The connective edge

When arch-rivals IBM and Apple forged an unprecedented partnership to build and distribute a computer operating system for worldwide use, these two industrial giants stepped into the Connective Era. In this new environment where alliances shift and re-form at a sometimes alarming rate, organizations are undergoing a fundamental change that demands a new approach to leadership. The Connective Edge defines that approach with a bold new model for connective leaders in politics and government, business and industry, education and religion. It shows them how to move beyond competition to balance the two antithetical forces that will define our future success: interdependence and diversity.

Jean Lipman-Blumen, a world-renowned consultant, organizational sociologist, and feminist scholar, explores the future of leadership with examples from Wall Street to the Warsaw Pact, from Gorbachev to Gandhi. Based on extensive research analyzing the leadership styles of more than 5,000 leaders and managers worldwide, Lipman-Blumen has developed an innovative nine-part strategy for flourishing under the demands of interorganizational relationships, joint ventures, and partnerships.

With interviews and historical overviews, The Connective Edge offers an insightful examination of the psychological factors of effective leadership. It illustrates a sophisticated new style of leadership already being demonstrated by political and business leaders like South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Marcy Carsey, cochairman/executive producer of The Carsey-Werner Company. Connective leadership is also demonstrated by corporate managers forming small creative teams within giant conglomerates like Disney/ABC, and by world leaders faced with the challenge of violent identity battles such as the one in Bosnia. For leaders in every arena, this invaluable resource offers the skills and information needed to move our organizations, our nations, and ourselves into the emerging era with stellar results.