World class expert in human resource strategy

Dr Lynda Gratton is Associate Professor of Management Practice at London Business School where she directs the school’s executive programme, “Human Resource Strategy in Transforming Organisations”.

The 2009 Thinkers 50, the global ranking of management gurus, placed her as Europe's number 2 management thinker (behind Sir Richard Branson) and the world’s top female guru.

Lynda’s latest book Glow: How you can radiate energy, innovation and success, 2009 explains: You know them at first sight: teammates or colleagues, direct reports or bosses who radiate enthusiasm, positive energy, and inspiration. Even in difficult circumstances they glow with an attitude that inspires others, fosters a great working experience for everyone, and creates empowering relationships. And Lynda can make sure you're one of them. Drawing on years of original research, Lynda identifies three principles that people who glow live by, and three actions for putting each principle into practice. She zeroes in on how you can become a source of energy and innovation yourself.

Her 2007 book: Hot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - and Others Don't explains when Hot Spots arise in and between companies, they provide energy for exploiting and applying knowledge that is already known and genuinely exploring what was previously unknown. As a consequence, Hot Spots are marvelous creators of value for organizations and wonderful, life-enhancing phenomena for each of us.

Her case on BP was awarded the ECCH best strategy case of 2005.

Over the last decade Lynda has led The Leading Edge Research Consortium, a major research initiative involving companies such as Hewlett Packard and Citibank. The initial results from the research were published by Oxford University Press in 2000 in the book “Strategic Human Resource Management: Corporate Rhetoric and Human Reality”. She has recently launched a second research consortium , The Cooperative Research Initiative.

In “Living Strategy: Putting People at the Heart of Corporate Purpose”, published by FT/Prentice Hall in 2000, Lynda called for a more strategic approach to people management. The book has been translated into ten languages and was voted one of the 20 most influential books by American CEOs.

More recently she has addressed the issue of organisational purpose in, “The Democratic Enterprise: Liberating Your Business with Freedom, Flexibility and Commitment”, published by FT/Prentice Hall in 2004.  

Lynda is currently working on a book provisionally titled ‘Cooperating on Purpose: How organizations create value more successfully when people collaborate more skilfully’. Her current research, ‘The Collaborative Research Initiative’ was launched in October 2005 and involves 20 large companies in the USA and Europe.

A trained psychologist, Lynda Gratton worked for British Airways for several years as an occupational chief psychologist. Prior to joining London Business School she was director of HR strategy at PA Consulting.

Lynda is acknowledged as one of the world's most influential thinkers in HR Strategy. She serves on the advisory boards of Exult and the Concours Group and consults to a wide range of multinational companies including Shell, Unilever, Kraft, Philips, Royal Bank of Scotland, Unilever and HP.

Her clients in the Hot Spots Movement include:

Absa, Arm, BD Medical, BSkyB, BT Connect, BT Global Services, Colt, Ferrero, France Telecom, Fujitsu, GE, GEA Group, Guardian Media Group, Hay Group, Iflok, Openreach, Keppel, M&S, Mahindra & Mahindra, Manpower, Marriott, Metro Cash & Carry, Microsoft, Ministry of Manpower (Singapore), NHS, Nokia, Nomura, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Philips, PWC, Randstad, Rogers Communications, Royal Bank of Scotland, SAP, SATS, Save the Children, Shell, Siemens, SMRT, Standard Chartered Bank, Tata Consulting Services, Thomson Reuters, ThoughtWorks, Turf Club, Unilever, UPM Kymmene, World Vision International and many more.

Areas of expertise

Human resource strategy, especially helping senior executives consider the people implications of business strategy and how to overcome the barriers to cooperation and organizational learning

Research interest

Long range planning, person-job interaction, corporate culture, human resource management strategy, organisational change, strategic management, organisational learning.

Key messages

Real strategic HR is about developing ways of putting people where they belong - at the centre of the business, not on the sidelines. The notion that people are our greatest asset is a truism, not a cliché.

Publications

•    Glow: How you can radiate energy, innovation and success, 2009
•    Hot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - and Others Don't, 2007
•    The Exceptional Manager: Making the Difference, 2006
•    The Democratic Enterprise (FT, Prentice Hall, 2004);
•    Integrating the Enterprise, Sloan Management Review (2003);
•    Living Strategy: Putting People at the Heart of Corporate Purpose (FT, Prentice Hall, 2000);
•    Linking Individual Performance to Business Strategy, Human Resource Management (1999).

Some lessons include …

Finding The Flowers Amongst The Weeds
Leaders must focus on the few things that will really make a difference to their organization. Lynda Gratton encourages leaders to make sure their priorities are landmark priorities that are tightly aligned to their objectives and then find ways to filter these ideas down, as they are hugely important to the future of the company

Beyond Business As Usual
Large, powerful organizations have a responsibility to play an important role in society. Lynda Gratton explains how leaders should take responsibility for this and be a force for good by engaging employees in how to be collectively greater than just being defined by the financial returns of ‘business as usual’.

Cooperation vs. Competition
In a competitive industry it can be difficult to be cooperative. But organizations based on trust are better places to work than those with a competitive atmosphere as cooperation can be extremely powerful, and lasting value can be created when people work together.

The Power Of Good Conversation
Executives who are prepared to have meaningful, purposeful conversations become powerful role models to people around them about what’s valued in the workplace.

Book Lynda Gratton, as a speaker now

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