Showing posts with label a-vip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a-vip. Show all posts

The Eleven Commandments of Wildly Successful Women Review

The Eleven Commandments of Wildly Successful Women
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The Eleven Commandments of Wildly Successful Women ReviewI agree with Lillian Vernon: This is a "must-read for women of all ages, with positive and original ideas, giving a refreshing and personal perspective." I also think it is a must-read for men...at least those in management positions who (perhaps motivated by self-interest, if by nothing else) want to develop "wildly successful" people of both genders. Most of us have been "stone-walled" at some point in our careers. Or perhaps we have on occasion felt that we have hit a "brick wall." Encountering a "glass ceiling" is far worse because we can see through the glass to what lies beyond...to what we are denied. I am reminded of Tantalus who, according to Greek mythology, offended the gods. His punishment was to remain in Hades for eternity, thirsty and hungry, placed up to his neck in water he could not drink beneath clusters of fruit he could not eat: So near and yet so far.
It is Pamela Boucher Gilberd's assertion that "Women's economic creativity is one of the best-kept secrets in business today....It's time to acknowledge the truth -- that working women have the tools to create wild success for themselves and others and that we use those tools every day." Written in 1996, The Eleven Commandments of Wildly Successful Women is based on 125 interviews with a wide-range of women who have achieved "wild success." Their collective experiences suggest eleven "commandments" which Gilberd introduces and then illustrates by cross-referencing the experiences and insights of those she interviewed. The final chapter is perhaps the most valuable. In it, she shares Angi Ma Wong's 15 "Golden Rules for a Successful Life" and then her own 10 "Ways to Keep the Cycle of Success Going Strong."
Since 1996 when this book was first published, many organizations have raised the so-called "glass ceiling" and I guess that's progress. ASAP, however, every "glass ceiling" must be permanently eliminated if there is to be equal opportunity to achieve "wild success." Intangible assets are much more valuable than are tangible assets. I refer specifically to the talent (albeit under-utilized) and the experience (albeit under-appreciated) of those within any organization. The remarkable women whom Gilberd interviewed are to be commended for what they accomplished, especially given the obstacles they had to overcome. They are also to be commended for sharing so generously what they have learned. In this instance, they are following the Eleventh Commandment: Give Back to Keep the Cycle of Success Going. Those who read this book will be well-prepared to overcome all manner of obstacles at work to achieve their own "wild success"...and to help others to do so also.The Eleven Commandments of Wildly Successful Women Overview

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The Book of Management Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Managers Review

The Book of Management Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Managers
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The Book of Management Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Managers ReviewPeter Krass has edited the Wisdom Series series which includes this volume. Each anthologizes brief essays by different "icons of business." A brief bio of each author precedes her or his essay. In the Introduction, Krass asserts that "Management boils down to this: Whether you're into management-by-walking-around, management-by-objective, management-by-exception, or management-by-crony, it's the attitude to the job that matters most.. He then suggests that "The Legends included [in this book] offer a complete arsenal of techniques, ideas, and instructional anecdotes" to help you address your own needs. Krass organizes the 53 essays within the following framework:
Part I: Essential Qualities of Great Managers
Part II: Productivity, Empowerment, and Conflict Management
Part III: Hiring, Firing, and Day-to-Day Management
Part IV: The Power of Technology
Part V: Lessons from Around the World
Part VI: Evolution of the Organization
Part VII: Bashing Bureaucracy
Part VIII: Reengineering and Transformation
Of the 53 essays, the ones I found most valuable are "How to Make Confrontation Work for You" (Andrew S. Grove), "Creating a Culture" (Sam Walton), "Managing Creativity" (John Sculley), "Managing Crown Princes" (David Ogilvy), "Friction Freedom" (Esther Dison), "The Mind of the Strategist" (Keniche Ohmae), and "Removing Walls" (John F. Welch, Jr.). A wide range of individuals discuss an even wider range of business issues. My suggestion is to select a topic or two of greatest interest and dive in. Because business circumstances can so often change so rapidly and (sometimes) unexpectedly, what you learn from what you read today may well help you to prepare more effectively for an uncertain future in which a new peril or opportunity emerges. Moreover, my guess is that there will be several other essays in this book to help you then, also.
I have reviewed most of the other volumes in this series and also recommend each of them highly.The Book of Management Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Managers Overview

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Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive Review

Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive
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Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive ReviewJennings' highly innovative, at times refreshingly unorthodox thinking was evident in his previously published books, It's Not the Big That Eat the Small...It's the Fast That Eat the Slow (co-authored with Laurence Haughton) and then Less Is More: How Great Companies Use Productivity As a Competitive Tool in Business.
As I read this volume, I was reminded of at least some of the material in Sun Tzu's The Art of War and, especially, the strategies recommended in a section called "Estimates" in Samuel B. Griffith's superb translation. For example: "All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable, feign incapacity; when active, inactivity. When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far away, that you are near. Offer the enemy a bait to lure him; feign disorder and strike him. When he concentrates, prepare against him; where he is strong, avoid him. Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance. When he is united, divide him. Attack when he is unprepared; sally out when he does not expect you." You get the idea.
Jennings is a staunch and eloquent advocate of this principle: Do much more and do it much better, faster, and do it with less. OK, but how? The answer to that question was revealed by rigorous and extensive research which he and his two associates (Brian Solon and Greg Powell) conducted. They began with 70,000 companies as candidates for designation as the best performing companies in the U.S. Among all of them, which have increased their revenue and profits by at least 10% for ten years or longer? Only nine qualified: Cabela's, Dot Foods, Koch Industries, Medline Industries, O'Reilly Automotive, PETCO Animal Supplies, SAS Institute, Sonic Drive-in, and Strayer Education.
Back to "How?" Jennings identifies ten "Building Blocks" which, in combination, explain why each of those in an obviously mixed bag of companies has been and continues to be a best performer (i.e. among the top one-hundredth of 1% of all U.S. companies). It would be a disservice to both Jennings and to those who read this brief commentary to list them and then comment on each out of the context within which Jennings so skillfully presents them. Suffice to say that all organizations (regardless of their size or nature) need to have all ten Building Blocks as a core foundation on which to increase their revenue and profits by at least 10% and then continue to do so year after year after year.
How revealing that the CEOs whom Jennings and his research associates interviewed indicate little (if any) interest in any of Sun Tzu's deception strategies...nor in what their competitors are up to, for that matter. They seem wholly preoccupied with sticking to their own "knitting," focusing on what their companies can do best, how to do it even better, and thereby deliver even greater value to their customers. Also, each seems determined to nourish and enhance the quality of life as well as standard of living of everyone involved in the enterprise. This is precisely what Jennings means when referring to building communities, Building Block #9. Employees, customers, and allies should be viewed as "partners" and treated as such.
Ultimately, one of the most formidable challenges for those in any organization is to achieve and then maintain an appropriate balance of "thinking BIG" while "acting small." Hence the importance of Section Three, "The Quad: A Self-Evaluation and Ranking," in which Jennings "breaks down the title of the book into four scenarios, each represented by a quadrant":
TSAS Think Small, Act Small
TSAB Think Small, Act Big
TBAB Think Big, Act Big
TBAS Think Big, Act Small
He applies this template to each of the ten Building Blocks. It remains for each reader to complete the self-evaluation, one which helps to measure her or his own organization's current situation. The details of this exercise are best revealed within the text, pages 189-201.
I highly recommend this book for reasons previously indicated but also because I cannot recall a prior time since the Great Depression when it was more difficult for companies to increase their revenue and profits by at least 10% for ten years or longer. Consider these statistics which Michael Gerber shares in his recently published E-Myth Mastery: "Of the 1 million U.S. small businesses started this year [2005], more than 80% of them will be out of business within 5 years and 96% will have closed their doors before their 10th birthday." Chilling statistics indeed. Here in a single volume is a rigorous analysis of how nine quite different companies have achieved and then sustained their "full economic and human potential."
How important and potentially valuable is this book? Please re-read the statistics provided by Gerber.Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive Overview

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The New CEO Corporate Leadership Manual Review

The New CEO Corporate Leadership Manual
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The New CEO Corporate Leadership Manual ReviewI purchased this product while I was interviewing for the position of CEO at a small but growing company. This book gave me the extra knowledge needed to surpass my competition and land the position. Thanks to The New CEO Corporate Leadership Manual, I was up-to-date on the workings of a modern corporation. I came in armed with solid strategies and practices so that, even in the hectic first few weeks, I felt as if I had been with the company for much longer. The rest of my team felt the same way. I highly recommend this book to anyone in, or soon to be in, the position of CEO.The New CEO Corporate Leadership Manual Overview

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How to Hit a Curveball: Confront and Overcome the Unexpected in Business Review

How to Hit a Curveball: Confront and Overcome the Unexpected in Business
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How to Hit a Curveball: Confront and Overcome the Unexpected in Business ReviewBe prepared for the worst while expecting the best. "How to Hit a Curveball: Confront and Overcome the Unexpected in Business" is a guide for business leaders in dealing with the many challenges that come when life doesn't go according to plan. Scott R. Singe, investment banker, uses his own experiences to encourage business leaders to think on their feet and be prepared for the random changes life likes to throw at them. "How to Hit a Curveball" is a valuable guide that shouldn't be missed for the fast thinking businessman.
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The Unwritten Laws of Business Review

The Unwritten Laws of Business
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The Unwritten Laws of Business ReviewBasically, as a 50-year old professional, this book delivers little of what I have not already learned through trial and error.
This book allows you to learn without the scar tissue which I have accumulated from my "trial and error" travails.
Had someone come to me with this book when I was young -- when I intentionally continued to live in my world (by stealth) in order not to heed to the advice of my elders and continued to avoid their prophetic advice -- I would have been much better informed.
My recommenddation for AARP-card carrying members like myself, get a young'un to deliver this common sensical verse of advice at the young and restless person's door step (God forbid a gray-haired geezer be the deliverer of this book of truisms); and, then pray that the easily read words written therein somehow can be absorbed -- even if only partly. This book only offers good advice, so the more taken -- the more good is given.
"Pass it on."The Unwritten Laws of Business Overview

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The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment Review

The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment
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The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment ReviewThe Strategy-Focused Organization
Building on their Balanced Scorecard approach, Kaplan and Norton have developed an impressive framework in The Strategy-Focused Organization for the implementation of strategy. They have found that 90% of strategic initiatives fail due not to formulation but to implementation difficulties. Successful implementation of strategy requires all parts of an organizations to be aligned and linked to the strategy, while strategy itself must become a continual process in which everyone is involved. The Balanced Scorecard, originally seen by the authors as a measurement tool, is now presented as a means for implementing strategy by creating alignment and focus.
Financial measures report on lagging financial indicators. The Balanced Scorecard aims to report on the drivers of future value creation. The book shows in detail how this is done from four perspectives: Financial, customer, internal business perspective, and learning and growth (these are outlined on p.77). These four perspectives produce a highly detailed framework when combined with the five principles of a strategy-focused organization: 1: Translate the strategy to operational terms. 2: Align the organization to the strategy. 3: Make strategy everyone's everyday job. 4: Make strategy a continual process. 5: Mobilize change through executive leadership.
Absorbing every detail of this book will require many hours. The sheer detail of this complex system requires considerable attention, perhaps more than some readers can muster, but clearly distinguishes this work from many books full of business fluff. The style tends to be turgid and pedantic while being admirably complete. Readers can grasp the essence of the book's central points by reading only Chapter 1 (Creating the Strategy-Focused Organization), Chapter 3 (Building Strategy Maps), and Chapter 8 (Creating Strategic Awareness). Skip quickly through the chapters in Part Two: Aligning the Organization to Create Synergies. This section is the least engaging of the five. The balanced scorecard approach to strategy will appeal to those with a systematizing frame of mind. The book is filled with complex diagrams of corporate processes consisting of interrelated boxes and forces.
This approach is extremely detailed and complex. It requires a major commitment and effort. Though the authors claim it can be implemented by smaller organizations, this will be more challenging than for large companies who can commit a team full time to working out the details.
Much of the value of the approach may lie not so much in following through on completely working out the balanced scorecard but on absorbing the lessons regarding organizational integration across silos and the importance of clarity about mission, strategy, and goals. The balanced scorecard is one way to achieve and implement this clarity but not the only way. Another would be continual reiteration of these (as in Confessions of An Extraordinary Executive). Some companies may benefit from strict use of this system, including finding units of measurement for its implementation. Others will gain much from applying the insights without such a formal and complete implementation.The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment Overview

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The Book of Leadership Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders (Book of Business Wisdom) Review

The Book of Leadership Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders (Book of Business Wisdom)
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The Book of Leadership Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders (Book of Business Wisdom) ReviewThis should be on every leader's or "wanna-be" leader's desk. Written by some of our past century's most effective leaders and edited to provide "side-bars" for the most important points in each of their articles, this book provides a much-needed tool. I have used it to draw on for speeches, research papers, and debate points. I first checked it out from the library to see if the content was worth buying - and I immediately ordered it! This definitely provides food for thought and inspiration. It includes not only the actual articles written by the leaders, but also a one-page profile/background on each.The Book of Leadership Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders (Book of Business Wisdom) Overview

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12: The Elements of Great Managing Review

12: The Elements of Great Managing
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12: The Elements of Great Managing ReviewThe 12 elements represent the aspects of work that are most powerful in explaining workers' productive motivations on the job. They include job clarity, materials and equipment, recognition and praise... learning and growth opportunities.
These are my reasons for rating this book 5 stars:
1. The insights are backed by empirical evidence,
2. Although the approach is scientific, the book is easy to understand,
3. It incorporates international perspectives.
The authors illustrate the 12 Elements with examples from the US, Brazil, Germany, India and other countries. The insights are practical and backed by empirical evidence gathered from 10 million employee and manager interviews from 114 countries. In this book employee engagement has been linked to business performance. The authors have compared the top-quartile and bottom-quartile business units for the Elements, and have measured the overall difference between engaged and actively disengaged employees. Throughout the book you will read results that link these differences to a variety of business metrics - productivity, profitability, absenteeism, turnover, shrink (the retailers' euphemism for theft), accidents, customer ratings, etc. I enjoyed the way in which the findings were presented. Each chapter starts with a situation where a company has problems related to an Element. The authors then present their research and findings. After that a "great" manager implements changes and saves the day.
This book is exceptionally well researched. In addition to research by Gallup, it includes references from the works of several other researchers and authors that stretch across time and disciplines; for example Economics (from Adam Smith to Steven Levitt), Psychology (from Abraham Maslow to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi), Management (from Frederick Taylor to Jeffrey Pfeffer)... Movies (Office Space), TV (Seinfeld) and Cartoons (Dilbert). The book also includes discoveries from neuroscience and game theory.
A note on the important of empirical evidence:
Many managers prefer to manage by their gut feelings, intuition, or by whatever fad that consulting firms are selling. For them, "evidence" often means personal, N=1 experience, and not consistent demonstration of results across contexts and time. That's part of the reason that they will continue to create the same problems that so many before them have made. Today, movements such as "evidence based management" are gaining popularity in academic and business circles. Several HR and Organizational Behavior professionals and professors (for instance Stanford's Pfeffer and Sutton) are applying techniques from science, engineering and statistics to the discipline of management.
Overall, I found this to be an excellent book and recommend it to all managers. Should you be interested, please feel free to read my guides and other reviews of management books.
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Going to the Top: A Road Map for Success from America's Leading Women Executives Review

Going to the Top: A Road Map for Success from America's Leading Women Executives
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Going to the Top: A Road Map for Success from America's Leading Women Executives ReviewThis book deserves more than five stars.
While many have theories about why women executives do and don't rise to the top, Carol Gallagher has done a real service by going out to find out what those who are succeeding have been doing that worked. She did this in a landmark study that involved personal interviews with 200 women who are either CEOs or within two levels of being CEOs in their Fortune 1000 companies. And, interestingly, she also interviewed many of their bosses (often males) including many CEOs. These latter interviews serve as a sort of control on the self-reporting of the women executives.
The book gets to the heart of the matter. I liked that. While almost all male MBAs aspire to be CEOs, a majority of female MBAs do not. You have to have the goal of going to the top before you can hope to be in the contest. This is the first book about women in business that makes that point, but it is a very important one.
The part of the book that absolutely delighted me was the effort put into dispelling myths about what it takes to succeed that were not proven out in the research. As an example, most women feel they have to have a powerful mentor. Gallagher finds that to be partially right: Women executives need a lot of advocates, not just one mentor.
Two other points in the book really delighted me. One was a thorough treatment of what relationships in the workplace should be for women. I often find women executives to have stalled thinking in this area. Women executives both need more relationships and more professional ones. The point is well explained.
I also liked the emphasis on being effective, rather than being perfect. All of us in business have seen people become ineffective in search of perfection. The point is nicely made here. Don't interrupt the CEO if she/he makes a small mistatement to the board. Your relationship with the CEO, and the CEO's relationship with the board are much too important to interrupt for something that minor. If you don't have all the data you would like, don't start off the presentation with an apology. Be accurate, and be both positive and confident.
The last part of the book is an excellent section on how to think about life choices (45 percent of the women surveyed had no children), and getting on a path that can lead towards and to the top.
I know of no other book of this calibre on this subject. I heartily recommend that all women and men executives read this book. The women can apply it directly and use it to mentor others. Men can do the same. Although the points and research are phrased in terms of women, the ideas apply just as well to men.
If you read only one business book this year, make it this one! In these talent scarce times, helping everyone become more effective at reaching their own goals at their own speed is the best thing we can all do.Going to the Top: A Road Map for Success from America's Leading Women Executives Overview

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The Real Story of Informix Software and Phil White: Lessons in Business and Leadership for the Executive Team Review

The Real Story of Informix Software and Phil White: Lessons in Business and Leadership for the Executive Team
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The Real Story of Informix Software and Phil White: Lessons in Business and Leadership for the Executive Team ReviewThis is an interesting, if sterile, dissection of the rise and fall of one-time Silicon Valley darling Informix and their charismatic CEO, Phil White. Author Steve Martin was an Informix employee in the critical years from 1991 through 1997, and therefore speaks with the authority and insider's knowledge not found in the perspective of an outside journalist, burdened by the baggage of an interviewee's selective recall. Martin couples with the history a series of business lessons, which, while not profound, provide a succinct primer of management basics that are broadly applicable. Not the least of these lessons is the danger in allowing personal rivalries to cloud sound business judgment. In the case of Informix, an irrational focus on beating Oracle and it's obnoxious CEO, Larry Ellison, could be traced to Informix's eventual demise. While Martin is admittedly a Phil White sympathizer, he is not an apologist, and does a good job of presenting the other side of the story that was so negatively twisted by a scandal-crazed press and a US Justice Department which, in the days of Enron and WorldCom, was chomping at the bit to get a major CEO in handcuffs doing the perp walk wearing stripes. Even the most cynical critic of Informix and White must concede that the offense that ultimately sunk the Informix ship was disproportional to the consequences delivered by Judge Breyer.This book will be most appreciated by those who have lived and worked in Silicon Valley during the days immediately preceding the Internet boom and subsequent bust, as well as those not intimidated by a fairly heavy dosage of product-related technical jargon. Having been a Silicon Valley CEO at the time with some familiarity with White and the team, I was hoping for more specifics in the disastrous Illustra acquisition - especially more of the personalities involved - but that in no way impacts a solid story that deserves to be chronicled. In summary, if you're looking for an orgy of Informix gossip and dirty laundry, this isn't it. But for a quick and insightful history of an important chapter in Silicon Valley, "The Real Story of Informix Software..." is worth the time.
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Concise Guide to Macroeconomics: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know Review

Concise Guide to Macroeconomics: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know
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Concise Guide to Macroeconomics: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know ReviewIt is rare to find a book so aptly described by its title as "A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics." The book really is concise; the text is only 141 pages long, and even that number might give an exaggerated impression because there are fairly wide margins and two blank pages between each chapter, as well as numerous graphs and tables. Yet in those 141 pages, this guidebook covers the essentials of output and GDP accounting, the role of money, interest and expectations in monetary policy and business cycles, a brief monetary history of the United States, as well as the basics of international economics: why countries trade, how to read a balance of payments statement, and what sorts of forces move exchange rates.
The tables and charts scattered throughout the book provide excellent intuition for understanding international comparisons of GDP, the history of business cycles, or whatever topic is presently at hand. All of these media are well referenced in the text, clearly explained, and contain up-to-date information. Moss also illustrates some concepts, such as the Ricardian theory of comparative advantage, with examples of his own; these too are excellent.
What impresses me most about the book is that Moss seems to have gotten the technical level just right: this book has none of the anecdote-ridden flakiness so common to journalistic writing about economics, nor is it ponderous or over-burdened with theory. This guide will aptly explain the essentials of the field to those who are curious; I know of no other book like it, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you have any lingering doubts (you shouldn't) just click on the "Search Inside" icon at the top of the page, and click "Surprise Me" to get a random sample of Moss's writing.Concise Guide to Macroeconomics: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know Overview

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The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation Review

The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation
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The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation ReviewAuthors A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan in "The Game-Changer" make the case that innovation - the conversion of a new idea into revenue and profits - does not have to follow conventional wisdom that small companies are better innovators because they are nimbler and have a more coherent sense of purpose. Lafley and Charan alternate throughout the book with Lafley, the operating executive, providing the "how' in how he turned around Proctor & Gamble by operationalizing innovation, and Charan, the organizational and business researcher, providing the "why" of its spectacular success.
Lafley admits to some truth in the small company stereotype but he believes larger companies can be just as innovative as small companies, if not more so. Big companies have significant advantages - scale, management capability, and resources to take risks - that should facilitate innovation. But these advantages are wasted due to layers of management that stretch decision cycle times, internal vested interests to maintain the status quo, and the lack of a growth-through-innovation process.
"Game-Changers" outlines the principles(1) of innovation Lafley developed, the how and why innovation changed P&G's game, and the steps Lafley took to operationalize innovation which has led to the consumer-industry's leading organic sales growth rate. He believes that a disciplined innovation process, like that at P&G, can be central to growth for any company, in any industry. He cautions, though, that one size does not fit all, and each company must adapt the principles to their unique circumstances.
Having spent the past 20 plus years in Silicon Valley shepherding innovative medical technologies to the market, I can personally attest that the acceleration of change today is unprecedented. There are many more opportunities today for teams like mine to disrupt and create obsolescence for larger companies. It appears that Lafley and Charan have got the principles right, and P&G appears to have gotten their application right. The remaining questions are: Will this be sustainable? Transferable? Will game-changers(2) become the next "big thing" in operational excellence?
Footnotes:
1. The principles of innovation include: motivating purpose and values; stretching goals; choiceful strategies; unique core strengths; enabling structures; consistent and reliable systems; a courageous and connected culture; and inspiring leadership.
2. A game-changer is: a visionary strategist who alters the game his business plays or conceives an entirely new game; a creator who uses innovation as the basis for sustaining profitable organic growth and consistently improving margins; a leader who understands that the consumer or customer - not the CEO - is boss; a catalyst who uses innovation to drive every element of business from strategy to organization, and from budgeting and resource allocation to selecting, rewarding, and promoting people; an integrator who sees innovation as an integrated end-to-end process, not a series of discrete steps; a breaker of chains of commoditization who creates differentiated and value-added brands and businesses through innovation; and a hardheaded humanist who sees innovation as a social process and understands that human interaction - how people talk and work together - is the key to innovation, not just technology.
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