Powerhouse Partners--A Blueprint for Building Organizational Culture for Breakaway Results | Powerhouse Partners: A Blueprint for Building Organizational Culture for Breakaway Results

Stephen M. Dent

James H. Krefft

Davies-Black Publishing

Published by Davies-Black Publishing, a division of CPP, Inc., 3803 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303; 800-624-1765.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dent, Stephen M.
Powerhouse partners: a blueprint for building organizational culture for breakaway results/Stephen M. Dent & James H. Krefft.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

0-89106-195-9

(hardcover)
1. Strategic alliances (Business) 2. Business networks. 3. Corporate culture.
I. Krefft, James H. II. Title.
HD69.S8D468 2004
658′.044—dc22

2004013379

FIRST EDITION
First printing 2004

This book is dedicated to working men and women everywhere. Your creativity, agility, and resiliency have elevated humankind and benefited countless numbers of people in achieving a happier, healthier, and more prosperous life.

—STEPHEN M. DENT

To my wife, Lynn, and to our children, Michelle and Jim, for being there when I needed them, and for not being there when I needed to be alone at the keyboard.

—JAMES H. KREFFT

Acknowledgments

A special thanks goes out to James H. Krefft, Ph.D., co-author of this book. His dedication, intelligence, and insights have contributed greatly to the development of these concepts. I want to thank my clients—American Medical Association, Bank of America, Exult Inc., GMAC-RFC, Minnesota Department of Transportation, NASA, Wells Fargo Bank, and Xcel Energy, to name a few—who have greatly contributed to the growing body of knowledge on the importance of building people's Partnering Intelligence and a partnering culture. I especially want to acknowledge and thank my colleagues at Partnership Continuum, Inc., for their loyalty and hard work in building on this body of knowledge and putting it into practical applications every day. Special recognition goes to Neal R. Holtan, M.D., M.P.H., and Phyl Burger for their support. Many thanks to Laurie Harper, our literary agent, and the staff at CPP, Inc./Davies-Black Publishing for making all of this look so easy. Finally, to honor the memory of my dear friend, colleague, and mentor, Jerry Martin, who worked with me to develop the underpinning theories of Partnering Intelligence. Thank you, dear friend.

—STEPHEN M. DENT

I want to thank my colleague Stephen Dent for generously inviting me to collaborate on Powerhouse Partners. Special appreciation goes to Laurie Harper, our agent, who helped us tighten the focus of the book and went to extremes to get it sold in an uncertain market. Thanks to the many clients from whom I have learned in practical ways the power of partnering, especially Peter Cahn of ExxonMobil, Lionel Ferguson (formerly of GE Capital), Beth Mackay of Perot Systems, Steve Sargent of GE Capital, Kevin Wild of Qwest Wireless, and Jim McNulty, Tim Melson, and Ronn Williamson (all formerly of Thermo King). Singular gratitude goes to my wife, Lynn, for supporting me without limits and to my children, Michelle and Jim, whose own blossoming skills as writers continually push me to improve my own writing.

—JAMES H. KREFFT

About the Authors

Stephen M. Dent is a pioneer in Partnering Intelligence theory, research, and application, the culmination of more than twenty-five years of experience helping companies improve performance through leadership, partnership, and employee development. He is an internationally known author, lecturer, and consultant, and the founder of Partnership Continuum, Inc., a Minneapolis-based consultancy delivering partnering and leadership excellence to diverse organizations worldwide.

James H. Krefft, Ph.D., consults with organizations in implementing large-scale change. With international experience in the formulation of strategic direction, organization design, competency-based selection, and human performance systems, he has enabled client organizations such as Department of Energy, ExxonMobil, GE Capital, Pinnacle West Capital, Qwest Wireless, and Thermo King to exceed revenue goals and to save over $1.8 billion, collectively. In addition to co-authoring Powerhouse Partners, he has published articles and case studies on implementing large-scale organizational changes and is co-writing a book on how to redefine retirement.