Traditional management practices aren’t working and employees are becoming more and more disengaged. Something has to change.

It starts with leadership. In his new book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, (co-published by Wiley and ASTD Press), Dan Pontefract shows leaders how to break out of traditional roles to truly drive engagement and results.

As Head of Learning and Collaboration at ASTD BEST Award-winning TELUS, Pontefract knows what it takes to tear down silos and help build an engaged corporate culture. Employee engagement at TELUS now sits at 80%, the highest in Canada for large-sized organizations and in the top 1% globally.

Pontefract argues that we must abandon “command-and-control” management styles in favor of a more collaborative, open approach that embraces technology and learning, demonstrating a Flat Army leadership style will produce a more engaged employee.

Pontefract will speak about Flat Army at the upcoming 2013 ASTD International Conference & Exposition in Dallas, TX.

About the Author

Dan Pontefract is the Head of Learning & Collaboration at TELUS (www.telus.com). He is responsible for the overarching leadership development, learning, and collaboration strategy for the company. He has driven a philosophical and cultural shift in the way TELUS views and experiences learning. Called “Learning 2.0,” it’s a social, informal, and formal learning and collaboration model for all 40,000+ team members, bringing TELUS to the forefront of learning leadership. Dan also championed the introduction of the TELUS Leadership Philosophy (TLP), an open and collaborative-based leadership framework for all TELUS team members, alongside a litany of social collaboration technologies.

When he’s not cycling, he’s goofing around with Denise, Claire, Cole and Cate. You can reach him at www.danpontefract.com.