, as well as the steps of well-run organizations that prevent them from forming.

This book should be required reading for management in large corporations, regardless of whether they think they have problems or not (and you probably do have them). Smaller companies would do well to take these lessons to heart in order to successfully grow without sabotaging one's success.


Rating:
Summary: A framework everyone in business can use
Review: In this book, Herbold sets up a framework that all in a business setting can use. Applying the fiefdom framework will help anyone be a better manager or follower. The only drawback is that it is one man's experiences, and not an academic empirical study. Despite that, it is still a worthwhile read for practitioners.



Rating:
Summary: How turf battles undermine careers and companies
Review: This is a much needed book. The rise of the "individual" above the organization or team has caused more companies to fail to reach their potential than perhaps anything else. The book starts with the premise that there are three basic human tendencies that seem to result in fiefdoms:

1. We have an innate need to control the data or information that reflects on our work.
2. We have a natural desire to be independent and in control of our destiny.
3. We have a natural tendency to exaggerate the quality of our work and its importance to the organization.

I have no reason to doubt these basics of the human condition, and certainly both see this in practice and experience it myself. The rest of the book is then about how to solve for these tendencies and create an organization that is more effective.

He outlines seven disciplines of the well-run corporation:

1. The discipline of creating lean global processes and accessible data company-wide
2. The discipline of standard templates and data
3. The discipline of inspection
4. The discipline of avoiding over confidence
5. The discipline of avoiding fragmentation
6. The discipline of constantly learning new skills
7. The discipline of avoiding bottlenecks

Each of these is described in detail, including examples and pitfalls, and suggestions for improvement. He also discusses 6 disciplines of people development, critical to ensure that the problems that result in fiefdoms are overcome. His comments on the often poor differentiation and reward systems among employees in regards to performance are well documented and laid out.

Overall, the book can be read quickly, and is full of good ideas and suggestions, and most importantly a way to think about the people and the organization that may help create an environment that can lead to better execution and success.

I deducted one star because the book is often dry. The author is a former COO of Microsoft, Proctor and Gamble, and therefore most of the examples come from these two companies. The book was often too academic in its prose, which is not to say that the content is not meaningful or relevant, but that it is a more studied approach as opposed to inspirational. Good material and a good message for leaders.


Rating:
Summary: Key Book for Any Organization: The Fiefdom Syndrome
Review: Well-written, from the standpoint of a well-known COO, Robert Herbold's book is vital for organizations, governments, as well as small-business owners. The temptation to control the flow of information can happen to anyone and it's important to recognize it when it begins to take shape. It's a wonderful tool for people who want to work well with others, overcome the obstacle of fiefdoms, and be successful in almost any job that requires teamwork.

Rating:
Summary: Who ya' gonna call? Fiefdom Busters!
Review: What is the common prerequisite for success in organizational project management maturity, enterprise architecture management, organizational learning, or organizational portfolio management? Eliminating or mitigating intra-organizational fiefdoms! Each of these domains presumes or facilitates relatively unimpeded strategic alignment and interoperability across intra-organizational divisions, founded on strategically coherent organizational leadership, culture, and acquisition of talent, technology and materiel. However, intra-organizational "feudalism" can render organizations strategically fragmented and inept.

This is why studying the fiefdom-busting principles and practices presented in "The Fiefdom Syndrome" is so beneficial - without taking on fiefdoms either obliquely or head-on, improvements in organizational effectiveness will be seriously hampered regardless of the disciplinary approach. Through able story-telling, Mr. Herbold effectively shares his wisdom on the causes, effects and remediation of fiefdoms. Many have written on related issues, typically under the change management subheading of "resistance to change." However, Mr. Herbold's particular focus is on fiefdoms as an organizational phenomenon rooted in timeless human foibles. Also, Mr. Herbold's perspective as a consultant is uniquely credible: it is not only informed by direct observation of multiple corporate clients, but interpreted from the uniquely practical vantage point of a former long-time, high-powered commercial corporate executive.