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Thought Leader Frank Buytendijk Makes Case for 'Performance Leadership'
In his new book titled Performance Leadership, EPM thought leader and Oracle executive Frank Buytendijk once again challenges traditional ideas about performance management and lays out a new model for predicting and improving organizational behavior.
With 20 years of experience, including a tenure as Gartner Research vice president, Buytendijk today serves as vice president and fellow in Oracle's Global Business Unit for Enterprise Performance Management (EPM).
His latest book, published by McGraw-Hill in September 2008, includes dozens of case studies and practical examples that illustrate his theories, and has received high marks from industry leaders.
Management Comes from Mars, Performance from Venus
"In the book, I argue that performance management is essentially a contradiction in terms," says Buytendijk.
Performance is about motivation, dedication, teamwork and people, which are matters of the heart, explains Buytendijk. By contrast, management is associated with plans, procedures, rules, regulations, control, and accountability, which are matters of the mind.
"You could say performance comes from Venus and management from Mars."
To resolve this contradiction, Buytendijk proposes another model, which he calls "Performance Leadership."
Management is about protecting the status quo, argues Buytendijk. By contrast, leadership is about understanding why people and organizations change—and using this knowledge to inspire and motivate.
Performance Leadership Framework: Growth Across Four Dimensions
Buytendijk's book does not attempt to displace current EPM methodologies. Rather, he argues that organizations should consider providing leadership along four dimensions: operational, analytical, social, and values.
Most organizations concentrate on only the first two and tend to forget to cultivate the social and values dimension, according to Buytendijk.
"The first two dimensions—the operational dimension (to make sure the organization is healthy and has the capacity to invest in other areas of maturity) and the analytical dimension (asking yourself the strategic questions of where to go)—are dimensions we use in our business every day," says Buytendijk.
To these he adds the social dimension—the impact an organization has on individuals inside and outside it. And finally, he tackles the values dimension—what an organization stands for and wants to be remembered for.
"Integrating these four dimensions helps you in any business management practice. The book is full of examples that demonstrate how you can successfully achieve this," says Buytendijk.
Learn more about Frank Buytendijk's Performance Leadership.
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