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Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't |  | Author: Jim Collins
Publisher: HarperBusiness
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
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as of 3/16/2010 18:25 MDT details
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Seller: arizonabookstore
Rating:  809 reviews
Sales Rank: 97
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 300
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0066620996
Dewey Decimal Number: 658
EAN: 9780066620992
ASIN: 0066620996
Publication Date: October 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Outline's Best of 2001 Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last, concludes tha
Amazon.com Review
Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last, concludes that it is possible, but finds there are no silver bullets. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not so great, the book offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider. Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come. --Harry C. Edwards
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 100
 Good not great March 15, 2010
JKelly (Chicago, IL USA)
I bought this book because an organization I am involved with is using the G-to-G framework to focus its activities. Although the point of view is interesting, I think the contents of the book tend toward the superficial. They are indicative of an academic perspective lacking real world experience. The fact that a few years later some of these "great' companies are struggling or bankrupt further reduces any confidence in this particular paradigm.
 A Landmark Book on the Pathway to Peak Performance March 14, 2010
Jim Clemmer
I very much enjoyed reading Good to Great, but found it somewhat frustrating because it was not as prescriptive as Collin's previous book, Built to Last. Collins says that the books are really in the wrong order. Good to Great really should be read before Built to Last. Good to Great describes what it takes to become an outstanding company. Built to Last provides more of the leadership principles that make it happen.
The Clemmer Group has worked with a few management teams who have tried to use these books to move themselves from good to great. They used terms like "getting people on and off the bus" or "The Hedgehog Concept," but weren't able to make things substantially better. Their implementation frustrations illustrate a much bigger "Strategy Gap" problem I see all the time.
The first part of the problem is that far too many management teams confuse strategy with execution. They think that having the plan or understanding a concept is doing it. The second part of the problem is that a good management team can't build a great organization. The place to start improving the organization is by improving the dynamics and effectiveness of the management team itself, to make them great. But it's a very rare team that is willing to look in that mirror.
So much for the Rock-Star CEO.... March 13, 2010
Shaun Heneghan (Atlanta, GA)
This book came as a result of some very data-intensive research by Jim Collins' research team. After analyzing thousands of companies, they picked one dozen that seemed to make a sustained jump from a history of "good" performance to one of "great" performance. They found that in all cases but one, there was no external charismatic CEO, but rather a quiet, unassuming leader who caused the change to occur by an intense focus and discipline on measuring the core business.
I passed this along to an newly relocated executive, as it is an outstanding read for any executive transitioning into a new organization.
Re-evaluate your strengths March 6, 2010
Dextra L. Suggs (Bucca, Iraq)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
You can't go wrong adding this one to your personal library. Jim Collins's, Good to Great, details a great many elements of sound business practices. In a nutshell though, the overriding message was about the constant re-evaluation of your strengths. With the exception of Circuit City and a few others, the companies chronicled in this book grappled with the pertinent information about their companies, changed direction - which is harder than it sounds - and rebounded forcefully to the information presented. The CEO's of these companies deserve a huge amount of credit for helping their companies turn the tide of mediocrity. Another interesting nugget of information suggests nurturing existing personnel pays bigger dividends than firing them. Again, it's probably harder than it sounds but the information - at least, according to Jim Collins and his staff - seems to bare superior fruit. This book is full of juicy little helpful insights that make it a worthwhile purchase.
good book March 5, 2010
Lane Coonrod (Chicago)
good material. I like the concept of the study. Might not change your life, but might change your way of thinking
Showing reviews 1-5 of 100
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