The Binomial Bookstore

OVERDRIVE: MANAGING IN-CRISIS-FILLED TIMES
by Michael Silva and Terry McGann

"Crisis happens only to companies in trouble, it is always somebody's fault, it is
always destructive, and a lot of it in an organization indicates an inability to manage
crisis effectively ... right? Wrong! Despite the fact that most executives surveyed
claim to spend at least seventy-five percent of their time putting out fires, most
businesspeople continue to cling to these and other dangerously outdated myths
about crisis. The truth is, in today's ever more chaotic, fiercely competitive global
marketplace, crisis is an inescapable fact of life for every business organization -
especially the ambitious ones. In fact, many top business thinkers now view crisis as
an indispensable catalyst for strategic growth and competitive strength.

"Now, in this groundbreaking new book, Michael Silva - author of the bestselling,
Creating Excellence - and Terry McGann, arm you with a blueprint for success in
these crisis-ridden times. Offering important practical lessons in strategic crisis
management, they school managers in all the cutting-edge leadership and
management skills they need not only to survive crisis, but to use it to forge
stronger, more competitive companies. Drawing on their years of experience as
crisis management consultants to the Fortune 500, as well as the experiences of
dozens of companies whose stories they vividly tell, Silva and McGann:
- Separate crisis management myth from reality and provide a rational and
innovative framework for thinking about and responding to crisis
- Help you to recognize and leverage the opportunities that crises present for
changing the rules of the game and making strategic breakthroughs
- Help you to forge a new organizational vision founded upon the three crucial
factors of crisis prevention, crisis identification, and crisis solution
- Offer crisis management guidelines based on the golden rules of Vision (see it all,
see it fast), Values (say it all, say it fast), and Versatility (change it all, change it fast)
- Bring abstract concepts to vivid life with scores of vignettes and examples from a
wide range of industries and scores of businesses

"Crisis has become a permanent player in the management game for all companies -
corporate high-rollers and "mom and pop" retailers alike. Read Overdrive, and find
out what the new rules of the game are, and, more importantly, learn how to play
to win!"

"A lively and informative compilation of methods used by savvy, recognized CEOs to
survive and thrive in a crisis. Silva and McGann recount contemporary corporate
war stories that illustrate the impracticality of planning for a crisis-common or
catastrophic-and the necessity of exercising vision, creativity, and flexibility to avoid
or endure a crisis.'
- - - David H. Murdock
- - - Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
- - - Dole Food Company

"This book is an indispensable asset for any corporate executive facing the
inevitability of crisis control."
- - - Craig L. Fuller
- - - Senior Vice President
- - - Phlip Morris Companies Inc.

"Whether dealing with a sudden crisis of unimaginable size or the daily press of
issues, each has the potential to explode into a major catastrophe. OVERDRIVE gives
specific answers to questions that you hoped you'd never have to ask. Silva and
McGann offer practical, proven solutions that every executive needs in order to lead
in our crisis filled times."
- - - Bruce L. Christensen
- - - Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications
- - - Brigham Young University
- - - Former President and Chief Executive Officer of PBS

"It used to be that crisis was something that only happened to companies in trouble.
But in today's turbulent, hotly competitive global marketplace, crisis is a permanent
fact of life in every business organization, and the new name of the management
game is "crisis management." Now in this groundbreaking book, Michael Silva
(Creating Excellence) and Terry McGann tell you exactly what the new rules of the
game are, and, more importantly, how to play to win!

- Teaches you practical lessons in how to strategically manage crisis to forge
stronger, more competitive companies
- Provides a rational, innovative framework for thinking about and responding
to crisis
- Shows you how to leverage the opportunities that crises present for changing the
rules of the game and making strategic breakthroughs
- Brings abstract concepts to vivid life with scores of vignettes and case studies from
a wide range of industries and dozens of businesses, both large and small
- Based on the authors' years of experience as crisis management consultants to top
Fortune 500 companies.

CONTENTS
Preface
PART ONE: CRISIS MYTHS AND CRISIS REALITIES
Chapter 1 The Four Horsemen of Crisis: Technology, Shifting Trends, Corporate
Aging, and Global Capitalism
Chapter 2 Not just Another Day at the Office: Why Being on the Cutting Edge
Generates Crisis
Chapter 3 A Fine Line: Crisis that Destroys and Crisis that Creates
Chapter 4 When the Wings Fall Off - Why Contingency Plans Don't Work
Chapter 5 The Myths of the Lone Wolf: Teamwork and Crisis Management
PART TWO: THINKING ABOUT CRISIS: FIGHTING THE ERRORS OF CRISIS
MANAGEMENT
Chapter 6 A Matter of Life and Death: Distinguishing the Common Crisis from the
Unthinkable One
Chapter 7 Spin over Substance: When the Facts Aren't Friendly
Chapter 8 Moving from Your Comfort Zone: Travel Light and Travel Fast
PART THREE: MANAGING THE DANGERS OF CRISIS
Chapter 9 Insight, Decision Making, Communication, and Focus: The Four Skills for
Managing Crisis
Chapter 10 What You See Is What You Get: How Corporate Values Undermine
Action During Crisis
PART FOUR THE THREE RULES OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Chapter 11 Vision - See It All, See It Fast: The Five-Minute Audit
Chapter 12 Values - Say It All Say It Fast: The Five-Minute Valuation
Chapter 13 Versatility - Change It All, Change It Fast
Index

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
"MICHAEL SILVA is recognized internationally as a cutting-edge thinker in the
management of crisis. In the last twenty years, he has worked with executives of
over half of the Fortune 500 and scores of international companies, dealing
specifically with the application of crisis leadership principles under extremely
turbulent conditions. He is the author of Europe 1992 and the World Power Game
and the coauthor of the international bestseller Creating Excellence: Managing
Corporate Culture, Strategy and Change in the New Age.

"TERRY McGANN is Chairman of Sacramento Advocates, a consulting firm
specializing in assisting private sector companies whose strategies involve significant
relationships with federal government agencies Sacramento Advocates clients
include Apple Computer, Kraft, Cigna, PepsiCo, and SmithKline Beecham."

1995, 250 pages Order #DR-176 $34.00

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Management Issues

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