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Summary: Built to Outlast the Tests of Time!
Review: Built to Last by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras is an essential guide for any new or old organization looking to get started or revitalize its fundamental foundation and business practices. Assembled as a result of a six year long study examining eighteen remarkable and long-lasting companies in relation to each companies top "market" competitor, this book genuinely shows what distinguishes truly visionary companies from the rest. This books begins by briefly describing what visionary companies were chosen for the study and why. For those interested, visionary companies included organizations such as Wal-Mart, American Express, IBM, and Walt Disney, just to name a few.According to Collins and Porras, a visionary company can neither be founded on a single great idea nor rely on an individual charismatic leader. Those in a visionary company must be willing and able to put the organization first in order not only to make an impact after the death of any individual leader but also to stand the test of time. Essential in any visionary company is a statement of what the company stands for and why it exists - its core ideology consisting of its core values and core purpose. For example, a company must exist for a number of reasons beyond just making money. Along with this statement of core ideology must come a plan for action, a plan to stimulate and drive progress in an organization toward an envisioned future. A key concept from this book is preserving the core of an organization while stimulating progress within that organization. Change in an organization is a constant with respect to everything but the organization's core ideology. A visionary organization can stimulate progress in a number of ways from setting BHAGs or Big Hairy Audacious goals, to creating and promoting a cult-like culture within the organization, to trying a lot of stuff and keeping what works, and finally, to relying on homegrown management. In a visionary company, good enough never is, there is never an end to the movement for continual progress, and every member in the organization is a key player encouraged to take personal initiative. A visionary company is a great place to work if and only if you strongly agree and adhere to its values and purpose. This book was not only insightful, but it provided the steps necessary for any organization to take strides toward becoming a visionary company. Although information at times was repetitive, it proved useful in hammering home key concepts crucial to understanding what makes a visionary company truly visionary. The book was an easy read, and the authors were quick to point out that this book is not the "ultimate truth" when it comes to understanding organizations. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is worth a read, and definitely worth the money!
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Summary: Very good - with real take-home value
Review: We used this book as a template for defining our strategic vision and corporate culture for a 75 person growing tech company. The insights on building a company for the long-term are simple but valuable and practical. I recommend it highly.
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Summary: One of the best business books ever written
Review: If anyone wants to know about the practices of the best business corporation around the world, this is the book. The companies selected are the best with reference to their policies and vision. And all the analysis is based on the data and facts collected by authors and are available in the book. No wonder it took 6 years to research and write such a book. A must read for all business students and practitioners. If you want to know how to make a company last for 100 years with all the twists and turns of economic cycles, this is it.
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Summary: Must Reading for Every Leader
Review: Wow! What a book. In it the authors look at visionary companies and what separates them from their top competitors. This is not a book about charismatic leaders or dynamic products, but a book about vision, values and risk taking. It is a book that every buinessman and pastor ought to read. For the pastor of a church the greatest strength of Built to Last is that it is a book about business not about the church. The concepts of vision, quality, excellence, leadership training, and of risk taking are all biblical concepts. If God honors non-Christiand when they act according to His principles, how much more will He honor the church of the Living God?
This book is filled with hundred of specific examples how these principles transformed ordinary businesses into visionary companies. The contrast between the visionary companies and their competition is sobering. As I read how the ordinary competition would shoot themselves in the foot time and time again, the picture of the local church came to my mind. The failure to establish vision, to articulate core values, to promote a team atmosphere, and to maintain consistent pastoral leadership has resulted in mediocre churches. This book seemed to be dealing with something that small rural pastors would never deal with, being a visionary church. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the size of the church is irrelevant. The question is: Are we doing great things for God? What are we trying to do that would only be possible if God were in it. This book is must reading for every leader, whether he or she leads a business or nonprofit organization.
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Summary: Well researched and accurate
Review: The authors have exposed corporate myths in this compelling book. We need to know them so that we do not proceed with innacurate optimistic assumptions. I also suggest integration of Optimal Thinking into corporte culture to bring out the best in others and to maximize productivity and profitability. A company of optimizers (instead of managers and employees) is what we all need. I therefore recommend Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self by Dr. Rosalene Glickman in addition to this excellent book.
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Summary: Must Reading!
Review: This is "must" reading for senior managers!
Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"
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Summary: sequel to "Good to Great"
Review: ...even though he wrote this one first, I'd recommend reading them in reverse order if you haven't read them before. This (and "Good to Great") are destined to become business bibles, kept hand near every manager's desk and referred to on a regular basis. Great companions to "First, Break All the Rules" and "Now Discover Your Strengths".
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Summary: One of the most influencial business books I've read
Review: As shared before, my review methodology is to give a book some time so I can accurately comment to the degree of which it impacted my life. In the case of "Built to Last," I am writing a review a full 3 years after completing this most excellent book. I am not exaggerating, then, when I say that this is among a select group of the most powerfully influential business books I've read. There is something about the methodology, the way the conclusions are presented, that makes it stand out as an excellent read. The content is, as some would say, quite "sticky." Take, for example, their selection criteria for what constitutes an "Visionary Company." The company had to be in business something like 60 years, so they can see how a culture had "outgrown" their genesis business model (think about that!!!). They had to be outstanding market leaders, so there is some tie to the bottom line, and so on. Personally, these metrics have become ingrained, such that I repeatedly find myself gauging where my organization is relative to these metrics. Secondly, the book expands upon each attribute of a "visionary company," such as having "big hairy audacious goals (BHAG's)," or having what some call a "cult-like culture." Each section expands upon each with direct examples of how the identified companies espouse these attributes. For example, there is much discussion on how firms such as Boeing is famous of undertaking aggressive projects (BHAG's), or how Nordstrom's culture is so powerful it's akin to oil and water (the right people just fit; the wrong people are self-ejected). I have found it fascinating, however, to watch the featured companies since completing the book. HP, for example. Why in God's name would HP chose to get into the PC business? This barely appears to align with "The HP Way." And for a while it appeared that Boeing no longer attacked BHAG's when they rejected the notion of a super-sonic passenger airliner, although their involvement in the Joint Task Force Fighter project certainly appeared in-line with their culture. Finally, I have noted many books whose authors were influenced by this book. Either the book itself was directly referenced, or the ideas were clearly gained from its reading. My recommendation: buy it and read it. I doubt you will ever forget it.
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Summary: Make the game, simpler!
Review: I think Jim Collins helped us to rethink what's really important in an organization. Even after the dot.com mania the book remains updated and still so important. After reading it we started looking in a different way to the "time-tellers" in each organization. I'll go on following what J.Collins has to say...and try to go on as a "clock-builder".
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Summary: "A Visionary Book "
Review: The best business book I have read in my young career. The information provided will change your way of thinking about what is a visionary company and how to build one.
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