The Quantum Leader: A Revolution in Business Thinking and Practice

by Danah Zohar

Overview

Drawing inspiration from quantum physics, innovative management thinker Danah Zohar offers a powerful new model for business thinking and practice. "Quantum leaders," she says, like the systems they have to manage, are poised at "the edge of chaos." They thrive on the potential latent in uncertainty and are adept at unleashing the creativity of self-organization. More important, they are vision- and value-led; they adapt quickly, are unafraid to play with the boundaries and reinvent the rules, and celebrate diversity.Zohar points out that the existing, business-as-usual paradigm owes a great deal to the outdated thinking, assumptions, and values of Newtonian science, which gave rise to the Industrial Revolution. Newtonian thinking assumes that corporations and markets are like machines--predictable, stable, and controllable; they are best managed in a way that eliminates risk and assures equilibrium. Unfortunately, as the global financial collapse of 2008 demonstrated, this way of thinking is as obsolete as the steam engine.Further developing ideas she introduced in her acclaimed Rewiring the Corporate Brain and Spiritual Capital, Zohar has written an inspirational book that will motivate leaders to tap the full potential of their employees, their businesses, and the customers they serve.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633882416
Publisher:	Prometheus Books
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Danah Zohar is a management thought leader and the author of nine previous books. Her most recent books include Spiritual Capital: Wealth We Can Live By and SQ - Spiritual Intelligence, The Ultimate Intelligence, which together constitute ground-breaking work on SQ, spiritual intelligence, and spiritual capital. She has also written Rewiring the Corporate Brain; The Quantum Society; and The Quantum Self. These latter three works extend the language and principles of quantum physics into a new understanding of human consciousness, psychology and social organization, particularly the organization of companies. Zohar studied physics and philosophy at MIT, and did her postgraduate work in philosophy, religion, and psychology at Harvard University. She regularly speaks at leadership forums and works with corporate leadership teams worldwide. Her clients have included Volvo, Coca Cola, McKinsey, Astra Pharmaceutical, Marks & Spencer, Motorola, and many other firms. She lectures widely throughout the world at conferences organized by UNESCO, The European Cultural Foundation, The Davos World Economic Forum, and many other national and international organizations.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Introduction: Why Business Needs a Revolution 11

Part I A Quantum Approach to Business Thinking 21

Chapter 1 Entering the Quantum Age 23

Chapter 2 Three Levels of Real Transformation 37

Chapter 3 Three Kinds of Thinking: How the Brain Rewires Itself 53

Chapter 4 Eight Principles of Quantum Thinking Applied to Leadership 71

Chapter 5 Leading at the Edge 107

Part II Three Models of Organizational Structure and Leadership 127

Chapter 6 The Western Model: The Newtonian Self and the Newtonian Organization 131

Chapter 7 The Eastern Model: The Networked Self and the Networked Organization 139

Chapter 8 The Quantum Model: Bridging East and West 149

Chapter 9 Quantum Case Study: Haier Group, China 169

Part III QSD: Quantum Systems/Strategy Dynamics in Practice 179

Chapter 10 Quantum Systems Dynamics 181

Chapter 11 The Motivations That Drive Us 187

Chapter 12 The 12 Transformational Principles of Spiritual Intelligence 215

Chapter 13 The Dialogue Group: A Way to Transform Company Culture 237

Chapter 14 Meditation and Reflective Practice 247

Conclusion: The Quantum Leader as Servant Leader 257

Notes 271

Bibliography 283

Index 285

Editorial Reviews

06/20/2016
Zohar (The Quantum Self), a veteran management consultant, issues a dense but rousing call to action for business leaders, telling them to step away from traditional hierarchy and single-minded focus on money (the “Newtonian” model), and learn to handle change, decentralization, and a focus on ethics (the “quantum” model). Newtonian thinking is value-neutral; quantum leaders, on the other hand, focus on meaning and service. The quantum mindset that Zohar espouses allows for embracing the creative potential of uncertainty, existing at “the edge of chaos,” and constantly evolving. Using a series of illustrative case studies, she proposes an original theory she calls quantum systems dynamics, which derives insights from the study of complex adaptive systems. An emphasis on meditative and reflective practices and leadership helps to frame the meaty text; some readers may find it slow going, but the ideas within are strong and thought-provoking. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A groundbreaking book. The people who will be the best business leaders and the companies that will prosper in this new century will be those that have the capacities Danah Zohar describes so compellingly in this book.”   —Joseph Jaworski, chairman, The Centre for Generative Leadership, and author of Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership and Source: The Inner Path of Knowledge Creation   “Zohar has elegantly deepened the discourse and practice of leadership and leadership development by exploring the confluence of art and science and applying it to leading an organization. She has made her work practical and accessible to leaders at all levels so that they can make sense of and effectively lead through the turbulent times. Our world is characterized by change that is rapid, unpredictable, paradoxical, and tangled. The change is never-ending. Zohar provides leaders with practices and tools that will enable them to succeed in this environment and to succeed at all levels whether it is to transform their organizations to become more competitive or whether it is to help them or their organizations advance society in some way.”   —David Magellan Horth, senior fellow, Center for Creative Leadership, coauthor of The Leader’s Edge: Six Creative Competencies for Navigating Complex Challenges “The quantum approach that Danah Zohar introduces is extremely interesting. The possibility of achieving new and unique abilities from a group of people by creating a system of competencies—teams within teams—is thrilling. It was a great inspiration during implementation of new working methods within our company.”   —Anna Nilsson-Ehle, former vice president, change management, Volvo “Zohar’s quantum approach to leadership is breathtaking!”   —Member, Shell USA Leadership Council   “In The Quantum Leader, Danah Zohar asks nothing less than that we forget everything we thought we knew about business. The book’s persuasive argument for a new quantum approach puts leadership in the wider context of things that matter to us as human beings, and addresses the challenges and opportunities of human and global interconnectivity.”   —Devan Naicker, director and head of executive education, Wits University Business School, South Africa   “Zohar’s work on quantum management, powerfully presented here in The Quantum Leader, played an important role in my thinking about Haier’s transformation process and in our efforts to turn Haier into a successful quantum company.”    —Zhang Ruimin, CEO, Haier Group, China

From the Publisher