Rating: 
Summary: Destined to be a fundamental component of business strategy
Review: Collins and Porras's contribution to the business universe can be boiled down to one simple concept: Companies built around a set of core values and a core purpose have a better understanding of which actions are right and which are wrong for their business.Having a built in compass for decision making is worth a huge amount in increased productivity and internal trust. If everyone tends to approach decisions from the same viewpoint, results are more consistent and cross-functional buy-in is less difficult to acquire. Now, they take a long time to make this point, and support it with a large amount of research, but how seriously can you take an academic analysis of such a small sample group of companies? Just as in Good to Great, Collins's other masterpiece, the reader must swallow his skepticism at how the conclusions were reached and marvel at the obvious value of their insight.
Rating: 
Summary: Smart and engaging... with two flaws
Review: In a compelling and thoughtful way, "Built to Last" shows how companies achieve long-term success through adherence to core values and commitment to innovation. What a refreshing antidote to the more common trend of selling out for short-term gains! The companies profiled here are truly to be admired. However, the book left me with two bones to pick. The first is the example of IBM as a "visionary" company. As history tells, Big Blue was dragged kicking and screaming into the PC age. Its calcified structure blinded it to the demise of the mainframe and the microcomputing revolution, and indeed it utterly ceded the PC's operating system to Microsoft -- a strategic blunder of epic scale. Though the "PC-compatible" platform that IBM developed eventually became industry standard, IBM profited little from it. Had IBM been truly a visionary firm, it would have seen the PC revolution coming and dominated it, keeping at bay upstarts like Microsoft, Apple, Dell and others who caught Big Blue sleeping. The second oversight involves the near-complete omission of the DuPont Company. Here is a company -- one of the oldest in America, now entering its third century -- that has reinvented itself time and again, stayed on the bleeding edge, and has always been committed to its employees. If any company in the world is "built to last," DuPont is it. NOTE: I have neither a grudge against IBM nor have any interest in DuPont. This is just the way I see it.
Rating:
Summary: How to build it to last!
Review: What makes a visionary company? This book, written by a team from Stanford's Graduate School of Business, compares what the authors have identified as "visionary" companies with selected companies in the same industry. The authors juxtapose Disney and Columbia Pictures, Ford and General Motors, Motorola and Zenith, and Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments, to name a few. The visionary companies, the authors found out, had a number of common characteristics; for instance, almost all had some type of core ideology that guided the company in times of upheaval and served as a constant bench mark. Not all the visionary companies were founded by visionary leaders, however. On the whole, this is an intriguing book that occasionally provides rare and interesting glimpses into the inner workings and philosophical foundations of successful businesses. Recommended for all libraries.
Rating:
Summary: What do we stand for and why do we exist?
Review: Who should read this book?
The result of 5 years of research for what made the great companies, if you want to know this Great read.
A balance review would be to read the first two customer reviews. How I went about reading this book?
I did not read the book word for word. I felt that I did not need to do it because the writing is slightly wordy for my taste.
I read the customer reviews, 42 page sample pages, went to my local Barnes and Noble book store and browse through the book in about under 2 hours. I browse and read the beginning, the table of content, the ending of the book, reading from the back of the book toward the front, taking notes on ideas that caught my attention, looking at the summary at the end of each chapter, looking at any interesting diagram, graphs, charts, and visuals, and reading accompanying text. One would think with 5 years plus of exhaustive research, comparison, financial analysis, there would be more to the data. But at last as the authors wrote in many chapters, the fundamental idea of management has not truly change in 50 years. Great ideas do within stand the test of time, great civilizations, great countries, great philosophy religious or not, great biological system, great species. 12 Myths of great companies
Read page 19 to 23 of the sample pages The following are my notes:
What do we stand for and why do we exist?
Then, change Get back to basic Stream Analysis Software, used for organizational change diagnosis Leadership- display high level of persistence, overcome significant obstacles, attracted dedicated people, influenced groups of people toward the achievement of goals. Listen to the customers (Lesson: Listen)
Ask "why?" (Lessons: Questions)
Encourage persistence (Lesson: Perserverance) Build the ticking clock! (Imagine all the qualities and features of a ticking clock. It is enduring. It keeps accurate time. It is reliable. It is constantly ticking. It does not stop ticking. It does not need much maintenance. It does one thing really well and that is pretty much all it does. It tells time. Inside the clock, it is very complex, precise, elaborate, and require great skill to build. The material and craftmanship of a ticking mechanical clock have to be of the highest order to keep accurate time. In contrast to the complexity of the inside from the the outside, the clock looks rather simple mechanically. A ticking second hand, a long minute hand, and short hour hand, they all move and tell the time. Build a self perpetuating learning organization. Human resource is the most important resource of a company. Hire the best you can afford. Train them well. Give them room for mistake and failure. Develop them into leader.) 3M
Listen to anyone with an original idea, no matter now absurb it might sound at first.
Encourage; don't nitpick. Let people run with their idea.
Hire good people, and leave them alone.
If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.
Encourage experimental doodling.
Give it a try and quick! Darwin: variation and selection. HP
People have inherent need to make contribution to society.
Provide real satisfaction to real customers.
Of course we must do it for profit, because we can not exist without profit.
Profit is not the reason for existence. Cult: Authenticity and consistent alignment of the ideology Deeds, more than words Big Hairy Audacious Goals consistency of principle right frame of mind, shift of perspective Nordstrom
Welcome to your company. We're glad to have you with us. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them. Rules: Use your good judgement in all situations. There will be no addditional rules. Please feel free to ask your manager any question at any time.
Rating: 
Summary: solid yet pedestrian, like lots of businesses
Review: As I dutifully plow through the currently popular business books - and I read only the ones that I need rather than for pleasure - I occasionally find a good and (fairly) interesting one. This is one of those books I would recommend. Instead of overflowing with ridiculously florid rhetoric about recycled banalities and excitement that is simply not justified, this book is based on solid research and is not afraid to offer un-spectacular advice. It is about what the authors call "visionary companies," which stand for something beyond just making money and yet are profitable. They do well, and they do good. There is no doubt that such companies exist, which I admit in spite of my boredom and cynicism regarding most of the businessmen and "business intellectuals" that I deal with as a writer. Set up like an academic study, the book is a synthesis of the authors' findings while taking a long historical view of consistently excellent (i.e. "visionary") companies like H-P, Merck, and P&G. Not surprisingly, these companies do similar things: 1) they have visions and value that they try to uphold consistently throughout the company and to which they stay true over decades; 2) the set incredibly ambitious (and in retrospect realistic) goals that inspire their employees ("big hairy ambitious goals"); 3) they are cult-like in their beliefs in themselves; 4) they allow for trial and error, which lead to "evolutionary progress"; 5) they hire leadership from within; 6) they cultivate keeping their employees a bit off-balance ("uncomfortable") as a way of getting them to perform at their best; 7) they make sure that all elements work in concert and are internally consistent and self-reinforcing ("alignment"). That is it for the ideas, which are far more nuanced than the above paragraph. They could be summarized in one chapter, and the rest of the book is repetition and analysis by example. The examples are interesting and informative and the ideas, which have all been said before, are good to review in a systematic way. Very good. These are good and useful ideas, if somewhat banal. But then, doing business is rather dull for the most part - there are very few exciting companies out there, but most of them are like horribly dysfunctional families. This is the authors' bid to explain the good few. The tone of the book is rather modest, but the authors do get a bit too wordy and chummy in many instances. While I liked the modesty, I got bored with the chumminess. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: The Most Worthless Book I ever Read
Review: I was unfortunate enough to have to read this book for a Plant Management training program. I found this book to be inane and the conclusions drawn by the authors to be ridiculous and uninformed. Further, the "case studies" presented in the book are incomplete and involve an obvious "slant" based on the personal opinions of the authors. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN OBTAINING ANY USEFUL INFORMATION. This book should not rate even 1 star.
Rating:
Summary: Organizational Leadership Lessons For All
Review: This book is a "must-read" for anyone interested in organizational leadership. I was a bit nervous when I first picked up the book and learned that it was based off a formal study of companies. Fortunately, the very first paragraph of the introduction put me at ease and tickled my curiosity when it revealed that the book had "more than forty printings worldwide, translation into thirteen languages, and best-seller status in North America, Japan, South America, and parts of Europe." Now, having read the book, I understand why it has achieved such extraordinary success. The authors did a fantastic job of transforming cold statistics into meaningful analysis and then translating their analysis into plain language for students of management and leadership. Their many examples and common-sense conclusions were easy to understand and believe. Whether you are a CEO or a technician on the line, and work in a multi-national corporation or a small local business, this book's lessons can apply to you.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest Books ever written
Review: As a aspiring student for Management, I found this book to be one of the best books. Mr. Collins and Mr.Porras have done a great job in analyzing 18 best companies and also comparing these companies with similar 18 companies....The book which is 2 to 3 years old is still relevant today. The best part of the book is the concept of Core Ideology. This is different from Core Competency as explained in "In search of excellence". This is the best concept I think and will people to build great organizations. I recommend this book to all those aspiring Management students, Management Students and Managers.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Principles that Separate the Great from the Good
Review: In their richly illustrated Built To Last, the sequel of infamous Good To Great, Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras systematically explore what makes up a great company compared to a good company. A great company has a strong vision that encompasses both an immutable core ideology and envisioned future. That vision transcends the current leader of a great company because it has been institutionalized over time. Contrary to common wisdom, charismatic leadership can be very detrimental to even a great company. Furthermore, a great company nurtures its future leaders by promoting from within to preserve its essence over time. Collins and Porras demonstrate that bringing external "blood" to lead a (great) company in decline is often not very productive to turn around such a troubled company. In addition, a great company often commands a cult-like devotion from its staff. Disciplined people in thought and action are indeed self-motivated to help their company stay great. A great company also prospers by sticking to an evolutionary process that rigorously keeps the strongest ideas and lets the weakest ones die reflecting some BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) set previously. Although status quo is never perceived as satisfactory, vision is not lost out of sight. Collins and Porras show that both stimulation of change and preservation of the core are pursued at the same time vigorously. In Good To Great, Collins explains to his audience how to relate the above-mentioned concepts to the mutation of a good company into a great one.
Rating:
Summary: How to build it to last
Review: Built To Last was an extremely thought provoking and eye opening read. Built To Last studies some of the most successful (called the leading companies) and the following companies (non-leaders in an industry). The research for this book produced surprising results for the authors (and the reader). The authors found the there were at least twelve commonly held businesses beliefs that their research refuted. In essence these dearly held business beliefs were myths. Here is a look at each of the twelve myths and a sound byte describing each: 1. It takes a great idea to start a company Few visionary companies started with a great idea. Many companies started without any specific ideas (HP and Sony) and others were outright failures (3M). In fact a great idea may lead to road of not being able to adapt. 2. Visionary companies require great and charismatic visionary leaders A charismatic leader in not required and, in fact, can be detrimental to a company's long-term prospects. 3. The most successful companies exist first and foremost to maximize profits Not true. Profit counts, but is usually not at the top of the list. 4. Visionary companies share a common subset of "correct" core values They all have core values, but each is unique to a company and it's culture. 5. The only constant is change The core values can and often do last more then 100 years. 6. Blue-chip companies play it safe They take significant bet the company risks. 7. Visionary companies are great places to work, for everyone These companies are only great places to work if you fit the vision and culture. 8. Highly successful companies make some of their best moves by brilliant and complex strategic planning. They actually try a bunch of stuff and keep what works. 9. Companies should hire outside CEOs to stimulate fundamental change Most have had their change agents come from within the system. 10. The most successful companies focus primarily on beating the competition. They focus on beating themselves. 11. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Decisions don't have to either or, but can be boths. 12. Companies become visionary primarily through "vision statements". Vision is not a statement it is the way you do business. I would recommend this book to anyone engaged in developing and running a business at any level. If you want to design, build and run a lasting enterprise this book has some ideas and insights worth exploring.
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