The challenge culture : why the most successful organizations run on pushback

Format:

Book

Title:

The challenge culture : why the most successful organizations run on pushback

Author:

Travis, Nigel author

ISBN:

9781541762145

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

New York, NY : PublicAffairs, 2018.

Physical Description:

viii, 270 pages ; 25 cm

Contents:

The fundamental why: Joanna's question -- Challenge starts with a spark: questioning the status quo -- Leaders must model: Paul takes a stand -- Overcoming challenge aversion: the difference between Dad, Socrates, and Blockbuster -- Developing people for challenge: why Allen Sheppard kept a "light grip on the throat" -- Setting the rules of engagement: how we launched K-cups -- Ask me anything: sixty coffee chats and counting -- Outsider input: bankers, media, students, and the Tom Hagen model -- The personal nudge: jumping off cliffs when you're not really n the mood -- The negative normative: lessons from the football pitch -- Global expressions: Stroopwafels, Pork floss, and lager for breakfast -- Overcommunicate: on blenders, strategy, and alligators -- Cycles within cycles: freak-outs, slow laps, anticipation, and the Belichek reset -- The social value of challenge -- A checklist for creating a challenge culture.

Summary:

The charismatic, accessible, and down-to-earth CEO of Dunkin' Brands (Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins) shows how positive pushback--the discipline of "questioning everything without trashing anyone"--Provides a unique, results-oriented way to lead an organization to prosperity.

Personal Subject:

Travis, Nigel.

Subject(s):

Corporate culture.

Businessmen -- United States -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

United States

Genre:

Autobiographies.

autobiographies (literary works)

Autobiographies

Biographies

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	658 Travis 2018	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The executive chairman and former CEO of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins reflects on the unique, results-oriented discipline he's developed over decades of leadership, which provides a blueprint for any organization to achieve prosperity.

We live in an era in which successful organizations can fail in a flash. But they can cope with change and thrive by creating a culture that supports positive pushback: questioning everything without disrespecting anyone.

Nigel Travis has forty years of experience as a leader in large and successful organizations, as well as those facing existential crisis-such as Blockbuster as it dawdled in the face of the Netflix challenge. In his ten years as CEO and chairman of Dunkin' Brands, Travis fine-tuned his ideas about the challenge culture and perfected the practices required to build it. He argues that the best way for organizations to succeed in today's environment is to embrace challenge and encourage pushback. Everyone-from the new recruit to the senior leader-must be given the freedom to speak up and question the status quo, must learn how to talk in a civil way about difficult issues, and should be encouraged to debate strategies and tactics-although always in the spirit of shared purpose. How else will new ideas emerge? How else can organizations steadily improve?

Through colorful storytelling, with many examples from his own career-including his leadership in turning around the fear-ridden culture of the London-based Leyton Orient Football Club, of which he is part owner-Travis shows how to establish a culture that welcomes challenge, achieves exceptional results, and ensures a prosperous future.

Author Notes

Nigel Travis , the chairman of Dunkin' Brands, was the company's chief executive officer from 2009 through 2018. His distinctive human-centered perspective on leadership and management, now viewed as essential in today's complex and diverse global organizations, took root early in his career when he was a human resources manager.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Travis, chairman and CEO of Dunkin' Brands, shares his management philosophy in this entertaining and informative business manual. In the course of discussing how to foster a healthy corporate culture, he relates both personal successes and failures from his career at Dunkin' and other companies. In the latter category, the book covers his earlier experiences heading Blockbuster, when the video rental giant struggled but ultimately failed to respond effectively to such competitors as Netflix and Redbox. The key to Dunkin' Donuts' recent success, Travis states, has been its ability to respond to competitor challenges by becoming more flexible and willing to embrace challenges rather than avoid them. To do that, business leaders must cultivate a "challenge culture" that allows employees to question long-held assumptions and normal operating procedures without fear of punishment. Something as simple as an informal coffee chat, Travis avers, can provide workers with a forum in which to be heard. Smart and insightful, this work offers an insider's account of the leadership approach behind a successful global brand that executives in any industry can emulate. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Travis, CEO and chairman of Dunkin' Brands, discusses the importance of pushback within an organization by using his experiences at Blockbuster, Papa John's Pizza, and Dunkin' Brands to address the dangers in not allowing employees and franchise owners to challenge upper management. Several case studies, including Travis's work with the Leyton Orient Football Club, demonstrate how successful managers encourage employees to speak up. While the book at times reads like a memoir, each chapter outlines the author's core principles on strengthening feedback systems within a company. His stories about the globalization of Dunkin' Donuts provide a real case of a business listening to franchise owners. VERDICT Readers of Simon Sinek (Leaders Eat Last) will be interested in this recommended firsthand account of employee pushback.-John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Introduction: The Fundamental Why: Joanna's Question	p. 1
Chapter 1 Challenge Starts with a Spark: Questioning the Status Quo	p. 7
Chapter 2 Leaders Must Model: Paul Takes a Stand	p. 23
Chapter 3 Overcoming Challenge Aversion: The Difference between Dad, Socrates, and Blockbuster	p. 41
Chapter 4 Developing People for Challenge: Why Allen Sheppard Kept a "Light Grip on the Throat"	p. 59
Chapter 5 Setting the Rules of Engagement: How We Launched K-Cups	p. 81
Chapter 6 Ask Me Anything: Sixty Coffee Chats and Counting	p. 99
Chapter 7 Outsider Input: Bankers, Media, Students, and the Tom Hagen Model	p. 121
Chapter 8 The Personal Nudge: Jumping Off Cliffs When You're Not Really in the Mood	p. 139
Chapter 9 The Negative Normative: Lessons from the Football Pitch	p. 157
Chapter 10 Global Expressions: Stroopwafels, Pork Floss, and Lager for Breakfast	p. 171
Chapter 11 Overcommunicate: On Blenders, Strategy, and Alligators	p. 191
Chapter 12 Cycles within Cycles: Freak-Outs, Slow Laps, Anticipation, and the Belichick Reset	p. 211
Conclusion: The Social Value of Challenge	p. 231
Suggested Questions: A Checklist for Creating a Challenge Culture	p. 247
Acknowledgments	p. 249
Notes	p. 251
Index	p. 257

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents