Biggest Corporate Lie Exposed

According to Art Kleiner “The Customer Comes First” is one of the core lies of corporate culture.

The director of research at consulting firm Dialogos says in every organization there are people who really come first, a core group that really matters. In each company the group differs. Yet every action taken by that group is undertaken with the goal of meeting the perceived needs and priorities of this group.

Kleiner says core groups are not inherently evil or dysfunctional. They are the source of the organization’s energy, drive and direction. The foundation of every organization is the decision. Some are made at the top; others are made at lower levels of the organization. Most are made in the midst of conflicting priorities, constraints competitors and constituents. Core groups play a critical role. By understanding who populates the core group, a collective organizational coordination is achieved.

Core Groups can be large or small. They have many identities; often the identity is mixed. Among them:

• A Bureaucracy – Bosses come and go; the core groups remains.
• The Too Nice Organization – No one wants to admit they have power, yet one or two people influence decision making.
• The Indigestible Acquisition – The deal is sealed but significant groups are not brought into the fold.
• The Hidden Cabal – Quiet influencers who know how to influence the direction of people’s decision making and covertly do it.
• Charismatic Rainmakers
• Stovepipes

To determine a core group’s character one must have insight into the mindset of the organizations people. Whose interests they consider when they make decisions.

This is an interesting book. For those who love to get things done, corporate intrigue or simply want to survive, this book will open one’s eyes to the reality of corporate culture. ( )