Book Description

Reveals the strategies and leadership behaviors required to manage and integrate fundamental change. Uses illustrative examples of CEOs who have successfully led radical rethinking of purpose and priorities, vision, and the very structure and functions of the organization itself.

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Reviews (3)

too abstact
This book is too abstact for practitioners. I recommend "Strategic Organizational Change" by Beitler. Beitler is a practitioner.

Some Good Stuff if Your Patience is Strong Enough
As a student of change and one who writes and consults on the subject I found this pretty academic and full of theory. These folks get connected at the top of companies and then feedback to everyone what they observe from the mountaintop. What they dont seem to consider is whats happening along the way up - since they fly with the executives. There are a few scraps in here if you have time to find them. Average at best.

Gets to the heart of the matter
This excellent text on change management focuses on the role that human nature and psychology play in management, and offers wise advice on how to implement significant change, such as in the transition from a project management based organization to a TQM or balanced scorecard (continuous) management process, or to support business process improvements or reengineering. It is optimistic and helpful -- and short enough to give to your senior managers. Get several copies and pass around; this is a low-cost/low-risk way to get change management started in your organization. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Excellent
This book is an excellent collection of creative-thinking techniques that will make you more creative in your business and personal lives. This ranks close to the classic book on creative-thinking "Thinkertoys" by Michael Michalko.

Original and good
This book is both original and good. The part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.

Innovative Tools for Practical Problem Solving
James M. Higgins' packs every one of his 220 pages with solid content. He collected problem-solving techniques from organizations and individuals from all types of business and several countries. He wrote them up, summarized them, and presented them to us in easy-to-read, digestible, format. Most important, he explains them so that they can be taken and used.

Higgins spends two short chapters discussing problem solving and innovation, then he gets down to the techniques. He has techniques for recognizing and identifying problems, analyzing the environment, brainstorming problem-solving ideas, and choosing solutions. One of my favorite facts about this book is that he has 38 techniques for individuals to brainstorm ideas, yet also has another 32 group brainstorming techniques. He really includes something for everyone in this smorgasbord.

I have adapted and used a number of these successfully: the Lotus Blossom and Two Words Techniques have been excellent brainstorming processes for me. I have shown a large number of people the Why-why diagram for uncovering the root causes of problems. I have shared my copy of this book with five or six people, each of whom went out and bought their own copy.

If you're looking for an easily read book that gets you started on formal, process-oriented problem solving (as advocated by Quality Management philosophies), this is a great starting point.

Nice collection of simple and effective tools
This book in my opinion will enhance your thinking process in terms of exercising your own creativity to solve business problems. The tools in this book can be used to bring out your own originality and expressiveness in seeking solutions.

I liked the way the author James M. Higgins, gave real life examples of Giant Corporations that have used one or more of these problem-solving techniques.

The 101 techniques described in this book are broken down to by problem solving stages: environmental analysis, recognizing and identifying problems, making assumptions, generating alternatives, making choices and implementing solutions. Each one of these processes is described in detail with graphics and, some chapters will have exercises that are deemed helpful in understanding the technique.

The techniques are presented in alphabetical order and are numbered twice, the first number denotes the techniques position from 1 to 101, and the second number is the techniques position within that section of the problem-solving model.

Chapter 4 which focused on individual techniques is the one that I personally found to be most helpful. In my line of work as an IT Consultant I have exercised a few of these techniques such as mind mapping, but I also found other techniques that I can't wait to start using my next project.

There are many techniques to try in this book, some of these techniques you may not like, others won't fit, but overall this is a handy book to use for your problem-solving efforts.

Good book
This is a good book replete with many creative-thinking techniques. What's missing is the rationale for the techniques. The author would better serve the reader if he would give examples of why and how the techniques work. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

In this book David and Alex Bennet propose a new model for organizations that enables them to react more quickly and fluidly to today's fast-changing, dynamic business environment: the Intelligent Complex Adaptive System (ICAS). ICAS is a new organic model of the firm based on recent research in complexity and neuroscience, and incorporating networking theory and knowledge management, and turns the living system metaphor into a reality for organizations. This book synthesizes new thinking about organizational structure from the fields listed above into ICAS, a new systems model for the successful organization of the future designed to help leaders and managers of knowledge organizations succeed in a non-linear, complex, fast-changing and turbulent environment.Technology enables connectivity, and the ICAS model takes advantage of that connectivity by fostering the development of dynamic, effective and trusting relationships in a new organizational structure.

This book outlines the model in chapter four, and then breaks down the model into its components in the next two chapters. This is a benefit to readers since different components of the model can be implemented at different times, so the book can guide implementation of one or all of the components as a manager sees fit. There are eight characteristics of the ICAS: organizational intelligence, unity and shared purpose, optimum complexity, selectivity, knowledge centricity, flow, permeable boundaries, and multi-dimensionality.

* Clear portrait of the successful organization of the future using latest research in knowledge management and complexity theory
* Shows concretely how to design an organization that can successfully respond to constant change and uncertainty.
* Practical examples woven throughout the discussion. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Breakthough for Organizational Thinking
This is one of only a few books to attempt a fresh expansive view of new organizational infrastructure, principles, and tools in nearly a half-century of post-industrial society experience. One might say that until the last decade of knowledge management thinking, there has not been the perspective to do this. But, I don't buy it. Fritz Machlup's work in the 50's extensively described the impact of knowledge work on the economy. Drucker clearly saw it in the 50's. What have we been thinking about?

You can't read this book without disagreeing with the Bennets. They touch too many subjects too dear to too many of us. Still, give them credit for so many new ideas. They have laid the basis for a broad dialogue grounded in the credible view of complexity theory. The Bennets have sent out the invitations, they have set the table, who will join the feast? It is challenging for me to read this book. I constantly want to be able to discuss it with others. There is so much depth and breadth at the same time. Also, you may not be able to read it without being remorseful about your own organization, especially if you work in a complex enterprise. Recommend you scan the table of contents and then start reading. As the Bennets say, go to Chapter 19 if you need grounding in complexity theory. I found it useful to jump ahead and read chapters as my interest was peaked. Then go back and pick up from where you left off.

The Bennets' research alone has immense value. This book should become a college text for graduate work. They are well grounded in complexity theory, nevertheless, they pull from many fields, disciplines, and theorists to build this new body of knowledge. The book would rock an MBA program.

Drucker says that figuring this sort of thing out will determine how well we'll compete in this new century. The Bennets give us new frameworks for describing what we're working with and how we can organize for breakthroughs on multiple levels. In the meantime, hopefully a leader at Homeland Security is reading this book.

Outstanding Book for Executives in a Competitive Environment
The authors provide a valuable resource for executives striving to assure their companies excel in a competitive and complex environment. Dave and Alex Bennet use their practical management experience and excellent insight in knowledge theory to address the challenges facing organizations in a rapidly changing world. Their explanation of the Intelligent Complex Adaptive System ICAS provides a model for successfully handling the increasing demands of a swiftly changing business atmosphere. As background, the book provides a description of the differences between Bureaucratic and World Class organizations. It explores the emergent properties of the ICAS and how it works in practice. The Bennets present a variety of new and innovative techniques for improving organizational performance. The ICAS and the processes described in this book are a roadmap for organizations to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. I highly recommend this book for executives who strive to excel in a complex and ever changing competitive environment. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Gene therapy, electronic commerce, intelligent sensors, digital imaging, micromachines, superconductivity, and other emerging technologies have the potential to remake entire industries and obsolete established strategies," write George S. Day and Paul J.H. Schoemaker in the opening to Wharton on Managing Emerging Technologies. Their book is a comprehensive look at the high-tech future facing existing firms and the ways they must weigh and accommodate its impacts in order to compete in the future. Based on six years of research with Charles Schwab, Amazon.com, and other techno pioneers, Day and Schoemaker present "insights, tools, and frameworks" developed by Wharton's Emerging Technologies Management Research Program for managers who want guidance in this fluid, new arena.For example, in demonstrating how the upstart PalmPilot solidly captured its market despite established competition, they identify the traps that stymied rival products from Apple, IBM, Sony, and Microsoft as "delayed participation, sticking with the familiar, reluctance to fully commit, and lack of persistence." They then detail solutions that, in this case, are characterized as "widening peripheral vision, creating a learning culture, staying flexible in strategic ways, and providing organization autonomy." Other similarly specific yet universal sections address public policy, financing, and alliances. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (3)

It's a tremendous book. Very much applied to real life.
It's a tremendous book about emerging technologies which many medium to large companies and executives have to tackle with in this new era. Although the book has been written by a group of academics it's very much applied to real life cases and companies. Even the first two chapters of the book can be sold seperate as an executive summary for the subject.Mr.Hakan Eminsoy hakan.eminsoy@fibabank.com.tr from Istanbul , Turkey

Great Stuff !
I bought this book on the advice from a friend and was pleasantly surprised. As a founder/CEO of a rapidly growing fiber optic business (where today's Intellectual Property can become tomorrow's dogfood) , I found the book to be a great combination of well-researched information and street-smart insights. A great companion for developing pre-emptive strategies in a technology driven economy.

A "Must Have" Handbook
This book covers all the bases including human resource planning, financing, managing markets and the all important role of assessing the technologies. A "Must Have" text for anyone chartered with the task of managing the chaotic and fast paced world of emerging technologies.

This book is extreemely well organized and carries the reader through the entire management process. It reinforced and validated many aspects of managing this type of technology that were I personally had to learn by trial and error. Likewise, it provided new alternatives and other key learnings that made reading the book a worthwhile experience. It provides an alternate and improved framework for evaluating this new type of technology, while exposing the pitfalls of applying traditional evaluation techniques. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Great distilled thinking, well reasoned with many examples.
Knowledge Focus Managers in some of the fastest growing and most proftable businesses focus on knowledge, see theie business from a knowledge perspective, and act as if there intangible assets are real. (p x) So many companies have intangibles exceeding the value of their tangible assets, eg Telstra 90% intangible. This can be tracked by the share price v book value. But what of the businesses that do not have a share price eg private businesses, public sector organisations etc. Intangible Assets Sveiby identifies three major classes of intangible assets:Employee competence, Internal structures, whereby competence may be transferred from employee to employee, and External structure, including goodwill, relationships with customers. Sveiby considers the management of the intangible assets critical in managing the business, where the intangible assets are significant. He suggests using indicators of movement over time, rather than absolute values of the intangibles. Suggested indicators are classified into three types:I ndicators of growth/renewal;Indicators of efficiency;Indicators of stability. Measurement of employee performance is split between the professionals (eg doctors, engineers, accountants), and the support staff. There is a continual blurring of this distinction. The real difference is the professionals are revenue generators, and the support staff are not. But the support staff do contribute significantly to the creation of value in the business through their impact on internal and external structures. Suggested indicators are provided for each type of intangible and for each indicator. To many to list. Read it and see. A few to tease you with: %big customers,age structure, devoted customer ratio, frequency of repeat orders) The arguments Sveiby uses are based on his observations, and logic that makes his conclusions all the more powerful.

The Practicality of Knowledge
Book Review - Joe Pulichino, Doctoral Student, Pepperdine University; President, Athena Learning Group

The New Organization Wealth - Managing and Measuring Knowledge-Based Assets is quite a practical book for managers seeking to get theirs arms around those intangible corporate assets that cannot be easily measured. It's also valuable for those in the fields of knowledge management and corporate education who are wrestling with ways to facilitate the development and productivity of their organization's human competencies.

Although Sveiby's argument that intangible assets can account for the difference between a company's market capitalization and its net book value may not seem so persuasive since the dot.com collapse, his categorization of those assets as "employee competence", "internal structure", and "external structure" is useful as a way of thinking about the character and value of knowledge in an organization. Much more so than the vague catch-all asset of "good-will", knowledge, though also intangible, is an asset that can be created, managed, and measured, and can serve as the focal point for developing a strategic business model. Sveiby demonstrates this through a wide range of case studies.

Especially useful is his "radical notion" that "information is meaningless and of low value". When we consider how much money and human resources are expended on technologies that collect, store, and retrieve information, this will be an uncomfortable notion for many. However, Sveiby, supported by Michael Polanyi's theory of tacit knowledge (The Tacit Dimension, 1967), makes clear that information does play a role in knowledge creation and transfer. As a means of broadcasting articulated knowledge, information provides raw material, the stuff out of which people create knowledge through their interaction with it and with each other. Knowledge thus created is called competency by Sveiby and is defined as the "capacity to act".

Sveiby then introduces the subject of managing intangible assets by making useful distinctions between the roles of professionals and mangers in the "knowledge organization". He discusses how their competencies are best managed and transferred so that the flow of knowledge through the organization (its internal structure) leads to greater efficiency and effectiveness in managing the flow of knowledge in customer and supplier relationships (its external structure). His model leaves business managers with a choice between a knowledge-focused strategy, which "earns increasing returns primarily from intangible assets", and an information-focused strategy, which "earns increasing returns from adapting to information technology".

To account for it all, Sveiby lays out a non-financial system for measuring intangible assets. While providing some thoughtful perspectives on how one might do this, it is not clear that in the end these forms of measurement have the same utility and precision that financial measurements do. It is fair to say, however, that these types of measures, which include surveys, indices, ratios, and rates of changes, do offer indicators that can help to monitor actions that will develop, maintain, and grow these assets.

In the final paragraph of the book, Sveiby admits, "I do not believe that the information in a book such as this can really change anything", and in saying so remains true to his thesis: "The only valuable knowledge is that which equips us for action and that kind of knowledge is learned the hard way - by doing." He invites his readers to experiment with the information in his book and by doing so turn it into knowledge. The practicality of The New Organization Wealth - Managing and Measuring Knowledge-Based Assets is therefore dependent on what the reader does with the information it contains.

Insightful!
Business is business, they say, but the knowledge management business is something else entirely. Author Karl Erik Sveiby earned his doctorate with a thesis that draws an interesting distinction between information and knowledge. This book owes a great deal to the research in that thesis, although some of the subtleties were probably lost in the translation after it was presented at Stockholm University. Dr. Sveiby offers managers a plausible structure for stratifying their employees. He provides a solid rationale to justify rationing resources and information. We [...] recommend this book to knowledge managers. Professionals who feel they are not receiving adequate support, information, or compensation from managers also will find succor in these theories.

Putting the knowledge economy on a sound business foundation
To this day, Sveiby's "New Organizational Wealth" stands apart in that the book remains one of the few to make a serious attempt to place the benefits of the somewhat nebulous concept of the knowledge economy on a sound economic and business foundation. (Paul Strassman takes a similar approach, but more towards the macroeconomic level, in his articles in Knowledge Management magazine.)

Readers of the "New Organizational Wealth" will likely want to visit Sveiby's web site to get access to some of the tools he has since developed to help implement systems to measure and improve upon a company's intangible assets.

A definitive book by the founder of the KM movement
KM is neither about databases nor about sentimentality. Karl-Erik was one of the first to link a new understanding of organisational life to the new trends seen on stock exchanges world wide. Before you start your KM initiative on shaky ground and huge IT investments - read this book & really understand the knowledge organisation. ... Read more

Book Description

Record breaking economic growth.Rapid global expansion.Dizzying technological innovation.As we head toward the new millennium, it seems as if there are more opportunities than ever for your company to create new value, satisfy customers, and make money.But, given today's bewildering array of management methods, how do you determine which path to follow--and how do you adapt your company for the journey?With Invented Here, authors Victor and Boynton argue that to succeed in a market where consumers increasingly demand customized goods and services, you cannot rely on any one formula.Instead, you must look within your own organization to invent, develop, and deliver the distinctive competencies that ensure growth and profitability.The authors conclude that there are distinct patterns in the way that successful companies manage their internal growth--patterns found in the evaluation and application of organizational knowledge.More important, they provide a workable strategy for emulating these patterns; arguing that any company, in order to more closely satisfy the needs of its customers, can develop the capabilities necessary to evolve from craft work to mass customization, and beyond.With examples from companies such as Beretta, Taco Bell, Dell Computer, Xerox, and Merrill Lynch providing a real-world context, Invented Here reveals how managers can determine the best path of change for their company by assessing its existing knowledge base.The book is a pioneering guide to using the knowledge that resides within your company in the actual transformation of work: the nature of what you do, the value that you can create with your customers, and the organizational knowledge to be mined along the way. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Simply a milestone
The key concept of this book is that every organization could evolve trough several status. There is no a suggested preeferred status. Winning organisations are those which could find the right 'alignment' between market needs and behaviours and the internal organization. The evolution of the organization is only driven by the market change. The book focus on transitions between these different stages, analysing the impact of these changes through the entire Value Chain. Invented Here is a milestone for those people which needs to manage transition also in a turbulent environment. It helps managers to think about the actual company positioning and to build a framework helping to identify market changes and relevant organizational needed impact. Simply great!

Learning From Others
The importance of organization design on the success of a business, be it that of a service company or a product supplier, is often underestimated. Strategy alone is not enough.

The great value of this book lies in 3 areas :

i) Use of illustrating failure as well as success - better to learn from someone else's mistakes so that you can, hopefully, avoid them.

ii) Identifying in meaningful terms where to position your organisation for your product/service e.g. if you need a great mass production machine, that is how you should organize;when your customers need more, don't hide from it - just do it well.

iii) The style is refreshingly alive.You feel you can relate to real people solving real problems.Too often, books like this feel like they belong only in libraries - this one offers genuinely practical insight.It's up to you to apply it.

If I have one (minor) criticism, it is the title. Don't let it mislead you. This book is a very helpful guide to many aspects of organizational design and a better title, in my opinion, would be something like:- "Optimizing Your OrganizationFor Your Customers"

Important insights into the learning organization.
This book reveals how to use knowledge residing in the company to transform organization and manage growth. It presents a model of organizational learning and development with four steps: craft, massproduction, process enhancement, and mass customization. It explores theleveraging of four associated types of knowledge and presents a learningsystem for developing organizational knowledge. Provides important insightsthe learning organization.

Wakes you up to the importance of Knowledge Management.
A well written book to help you understand how to develop your company'sbusiness along the "right path"to deliver higher customer value. The format and language of the book make it a joy to read.The concreteexamples from both service and product industries are very useful.

The keys to corporate success are in the corporation!
Too many managers look to external consultants to provide the keys to their organization's success.Was it quality circles, TQM, or re-engineering you last tried as a way to rejuventate your struggling organzation?Victor and Boynton suggest you save your money and focus within.Their logical process of analysis and implementation will help your firm on the "right path" to organizational success.

The process demands that firms think clearly and carefully about who they are and what business they are in compared to what their customers really want.This analysis helps a firm determine if it should compete on the basis of novelty, commodity, quality, or precision.The choice made suggests that craft work, mass production, process enhancement, or mass customization provides the best strategy to meet those customer demands. Achieving these strategies can only occur as a firm moves from craft work, through mass production and process enhancement to mass customization via the "right path."

In an engaging combination of personal insight andcase examples, the authors lead the reader along the "path."They offer numerous stories of organizations around the world that have followed this "path" to organizational success.

Don't let the reletive brevity of their effort mislead you. The ideas they propose should force the thoughful manager into careful and thoughful consideration of the firm's current structure, products, and processes.If the analysis suggests that changes are warranted, then Victor and Boynton's guidebook along the "right path" will prove well worth the initial investment.

A thoughtful, creative tour de force in a fieldlittered with lightweight, feel-good competitors.Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

Strategic Innovation offers a flexible, customizable template that managers, executives, and business leaders can use to introduce an effective innovation strategy throughout their organization. The authors, Nancy Tennant Snyder and Deborah L. Duarte, provide the tools needed to craft a workable strategy for embedding innovation as a core competency across an enterprise. Instead of innovation for innovation's sake, the authors offer a proven business-focused way to change a culture from point-in-time innovations from a few to a continuous pipeline of innovations from everywhere and everyone.

Based on the real-life example of Whirlpool a solid company with a significant track record and global reach— Strategic Innovation shows how the world's largest appliance company put innovation in place as a core competency. During this process, Whirlpool transformed itself from a quality producer of appliances to a customer-focused company that strategically embeds innovation throughout the organization. Filled with challenges and struggles, and ultimately successful results, the Whirlpool story can help any organization develop a successful innovation strategy. Written as a practical guide, the book contains in each chapter a variety of hands-on resources including checklists and worksheets. Strategic Innovation offers the tools, ideas, and approaches needed for transforming an organization to a company where anyone and everyone can contribute to the organization's prosperity— through innovation.

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Reviews (1)

Embedding Innovation: The Way It Ought to Be Done!
INNOVATION: An oft-used word...a fascinating concept...desirable to embed in any organization...and rarely accomplished over an extended period!

Snyder and Duarte treat us to a tale about an exception...The Whirlpool Corporation, a company that was able to embed innovation as a core competency and make it a part of the organization's culture.

Too often innovation is attempted with template technology, a "one-size-fits-all" approach. This is a story of how Whirlpool recognized that a customized approach was needed in order that innovation become part of the everyday life of the organization. The authors eloquently explain the challenges they faced, the setbacks that occurred, the change process they used, and the successes they achieved.

Strategic Innovation is a "must-read" book for managers and other change agents. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Striving for excellence or building to last is one thing. Sustaining superior performance over the long haul is another matter entirely, as longtime McKinsey & Company executives Richard Foster and Sarah Kaplan persuasively point out in Creative Destruction. Based on a concept first advanced some 70 years ago by economist Joseph Alois Schumpeter, Foster and Kaplan propose that corporations can outperform capital markets and maintain their leadership positions only if they creatively and continuously reconstruct themselves. In doing so, they can stay ahead of the upstart challengers constantly waiting in the wings. The decidedly radical paradigm that they champion has been urged in one form or another by others since Schumpeter, but this effort is particularly convincing because of the massive research the authors cite to back it up: McKinsey studies of more than 1,000 corporations in 15 industries over 36 years.

Citing the specific reasons behind ups and downs at firms such as Storage Technology, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, and Corning, Foster and Kaplan claim that the process of creative destruction must become an integral part of today's corporations from top to bottom if they truly hope to attain lasting excellence (and beat Wall Street's primary indices for more than a few fleeting years). Firms that have mastered elements of this practice have done so by innovatively shedding detrimental processes and operations while cleverly spotting and appending those that add new value. The authors write that the "key to their success is the balance they have struck between creativity and destruction--between continuity and change." Their book offers impressive insight into the acts of both breaking down and building up. If its analyses of past performance mean anything, it should prove very interesting to savvy managers as well as long-term investors. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Wakes you up.
This well researched book is a must read for all executives sitting pretty in cozy cabins of successful companies worldwide. The powerful message it conveys is to remain competitive in the market place through innovation (Breakthrough, Substantial and Continuous). The market is a place where there is a continuous process of weeding out the inefficient and the complacent. Those basking in the glory of the past suddenly realize that they have no future; and the realization comes a little too late.

Based on the research and statistical analysis of over 1000 companies it would be interesting to see that the pace of innovation has increased rapidly and only a handful of today's top 100 will survive by year 2020. The exceptions would be those who have an in-built process of innovation in the Organizational fabric and culture; GE for example!

" The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton M. Christensen is also a must read to further understand the concepts described in this book.

Timely and Fascinating Insights on Business Success
This book couldn't have come at a better time as companies face difficult economic conditions and a turbulent stock market. Drawing on almost 40 years of industry data and using real examples of successful companies and the innovators who are changing their industries, Foster and Kaplan clearly show how the few winners have behaved in the past and present a compelling argument for how businesses who want to survive over the long term will need to react to increased competition and discontinuities in the future. This book is a must read for all business executives who want to stay on top in this rapidly changing environment.

A solid , thought-provoking book on Business Innovation
Foster's previous work - Innovation, the Attackers Advantage, is a masterpiece, and this follow up is an excellent read. An interesting observation at the start contrasts a company trying to excel and innovate, and the market as a Darwinian force, ruthlessly selecting the 'best' irregardless of past performance. The message is the same, stark reminder as Clayton Christensen's - past excellence is no guarantee of future survival.

Having delivered this baleful message, the book distinguishes between typical management techniques - measurement, control, which leads to operational excellence [called convergent thinking], and the type of observation, reflection and debate [called divergent thinking] which may lead to innovation.
The book outlines methodologies which can be used to attempt to combine both convergent and divergent approaches within a firm. The book therefore takes one step further than Clayton Christensen's suggestion of setting up a separate entity to pursue a specific 'blue sky' set of ideas. However it in no way underplays the seriousness of the threat of new product or new product cycles to the incumbent, successful corporations - indeed some of the examples given in the book as successes (Cisco, Corning) have since gone through major traumas in subsequent product and economic cycles.

The book seems to take explicit aim at Collin's book 'Built to Last', saying that companies which have been longest in the Fortune 500 have underperformed the market - and expands this theme that the market, by having no emotional link to firms, will pick winners and punish the slow remorselessly. From an investors point of view, my interpretation of Foster's guidance would be to periodically pick the top performers in an index and sell those which don't make it to the top, regardless of past position; my interpretation of Collins is that eventually the tried and trusted firms win out.
I think my money would be on Foster.

However in terms of management thinking Foster is definitely in the Thomas Kuhn, Giovanni Dosi, Clayton Christensen, Geoffrey Moore tradition of the intense difficulty of managing to be customer focused, operationally excellent and innovative simultaneously.

Faulty Research & Analysis
Here's some hard data (which is not in the book): Since 1925 the best performing stock is Phillip Morris with a 17% return versus 9.75% for the stock market during the same period. Best stock since 1950 is again Phillip Morris.
$1,000 in S&P 500 in 1957 = ~ $96,000 today.
Same in Phillip Morris = ~ $3.75 million today.
So much for the authors' premise.

How to destroy businesses and not destroy your career?
One good thing about books written by McKinsey people is that if they write something, it's gonna be smart. Because otherwise they just keep the silence.
And this book is not an exception to this rule. Whilst the readers could find the idea of a permanent review and renovation of a corporate businesses portfolio fairly old and discussed so many times in books of Drucker, Schumpeter and other authors, there're some issues which make reading of "Creative Destruction" worth the time.
First, unlike two previously mentioned famous gentlemen, Foster and Kaplan bothered themselves with sizable stock market data research and analysis. This approach should really become a standard if we ever want to see organizational behavior and corporate strategy to become scientific disciplines and not a genre of fiction literature with well-known set of rules "how to write more or less good novel".
Second, even readers very familiar with literature about corporate strategy and portfolio analysis methods could find some profound insights on these 350 pages - may be different ones for different people. For example, a clearly stated paradox between operational excellence and innovation definitely deserves thinking about, since it's just so easy to say: "Yes, we need both - tight controlled low cost operations AND creative business development" or "We need to build the great team committed to the corporation AND sometimes we need to kick a part of the team out just to ensure great stock returns", - but isn't it the same as requiring water to become dry at certain moments, convenient for the observers?

Bad thing. Do not expect to find in the book an answer to the question, stated at the very beginning. As well as where to find the businesses worth investing to. The authors do not know. Or they do not say - may be just to give to the reader an idea to invite McKinsey to think together about these issues in corporate HQs. ... Read more

Book Description

How did Kevin O’Connor help create DoubleClick, the innovative marketing technology company...two software companies...dozens of products...and now the “disappearing” DVD, a product that will turn the home video market on its head?

Sheer brilliance? While O’Connor is very smart indeed, he credits his success to applying Thomas Edison’s famous saying that “genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” In other words, the breakthrough product or service that is the result of sheer genius alone is the exception.

Great ideas that form the basis of new companies or that can make a hero of someone toiling in the corporate world are within reach of us all.

“But wait,” says O’Connor, “ideas are cheap.” Just as important is doing something with them—a process that will turn the best ideas into something that people need. In other words, O’Connor argues convincingly, innovation can be systematically forced.

The Map of Innovation is O’Connor’s step-by-step approach to devising lucrative new products and services and bringing them to market, through a process that has proven itself time and again in many different industries. Too often, people trying to innovate focus on things that don’t matter or waste their time trying to find answers to questions that can’t be answered. O’Connor shows why the map of innovation centers on getting right the five make-or-break fundamentals: creating a large number of viable ideas; picking the right idea to pursue; creating a highly focused strategy to bring the idea to market; getting the money to fund the strategy; and hiring the best people. With Kevin O’Connor, the proof of the value of methodical innovation is in the pudding. He helped start companies that have employed thousands of people and created billions in shareholder value.

Anyone can get lucky once, but for success to strike three times and to include many successful products, there has to be a method and map, and any company, big or small, working on any product or service can benefit from O’Connor’s time-tested tactics. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Trite. I expected much, much more.
I bought this book on the advice of a good friend--a friend whose recommendations have been uniformly spot-on; until now.

I found the book trite, pat and predictable. It seemed to reek of Kevin O'Connor's desire to show off his past companies' successes while also proving to the poor reader that the author was just a "normal" guy--that if he could do it, anyone can.

Perhaps I was just put off by the two grammatical errors I noticed in the first 10 pages. Or maybe it was the unpleasant, ironic feeling that Kevin O'Connor's real next money-maker was not starting a new company; it was peddling this book to unsuspecting people who expected something substantive and helpful. (Though I hope folks reading this review realize that there is no "secret recipe" for business success. I wonder how many people who have read The Map of Innovation have subsequently achieved significant business success; my guess is: zero.)

In any case, to my friend's dismay, I couldn't even finish the book. I hope my experience with it helps others to avoid wasting their money and time on it. I wish I could recommend another book in its stead, but I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with this genre in general.

--- Ron Rothman

This has probably become my most underlined book
This is one of my best business innovation, entrepreneur, start up books.

Each page is packed with practical wisdom for the new business startup, and the established business.

His information on how to innovate was very good. The author believes in always adding technology to a need. I thought his methods of creativity were somewhat simplistic. But the way he applied them to searching for business solutions was excellent.

The most important advice that I received from the book was in hiring. He suggests that you "Hire Smart At......". You'll be surprised with his recommendation. I had always thought that A. David Silver's advice on start up entrepreneur's was right on (find someone with a hurt), but O'Connors is closer to what I was trying to elucidate but couldn't.

Highly recommended, one of my current favorites.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

One of the best books on creating something new
I admit I read this book with a good bit of skepticism. I read Twyla Tharp's new book on creativity with even more. How does one "teach" innovation and creativity? It has to happen organically, doesn't it? Well, this book shows exactly how to create an environment in which product development can evolve naturally. The author has a number of major products, services, and companies under his belt, and there are really sound checklists for encouraging a workplace in which creativity and innovation can happen - and be recognized and rewarded.

What an intriguing idea...
...that innovation can be forced. That is, that there is an actual template you can follow to come with better products and services.
If a consultant posed the premise, I'd have my doubts. But this is written by a guy who has started a series of successful companies and who is actually in the business of being an entrepreneur (and not writing books.)
Well worth your time. ... Read more

Book Description

Organization Development at Work— a title in The Practicing OD Series— is a collection of conversations among leaders, practitioners, and educators in the organization development (OD) field. Throughout the book experienced professionals share their best thinking about principles, practices, values, and the future of OD. In this valuable resource, nearly 100 contributors share their operating principles, successful models, tools, application tips, and important insights from their years of practice. Written for organization development practitioners, consultants, and anyone who is considering a career in OD, Organization Development at Work will highlight the points of view that define the "values controversy" so you will be better able to clarify your own position on values-based work. As you read contributors stories, you will be able to compare your career path with others in the field. In addition, this book offers perspective on the debate about global work, with advice for practitioners seeking to do work on foreign soil. You will feel as if you are in a conversation with friends, mentors, and colleagues who are freely sharing their experiences, questions, and concerns.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

A gift to OD practitioners
When I first started reading this book, I so hooked myself on its contents that I didn't stop reading until two hours later, when I finished it. I continue to dip into this anthology from time to time, and no matter where I open it, I always find something that moves me into a reflective space about how I work and what I believe as a consultant. As an experienced practitioner, I really value this ready access to the current views and beliefs of such a large and diverse group of peers. The authors' chosen style, compelling virtual conversation with minimal pontificating, helps me to treat each visit to the book as an opportunity to obtain a range of trusted inputs all at once! This book is a gift to those of us lucky enough to be working in the OD field, and I can imagine the authors or someone else doing a new version every five years or so, as the challenges for organizations and practitioners evolve. ... Read more

Book Description

Reengineering has captured the imagination of managers and shareholders alike, sending corporations on journeys of radical business redesign that have already begun to transfigure global industry. Yet aside from earning them improvements in their business performance, the shift into more-process-centered organizations is causing fundamental changes in the corporate world, changes that business leaders are only now beginning to understand. What will the revolutions final legacy be? Beyond Reengineering addresses this question, exploring reengineering's effects on such areas as:

Jobs: What does process-centering do to the nature of jobs? What does a process-centered workplace feel like?

Managers: What is the new role of the manager in a process-centered company?

Education: What skills are vital in the process-centered working world, and how can young or inexperienced workers prepare?

Society: What are the implications of process-centering for employment and the economy as a whole?

Investment: What are the characteristics of a successful 21st-century corporation?

An informed look at one of the most profound changes to ever sweep the corporate world, Beyond Reengineering is the business manual for the 21st century. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Mr. Hammer has little knowledge of the real business world
I come from four generations of independent businessmen, none of whom needed a book to tell them how to run one. And none of whom ever failed at the business they owned. I currently work for a company that has been in business for 102 years, and this book has sold some of the marketing types in management down the Hammer River of "process", whose implementation and loose interpretation of this book has resulted in mass retirements; fragmentation of skilled staff; loss of communication between working departments, and physical movements of employees that follow no logical purpose. The effect upon moral as a whole has de-motivated all of us. You cannot come to work or take a break without small groups of people venting their outrage at what's going on. There are increased hand-offs and rather than report to one person, now we must go through five, wait for a number to be generated for each task we perform (2 to 5 days). It's the craziest way to run a business that I've ever seen! We are left trying to figure out who is the leader and how we are supposed to get a project completed. None of us can figure out why management would go along with what Mr. Hammer proposes, when we won the JD Powers award for Customer Satisfaction in 2003. If we were not successfully doing our jobs before this "process change implementation", I'd like to know how this company stayed in business for 102 years! His proposals have intentionally set us up to fail. The only reason I can find for a company to use his recommendations is if they intend to be bought, want to get rid of all their employees, and want to cause general dishelvement and frustration. We were told that no jobs would be eliminated, this was not a reorganization, not a restructure. And yet entire departments that were instrumental in the core business of this company have been dissolved. And those who have retired would not have otherwise done so, had this company not chosen Mr. Hammer's path. Staff that has left is not being replaced. And no one prefers the job title "Subject Matter Expert" over the one they had before. Nobody wants "Process Leader" on their business cards. We all want to be productive, to feel that our work has real purpose and relevance. Mr. Hammer would have us all be nothing more than the by-product of some process that was unnecessary. I'd like to be there the day they lock Mr. Hammer away for insanity. I guess it's worth the price of this book just to buy it for a dartboard (which is precisely what I intend to do). Yes, Mr. Hammer, this has definately impacted my life, and I hope I never see you stranded by the side of the road: the result will be the implementation of a process you didn't mention in your book...

Heresy
Sorry, but I'm not as impressed by Hammer as he is of himself. I work for a large Fortune 100 company as a Director of Business Process Reengineering, and I'm NOT convinced after reading this that Hammer has rolled up his sleeves and gotten dirty (we all think it but no one will admit to it out loud). Just read the chapter about process owners and his theory about managing the employee and it is clear he has littler or no experience working with front-line $20K/year employees that are found in our operations. Sure, if you're working with professionals making $50K+ his theories are more plausible.

My boss swears by Hammer but when it comes to planning and performing the Redesign work she calls on my team to get it done. We aren't disciples of Hammer, but everyone on my team has read this book and in order to understand the terminology. Using the methodology found in this book will be of minimal use for planning and completing your BPR.

A must read for anyone interested in how organizations work
I recently had the privilige of attending a Dr. Hammer seminar in Boston and can tell you that this book tracks closely with his seminar which was the best I have ever attended. The book however goes into much greater detail and depth than a one day high level seminar can go to. The portions that described the first principles of business (chapter 6)and the dramatic impact that process centered organizations will have on employees (the entire book)were standouts. I have already used information contained here in my work as a consultant for a major federal systems integrator. I am also going to try and get my children who are attending college and high school to read at least chapter 14 (What I Tell My Children)so that they can take advantage of Dr Hammer's guidance with respect to the selection of fulfilling educational and career choices. I think it is the best book on business that I have ever read.

I also understand the book was written for a general audience but it would have been nice to have some footnotes and research to underpin some of the pronouncements of business benefits. I tried to track the performance of American Standard, Texas Instruments, and GTE to see if I could confirm Hammer's assertions but it would have taken too much time. Maybe he can publish an addendum for those of us interested in such matters.

Almost a homer, just a long double off the top of the wall
After the first nine chapters, I thought this book was better than the original, Reengineering the Corporation. But the second half of the book wanders off into repetition, ambiguity and irrelevance. Oh well, it is still worth the cost just to read the first half of this sequel, because it adds depth to the original book.

It is a shake-down to tradition!
After going thru all the series of Michael's "state-of-the-art" books, I also applied some ideas and approaches while doing consulting work with my clients. However, it is not a happy ending for every case I consulted with in the real world. But to myself, I definitly believe in what Michael promoted all about - process thinking, process organizing - without any doubt. The "thing" we deliver to the customer, even we can say the reason why a comapny can exist is VALUE, not product, technology, or so-called "service". I know it's hard to define what VALUE means, but what I do believe is to delight the customers may represent they feel the value! By the way, Chapter 7 in the book - A Football Team is my favorite part, because I also use "Basketball team" to motivate my staff! And believe me, it does WORK! ... Read more

Book Description

This is a *different* book on change management. Using commonsense and practical advice tested in their work with hundreds of organizations, the authors walk the reader through clear guidelines and checklists to implement change that works.
Readers will develop a change management strategy
that starts by diagnosing the current culture and organization, then prepares for change carefully,addresses resistance to change, develops the change strategy, measures results, builds momentum for further change, and prevents deterioration and reversion.
The authors then apply their framework to two areas that are major targets for change management: implementing new technology and systems and implementing successful e-business strategies. Included throughout are real-world examples from a number of industries and government.

* This method has been used successfully in over 70 organizations in over 20 countries.
* Commonsense and jargon-free approach focuses on the realities of implementing change in real world
* Most of the book deals with getting the change established, measurement, and practical ways to sustain the change long-term ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Solid path through a political minefield
Changing IT is akin to herding cats because as a whole there is a legacy mindset at one end of the spectrum, and lack of discipline at the other. This book provides a workable approach to changing the culture and effecting real change.

As in their other books the authors take a project-oriented approach to the goals and objectives. Where other books that attempt to address this subject are focused on solely human factors and considerations, this one does that, but gives a structured approach as well. The set milestones and wealth of associated checklists are what set this book apart from others, and are the means of systematically changing IT in an effective manner.

To be sure, human factors are taken into consideration - the authors show a keen understanding of, and give advice for dealing with, organizational dynamics, politics and resistance to change. This is an essential set of knowledge and skill factors without which change cannot be accomplished.

The keys to the approach given in this book, though, are in the chapters dealing with defining your goals and developing an overall strategy, then selecting the approach that is most suitable for your organization. The project-oriented aspects are covered in chapters dealing with characterizing "as-is" tasks, planning, and working towards the long-term objectives. The approach also includes a viable measurement strategy with which to ascertain results, and advice on how to build enthusiasm and support - instead of resistance - as the change initiative is being implemented. A key chapter is "Prevent Reversion and Fallback", which all too frequently happens in the real world. By recognizing this particular risk in change and addressing how to prevent it the authors provide sound advice to avoid a major pitfall.

Overall this is an excellent book by two authors who I hold in high regard. I also recommend reading "RoadMap: How to understand, diagnose, and fix your organization" (ISBN 0964163527) in conjunction with this book because it contains information that will help you select and develop an optimum overall strategy for an IT organization that is customer-focused and efficiently run. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

If you read one business book, make it this one!
If you read one business book this year, you won't go wrong with HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT WORKING SO
HARD by Robert J. Kriegel . . . it is packed with ideas that will help you stop working so hard--and start working better.

Kriegel, author of the equally excellent IF IT AIN'T BROKE . . . BREAK IT, contends that it is not a badge of honor to work 100 hours per week . . . rather, he points out that it's the innovators, visionaries and new-thinkers who love their work who rise to the top.

I particularly liked his 90 Percent Rule, which says that a relaxed atmosphere produces better results than a tense one . . . he then described his experiments with over 150 salespeople . . . those who made less calls had at least 20 percent better results, largely because they felt more relaxed and were able to listen better.

There were many memorable passages; among them:
* In my programs, I always ask, "How many of you get your best
ideas--barn burners, lightbulbs, the aha's--while at work?" No one ever raises their hand. "Which room in your house do you get your best ideas in?" I ask, The response is always the bathroom or bedroom. "Why is that?" "Because no on bothers me and I get time to think" is the usual response.

* Ray Evernham, with driver Jeff Gordon, used this flip-of-the-rules strategy in NASCAR racing to win the Winston Cup Championship several times. Evernham says, "If conventional wisdom say the corner is the best place to pass, we practice passing on the other end of the track, because nobody is expecting to get passed there."

* Whether it is a book or a proposal, many people have difficulty starting a writing project. That first step seems like an insurmountable hurdle. The first line seems impossible to get right.

One way to get yourself going is to begin at the end or the middle. I have started out writing my last three books with those chapters that I am most excited and clear about. I will often begin writing a chapter, not necessarily at what I think should be the beginning, but with a great story or example that I enjoy relating and that clearly illustrates the point I want to make. Once started, momentum builds and the rest
becomes much easier, whether you have to go forward of backward
of both.

So easy to misapply
More so than any other business-advise book I have come accross, this one lends itself to misinterpretation and mishandling by the well-intentioned but dim or by the unscrupulously mischievous. If you are, and know you are, an effective manager, you probably are already doing what this book "dares" you to try. ... you can safely read it and it will cause no harm... you know what to take and what to leave, how to challenge conventional wisdom and how to hedge your bets. You know instinctively most if not all of it. .... after all... most importantly, you also know no real-life situation is identical with edited examples on a book (which of course are always tailored to illustrate a point). Mediocre to self-serving nefarious managers may become equally prone to cite these pages as remedy for their own shortcomings. You want those people out.... not taking advise from Mr. Kriegel. In their hands this work becomes a cookbook for disaster. I've seen it operate at its worst.

There are better ways of spending [money] than buying this book ... including having drinks with a timid supervisor who could use your personal encouragement.

If it ain't broke . . . BREAK IT!
Robert Kriegel and Louis Patler provide an interesting look at Conventional Wisdom and how it applies to business as usual. The focus of this book is to give a business manager "permission" to challenge the status quo in order to make paradigm changes. This book can provide insights into professions outside of the business community. Educators can benefit from the numerous examples of challenges to Sacred Cows that inhibit change that could enhance the educational opportunities for all students.
This book empowers the reader to be creative in seeking solutions to everyday problems. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a jump-start in looking outside the box make his/her workplace a more productive environment.

Insightful!
Robert J. Kriegel takes his experience in performance psychology and deftly combines it with his and Louis Patler's expertise in leadership and business. They create an enjoyable and insightful look at how unconventional wisdom can propel a business to the top, especially when mixed with the willingness to be innovative and take risks. Devoid of cliches and useless filler, this book is solid and includes plenty of quotes from other experts. Kriegel and Patler weave business case histories effortlessly into the commentary. We [...] recommend this book to anyone involved in the destiny of any kind of business, as well as to people interested in contemporary culture.

A poor book full of cliche's
This book promises unconventional wisdom, yet is full of tired cliches and old advise. Chaptures cover topics such as discovering your passion and following it, continuing to make refinements in your product even if your product is currently well accepted in the market, and listen to your customers and people outside of your industry. Then, around each chapture topic, the author provides 20 short examples or stories of the topic in action. None of the book's topics break any new ground. It's all recycled advice that's available in many other books. ... Read more

Book Description

The coauthor of the international bestseller Execution has created the how-to guide for solving today’s toughest business challenge: creating profitable growth that is organic, differentiated, and sustainable.

For many, growth is about “home runs”—the big bold idea, the next new thing, the product that will revolutionize the marketplace. While obviously attractive and lucrative, home runs don’t happen every day and frequently come in cycles.

Products like Kevlar, Teflon, and the Dell business model for selling personal computers may be once-in-a-decade phenomena.A surer and more consistent path to pro?table revenue growth is through “singles and doubles”—small day-to-day wins and adaptation to changes in the marketplace that build the foundation for substantially increasing revenues. The impact of singles and doubles can be huge. They are not only the basis for sustained revenue growth but, in fact, the foundation for home runs. Singles and doubles provide the discipline of execution, an absolute necessity for successfully bringing a breakthrough technology to market or implementing a new business model.

Inherent in this way of thinking is the revolutionary idea that growth is everyone’s business—not solely the concern of the sales force or top management. Just as everyone participates in cost reduction, so must everyone be engaged in the growth agenda of the business. Every contact of each employee with a customer is an opportunity for revenue growth. That includes everyone from the people working in a company’s call center handling customer inquiries and complaints to the CEO.

In this trailblazing book, Ram Charan provides the building blocks and tools that can put a business on the path to sustained, pro?table growth. For more than twenty-?ve years, Ram Charan has been working day in and day out with companies around the world. The ideas he has developed for solving the profitable revenue growth dilemma facing many businesses are based on personally seeing what works in real time. These are ideas that have been tested across industries and that deliver results, and they can be put to use starting Monday morning.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Passionate, Practical, and Persuasive
Charan co-authored Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done with Larry Bossidy and has written numerous articles in which he examines various causes and effects of what I view as organizational dysfunction. In this volume, he correctly insists that responsibility for profitable growth must be shared by everyone involved. He offers "Ten Tools" by which to achieve that important objective. First, he identifies three barriers to such growth: "First, the balance has gone too far in the direction of cost-cutting at the expense of revenue growth...Second, when most managers think about growth, it is in terms of home runs -- the disruptive technology, the new revolutionary business model, the mega-merger -- instead of the singles and doubles that, when executed at a steady pace, cumulatively can increase revenue substantially...Third, improving productivity and increasing revenues are seen as two separate issues, when they are, in fact, inseparable for long-term success. If managers concentrate only on raising productivity, they are only doing half their job." To these I presume to add a fourth barrier which Jim O'Too