Pulling on his academic background and wealth of business experience, James Bailey’s Culture Redefined introduces stakeholder capitalism as the business management theory that has the potential to become the game changing business strategy of the century.
Scrutinising how the pandemic preyed on inherent weaknesses rife within the traditional business model, the author brings to the fore a host of compelling arguments as to why stakeholder capitalism should be embraced, by informing, reinforming and reinforcing the benefits of adopting such a strategy.
Topical, visionary and based on applied business theories, Culture Redefined is endorsed by Investors in People, the accreditation organisation that is about making work better. James Bailey’s book should also be considered essential reading for everyone that wants to stay ahead of the curve.
Synopsis:
In 2020 the world changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone. The anxiety, worry and unpredictability caused by the pandemic are like nothing the majority of people have experienced in living memory. For business owners and leaders, it created a lonely and dark place due to high levels of uncertainty. Many viable and long-standing businesses have failed due to the pandemic, and those businesses that have successfully navigated it will be well-positioned to consider a change in how they operate. Culture Redefined conveys the author’s experience of starting a business, growing, leading and transitioning to an employee-owned operating model where the pandemic served to be catalyst for change.
Culture Redefined explores social and environmental inequalities, and how they have manifested and now exploded to become what will possibly be the prime mover of global change. The author identifies how the pandemic has exposed underlying weaknesses throughout the world. These inequalities are what tomorrow’s leaders will inherit. Alternatives to the given will attract many intelligent, driven young people who will come across ideas like employee ownership and see the attraction.
Culture Redefined is written in twelve chapters that represent hourly goals that move towards twelve o’clock. Each hourly chapter focuses on a specific theme, from establishing a business concept through to delivering sustainable, ethical and repeatable success. As Culture Redefined progresses, the author introduces how stakeholder capitalism could successfully work in synergy with traditional capitalism in this time of change. The author explains how employee-owned business models can increase resilience and employee-engagement to drive fair equitable growth and success. Employee-ownership is closely linked to the progressive ideals and growth of the stakeholder capitalist movement. This combination is the leadership strategy proposed by the author in Culture Redefined.
Culture Redefined conveys that practical leadership experience and academic theory are interconnected dependents. A common misconception and paradigm are that a practising manager or leader will not have, nor require, an academic background, but in the opinion of the author, this is fundamentally incorrect. Each hourly chapter explores management theory based on the authors practical experiences. The following well-known and lesser-known management theories are introduced and applied by the author:
- Schein’s Three Layers of Culture
- Michael Porter’s Five Forces
- Lewin’s Three Broad Styles of Leadership; contrasted with Blake & Moulton’ Leadership Grid
- Kotter and Schlesinger Six Change Approaches to Resistance
- Handy’s Four Types of Culture
- McClelland’s Theory on Motivation
- The STEEPLE Framework
- Deming’s Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) Cycle
- Moorhead and Griffin’s Change Agent Model
- Kubler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief
- The McKinsey 7S Framework
- Action Learning
- Communities of Practice
- Johnson & Scholes Cultural Web
The author’s academic background has provided him with a ‘toolbox of solutions’ that he relies on in equal measure alongside his practical experience. Both have been instrumental in achieving success in the world of small business, where a key achievement has been his company ranking #1 of all small Investors in People© accredited businesses, who operate in and around the UK construction sector.
The author says:
“The narrative style of Culture Redefined is one of informing, reinforming and reinforcing, supporting the reader in gaining knowledge transfer. This is a learning style that has taught me to learn, reflect and implement successful change as a business leader. The target audience of Culture Redefined are those who are interested in the principles of stakeholder capitalism, including experienced management professionals and business owners; people with limited management experience but who have a grounding in business management theory; students who have an interest in business and management; and people interested in exploring employee ownership as a fair and equitable business operating model.”
Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors In People says:
“This book highlights exactly what a great leader looks like, the challenges they must overcome, the questions they must ask themselves and what a great company looks like too. Many congratulations to James on what I am sure will be a remarkable success, just like WAVE, as well as a useful tool to many current and aspiring leaders.”
Independently published, Culture Redefined: A Leadership Strategy Towards Business Capitalism: A Time for Change is available to purchase in paperback (£9.99) and Kindle format (£3.99) on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3BbFBOW and https://amzn.to/2ZY66K3 respectively
