Rating: 
Summary: more sizzle than steak
Review: The premise is great and Mark Feldman is really bright but the execution doesn't cut it. Five Frogs is sort of like "who Moved My Cheese?" for integration practitioners. The difference is that CEOs and senior managers looking for substance and guidance not fluff will be gravely disappointed. In it's quest to be entertaining, the book loses its substance. The tone and content of this book are more appropriate for junior managers or junior high school. In terms of message: Five frogs feels like it was excerpted from the culture section of "Winning at Mergers & Acquisitions" by Clemente and Greenspan. That book dedicates an entire section to integration and places organizational change in a more real-life context. Another book that speaks to the reader clearly about culture change without the need for fables or fantasy is "Leading Organizations through Transition" by Deetz, Tracy and Simpson. Five Frogs on a Log is more sizzle than steak.
Rating:
Summary: M&A Light
Review: The two keys to successful M&A are 1)knowing the right things to do and 2)doing them. Five Frogs clearly provides a list of the former. In a lighthearted way, it shares many anecdotes and tales that have nothing to do with business but are analagous to M&A to help establish a proper mindset, which is critical if one is to succeed in integration. But it falls short (and I think intentionally)because its goal is to make you want to hire the author to fill in the blanks. So in essence, it's an entertaining 200 page brochure.Unfortunately, if you're actually looking for the meat and potatoes, it's not in this book but between the covers of "Winning at Mergers & Acquisitions" by Clemente and Greenspan and "Joining Forces" by Marks and Mirvis. Those books, especially the first which has twice the information, can effectively act as your M&A bible providing strategy, due diligence, cultural and integration guidance. That is my preferred fieldguide to accelerating the transition.
Rating: 
Summary: Very thought provoking
Review: This book is an excellent view of the M&A process from a very different angle. Many books cover the mechanics of the process, but this one looks at the outcomes for human beings - our most important assets. I would recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Very thought provoking
Review: This book is an excellent view of the M&A process from a very different angle. Many books cover the mechanics of the process, but this one looks at the outcomes for human beings - our most important assets. I would recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Very thought provoking
Review: This book is an excellent view of the M&A process from a very different angle. Many books cover the mechanics of the process, but this one looks at the outcomes for human beings - our most important assets. I would recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone going through a merger or acquisition
Review: This book is outstanding. Finally a book about how to make a deal work instead of how to get one done. Feldman and Spratt truly capture the ills of living through a merger and offer insightful and thorough actions to take in order to maximize the value of any deal. Thank you, Bob S.
Rating:
Summary: Pragmatic, Insightful, and Results-oriented
Review: This is what I found useful reading the book:1. The book lets you know what to expect in M&A and Transitions. 2. It lets you gain insights on economic value creation, and teaches you to focus on the bottom-line. 3. It provides a clear framework for communications at different levels to different stakeholders (customers, employees, shareholders, regulators, vendors, et al.) 4. It also sensitizes you to potential competitive threats during the critical period of transition. 5. It virtually hands you a launch plan for transition, but with enough insights via stories and incidents that you can adapt it; and learn multidimensionally. (e.g., What would I do when two of my competitors merge?) The authors' communication is lucid, ideas are pragmatic and insightful, and the focus is on the bottom-line. READ THIS FIRST!
Rating:
Summary: Pragmatic, Insightful, and Results-oriented
Review: This is what I found useful reading the book: 1. The book lets you know what to expect in M&A and Transitions. 2. It lets you gain insights on economic value creation, and teaches you to focus on the bottom-line. 3. It provides a clear framework for communications at different levels to different stakeholders (customers, employees, shareholders, regulators, vendors, et al.) 4. It also sensitizes you to potential competitive threats during the critical period of transition. 5. It virtually hands you a launch plan for transition, but with enough insights via stories and incidents that you can adapt it; and learn multidimensionally. (e.g., What would I do when two of my competitors merge?) The authors' communication is lucid, ideas are pragmatic and insightful, and the focus is on the bottom-line. READ THIS FIRST!
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