Organizing Genius

Leadership expert Warren Bennis and journalist Patricia Ward Biederman examine why some groups of talented people achieve greatness while others fall short. They study six histories of what they call Great Groups, among them the Manhattan Project, the teams that built the personal computer, the Walt Disney Company and Black Mountain College. Such groups, they find, aim to do more than solve a problem and set out to change the world, organize loosely around a mission rather than a hierarchy, and see themselves as underdogs who are nonetheless sure to win, as the 1992 Clinton campaign did. Their leaders collect talent, inspire, and link the group to the wider world.

Todd Henry, founder of Accidental Creative, called it an exceptional book on leading creative groups.