Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended Book
Review: Some reviews say that the book does not apply to all organizations b/c of the type of companies selected for the study (e.g. public vs privately owned). However, readers should not get hung up on minutae but look a the larger concepts imparted by this book. I view it as a good general blueprint for willing a company toward success. For those business people with aims to join the executive ranks (or for those already there) this book is as necessary as any other book on management. An advantage Good to Great possesses is that it goes about its inquiry in - for the most part - a structured way, attempting to prove or disprove assumptions we have about what great management is.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for anyone aspiring to sucess
Review: I first heard about the book when I was reading an article detailing a Microsoft executive's visit to China. The book was recommended to those aspiring college students eagerly seeking secrets to success. I would be lying if I said this book is a cure-all.But it definitely provides a insightful look into several key questions concerning the achievement of greatness by a company. Whereaz this book treat the readers mainly as the top management, it is a good read to anyone who is interested getting to know more about the experiments, successful or failed, that have been carried out that trace back to decades. The book is an eye opener to me and I believe it would be for you too. It is exemplary of what a business book should be.
Rating:
Summary: Good to Great to Greater
Review: Good To Great by Jim Collins is outstanding!This landmark study analyzes the paratices that alowed 11 companies to make the rare transition from solid to outstanding perfomance. From Good To Great to even Greater.I also recommend Double Digit Growth to learn how superior companies excel.
Rating:
Summary: History has proven Collins correct
Review: Few authors have the ability to bridge the gap between the theoretical and the practical. Collins' writing translates real-world learning into leadership behaviors. His anecdotes are incredibly telling, such as the executive elevators at Bank of America and the profligate use of corporate jets at Bethlehem steel. His conclusion are contrarian, putting the lie to common management myths such as charisma, bravado, technological risk-taking, and daring strategic thrusts. In 2001 his conclusions were already being proved out by the dot com bust. Three years and dozens of corporate scandles later, time has proved his conclusion more correct than ever. At the end of the day clear thinking, character, and constancy are far more powerful than flamboyance, flash, and financial legerdemain. This book will challenge you to think and act differently as a leader. Isn't that what a good book does?
Rating:
Summary: Great to fantastic!
Review: Jim Collins hits it out of the park with his "prequal" to Built to Last. If you want to get the facts on what has made the successful companies grow here it is. Jim is a master at explaining theories and statistics into interesting concise facts. "These truths we hold to be self evident."
Rating:
Summary: One of the Very Best!
Review: I am highly recommending this book, along with two others, to all of my students and clients. Jim Collins' research is of extraordinary value. Every executive should read this book. The others two books I am recommending are "Strategic Organizational Change" by Beitler, and "Primal Leadership" by Goleman, et al. Read all three! Dr. Burke
Rating:
Summary: Good to Great and Optimization
Review: This book is a refreshing change from the leadership books which expound various flashy leadership skills as the determinant for corporate greatness. Clearly disciplined execution and focusing on the key profitability ratio produce a shift from mediocrity to greatness. This book is a definite read for the business leader. To move beyond greatness and achieve optimization, read Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self, then infuse Optimal Thinking into every facet of your corporation.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Business Leaders
Review: Jim Collins and his team of researchers chose the only 11 companies who went from good to great - NOT companies that have always been great or that have been great for only a short period of time. After extensive debate about what these 11 companies have in common, Collins and his team conclude that: ALL of these companies' leaders are uncharismatic and humble.
The leaders of these companies take on the right people and get rid of the wrong people before they take the right action. The ideas continue to make sense but are contrary to what we've been taught: that big egos with great ideas make great companies. What's most interesting is that while the ideas that came out of this research make sense, only 11 companies - all strategically chosen - made the cut. What does this book teach us? That there's a fairly straightforward recipe that Boards of Directors and CEOs do have the power to create. Very few companies have followed this model, but those that have have become their industry leaders over time. Businesses are lucky to have this research accessible. The results are straightforward, to the point, and well written.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, worth a read if you are a manager or not
Review: "Good to Great" essentially consists of the results of an extensive study into why some companies had been able to outperform the market over an extended period of time. What struck me was how often I found myself in complete agreement with a statement made by either the researchers or the interviewees. This was as a result of seeing some of the exact same events (both good and bad) unfolding in places I had worked at before and presently. I found many of the approaches taken by the "Great" companies are in use why I work now and in places I have worked before, as well as some of the poor ones. Seeing an independent view point of this certainly brought some things into sharper focus for me. It brought to mind the phrase "Common sense is not so common". A lot of what these businesses did was pretty straightforward, but it is indeed amzing that so many other organisations fail to grasp this. I had read review of this book and decided to take a punt on it, as books on business management are not normally high on my reading list. I'm glad I took that punt. I rate this book very highly and warmly recommend it to anyone wanting to better understand of organisational behaviour.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!
Review: The two books I read this year that I consider "must reading" for my students and clients are "Good to Great" by Collins, and "Strategic Organizational Change" by Beitler. Every manager should have a copy of these two books in his or her office. Dr. Lester Hayes
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