Workplace Superstars in Resistant Organizations

Despite our national preoccupation with achievement, little attention seems to be paid to the pursuit of excellence on an individual basis. For while it's easy to talk about the collective excellence of an organization, Seth Allcorn argues, no one really wants to be threatened by the superior individual performance of another. In this work, Allcorn examines the paradox of human nature that places individuals of distinction in the position of being rejected and ostracized by their peers. He explores the psychological underpinnings of this phenomenon and suggests ways of revising organizational culture to foster individual excellence.Focusing on the psychological aspects of people and the workplace, Allcorn divides his study into three sections. The first offers an introduction to the search for excellence and discusses the identification of workplace superstars. Also examined are the organizational trends that inhibit individual achievement, the interaction between the superstars and others, and the psychology of office behavior. Section two details the different types of superstars found in organizations and their approaches to achieving excellence. Finally, section three explores some possibilities for adapting current organizational structures to allow and encourage greater pursuit of personal excellence. With its basis in the author's practical experience in middle management, this volume will be a valuable resource for students and professionals in human resource management as well as the management and business fields.

"The delightfully intriguing question addressed in this interesting book is why excellent performance can so often be sabotaged within the organisation....[a] very down to earth book which seeks through its case examples to bring back into focus some of the every-day dilemmas evoked in working with others in organisations."-The Occupational Psychologist, ?Allcorn offers unique and interesting insights into the common organizational problem of peer social rejection of high-achieving individuals. This issue is especially timely given the current popularity of increasing organizational excellence. In Part 1 the author examines the role of high achievers in organizational excellence, including how to identify them and typical reactions of others which gradually undermine the effectiveness of these achievers. Part 2 describes "types" of high achievers and how they seek success. The third part offers suggestions for organizational change that may help overcome some of the barriers to an individual's pursuit of achievement. Emphasis is on psychosocial aspects of the workplace and individual interactions that inhibit the success of those most likely to achieve it. Managers wishing to implement suggestions offered here must be able to diagnose their own situations and generate a complex of specific actions from these general prescriptions. Recommended for practitioners and upper-division undergraduate and graduate management students.?-Choice, ?Examines the overemphasis on corporate excellence that has led to ignoring the value of superior individual performance. Focuses on the psychological issues around discouraging superiour employees, who feel rejected by peers, and ways to foster individual excellence.?-Training, ?The delightfully intriguing question addressed in this interesting book is why excellent performance can so often be sabotaged within the organisation....[a] very down to earth book which seeks through its case examples to bring back into focus some of the every-day dilemmas evoked in working with others in organisations.?-The Occupational Psychologist, "Examines the overemphasis on corporate excellence that has led to ignoring the value of superior individual performance. Focuses on the psychological issues around discouraging superiour employees, who feel rejected by peers, and ways to foster individual excellence."-Training

SETH ALLCORN, Ph.D., is Associate Dean for Fiscal Affairs at the Stritch School of Medicine of Loyola University in Chicago. He has served as the Administrator of the Department of Medicine of the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester and was Administrator of the Department of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has published more than 45 articles, a book, and several chapters on hospital management, medical group and medical school management, and the psychodynamics of organizations, among other topics.