In 1996 Jim Collins, the author of the US business bestseller Built
to Last, was challenged to think more deeply about what makes a
great company. 'The companies you wrote about were, for the most
part, always great,' came a chance comment, at a conference. 'But
what about the vast majority of companies that wake up partway
through life and realise they're good, but not great?' This seed of
an idea was to grow to occupy Collins, formerly an academic, for
the next five years. From his 'management laboratory' in Boulder,
Colorado, he set to work to find out whether a merely good company
could become great - or whether the disease of 'just being good'
was incurable. His first step was to assemble a group of 21
researchers, who then spent six months in intense financial
analysis, sifting out from the Fortune 500 list a set of 11
'good-to-great' companies. In the years 1965 to 1995, these all
showed 15-year cumulative stock returns at or below the general
stock market; then, after a transition point, cumulative returns at
least three times the market over the next 15 years. Collins also
selected two sets of comparison companies: direct (those in the
same industries which did not achieve great results) and
unsustained (those which shifted from good to great, and back to
good). That was just the start of a myth-exploding research
project, now presented in this clearly written and easily read
book. It shows that companies that made the 'great' grade rarely
had celebrity leaders - in fact, writes Collins, 'going for a
high-profile outside change agent is negatively correlated with a
sustained transformation', precisely because celebrities are more
often concerned with their own egos than the enduring calibre of
the company they run. Instead, individuals who run 'great'
companies tend to be self-effacing and limelight-shy. Other factors
for greatness are shown to be the ability to recruit the right
people at an early stage, maintain faith in an end goal while
confronting hard facts, develop a culture of discipline, apply
carefully selected technologies, build momentum and establish a
purpose which goes beyond simply making money. This is a
fascinating study, drawing on research insights which apply to
other areas of life as well as business. (Kirkus UK)
Can a good company become a great one and, if so, how?
After a five-year research project, Collins concludes that good to great can and does happen. In this book, he uncovers the underlying variables that enable any type of organization to make the leap from good to great while other organizations remain only good. Rigorously supported by evidence, his findings are surprising - at times even shocking - to the modern mind.
Good to Great achieves a rare distinction: a management book full of vital ideas that reads as well as a fast-paced novel.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
