Built To Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed
how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained
performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the
very beginning.
But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good
companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring
greatness? Are there those that convert long-term mediocrity or worse
into long-term superiority? If so, what are the distinguishing
characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?
Over five years, Jim Collins and his research team have analyzed the
histories of 28 companies, discovering why some companies make the leap
and others don't. The findings include:
- Level 5 Leadership: A surprising style, required for greatness.
- The Hedgehog Concept: Finding your three circles, to transcend the
curse of competence.
- A Culture of Discipline: The alchemy of great results.
- Technology Accelerators: How good-to-great companies think differently
about technology.
- The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Why those who do frequent
restructuring fail to make the leap.