Why the Bottom Line Isn't: How to Build Value Through People and Organization

by Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood

Offers a broad view of leadership and shareholder value based on multiple business disciplines

In Why the Bottom Line Isn’t! authors Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood argue that sustainable shareholder value comes increasingly from assets not accounted for on an organization’s balance sheet. These assets include a company’s reputation, its ability to attract talent, and its ability to react quickly to new opportunities in the marketplace. Why the Bottom Line Isn’t! harnesses research from a number of disciplines including human resources, finance, and leadership to establish a hierarchy of such intangibles. The authors extrapolate from these intangibles to establish leadership tools that will help create sustainable shareholder value. The book offers a broad, expansive perspective on leadership while eschewing convoluted theory for concrete practice.

 Dave Ulrich, Ph.D., (DOU@UMICH.EDU) has been listed by BusinessWeek as the top "guru" in management education. He has co-authored 10 books and over 100 articles, serves on the Board of Directors of Herman Miller, and has consulted with over half of the Fortune 200 companies. He is currently on professional leave as Professor at the University of Michigan to serve as Mission President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montreal.

Norm Smallwood is co-founder of Results-Based Leadership, which provides education and consulting services based on this book as well as the ideas in Results-Based Leadership: How Leaders Build the Business and Improve the Bottom Line, which he co-authored with Ulrich. He has led leadership development, business strategy, organization capability, change management, and HR projects for a wide variety of clients spanning multiple industries. 

Genres: Business

304 pages, Hardcover

First published April 9, 2003

About the author

David Olson Ulrich is a university professor, author, speaker, management coach, and management consultant. Ulrich is a professor of business at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and co-founder of The RBL Group