The Open Organization: Igniting Passion and Performance

This is a story of reinvention.

Jim Whitehurst, celebrated president and CEO of one of the world’s most revolutionary software companies, tells first-hand his journey from traditional manager (Delta Air Lines, Boston Consulting Group) and chief problem solver to CEO of one of the most open organizational environments he’d ever encountered. This challenging transition, and what Whitehurst learned in the interim, has paved the way for a new way of managing-one this modern leader sees as the only way companies will successfully function in the future. Whitehurst says beyond embracing the technology that has so far disrupted entire industries, companies must now adapt their management and organizational design to better fit the Information Age. His mantra? Adapt or die.

Through a mix of vibrant stories, candid lessons, and tested processes, Whitehurst shows how Red Hat has blown the traditional operating model to pieces by emerging out of a pure bottom up culture and learning how to execute it at scale. And he explains what other companies are, and need to be doing to bring this open style into all facets of the organization.