Scott Snook is currently the MBA Class of 1958 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School.
He graduated with honors from West Point earning the Royal Society of Arts Award for the most outstanding overall cadet in his class. Following graduation, he was commissioned in the US Army Corps of Engineers where he served with distinction in various command and staff positions for over 22 years, earning the rank of Colonel before retiring in 2002. He has led soldiers in combat. Among his military decorations are the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Master Parachutist badge. He has an MBA from the Harvard Business School, where he graduated with High Distinction as a Baker Scholar. Dr. Snook earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Organizational Behavior winning the Sage-Louis Pondy Best Dissertation Award from the Academy of Management for his study of the Friendly Fire Shootdown in Northern Iraq. Until July of 2002, Colonel Snook served as an Academy Professor in the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department at the United States Military Academy. He also directed West Point's Center for Leadership and Organizations Research as well as its joint Master's Program in Leader Development. He is the primary author of West Point's Cadet Leader DevelopmentSystem - the Academy's philosophy on how to develop leaders of character for the Nation. Professor Snook's book, Friendly Fire was selected by the Academy of Management to receive the 2002 Terry Award as the most influential book on managerial thinking published during the past two years. He has also co-authored a book that explores the role of "common sense" in leadership titled, Practical Intelligence in Everyday Life, available from Cambridge University Press (2000). He most recently co-edited The Handbook for Teaching Leadership: Knowing, Doing, and Being available from SAGE Publications (2011). Professor Snook has shared his leadership insights in formal executive education programs at Harvard and with numerous corporate audiences around the world.
Professor Snook's research and consulting activities have been in the areas of leadership, leader development, change management, organizational systems and failure, and culture. He currently lives in Concord, Massachusetts with his wife Kathleen and their dog, Tony
The last 25 years have witnessed an explosion in the field of leadership education. This volume brings together leading international scholars across disciplines to chronicle the current state of leadership education and establish a solid foundation on which to grow the field. It encourages leadership educators to explore and communicate more clearly the theoretical underpinnings and conceptual assumptions on which their approaches are based. It provides a forum for the discussion of current issues and challenges in the field and examines the above objectives within the broader perspective of rapid changes in technology, organizational structure, and diversity.
Robert J. Sternberg, George B. Forsythe, Jennifer Hedlund, Joseph A. Horvath, Richard K. Wagner, Wendy M. Williams, Scott A. Snook and Elena L. Grigorenko
Sternberg, Robert J., George B. Forsythe, Jennifer Hedlund, Joseph A. Horvath, Richard K. Wagner, Wendy M. Williams, Scott A. Snook, and Elena L. Grigorenko. Practical Intelligence in Everyday Life. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
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Winner of George R. Terry Book Award Granted annually to the book judged to have made the most outstanding contribution to the advancement of management knowledge presented by Academy of Management
We offer opinions on leadership. A need is seen for executives to have a strong belief in the purpose of their lives as individuals and within an organization to be effective leaders and to accomplish their personal goals. Executives are urged to examine their lives to discover major themes, interests, and values, using that examination to create a short statement of individual purpose which is then used to create a plan for using that purpose to create an impact on their organizations and the leader's own self-actualization.
Efforts to educate and develop future military officers aim to produce highly competent, ethical and effective leaders to serve the nation. But while there is general agreement about desired outcomes, the underlying developmental processes associated with these outcomes are not well understood. How do we grow such leaders? This paper reports on a longitudinal study of West Point college students over four years, addressing three questions: (1) do military officer-cadets grow or change in their basic level of psychosocial development [Kegan, R. (1982). The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.]; (2) is the level of psychosocial development related to performance as leaders; and (3) do activities in high school predict later psychosocial development? Two groups of cadets were studied from their freshman or sophomore year to their senior year at the academy. Results show significant positive developmental growth over time for 47% of study participants, with most of this growth occurring from sophomore to senior year. Furthermore, psychosocial development predicts several peer, subordinate and supervisor ratings of cadet performance as leaders during the upper-class (junior and senior) years, a time when cadets take on substantial leadership roles. In addition, early performance ratings by high school teachers, as well as active participation in high school extracurricular activities both predict psychosocial development levels for freshman and sophomores. These findings lend support to Kegan's theoretical model and suggest that greater attention be paid to these basic processes of human psychosocial development that can influence leader performance in important ways.
Despite the wealth of managerial and scholarly attention paid to leadership development, only recently has a new perspective emerged that explicitly links leadership and identity. Research and theorizing on leadership development have yet to specify the processes that account for identity transformations in role transitions. This paper proposes a new, identity-based model of leader development that focuses attention on the key transitions that shape leaders' careers, specifying processes and moderating conditions for identity transformation. Implications for designing experiences and training that take identity processes into account are drawn.
Snook, Scott, Herminia Ibarra, and Laura Ramo. "Identity-Based Leader Development." Chap. 22 in Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, edited by Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, 657–678. Harvard Business Press, 2010.
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Snook, Scott A., and Rakesh Khurana. "The End of the Great Man." In The Essential Bennis, edited by Warren Bennis, 138–159. Jossey-Bass, 2009.
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Snook, Scott, and Jeffrey C. Connor. "The Price of Progress: Structually Induced Inaction." Chap. 10 in Organization at the Limit: Lessons from the Columbia Disaster, edited by M. Farjoun and W. Starbuck, 178–201. Blackwell Publishing, 2005.
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Snook, Scott, and Rakesh Khurana. "Developing 'Leaders of Character': Lessons from West Point." In Leadership and Governance from the Inside Out, edited by Robert Gandossy and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.
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Forsythe, George B., Scott Snook, Philip Lewis, and Paul T. Bartone. "Making Sense of Officership: Developing a Professional Identity for 21st Century Army Officers." Chap. 24 in The Future of the Army Profession, edited by Lloyd J. Matthews, 357–378. McGraw-Hill, 2002.
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Coach Bob Hurley of St. Anthony High School is one of the winningest coaches in the history of high school basketball. At age 65, he has won more than 1,000 games and 25 New Jersey State Championships. His players come from the toughest streets in the country and yet all but 3 have gone on to college. As head coach, he earns less than $10,000 a year; his circa 1917 school building doesn't even have a gym. And yet, for almost 40 years he has turned down all offers to leave a small, aging, Catholic school in Jersey City, NJ. This is a biographical case about a tough-love leader who epitomizes what it means to be authentic. It was written for a course on authentic leadership development to highlight the origins and potential of deep self-knowledge and passion. Class discussion focuses on the tensions between extrinsic and intrinsic motivations and the role that this plays in our lives.
U.S. Army Lieutenant Scotty Smiley faces the biggest challenge of his young life. What will he do after learning that the wounds he received from a car bomb in Iraq have left him permanently blinded? On April 6, 2005, Lieutenant Scotty Smiley was grievously wounded by a suicide bomber while leading his infantry platoon during a combat patrol in Iraq. This is a biographical case that outlines who Scotty was prior to this incident and asks readers to consider the following fundamental question: What does this tragic event mean for who he is and how he will lead his life? And by extension, what role do life crucibles play in helping to shape who we are and how we lead?
Five year old Matty died at Children's Hospital Boston as a result of elective neurosurgery to "cure" his epilepsy. The organizational system, not the surgery, had failed. During post-operative recovery, he experienced a prolonged seizure that resulted in his death. Confused leadership, organizational differentiation, structurally induced silence, and organizational mis-alignment contributed to the death. How could this happen in such a world class medical facility?
Groysberg, Boris, and Scott A. Snook. "Leadership Development at Goldman Sachs (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 407-080, May 2007. (Revised April 2010.)
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Designed for use in the first year of an MBA program, can be included within a core course on leadership or used more broadly to orient students to their upcoming experience while in school. Offers a series of robust conceptual models to help students frame their leader(ship) development experiences while in a business school. How we frame our experiences has a significant impact on how we ultimately "have" our experiences, as well as what we make of them. Drawing broadly from educational, human development, and leadership training literature, as well as a recent longitudinal study of MBA students, speaks directly to business school students in their own language in an attempt to help them make the most out of their experiences while in school. For faculty, can be used as a background resource for understanding how MBA students experience their time in school and for grasping a broad review of the leadership development literature as it applies to MBA programs. Commonly asked questions explored include: Are leaders born or made? When we talk about "leader(ship) development," exactly what is it that is developing? How do leaders develop? To address these fundamental questions, integrates colorful student quotes with primary source insights from the major thought leaders in the field of leadership development. Also offers a series of "developmental propositions" to increase the likelihood that students will get the most out of their developmental journeys.
Snook, Scott A., and Steven Shafer. "Major Steckleson at the National Training Center (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 408-065, October 2007.
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In November 1999, 11 of Goldman Sachs' finest gathered to put the final touches on a revolutionary leadership development plan. Following Goldman's explosive growth during the 1990s and its eventual IPO in 1999, a diverse group of leaders from across the firm were selected to "assess the future training and development needs of Goldman Sachs, with a particular focus on the need for a more systematic and effective approach to developing managing directors." After six months of brainstorming, holding discussions with Goldman Sachs colleagues, interviewing experts, and benchmarking best practices, it was finally time to present their findings to the management committee. The briefing contained an integrated leader development plan with concrete recommendations on how to resolve several critical design issues, including: location, faculty, content, format, method, target audience, governance, and sponsorship. No one sitting on the management committee had relied on a formal leadership program to reach the top. How skeptical might they be? How do you convince hard-nosed bankers to leave their desks and invest precious time focusing on what many perceived as "soft" issues?
Almost five years had passed since Goldman Sachs launched its innovative leadership development initiative called Pine Street. Focused primarily on developing Goldman's most senior managers, Pine Street had evolved significantly since its inception in November of 1999. Looking forward, there were a number of challenges. How would Pine Street remain valued in a culture where what you did yesterday doesn't matter much? The question every day is "What will you do for me today?" Early in May 2005, members of the Pine Street Board of Directors gathered for their quarterly meeting to address the dimensions of this challenge: First, its curriculum had to maintain the interest of an increasingly demanding internal clientele. Second, program content had to keep pace with the constantly changing requirements of a rapidly shifting competitive and regulator landscape. Third, Pine Street itself had to pursue creative ways of renewing its structure and people without compromising either its mission or its unique culture. Fourth, Pine Street had to retain the continued support of Goldman Sachs' senior leadership. Finally, as program offerings grew, so did fundamental questions of identity: After five years of evolutionary growth, what did the Pine Street brand mean to Goldman Sachs?
Snook, Scott A. "Coach Knight: The Will to Win and Coach K: A Matter of the Heart (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 406-103, April 2006.
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Successful college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski faces the decision whether to accept a lucrative offer to coach a professional basketball team or continue to coach at Duke University. Provides a context for discussing various styles of power, influence, and persuasion in the context of his coaching career.
Successful college basketball coach Bob Knight was fired from his long-time role as basketball coach at Indiana University and hired in the same role at Texas Tech. Considers these events in the context of his long career and provides a context for discussing various styles of power, influence, and persuasion in his leadership role as coach and educator.
Polzer, Jeffrey T., and Scott A. Snook. "Army Crew Team, The (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 404-117, June 2004. (Revised March 2005.)
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Major Steckleson is facing his toughest challenge yet. As an experienced observer-controller at the U.S. Army's National Training Center, Steckleson is responsible for helping leaders of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Squadron learn from a deadly mistake in simulated combat by facilitating the unit's After Action Review (AAR). AARs are structured conversations about recent experience designed to help units learn from both mistakes and successes.
Scott A. Snook, Leslie J. Freeman, L. Jeffrey Norwalk and Bridget Gurtler
On April 14, 1994, two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters accidentally shot down two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters over Northern Iraq, killing all 26 peacekeepers onboard. Describes the initial investigation and response to this accident and raises questions about the role of human behavior in the accident. Told through the eyes of three of the main participants--Captain Eric Wickson, Lieutenant Ricky Wilson, and Brigadier General Jeffrey Scott Pilkington.
Snook, Scott A., Leslie J. Freeman, L. Jeffrey Norwalk, and Bridget Gurtler. "Friendly Fire." Harvard Business School Case 404-083, January 2004. (Revised June 2004.)
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The coach of the varsity Army crew team at West Point assembled his top eight rowers into the first crew team and the second tier of rowers into the second team using objective data on individual performance. As the second boat continually beat the first boat in races, the coach attempted to discern the team dynamics causing these aberrant results. By using very clean, objective performance data, the case makes clear that a team can be more (or less) than the sum of its individual parts, but allows students to analyze the factors that make this true.
Follows the development and implementation of fundamental organizational change in a large government bureaucracy. The case is set in the Defense Industrial Supply Center (DISC) and follows two senior leaders as they grapple with issues of fundamental change in a rapidly evolving defense establishment from 1992 through 1995.
Snook, Scott. "Values & Leadership Education." Paper presented at the HBS Global Leadership Forum, Boston, MA, June 2011. (Co-chaired conference with Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana.)
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Snook, Scott. "Leading Under Conditions of Uncertainty." Paper presented at the Interdisciplinary Center, Hertseliyah, CEO Forum, Herzliya, Israel, May 1, 2011.
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Snook, Scott. "Leading in a VUCCA World." Paper presented at the Children's Hospital, Boston, Senior Physicians Leader Development Program, Boston, MA, February 2011.
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Snook, Scott. "Leading in Difficult Times." Paper presented at the Harvard Business Review Latin America Leaders Symposium, Mexico City, Mexico, November 25, 2009.
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Snook, Scott. "Adult Development and Leadership Development." Paper presented at the Developing Leaders: Challenges to Concepts, Practices and Research Symposium, Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD), Fontainebleau, France, December 3–9, 2009.
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Snook, Scott, Barney Forsythe, and Phil Lewis. "Professional Identity Development." Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, IL, September 1, 2007.
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Snook, Scott. "What Good is Leadership? New Insights from Viewing Leadership from a Positive Organizational Scholarship Perspective." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 01, 2007. (Professional Development Workshop.)
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Snook, Scott. "Teaching Leadership." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 01, 2007. (Professional Development Workshop.)
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Snook, Scott. "Grading and Feedback at HBS: A Developmental Perspective." Paper presented at the HBS Faculty Colloquium on Teaching and Learning, Boston, MA, October 01, 2006.
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Snook, Scott. "Leader Development at HBS." Paper presented at the Harvard Business School Alumni Reunion, New York City, September 01, 2006.
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Snook, Scott. "A Different Way of Thinking about Leading." Paper presented at the University of Bath School of Management, Seminar in Leadership, Change and Performance in Organisational Settings, Bath, UK, August 01, 2005.
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Snook, Scott. "State of the Embassy." Outbrief to Ambassador Zalmay Khalizad, United States Embassy (Iraq), Baghdad, Iraq, July 01, 2005. (Outbrief to Ambassador Zalmay Khalizad.)
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Snook, Scott. "Rethinking Baghdad: Options for the New Abassador." Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, April 1, 2005.
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Snook, Scott. "Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity." Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, Jacksonville, FL, February 1, 2005.
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Snook, Scott. "A Different Way of Thinking about Leading and Change." Paper presented at the Tufts Leadership Seminar, Cambridge, MA, February 01, 2005.
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Snook, Scott. "Practical Drift in Complex Organizations." Paper presented at the Harvard University Social Psychology Research Workshop, Cambridge, MA, April 27, 2004.
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Snook, Scott. "A Different Way of Thinking about Leading and Change." Paper presented at the Ernst and Young Minority Leadership Conference, Dallas, TX, November 01, 2003.
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Snook, Scott. "Competence and Character." Paper presented at the National Association of Black Accountants Annual Convention, Boston, MA, July 01, 2003.
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Snook, Scott. "Leading in Complex National Security Environments." Paper presented at the Center for International Security and Cooperation Seminar, Palo Alto, CA, June 01, 2003.
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Snook, Scott A. "The Seduction of Command and Control." Paper presented at the Wharton Leadership Conference, Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA, June 06, 2002.
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Snook, Scott. "Leading Complex Organizations." Paper presented at the Director of Central Intelligence Agency's Leadership Seminar, Williamsburg, VA, February 02, 2002.
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Snook, Scott. "Friendly Fire." Paper presented at the Senior Executive Staff, Leadership Development Seminar, Washington, DC, January 02, 2002.
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Snook, Scott. "Practical Drift in Medicine." Paper presented at the Hasting Center Project on Patient Safety, Garrison, NY, January 02, 2002.
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Snook, Scott. "Leadership Under Fire." Paper presented at the Leadership ... Program (Harvard Business School Executive Education), Boston, MA, January 1, 2002.
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Snook, Scott. "Practical Drift: The Friendly Fire Shootdown Over Northern Iraq." Diss., Harvard Business School, 1996. (Winner of Sage-Louis Pondy Best Dissertation Paper Award Recognizes the best student authored paper based on a dissertation presented by Academy of Management.)
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