Making the Impossible Possible: Leading Extraordinary Performance: The Rocky Flats Story

✍ Scribed by Kim S Cameron, Marc Lavine

• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 297
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The most contaminated nuclear plant in the country, Rocky Flats was an environmental disaster and the site of rampant worker unrest. Although it was estimated that it would take 70 years and $36 billion to clean up and close the facility, something stunning happened. Now on its way to becoming a wildlife refuge, the project is running 60 years ahead of schedule and $30 billion under budget. In "Making the Impossible Possible," Kim Cameron explains how this remarkable performance was achieved -- and how it can be replicated. Using numerous first-hand accounts and public records, Cameron draws a number of leadership guidelines that can be applied to any business. This fascinating and thoroughly researched case study concludes by revealing the ten leadership principles responsible for the Rocky Flats turnaround -- and in doing so, provides a means for other organizations to harness the lessons of this astonishing success.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
An Introduction to the Impossible......Page 12
1 Explaining the Impossible—Positive Deviance and the Abundance Approach......Page 28
2 Impending Disaster—A Brief History of Rocky Flats......Page 56
3 The Role of Leaders......Page 86
4 Competing Values and Paradoxical Leadership......Page 100
5 Key Enablers—Vision, Innovation, and Symbolic Leadership......Page 112
6 Key Enablers—Stability, Discipline, and Process Control......Page 142
7 Key Enablers—Relationships, Human Capital, and Collaborative Culture......Page 170
8 Key Enablers—Politics, Incentives, and Rigorous Performance Standards......Page 198
9 Leadership Principles for Spectacular Performance......Page 230
Appendix 1: Caveats and Alternative Views of Rocky Flats’ Success......Page 258
Appendix 2: Research Methods......Page 268
References......Page 272
Photo Credits......Page 278
A......Page 280
C......Page 281
D......Page 282
G......Page 283
K......Page 284
O......Page 285
P......Page 286
R......Page 287
S......Page 288
W......Page 289
About the Authors......Page 290
About the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship......Page 292