When Goliaths Clash - Managing Executive Conflict to Build a More Dynamic Organization

HOWARD M. GUTTMAN

American Management Association

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 Guttman, Howard M.     When goliaths clash: managing executive conflict to build a more    dynamic organization / Howard M. Guttman.        p.  cm.      Includes bibliographical references and index. 

ISBN 0-8144-0749-8

1. Conflict management. 2. Organizational change. I. Title.

HD42.G88 2003

658.4' 053 ”dc21 2002014674

Copyright 2003 Guttman Development Strategies, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

This publication may not be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in whole or in part,
in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise ,
without the prior written permission of AMACOM,
a division of American Management Association,
1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Jacqueline, my partner in life and work, with much love and appreciation

About the Author

Howard M. Guttman is the principal of Guttman Development Strategies, Inc., which was founded in 1989 and is located in Ledgewood, New Jersey. GDS, Inc. is a management consulting firm focusing on the areas of executive development, management development, and organization development in the United States and internationally. With a current staff of sixteen consultants , GDS clients represent a wide range of industries and include Colgate-Palmolive, L'Oral USA, Sara Lee Corporation, Campbell Soup, HBO, The New York Times , Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Motorola.

Guttman's corporate experience includes Johnson & Johnson, where he was director of human resources at Personal Products Co. In this capacity, he was responsible for organization development, management development, employee relations, EEO affirmative action, recruiting, and employee services. Previously, he served as national manager of human resources development and general manager of headquarters personnel at Johnson & Johnson.

Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Guttman was senior organizational development consultant for Automatic Data Processing (ADP). At both Johnson & Johnson and ADP, he specialized in internal consulting, focusing on the development of marketing and sales organizations, team development, total employee involvement, diversity/mentoring, organizational structuring, and leadership training.

Guttman has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 corporations, universities, and nonprofit organizations in the United States and internationally. He has spoken at various professional conferences on topics such as "Executive Development," "Consulting at the Board Level," "Accelerating Organization Development," "Strategic Training Initiatives," and "Cross-Functional Team Development."

Additionally, Guttman frequently appears on television and radio and in the print media, including MSNBC, New Jersey News 12 , Comcast Network's One on One , The Star Ledger , WMAQ Chicago, Management Review Magazine , and Business News New Jersey .

Guttman holds a master's degree from Case Western Reserve University's School of Applied Social Sciences. He was previously affiliated with the Graduate School of Management at Rutgers University as a professor of organization behavior and management consulting. Guttman was also an adjunct professor of behavioral consulting at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Graduate School of Psychology.

Acknowledgments

Many people helped to make this book possible, not the least of whom are the many clients from organizations around the world who gave their time to be interviewed and shared their stories and insights. This group of respected business leaders includes:

Joseph Amado	VP Information Services	Philip Morris U.S.A.
Roy Anise	VP Market Info & Planning	Philip Morris U.S.A.
Joe Campinell	President	L'Oral Consumer Products
Michael Carey	Corporate Vice President H.R.	Johnson & Johnson
Lee Chaden	Senior VP H.R.	Sara Lee Corporation
John Doumani	President-International	Campbell Soup
Lew Frankfort	Chairman & CEO	Coach
Susan Fullman	Corporate VP & Director	Motorola
Sheila Hopkins	VP and General Manager	Colgate-Palmolive
Lois Huggins	VP of Org Development & Diversity	Sara Lee Corporation
Manuel Jessup	VP of Sara Lee Underwear, Sara Lee Socks, and Latin America North	Sara Lee Corporation
Gerard Kells	VP Human Resources	Johnson & Johnson
Paul S. Michaels	Regional President, America, for Mars, Inc.	Masterfoods, USA
Julia Nenke	Human Resources Director	Foxtel, Inc.
Patrick Parenty	Sr. VP & General Manager	Redken, U.S.A.
David Phelps	Vice President	YMCA
Jean-Paul Rigaudeau	Managing Director	Johnson & Johnson, Germany
Peter Wentworth	Vice President, Global H.R.	Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Linda Woltz	President	Sara Lee Underwear
Anthony Zezzo	VP & General Manager, U.S. Sales & Marketing	Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Inc.

I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of my colleagues at Guttman Development Strategies, Inc., who have been my professional family for many years . Collectively, this group has helped to shape my thinking and enabled me to grow as a consultant. They include Carol Bocchino, Robert DeSimone, Pete Elder, June Halper, Marty Kurtz, Mark Landsberg, Larry Neiman, Klaus Oebel, Thom Radice, Fred Schmitt, Steve Sperling, Linda Thompson, Barbara Weber, and Joe Wions.

Specific individuals who were interviewed, providing models and illustrative examples for the book, include Robert DeSimone, Marty Kurtz, Klaus Oebel, and Fred Schmitt. Content reviewers who provided critique, detailed suggestions, and support include Mel Benjamin, June Halper, Marty Kurtz, Mark Landsberg, Fred Schmitt, Dr. Alan Stavitsky, and Joe Wions.

Special thanks go to my executive assistant, Kathy Cannon, for her outstanding administrative support throughout this project.

I particularly want to recognize my professional mentor, Bernard M. Kessler, Ph.D., whose insights and friendship over many years have helped me to define my picture of what it means to be a consultant.

Other guiding lights whose work has influenced my perspective throughout my career are Peter Block, Werner Erhard, Albert Ellis, and Peter Drucker.

My sincere thanks go to the book team: my literary agent, Peter Tobia, and editor Dale Corey, both of Market Access, Inc. They played an essential role in turning the idea of this book into a reality. Their continued inspiration, editorial savvy, and professionalism made the writing of this book as effortless as it could have possibly been. My wife, Jackie Guttman, also deserves a thank you for her editorial assistance and contributions to the final text.

Thanks also to Adrienne Hickey at AMACOM Books for believing in this book and for her invaluable input and encouragement during the process of writing it.

I want to thank my family of origin, where I first practiced my rudimentary skills of conflict management! They include my mother, Elaine, who has been unwavering in her support; along with my sister, Karen; my brother, Steven; and my late father, Franklin.

Last, I want to thank my wife and children, who deal with my intensity on a daily basis and still remain steadfast. This group of survivors includes my son, Chuck; my daughters, Michelle and Melissa (who believed the title of this book should have been "Is There an Elephant in the Room?"); and my wife, Jackie, to whom this book is dedicated.