Book Reviews

Team Zebra

By Stephen J. Frangos with Steven J. Bennett

Reviewed by Steve Buchwald, CIRM

This book is written by Stephen J. Frangos, a thirty-four year veteran of Eastman Kodak, with Steven J. Bennett, an accomplished business and general nonfiction writer with more than 40 books to his credit. Team Zebra is the first insider's account of how one failing business unit in a giant American company, Eastman Kodak, turned itself around.

Team Zebra the book is about "Team Zebra" the group of 1500 partners who revitalized the dying Black and White Film Division. From the very beginning to the end of this book you will see that the "Team Zebra" group was way ahead of their time. In 1989, even though the group was unaware of it, they were formulating what is now popular management theory. In the words of the author:

• We "reengineered" entire production operations, flattening (and inverting) the organizational chart...
• We created a "learning organization" that encouraged all of our "partners" to develop new skills and to understand the "big picture"...
• We developed "core competencies" through the establishment of our mission....
• We focused on "organizational architecture" by decentralizing supporting functional staff and creating interdependent work teams...
• We focused on "time-based" competition, which lead to dramatic reductions in cycle time.

Team Zebra is not a how to book. The authors believe in the approach they used. However, they say that it can't be cloned. Adapted, yes but not cloned. If you are open enough to listen to his story and to see how it might fit into your particular environment you will certainly have gone a far way in reinventing your company. To quote the authors again, "...If there is one enduring lesson from the Team Zebra experience that we know can be applied to any organization... it is this: if you create an environment that motivates people to creatively solve problems and take an active part in their work, you'll realize tremendous gains in productivity, efficiency, and performance."

So often today management tries to decree change. They look for shortcuts and/or mandatory cuts in bodies. Sometimes they even try to buy their way out with advanced technology. However, this never seems to work. The Black and White Film Division accomplished amazing results without any of these things. If you are truly interested in redefining your company you will certainly want to read this book. In addition to the success it shares and the hope it offers, it also reveals ten essential "Zebra Truths" and five insightful lessons that can be tailored to any company wishing to unleash the creative potential within its people.

Good reading!