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Good to Great | 
 enlarge | Author: Jim Collins
Publisher: Random House Business Books
Category: Book
List Price: £20.00
Buy New: £11.07
You Save: £8.93 (45%)
New (32) Used (11) from £10.49
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 549
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 324
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0712676090
EAN: 9780712676090
ASIN: 0712676090
Publication Date: October 4, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk 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 that there are no silver bullets to greatness. 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 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, Collins lays a well-reasoned roadmap to excellence that any organisation 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: Read 33 more reviews...
 A Classic work for Leaders September 4, 2008
Paul Sloane (Camberley, England)
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.
A Book That Gets Down To Business July 31, 2008
Darren G. Burton (Australia)
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.
This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.
If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.
How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good
Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1
Darren G. Burton
 The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence' June 29, 2008
Rory Ridley-Duff (Sheffield, England)
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.
The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.
The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).
So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.
 You could sum it up in one page..... April 6, 2008
KJW (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.
 This book is Good but not Great April 6, 2008
Eclectic Reader (World Traveller)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.
The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.
That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.
Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.
Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.
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