George Labovitz

Biography

George H. Labovitz, Ph.D. counsels corporate executives on organizational alignment and integration strategies and quality management. He is the lead author of the best seller, The Power of Alignment: How Great Companies Stay Centered and Accomplish Extraordinary Things (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., May 1997). Dr. Labovitz is also professor of management and organizational behavior at Boston University's School of Management. He has published and contributed to recent quality management articles in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Quality Progress, and Quality Management in Healthcare. He is also co-author of Making Quality Work (HarperBusiness, 1993). Dr. Labovitz presents keynote addresses on alignment, quality and leadership to diverse audiences throughout the world, from world congresses on quality in Singapore and Euro-Disney to national meetings of the American Hospital Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has delivered numerous presentations to the annual meetings of ODI's international customer base, which includes 12 of Fortune's 20 top companies. He has twice been the plenary speaker at the annual meeting of the Federal Quality Institute, and has made presentations to the command structure of the United States Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Labovitz is the founder of ODI. ODI was twice named to Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest growing privately held U.S. companies. British Airways, Philips, Electrolux, AirTouch, AT&T, Federal Express, and Procter & Gamble are among the leading corporations served by ODI. Government agencies include the U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Postal Service. ODI was chosen by the United States Postal Service as a Quality Supplier Award Winner in the small service company category. ODI's healthcare division provides Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) services to over 240 medical centers in the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Labovitz received Boston University's highest teaching award, the Metcalf Cup and Prize. He was named the Civilian National Consultant for Quality and Organizational Change to the Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force. He has been a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at the war colleges of the Navy, Army and Air Force and is currently consulting in alignment strategy and assessment to the Chief of Naval Operations. He holds a B.S. from Boston University, an M.B.A. from Boston College, and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Prior to his graduate studies, Dr. Labovitz served in the U.S. Air Force with the rank of captain, and was a pilot and aircraft commander.

Publications

Named the #1 Best Selling book on Amazon.com to the United States Government and United States Military. Misaligned companies, like cars out of alignment, can develop serious problems if not corrected quickly. They are hard to steer and don't respond well to changes in direction. This groundbreaking book shows you how to get—and keep—all the vital elements of your organization aligned and headed in the same direction at the same time. Managers must now keep their people centered in the midst of change, deemphasize hierarchy, and distribute leadership by distributing authority, information, knowledge, and customer data throughout their organization. Alignment is a response to the new business reality where customer requirements are in flux, where competitive forces are turbulent, and where the bond of loyalty between an organization and its people has been weakened. The old linear approach to management has given way to one of simultaneity—to alignment. As pioneers of the alignment concept, the authors have developed this unique approach based on their work with leading companies throughout the world. The Power of Alignment is packed with war stories and the first-hand perspectives of industry leaders. You'll learn how world-class organizations, including Federal Express, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Columbia/HCA Healthcare, Citizens Utilities, AirTouch, and UNUM achieved extraordinary business results. Now, through the authors' expertise, you'll see how alignment can work for your organization. In essence, alignment links the five key elements of an organization—people, process, customers, business strategies, and of course, leadership—to obtain breakthrough results, chief among them, sustained growth and profit, loyal customers, and a high-performance work force. Essential reading for all managers and executives, The Power of Alignment offers a new way to reestablish focus and sustain energy, and is a dynamic approach for staying balanced and achieving extraordinary levels of performance.

Titles

Quality Management Skills (QMS) Target audience: Managers, Leaders and Supervisors You will learn how to: * Develop your fundamental management competencies * Build participative approaches to management * Improve how you communicate with peers * Focus daily work to achieving organizational objectives * Develop tools to generate measurable gains in quality, productivity and customer satisfaction * Manage individuals and groups * Apply management skills to organizational integration * Create a work environment that helps total quality thrive A healthcare version is available. Managing for Productivity (MFP) Target audience: Managers, Middle Managers, Leaders and Employees You will learn how to: * Plan and set attainable goals * Use Performance Management as a key leadership tool * Invite Participative Management in your group or team * Motivate individuals to meet their individual goals * Manage the group process * Manage change in your organization * Lead problem-solving teams to effectively produce results * Communicate Effectively with supervisors, peers and subordinates The New Leadership (TNL) Target audience: Executives, Managers, Middle Managers, Supervisors, Team Leaders and Project Leaders You will learn how to: * Harness the power of change to achieve key organizational objectives * Achieve positive change by utilizing your organizational culture's strengths and weaknesses * Focus and align your organization towards successful implementation of its critical goals and objectives Influence Without Authority (IWA) Target audience: Managers, Middle Managers, Professionals, Team Leaders and Project Managers You will learn how to: * Overcome organizational and interpersonal barriers when implementing change * Apply influence skills to make change * Gain support for organizational improvement from bosses and peers * Build win-win alliance with other departments * Advance cross-functional improvements through collaborative approaches The Voice of the Customer (VOC) Target audience: Managers, Middle Managers, Supervisors and Employees You will learn how to: * Assess your current customers for their "delight" level * Identify obstacles to exceeding customer expectations * Use a process that all employees can implement * Gather and use actionable customer-focus data * Build strong customer relationships using customer-focused tools The Voice of the Customer (VOC) - Creating the Loyalty Connection Target audience: Customer Service Employees, Front-line Managers, Middle Managers and Supervisors You will learn how to: * Focus on the conditions that create total customer focus * Develop a strategy for maintaining a loyal customer base * Deal more effectively with customers * Develop a loyal customer base by applying the principles of a quality organization * Measure the tangible and intangible costs of ignoring customer feedback * Use customers-focused data to improve the customer relationship Performance Management Process (PMP) Target audience: Managers, Middle Managers and Employees You will learn how to: * Align your performance management system with your goals and objectives * Factor your customer's requirements into your organization's strategic objectives * Align your customer's requirements to your relevant work processes * Develop a plan to integrate the individual's department goals into performance plans * Communicate clearly and measure accountability for doing right things right