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In this conversation, Eric Nee, the co-host of Social Innovation Conversation, and managing editor of the Stanford Social Innovations Review, interviews Thomas Tierney, Chairman and cofounder of the Bridgespan Group. They explore the findings of the Bridgespan study about the leadership deficit situation that prevails in the US nonprofit sector. Tom comments that the two causes of concern wherefrom emanates the dearth of leadership are succession problems and turnover. Nonprofit outfits' executive directors retire every few years, posing a perennial problem to find a replacement given the low compensation, the intense work styles, and a totally different, intense culture from the corporate world. The new person has to be aligned with the organization's mission. Tierney highlights that the most significant barrier to the growth of the nonprofit sector has been its inability in finding correct replacements in the leadership chain. This, given that the demand for leadership in this sector is expanding faster than the contraction in supply. Over the next few years, the demand for leadership is expected to double by a factor of two and a half. On the supply side, the situation isn't very bright; management graduates are apathetic towards avenues that do not offer promising compensation. Tierney generously shares insights from the results of research conducted in order to address the problem, segueing from the politics of donorship and management boards in deterring the growth of this sector, to the perverse attitude to overheads that pervade them. In conclusion, he offers hope and optimism by suggesting ways to resolve the problem.
Thomas Tierney co-founded the Bridgespan Group in 1999, and, in 2000, left Bain & Company as its Chief Executive to take up his job at the Bridgespan Group full-time. He led the development of Bridgestar, a non-profit initiative of Bridgespan. He lectures at Harvard Business School and has largely contributed to the The Harvard Business Review, among many other publications. He has been profiled in various publications, including Learning From The CEO and Finishing Well. He also co-authored a popular book about organization and strategy entitled Aligning the Stars, which was published in April 2002 by Harvard Business School Press.
Tierney joined Bain & Company in 1980 following graduation from Harvard Business School, where he received his MBA with distinction. He was promoted to partner after three years and from 1987 to 1992 served as the managing director of Bain's San Francisco office. In 1992, he became Bain's chief executive. A native of California, he received his BA in Economics with highest distinction from the University of California at Davis, where he was honored as that year's most outstanding graduate. He served as a field engineer for Bechtel International in North Africa before entering business school.
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