Making the Impossible Possible: Leading Extraordinary Performance: The Rocky Flats Story

By Kim Cameron and Marc Lavine

The most contaminated nuclear weapons plant in the country, Rocky Flats was an environmental disaster and the site of rampant worker unrest. Although estimates projected that cleaning up and closing the facility would take 70 years and $36 billion, the project was completed 60 years ahead of schedule and $30 billion under budget, and most of the site is now on its way to becoming a wildlife refuge. Kim Cameron and Marc Lavine explain how this amazing feat was accomplished and how other organizations can apply the same methods to achieve breakthrough levels of performance. The authors discovered that the Rocky Flats leaders used a distinctive “abundance approach,” identifying and building on sources of strength, resilience, and vitality rather than simply solving problems and overcoming difficulties. Drawing on numerous firsthand accounts and public records, they identify 21 specific leadership practices and key techniques that were fundamental to this innovative approach. This fascinating and thoroughly researched case study provides a complete guide for anyone wanting to better understand and apply the lessons of this remarkable, history-making achievement.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9781605097077

Kim Cameron

Kim Cameron is William Russell Kelly Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan and cofounder of the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship. He is coauthor or co-editor of fourteen books, including Developing Management Skills, Positive Organizational Scholarship, and Making the Impossible Possible.

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Reviews for Making the Impossible Possible

[daveshearon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outstanding book in the field of Positive Organizational Studies. The authors report on research into how Rocky Flats Nuclear Plant was cleaned up 60 years ahead of schedule, $30 billion under budget, and to standards 10 times more stringent than originally set!