A management classic for everyone
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Good to Great is a new and different research on the forces that drive change in all types of organizations. Written in textbook style, Jim Collins' book aims to help the reader bring his organization from a good (read average) level of performance to a great one by presenting and analyzing the case of a dozen Forbes 500 companies that have achieved the deed.
According to Good to Great, the first step in achieving greatness lies in the selection of a special, ``Level 5'', manager who will install a climate of passion, debate and performance in his company while remaining modest. Other important factors in becoming great are a management that analyzes and believes in data, a culture of discipline inside the company, a well-defined and well-applied business concept and the creation of a talent-pool. Overall, Jim Collins doesn't invent any new concepts, but shows the importance of basic management ideas in an easy-to-follow manner.
Good to Great concepts are always made recognizable to the reader (by the means of special formatting) and a summary at the end of every chapter enables the reader to quickly grasp the main ideas. The actual text is mostly filled with examples of companies that have successfully or unsuccessfully applied the findings of the author and his research team.
Personally, I have found this book to be very easily applicable in any sort of teamwork. Jim Collins does a good job of condensing the information and saying only what is necessary. This book is often criticized because the chosen companies may have benefitted from a random factor, but I was satisfied with the answers the book gives to these critics. An enjoyable piece of writing I rank as ``great''!
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Read it
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Collins' findings may shake up current perceptions of what it takes to make a company great. (The most crucial factor is to get the right people on the bus; charismatic leaders are a handicap; big change does not have to be wrenching, extreme, painful; you can't buy your way to greatness; people can't be motivated either by fear or by clever names or taglines for change programs...) The results from a five-year study of 11 companies that have sustained substantial gains over the market for 15 years speak for themselves - eloquently.
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good guide but more ways to go
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Jim Collins gives some very good ideas on quality management and good performing companies. Good read. But there are also other ways to measure performance. For this, this book is not enough. One way is to see the overseas expansion quality for these companies. Many companies are doing great at home market, but they are less successful when they expand overseas. Why? Many, many reasons. Some rather interesting studies on global multinationals doing biz in China are given in this book: China's global reach: markets, multinationals, and globalization by George Zhibin Gu, which also talks about the influences of these multinationals on the social and political changes inside China.
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Great Books for Corporate Citizens
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This is an excellent book to give to young people, which I did, because it gives them a mechanism for looking at unanticipated change in their career lives. Very often, we need a roadmap to assist us in navigating the troubling waters of corporate and company life itself...something to stand separate and unique from our colleagues. We often don't see the need for rain before the sun in order to see the flowers of spring. I highly recommend this book as a college graduation gift for the young person entering the work world -- an appropriately placed message on the "fly" will give them the courage they need to go forward. I also recommend THE BLACK BOOK OF OUTSOURCING (by Brown & Wilson) for a great practical primer on whats occuring in the world economy and to gain knowledge on how to secure a place in the newest careers.
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Best Career Rejuvenation Books for Job Seekers & Changers
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Collins gives the reader and superb overview of the fundamental "Good to Great" principles, and then supplants into areas specific to corporate organizations, such as how to creatively develop and review performance evaluation indicators without financials. Also, THE BLACK BOOK OF OUTSOURCING * by Brown & Wilson gave our company whole perspective on outsourcing and how to use it effectively without the whole predictable For-Profit corporate focus. Outsourcing can get your financially failing or struggling organization back on track without exposing yourself to the potholes of offshoring and through the improvements in corporate process that GOOD TO GREAT employs. These books will teach you what you need to know. I can not state strongly enough how GOOD TO GREAT and THE BLACK BOOK OF OUTSOURCING took us from practically closing up our doors to a flourishing and respected agency. We are endebted to the authors and very proud of our accomplishments.
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