Chapter 1: Tension is a Feature, Not a Bug

• Organizational Theory is a “Racket”
  • The Elusive Sweet Spot
  • The Competition for Resources
• Breaking Points
  • The Practice of Extreme Tension

Chapter 2: Tension as a Driver for Sustained Growth

• A Definition of Tension
  • Creation of Potential Energy
    • Maximizing the Productive Use of Labor
• The Entropy of Tension
  • Sustainable Growth Enterprises
  • Law of Big Numbers, Bigger Orgs
  • The Case of the One-Hit Wonder
• Intentional Growth
  • The Law of Unintended Consequences
  • Ignoring the Negative
  • The Role of Principled Leadership

Chapter 3: Tension Mapping^TM

• Tuning the Racket
  • Executing the Plan
  • Know How Work is Done
  • Branded House vs. House of Brands
• Which Means That
  • Operating in the Open
  • Workshopping: A Discovery Process
  • A Stepwise Approach

Chapter 4: Acquisitions The Perfect Storm of Tension

• Post-Merger Integration as a Tension Force Multiplier
• Acquisition as a Stress Test of Tension Mapping
• Intentional Tension as a Driver of Value Preservation
• Managing Uncertainty
• Tune the Tensions, Don’t Finesse Them

Chapter 5: Principles of Intentional Tension

• Be a Weed
• Treat Culture as a Verb!
• Know How You Create Value
• Look in the Mirror
• Progress Over Perfection
• Transparency and Accountability

Chapter 6: Transforming Tensions

• The Q4 Blame Shuffle
• The Tension of Self
• Quiet Quitting
• When Leaders Leave
• Amplify or Attenuate
• Digging Deep