Fusion Leadership. . - book review

School Administrator, May, 2002

Reviewed by Daniel M. Rodriguez Superintendent, Old Bridge Township School District, Old Bridge, N.J.

At a time when necessity has forced us to re-examine the standard ways of conducting business, a wonderful book on management and leadership has emerged with just the right formula.

The authors of Fusion Leadership state: "Managers traditionally learn to sell themselves, solve problems, pass data and communicate answers to people who need them. Leaders, by contrast, define the psychological container within which other people work."

Richard Daft and Robert Lengel explore six subtle forces they feel have a direct bearing on organizational effectiveness: mindfulness, vision, heart, communication, courage and integrity. Each concept is examined within the framework of fusion leadership, which is contrasted with the centuries-old "fission approach" where workers and roles are separated into organizational boundaries with external management. Fusion leadership, the authors insist, fosters empowerment, consensus and teamwork.

The strength of this book is twofold--first, to introduce these concepts in a way that prepares us for a new style of management and leadership and, second, to give us a how-to component through relevant examples.

(Fusion Leadership, by Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 450 Sansome St., Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94111, 2001, 277 pp., $27.95 hardcover, $19.95 softcover)