Average customer rating: Super Social Thought-provoking for non-profits A must read for anyone in a leadership position Great Principles make for Great Outcomes Good to GREAT

Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great Jim Collins Manufacturer: HarperCollins ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Similar Items: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference ASIN: 0977326403

Book Description

• This monograph is a response to questions raised by readers in the social sector. It is not a new book.
• Jim Collins wants to avoid any confusion about the monograph being a book by limiting its distribution to online retailers.
• Based on interviews and workshops with over 100 social sector leaders.
• The difference between successful organizations is not between the business and the social sector, the difference is between good organizations and great ones.

  Customer Reviews:

  Super Social.......2007-10-22

  In my own research on high performance I have found that there is indeed such a thing as a Superperforming nonprofit. The pattern is the same here as well - robust process wed to robust culture. The volunteer and fundraising nature of nonprofits seems to render culture and process a special case, but it does not seem so different to me then the PXC phenomenon in a profit-seeking enterprise. In fact, I have run across incredibly enlightened and spiritual for-profits, and astonishingly evil (yes that's right, and you know who you are) and destructive nonprofits, some even faith-based! The simple truth is still the simple truth - - - look to the tip top of the organization and there you will learn what kind of organization you are dealing with. BTW, this is a great 'monograph' Jim Collins is most definitely a "level 5" thought leader.
  
  also read Superperformance

  Thought-provoking for non-profits.......2007-09-06

  A friend mentioned Good to Great in a sermon and I thought it might be a worthwhile read for me as the executive director of a non-profit association facing the challenge of how take the organization to the next level.
  
  I found the book fascinating and will share it with my Board of Directors as a roadmap for how we will move our organization from good to great.
  
  The monograph provides a great overview of the concepts developed in the book and is of a very manageable length.
  
  I would strongly recommend it to leaders of non-profits as a basis for a conversation about their organization making the great leap forward.

  A must read for anyone in a leadership position.......2007-09-05

  This is a great companion for Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't for anyone that works in the social sector. As an assistant principal in a large, suburban high school, this book helped to bring into focus the principles reviewed in Good to Great.

  Great Principles make for Great Outcomes.......2007-09-04

  The social sector does not need to be more business like; it needs to implement more great business principles tailored for the social entities economic engine - so says Collins in this 35 page, add-on for a future "Good to Great" update. In addition to tailoring some of the Great principles
  * Define Great by calibrating success without business (monetary) metrics
  * Lead thru a blend of personal humility and professional will to get things done within a diffuse power structure
  * Get high quality people with a personal commitment to the cause on-board the bus
  * Find the intersection of the social entity's Passion, Best at, and its Resource Engine
  * Build brand recognition
  to the specifics of the social entity, Collins suggests that the leadership principle of managing within a diffuse power structure is something for the business sector to learn; as business executives do not have the same concentration of pure executive power they once enjoyed.
  
  All in, a useful bit of thinking for those in a not-for-profit enterprise, as well as for business leaders who like to look at organizational effectiveness from different perspectives. Dennis DeWilde, author of The Performance Connection
  

  Good to GREAT.......2007-08-10

  Jim Collins is always spot on. The insights he presents are presented with such clarity and ease of reading that I look forward to anything he does. I use it as a key part of the extensive Strategic Visioning work I do. While I enjoy all of his work, being in the social service sector, I can personally and professionally validate this offering with enthusiasm.

  Average customer rating: Effectively Managing Change Wow - thoughtful AND useful Amazing!! Still the definitive work on Change Envision, introduce, sustain change. or die.

  Leading Change John P Kotter Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Organizational Change | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Leadership | Harvard Business School Press | By Publisher | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Strategy Planning | Harvard Business School Press | By Publisher | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books General | Finance | Accounting & Finance | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books Similar Items: The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change The Heart of Change Field Guide: Tools and Tactics for Leading Change in Your Organization Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done ASIN: 0875847471

  Book Description

  In Leading Change, John Kotter examines the efforts of more than 100 companies to remake themselves into better competitors. He identifies the most common mistakes leaders and managers make in attempting to create change and offers an eight-step process to overcome the obstacles and carry out the firm's agenda: establishing a greater sense of urgency, creating the guiding coalition, developing a vision and strategy, communicating the change vision, empowering others to act, creating short-term wins, consolidating gains and producing even more change, and institutionalizing new approaches in the future. This highly personal book reveals what John Kotter has seen, heard, experienced, and concluded in 25 years of working with companies to create lasting transformation.

  Customer Reviews:

  Effectively Managing Change.......2007-08-17

  In this book, Kotter methodically and carefully explains his eight-step process for creating major change in business organizations. He notes that the rate of organisational change has been increasing in recent years. The rapid and continual innovation in technology is driving changes to organisational systems and processes. There are also increased expectations of employees as they move more freely between organisations.
  
  Kotter highlights the critical importance of leadership in any change programme. Strong, sustained leadership is crucial to changing deeply rooted corporate cultures and successfully implementing the change process.
  
  John Kotter describes a helpful eight step model for understanding and managing change. Each stage acknowledges a key principle identified by Kotter relating to people's response and approach to change, in which people see, feel and then change.
  
  In spite of the importance and permanence of organisational change, most change initiatives fail to deliver the expected organisational benefits. This book should help those involved in the change process to avoid the pitfalls and follow the eight steps that are explained in detail in the book.
  
  Anyone planning or implementing a change programme will find the book useful, helpful and handy. The author presents the subject in a simple, concise, and easy to follow format.
  
  

  Wow - thoughtful AND useful.......2007-06-28

  Kotter's book is a roadmap of how to introduce a culture change effectively into an organization. Similar to "Good to Great" (Jim Collins), the book is much better organized and thorough.

  Amazing!!.......2007-06-26

  Have no further words to describe how increrable John Kotter brings in a easy way a subject so complex and important now-a-days. Indeed, it is recommend for all leaders who wants to take right decisions during turbulent times.

  Still the definitive work on Change.......2007-06-13

  I have been working in the change arena for the last 15 years and Kotter's book on Leading Change is still the definitive work. Based on his seminal 1994 HBR article "Leading Change: Why Transformations efforts fail" this is the best down-to-earth guide for both consultants and managers leading change. It has good practical examples and straightforward arguments - no psychological mumbo jumbo.

  Envision, introduce, sustain change. or die........2007-05-09

  Kotter gives us here a valuable handbook on how to visualize, introduce, and sustain change in an organization. Here are a few quotes:
  "Handling new initiatives quickly is not an essential component of success in relatively stable or cartel-like environments. The problem for us today is that stability is no longer the norm. And most experts agree that over the next few decades the business environment will become only more volatile."
  "Useful change tends to be associated with a multistep process that creates power and motivation sufficient to overwhelm all the sources of inertia."

  Average customer rating: Jim Collins is a Level 5 Thought Leader Great Thorough analysis with actionable recommendations From Good to Great to Best Greatness Revealed

  Good to Great CD: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't Manufacturer: HarperAudio ProductGroup: Book Binding: Audio CD Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books Management | Business | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books Similar Items: Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done ASIN: 0060794410 Release Date: 2005-06-14

  Amazon.com's Best of 2001

  Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last, concludes that it is possible, but finds there are no silver bullets. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not so great, the book offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider. Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come. --Harry C. Edwards

  Book Description

  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.

  Customer Reviews:

  Jim Collins is a Level 5 Thought Leader.......2007-10-23

  I can confirm many of the ideas in this book from my own research on Superperformance. There is a consistent pattern that underlies high performing companies of every stripe. It is interesting to note that many of the companies lauded in GOOD TO GREAT and BUILT TO LAST are no longer shining so bright. Succession planning should focus on sustaining the 'way of being' not the CEO.
  
  also read Superperformance

  Great.......2007-10-20

  Two things I love about this book.
  1. It is bang on in terms of the things that matter to a tech startup
  2. It is short - half the book is methodology

  Thorough analysis with actionable recommendations.......2007-10-20

  This book was recommended to me by someone I respect so I didn't do much research before ordering. At first the easy reading style gave me the impression that it had little substance. However, after getting into the book I realized that there was a great deal of substantive research backing up the recommendations. Some of the reviews have indicated a concern that the rules may have changed since the research was conducted. I too had reservations that his research might be a bit dated. However after further reflection and observation of current organizations I would have to firmly disagree. Mr. Collins and his research team have uncovered timeless recommendations that I plan to put into action in my organization. Moreover, my company was listed as one of the "Comparison Companies" not considered "Great" during the time periods analyzed. Fortunately, a lot has changed since the analysis period in the book. We merged with a better company which resulted in a much stronger leadership team and more effective corporate culture.

  From Good to Great to Best.......2007-10-19

  This well researched book provides the principles to enable good companies to become great. The "first who, then what" concept contradicts the old "What first (Vision, mission, guiding principles, tactics, etc)". Having read Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self, I am convinced that there is an additional step required to experience organizational optimization - execution based on Optimal Thinking by individuals, teams, departments and the entire organization. When we choose, attract and retain the best, we stop settling for second best (which could be great). I recommend both books.

  Greatness Revealed.......2007-10-19

  As I was reading this book, I thought numerous times of how wonderful it would be if I was working at a company that was trying to transform itself from good to great. The reality, however, is that most people don't work at great companies. Instead, most of us work at mediocre companies fighting to stay alive in today's competitive business world, unsure as to the one thing the business could do better than anyone else.
  
  This book is thoroughly researched and thought provoking. The ideas are timeless and, if followed, I am convinced that the results would speak for themselves. The eleven or so companies used as model companies in the book that changed from good to great are still thriving today, six years after the book was published, and the employees engaged in the work love it, I am sure. And who wouldn't? Working with a company determined to be successful would be exciting, if not challenging. I only wish I could bring up some of the practices described in detail in this book to those leaders of my current company. Until changes are made, its greatness will forever be on hold.

  Average customer rating: Interesting book but very dull. Womack and Jones, very engaging. Worth Every Penny My husband loved it Excellent Book with Detailed Lean Conversion Techniques

  Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated James P. Womack , Daniel T. Jones , James Womack , and Daniel Jones Manufacturer: Free Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Similar Items: The Toyota Way The Machine That Changed the World : The Story of Lean Production Lean Solutions: How Companies and Customers Can Create Value and Wealth Together The Goal Learning to See Version 1.3 ASIN: 0743249275

  Amazon.com

  In the revised and updated edition of Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, authors James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones provide a thoughtful expansion upon their value-based business system based on the Toyota model. Along the way they update their action plan in light of new research and the increasing globalization of manufacturing, and they revisit some of their key case studies (most of which still derive, however, from the automotive, aerospace, and other manufacturing industries).

  The core of the lean model remains the same in the new edition. All businesses must define the "value" that they produce as the product that best suits customer needs. The leaders must then identify and clarify the "value stream," the nexus of actions to bring the product through problems solving, information management, and physical transformation tasks. Next, "lean enterprise" lines up suppliers with this value stream. "Flow" traces the product across departments. "Pull" then activates the flow as the business re-orients towards the pull of the customer's needs. Finally, with the company reengineered towards its core value in a flow process, the business re-orients towards "perfection," rooting out all the remaining muda (Japanese for "waste") in the system.

  Despite the authors' claims to "actionable principles for creating lasting value in any business during any business conditions," the lean model is not demonstrated with broad applications in the service or retail industries. But those manager's whose needs resonate with those described in the Lean Thinking case studies will find a host of practical guidelines for streamlining their processes and achieving manufacturing efficiencies. --Patrick O'Kelley

  Book Description

  Expanded, updated, and more relevant than ever, this bestselling business classic by two internationally renowned management analysts describes a business system for the twenty-first century that supersedes the mass production system of Ford, the financial control system of Sloan, and the strategic system of Welch and GE. It is based on the Toyota (lean) model, which combines operational excellence with value-based strategies to produce steady growth through a wide range of economic conditions.

  In contrast with the crash-and-burn performance of companies trumpeted by business gurus in the 1990s, the firms profiled in Lean Thinking -- from tiny Lantech to midsized Wiremold to niche producer Porsche to gigantic Pratt & Whitney -- have kept on keeping on, largely unnoticed, along a steady upward path through the market turbulence and crushed dreams of the early twenty-first century. Meanwhile, the leader in lean thinking -- Toyota -- has set its sights on leadership of the global motor vehicle industry in this decade.

  Instead of constantly reinventing business models, lean thinkers go back to basics by asking what the customer really perceives as value. (It's often not at all what existing organizations and assets would suggest.) The next step is to line up value-creating activities for a specific product along a value stream while eliminating activities (usually the majority) that don't add value. Then the lean thinker creates a flow condition in which the design and the product advance smoothly and rapidly at the pull of the customer (rather than the push of the producer). Finally, as flow and pull are implemented, the lean thinker speeds up the cycle of improvement in pursuit of perfection. The first part of this book describes each of these concepts and makes them come alive with striking examples.

  Lean Thinking clearly demonstrates that these simple ideas can breathe new life into any company in any industry in any country. But most managers need guidance on how to make the lean leap in their firm. Part II provides a step-by-step action plan, based on in-depth studies of more than fifty lean companies in a wide range of industries across the world.

  Even those readers who believe they have embraced lean thinking will discover in Part III that another dramatic leap is possible by creating an extended lean enterprise for each of their product families that tightly links value-creating activities from raw materials to customer.

  In Part IV, an epilogue to the original edition, the story of lean thinking is brought up-to-date with an enhanced action plan based on the experiences of a range of lean firms since the original publication of Lean Thinking.

  Lean Thinking does not provide a new management "program" for the one-minute manager. Instead, it offers a new method of thinking, of being, and, above all, of doing for the serious long-term manager -- a method that is changing the world.

  Customer Reviews:

  Interesting book but very dull........2007-08-27

  I found this book to be interesting, but I hard trouble finishing it because the writing was so boring. Despite the dullness the book did get me thinking of product in a different way.

  Womack and Jones, very engaging........2007-08-26

  Lean Thinking- A very well written account of a long study of the theory of customer driven value thinking. The elimination of waste in accomplishing customer driven trade is the main goal of this theory. The book has been tuned over a series of revisions, so it is well polished. While I am no expert on the topic, I can at least attest to the fact that the volume is well written and referenced. Their views are spread over a period of many years, giving them the benefit of tracking case study performance over the long term. Companies both large and small have been studied and tracked to determine the benefits of these theories.

  Worth Every Penny.......2007-07-30

  
  A most readable book on an important subject of productivity. The comment on outsourcing is insightful and the emphasis on human element is so crucial. Productivity is not all about bigger and better machines but about management and employee been willing to take risks to think out of a box. Mr. Womack has made a significant contribution to the on-going dicussion of productivity in a globalized world.

  My husband loved it.......2007-04-10

  My husband loved this book so much that this was actually purchased as a gift for another man in his office.

  Excellent Book with Detailed Lean Conversion Techniques .......2007-02-01

  This book provides many case studies of companies outside of the auto industry that converted to lean production. It details the personnel changes they had to make, changes in factory layout, differences in the supply chain and much more. Where "The Machine that Changed the World" was a primer to lean production, "Lean Thinking" is more of a how-to book. Together, they make a great pair and provide a fairly in-depth view of the subject. As in, "The Machine that Changed the World", there is plenty of hard data to back up the claims that these companies improved after switching to lean thinking.
  
  I am a college student majoring in mechanical engineering and read this book and "The Machine that Changed the World" to get a broad understanding of lean production. The two books did just that and even gave me many ideas on how to convert a student organization I am involved with (SAE) to more of a lean organization. As much as possible anyway.

  Average customer rating: How many faces do you recognise? Good stories, but very IDEO-centric Innovation-in-depth Easy suggestions for increasing innovation Inspiring and fun

  The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Defeating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization Thomas Kelley , and Jonathan Littman Manufacturer: Currency ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Product Management | Marketing | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Similar Items: The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It Harvard Business Review on Innovation Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators: From Idea to Execution Thoughtless Acts?: Observations on Intuitive Design ASIN: 0385512074 Release Date: 2005-10-18

  Book Description

  The author of the bestselling The Art of Innovation reveals the strategies IDEO, the world-famous design firm, uses to foster innovative thinking throughout an organization and overcome the naysayers who stifle creativity.
  
  The role of the devil's advocate is nearly universal in business today. It allows individuals to step outside themselves and raise questions and concerns that effectively kill new projects and ideas, while claiming no personal responsibility. Nothing is more potent in stifling innovation.
  
  Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience managing IDEO, Kelley identifies ten roles people can play in an organization to foster innovation and new ideas while offering an effective counter to naysayers. Among these approaches are the Anthropologist—the person who goes into the field to see how customers use and respond to products, to come up with new innovations; the Cross-pollinator who mixes and matches ideas, people, and technology to create new ideas that can drive growth; and the Hurdler, who instantly looks for ways to overcome the limits and challenges to any situation.
  
  Filled with engaging stories of how companies like Kraft, Procter and Gamble, Cargill and Samsung have incorporated IDEO's thinking to transform the customer experience, THE TEN FACES OF INNOVATION is an extraordinary guide to nurturing and sustaining a culture of continuous innovation and renewal.

  Customer Reviews:

  How many faces do you recognise?.......2007-08-13

  Building on the Art of Innovation, Kelly brings us the new theory of the ten faces of innovation. It is simple to read and easy to understand. Another book which I found just as breezy to read was Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers.

  Good stories, but very IDEO-centric.......2007-07-30

  Tom Kelley's book The Ten Faces of Innovation defines ten personas (thankfully not "named"--Bob, Sally, etc--just titled) that exemplify roles in an innovative team. They aren't job titles or exclusive positions, and people can work across roles as well.
  
  * The Anthropologist, who observes people and discovers ways to help them
  * The Experimenter, an expert in prototyping and testing, probably the classic "innovator"
  * The Cross-Pollinator, with broad interests who enjoys connecting different cultures
  * The Hurdler, who champions projects and carries them over beaurocratic obstacles
  * The Collaborator, who brings people together to work cooperatively
  * The Director, encouraging, inspiring, supporting, organizing and championing innovators
  * The Experience Architect, a specialist in designing full "experiences" that transcend simple products or services
  * The Set Designer, creating spaces that inspire and support innovation
  * The Caregiver, who improves the subjective, emotional aspects of products and how they relate to us
  * The Storyteller, who tells stories about people and products in creative and interesting ways
  
  The book is heavily IDEO-centric, and most of the examples are from Kelley's own 20-year career there. Not really a surprise for a book subtitled "IDEO's strategies..." but worth mentioning; this is basically IDEO in book form. It includes several weird asides that are clearly IDEO/Kelley quirks, for instance his long tangents into the power of napping at work, comfortable hotel beds, and (ugh) T-shaped people. The IDEO focus gets pretty old after a while, and makes you wonder about the broader applicability of the ideas. What works in a design consulting company that works almost exclusively on short-term projects may not be the best structure for others.
  
  But the personas are broad and--as mentioned above--not exclusive to people's job roles, so they are good signposts for anyone interested in developing their own innovation skills. I suspect it would be less interesting for a sole inventor/designer, but for people working at companies they are especially applicable.

  Innovation-in-depth.......2007-06-07

  The Ten Faces of Innovation describes ten complementary personas - personality types or roles that contribute in different ways to creative teams:
  
  Anthropologist - this is perhaps the most literal title, meaning people who have been professionally trained as social anthropologists to observe people and processes and interactions `with a fresh eye'. These are probably the biggest antidote to "But we've always done it like that" thinking.
  
  Experimenter - willing to take a chance, maybe, but also willing to explore alternatives and test concepts through prototyping, trial-and-error and applied science.
  
  Cross-pollinator - like a bee flitting between the private parts of flowers, the cross-pollinator spreads good ideas and techniques between specialisms, breaking down silos and sharing good practice
  
  Hurdler - able to leap tall buildings (well project hurdles anyway) in a single bound. They are adept at finding ways over (or more likely around) around immovable obstacles to reduce the banging-your-head-against-a-wall bruising.
  
  Collaborator - knits people and teams together by finding common interests and objectives. Sometimes described as the spider who weaves the web linking everyone to everyone else.
  
  Director - nothing to do with the title on her business card, the Director provides clarity and direction, a rallying point for the troops yet with the humility to actively listen to input from the team.
  
  Experience architect - with an uncanny knack of putting themselves in the customer's shoes, experience architects can visualize products and services at the point of use, no mean feat when they are barely on the drawing board and even the customers are an unknown quantity.
  
  Set designer - this is a fascinating persona: someone who creates visual spaces and physical representations relating to the job at hand. Not really office architects as such, set designers invent scenarios and contexts. They are also comfortable to break unwritten rules and help people mix fun with work (now there's a thought!).
  
  Caregiver - in the sense of nurses and doctors (no, not the teenage version), caregivers support their colleagues, providing a sympathetic sounding board and gentle encouragement when times are tough, and motivating and inspiring people to give there all at all times.
  
  Storyteller - anyone familiar with The HP Way or the origins of Apple and Microsoft will recognize the value of constantly telling and re-telling inspirational stories as a way of reinforcing corporate culture. It's clear that this is a comfortable personal for author Tom Kelley since both books quite literally tell a story.
  
  The book is peppered with genuine examples, most of which involve the genesis of familiar but once remarkable products that broke the mold in some way - style, design, functionality, whatever. Some of you reading this may have bought Palm V PDAs, for instance, on the strength of their sleek looks and brilliant user interface - the Graffiti stylus script language so close to English that anyone can pick it up with a few minutes' practice. How many of you appreciate the innovative use of glue instead of screws to bond the Palm V's case together, or the flat-pack lithium batteries inside? Like many other examples, the attention to detail and the multiple overlapping layers of innovation go well beyond the obvious external visual cues. This is innovation-in-depth.
  
  Whether you are interested in applying innovation and creativity to work initiatives or life in general, the IDEO books are inspirational, instructional and fun to read - what a combination. Recommended.

  Easy suggestions for increasing innovation.......2007-05-04

  Welcome to an enjoyable, easy read - which is not to dismiss Tom Kelley's fine ideas. With the aid of Jonathan Littman, Kelley works throughout this book to show how innovation can be much more painless than most people think, and more fun. Kelley makes thinking collaboratively sound like a blast. In the process, he convinces you that your organization should nurture and cherish playing with ideas. Although he admits that his consulting company, IDEO, found itself grinding along on tedious projects at times, and that he has watched people shoot down perfectly good suggestions, his underlying message is one of open possibility. He presents 10 roles you can play during meetings, any one of which would be enough to add considerable value. By showing that these roles are temporary, he sends the message that if you want to stay competitive, you can change, and even must. As he examines everything from product names to rules governing how workers decorate their cubicles, Kelley demonstrates the many opportunities you have to create something new. The cost is often little or nothing; sometimes innovation simply means getting out of your employees' way. We recommend this book to managers who wish to break old patterns and encourage creative thought companywide.

  Inspiring and fun.......2007-04-17

  If you want to create an environment where innovation is the norm, what do you do? Tom Kelley doesn't have a prescription, but he does have some people he'd like you to meet. This book is about the roles that people in an innovation driven organization take on to create fresh new ideas on a regular basis.
  
  If you're an individual contributor, this is a very helpful book both to understand the people around you and your own specific skills. What's more, although in some ways Kelley is describing personality attributes, he is also describing skill sets and ways of looking at the world that you can decide to cultivate. No one is going to be excellent at all of these roles- but that doesn't mean you can't strive to be well rounded!
  
  As a manager, the main take-away lesson is that there are many different types of creativity that can reinforce each other if put together. The most important part of building a creative organization may come at the hiring stage, where you can most easily create a mix of the different personas. But if you're in a stable organization, as most of us are, you can use the "ten faces" to identify the different styles of creativity in your people, and use that information to form teams and projects to bring out their best.
  
  The book is very heavy on anecdote and example. Every one of the ten personas has several stories that illustrate how such an approach can generate ideas that otherwise wouldn't have been considered. The Anthropologist will put themselves in the place of the average user or consumer, as did a woman who faked a pregnancy to see how she would improve the birthing experience at a major hospital. The Experience Architect will take a commodity service and turn it into a show that customers will enjoy for its distinctiveness, like the ice cream "cooking" at Cold Stone Creamery.
  
  The persona that I found most intriguing, and perhaps also furthest from my own, was the Set Designer. Kelley believes strongly in the power of space to shape the minds of those who inhabit it, and just reading about some of the things that go on at IDEO is enough to make my own cube - which I had thought very nicely decorated - seem drab and uninspired.
  
  "The Ten Faces of Innovation" is not a good book to read if you want to know exactly how to change your company, but it is an excellent resource for spotting the early creative behavior every innovator should want to encourage in their team.

  Average customer rating: Good Book but a bit dry Textbook Review dry reading material Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement, 3 A college textbook that has crossed over into the nonprofit world as a treatise for "non-students" on strategic planning.

  Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement, 3rd Edition John M. Bryson Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Nonprofit Organizations & Charities | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Public Affairs & Administration | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Similar Items: Creating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, 2nd Edition Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations, Second Edition Applied Strategic Planning: How to Develop a Plan That Really Works Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast! ASIN: 0787967556

  Book Description

  When it was first published more than sixteen years ago, John Bryson's Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations introduced a new and thoughtful strategic planning model. Since then it has become the standard reference in the field. In this completely revised third edition, Bryson updates his perennial bestseller to help today’s leaders enhance organizational effectiveness. This new edition:
  • Features the Strategy Change Cycle—a proven planning process used by a large number of organizations
  • Offers detailed guidance on implementing the planning process and includes specific tools and techniques to make the process work in any organization
  • Introduces new material on creating public value, stakeholder analysis, strategy mapping, balanced scorecards, collaboration, and more
  • Includes information about the organizational designs that will encourage strategic thought and action throughout the entire organization
  • Contains a wealth of updated examples and cases

  Download Description

  When it was first published more than sixteen years ago, John Bryson's Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations introduced a new and thoughtful strategic planning model. Since then it has become the standard reference in the field. In this completely revised third edition, Bryson updates his perennial bestseller to help todays leaders enhance organizational effectiveness. This new edition: Features the Strategy Change Cyclea proven planning process used by a large number of organizations Offers detailed guidance on implementing the planning process and includes specific tools and techniques to make the process work in any organization Introduces new material on creating public value, stakeholder analysis, strategy mapping, balanced scorecards, collaboration, and more Includes information about the organizational designs that will encourage strategic thought and action throughout the entire organization Contains a wealth of updated examples and cases

  Customer Reviews:

  Good Book but a bit dry.......2007-10-02

  
  This is a dry but business-like book that presents all the essentials of strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations. The book is well organized with concepts well explained. The book provides comprehensive coverage of the practical planning techniques and processes for those working for the common good. The author correctly highlights the critical importance of the link between strategic planning and leadership. John Bryson presents a useful planning process called "the Strategy Change cycle" which is a handy model successfully used in some public and nonprofit organizations.
  
  This is a thoughtful, useful and helpful reference and guide book for those working in government, social workers or managers in non-governmental organizations. After reading the book, you will be clear about the differences between strategic planning process in the private sector and in the public and not-for-profit organizations. You will also learn how to reduce the costs of providing services whilst improving the quality of those services.
  
  The book is well illustrated with insightful examples which will help practitioners learn about successful strategy formulation and implementation.
  

  Textbook Review.......2007-09-04

  I was pleased with the receipt of the textbook in a very timely manner. It was received within 4 business days. Also, no shipping fee, thanks for the savings.

  dry reading material.......2007-01-08

  This book, although required for the course I was enrolled in, was overall a waste of money. The reading material was very dry, making it a pain to follow. I learned more by showing up for class, taking good notes and involving myself in the group discussions, than what I learned from attempting to ingest the contents of this book.

  Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement, 3.......2006-11-03

  Excellent public sector response to what we normally see as a business model for strategic planning. Very practical and easy to follow for all managers in the public service, non-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations doing charitable work for the common good.

  A college textbook that has crossed over into the nonprofit world as a treatise for "non-students" on strategic planning........2006-09-05

  I certainly liked this book a lot, but I didn't love it. Ergo, it gets a 4 star rating. If you want a detailed account regarding strategic planning, then read this book. It is well documented and clearly organized. Unfortunately it is boring!
  
  The author is a college professor whose expertise is strategic planning in the nonprofit and government sectors. It certainly is normal to see a college professor take a subject and break it down into tiny parts and then build a textbook around describing how the tiny parts all fit together. In the case of this book, the author has broken the subject of strategic planning into tiny parts and called the combination of the tiny parts the Strategic Change Cycle ("SCC"). To see his nice diagram of the SCC turn to page 33 of the text.
  
  After letting the reader see what the SCC is, the author then takes the rest of the book to explain the diagram and how all of its parts fit together. There are three sections to the book:
  
  1. Understanding SCC
  2. Key steps to using SCC
  3. Managing the SCC process
  
  Each chapter has a summary at its end. Someone who wants to get through the book as quickly as possible will start by reading each chapter's summary and then go back and skim through each of the chapters. Much of the content is common sense, so it shouldn't take all that long to read. However, there will be sections where you will probably want to slow down and digest in depth some of the material.
  
  Leaders must be effective strategists if nonprofits are to be successful. And leaders use strategic planning and its set of concepts, procedures and tools in order to make their nonprofits successful.
  
  In its simplest form strategic planning is all about knowing where you stand and knowing where you want to be. Then you "strategically plan" how you are going to get to where you want to be. What action steps are you going to take to move from point A to point B? This book will help you understand that process if you are having trouble with it right now.

  Average customer rating: applied the knowladge excellent resource Guide to the factors that shape organizational design

  Designing Organizations: An Executive Guide to Strategy, Structure, and Process Revised Jay R. Galbraith Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Similar Items: Designing Dynamic Organizations: A Hands-On Guide for Leaders at All Levels Designing the Customer-Centric Organization: A Guide to Strategy, Structure, and Process (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series) Competing by Design: The Power of Organizational Architecture Designing Organizations to Create Value: From Strategy to Structure From The Ground Up (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) ASIN: 0787957453

  Book Description

  A thoroughly revised second edition of the leader's concise guide to the process of creating and managing an organisation, no matter how complex, that will achieve unique competitive advantages and be poised to respond effectively and rapidly to customer demands.

  In this book executives, managers, and consultants will find the concrete tools they need to select and implement an efficient design that creates superior and more competitive performance. In addition to analysing the four key forces shaping today's organisations -- buyer power, variety, change, and speed -- this new edition addresses the concerns of new economy by expanding on the section on the Flexible Organization and includes a new section on organising around the customer. The book:

  • Describes what leaders can do to effect the change process
  • Addresses the concerns of new economy companies
  • Contains rich examples from successful companies

  Customer Reviews:

  applied the knowladge.......2006-02-23

  i have read this book with a great deal of intrest. it was a great help in implementing change and designing a organization structure that is able to deliver on the new strategy.

  excellent resource.......2003-09-06

  Really good intro to ideas and concepts needed to redesign an organization in terms of its structure. Best if you already have some degree of experience in do it so you can really apply the concepts.

  Guide to the factors that shape organizational design.......2002-12-28

  Jay R. Galbraith is an internationally recognized expert on organization design. He is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California and Professor Emeritus at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. This book is a updated/revised edition of 'Designing Organizations' which was originally published in 1995. It is split up into 10 chapters.

  Chapter 1 - Introduction - really sets the stage for the rest of the book. It discusses the six main organization shapers: the increase buyer power; increase in the number of products and services; the Internet; multiple dimensions (functions, products, and geography, but also customer segments, solutions or offerings, and channels and processes); the requirement for a capacity to change; and speed (in bringing products and services to the market).

  The following two chapters discuss how companies have to shape their organizational design, strategy, and structure in order how to deal with these organization shapers. Galbraith introduces his copyrighted Star Model (Strategy, structure, people, rewards, and processes), which looks AND sounds very similar to McKinsey's 7-S framework. Chapters 4 and 5 build on these chapter and discuss how organizations have to link their processes to coordination needs and integrate group processes. Then, in Chapter 6 discusses the easily changeable or reconfigurable organization based on the Star Model, which, according to Galbraith, results from the skilled use of three capabilities: (1) forming teams and networks across organizational departments; (2) the use of internal prices, markets, and marketlike devices to coordinate the complexity of multiple teams; and (3) the forming of partnerships to secure capabilities that it does not have. Each of these capabilities are discussed in detail.

  The Chapters 7 to 10 are all very current and fashionable. They discuss the organizing around the customer, customer-focused structures, the design of the virtual corporation, and organizing the continuous design process. Although the subjects discussed are important, some of the examples are too long and take up most of the chapters. Some of the examples also do not really apply to every company/organization but are too specific. Still, these are issues that should not be forgotten about, especially organizing around the customer remains important.

  I must admit that I am somewhat disappointed with this book, which is written by a leading authority in the field of organizational design. I believe it is especially the title that lets the book down. It is not so much a guide into strategies and structures; it more discusses the organization shapers and the possibilities that companies/organizations have to tackle the organization shapers. I believe that the book is especially weak in discussing organizational design and structures. Galbraith discusses his own Star-model (which reminds me of McKinsey's 7-S framework) and his reconfigurable organization (the learning organization?), but leaves all other models/designs/structures untouched. I have not been generous, the book really deserves a 3.5-star rating. The author uses simple business US-English.

  Average customer rating: Both conceptual and practical tools Excellent book Excellent Book Great balance of theory and practice A Must for the Novice Planner

  Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations (5th Edition) Peter M Ginter , W. Jack Duncan , A. A. Sappington , and Linda E. Swayne Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Social Services & Welfare | Poverty | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books Health Care Delivery | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books Hospital Administration | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books General | Nursing | Medicine | Subjects | Books Health Care Delivery | Administration & Medicine Economics | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books Hospital Administration | Administration & Medicine Economics | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books General | Nursing | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Similar Items: Essentials of Health Care Marketing Financial Management of Health Care Organizations: An Introduction to Fundamental Tools, Concepts, and Applications Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration Health Care Management: Organization Design and Behavior Healthcare Finance: An Introduction to Accounting and Financial Management ASIN: 1405124326

  Book Description

  This fifth edition of the classic text, Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations, introduces strategic thinking, strategic planning, and strategic momentum to advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as practitioners in the field of health care. It demonstrates how strategic managers can become strategic thinkers with the crucial skills to evaluate the changing environment, analyze data, question assumptions, and develop new ideas.Swayne, Duncan, and Ginter present methods to develop and document a plan of action through strategic planning and illustrate how, as managers attempt to carry out the strategic plan, they evaluate its success, learn more about what works, and incorporate new strategic thinking into future planning, strategy formulation, and situational analysis. They demonstrate how strategic management "maps " can provide the direction needed for successful implementation.In this new edition, all chapters have been revised and contain new or updated Introductory Incidents and Perspectives. Appendix A has been revised to match the new model of strategic thinking, planning, and managing the strategic momentum. Twenty real-life case studies, including nine new cases and three updated classics, present diverse strategic situations in an accessible manner that enhances the applicability of the concepts for students and professionals.The text is supported by PowerPoint slides and an Instructors ' Manual. Visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/swayne for details.

  Customer Reviews:

  Both conceptual and practical tools.......2007-04-11

  This is an outstanding book. While naturally oriented to strategic management of health care it is also a comprehensive framework to strategic management in general. The book's layout is that of a university textbook but it is also written in an enjoyable style. I read this book as a practitioner and not a formal student and found it extremely readable and helpful. The authors present both conceptual and practical tools for strategic management.

  Excellent book.......2006-12-14

  I would highly recommend this book. It is easy to read, methodical in approach and provides a balance of relevant theory and application. A useful resource for any healthcare organization expanding its services within existin country or beyond.
  Thanks extended to the authors...I look forward to other additions!!!

  Excellent Book.......2004-03-03

  I was fortunate enough to be a student of Linda Swaynes @ UNC Charlotte. We were the first class to use this book. Not only was Ms. Swayne excellent at what she taught but the book was a tool that explained the theories in nice detail. I continue to use the book as a resource. I am currently a hospital CEO.

  Great balance of theory and practice.......2001-11-29

  I used this text for a class in health care management. I was impressed by the readability of the text, the incredible amount of information it contained, and the great balance of theory with practical approaches. Many books about management are a bit short in the area of practical tools. This one gives you tools to work with. I used the outline of this book to do a strategic analysis of an organization with which I work. The only significant weakness of the book is the uneven quality of the case studies. These were contributed by outside authors. Some of these are terrific, others are not well written and not so helpful. Hope this gets corrected in the new edition.

  A Must for the Novice Planner.......2000-07-27

  This comprehensive and yet easily understood text provides the fundamentals of strategic management as it applies to most any health care organization. The authors' experience comes to life in a variety of real examples and cases throughout the text. My background and interest in strategic planning led me to thoroughly examine the step-by-step processes, and I was amazed at both the simplicity and applicability of each. Definetly a text that I will recommend to anyone entering the healthcare industry or strategic planning arenas. Not only was I benefited by the purchase of this text, but had the opportunity to meet these outstanding authors in person during graduate study/research.

  Average customer rating: Saving the World Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and anecdotal evidence is not proof Hardcover and tradepaperback are different!!! at last a pragmatic approach to develpment Magical

  The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks) CK Prahalad Manufacturer: Wharton School Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Similar Items: Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition) (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks) Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else ASIN: 0131877291

  Book Description

  The world's most exciting, fastest-growing new market? It's where you least expect it: at the bottom of the pyramid. Collectively, the world's billions of poor people have immense entrepreneurial capabilities and buying power. You can learn how to serve them and help millions of the world's poorest people escape poverty.

  It is being done-profitably. Whether you're a business leader or an anti-poverty activist, business guru Prahalad shows why you can't afford to ignore "Bottom of the Pyramid" (BOP) markets.

  In the book and accompanying CD videos, Prahalad presents...

  Why what you know about BOP markets is wrong A world of surprises-from spending patterns to distribution and marketing

  Unlocking the "poverty penalty"

  The most enduring contributions your company can make Delivering dignity, empowerment, and choice-not just products

  Corporations and BOP entrepreneurs Profiting together from an inclusive new capitalism

  "C. K. Prahalad argues that companies must revolutionize how they dobusiness in developing countries if both sides of that economic equation areto prosper. Drawing on a wealth of case studies, his compelling new bookoffers an intriguing blueprint for how to fight poverty with profitability." Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect,Microsoft

  "The Bottom of the Pyramid belongs at the top of the reading list forbusiness people, academics, and experts pursuing the elusive goal ofsustainable growth in the developing world. C. K. Prahalad writes withuncommon insight about consumer needs in poor societies andopportunities for the private sector to serve important public purposes whileenhancing its own bottom line. If you are looking for fresh thinking aboutemerging markets, your search is ended. This is the book for you." Madeleine K. Albright, Former U.S. Secretary of State

  "Prahalad challenges readers to re-evaluate their pre-conceived notionsabout the commercial opportunities in serving the relatively poor nations ofthe world. The Bottom of the Pyramid highlights the way to commercialsuccess and societal improvement--but only if the developed worldreconceives the way it delivers products and services to the developingworld." Christopher Rodrigues, CEO, Visa International

  "An important and insightful work showing persuasively how the privatesector can be put at the center of development, not just as a rhetoricalflourish but as a real engine of jobs and services for the poor." Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme

  Customer Reviews:

  Saving the World.......2007-10-02

  The author loves his TLA's (3 letter acronyms)! I wish someone had told me how technical this book was; those with an MBA will get the most out of it. But I love Prahalad's outlook and creativity. Perhaps with a little advice I can take my ideas and come up with a formal business plan.

  Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and anecdotal evidence is not proof.......2007-06-24

  Last year this book became a best seller hit among the developmental community at Washington, D.C., to the point that all bookstores at Metro DC run out of it. With notorious and well publicized praising comments from Madeleine Albright, Bill Gates and the like, I bought it too, but just to discover all the frenzy was undeserved from the viewpoint of poverty eradication.
  
  Undoubtedly Mr. Pralhad's research demonstrates there are plenty of opportunities to do good business among the poor at the BOP (bottom of the pyramid), for them to benefit from the products and services not available now, and for some of them to go out of poverty by becoming entrepreneurs (market penetration is always limited). I agree on these conclusions, as commented extensively by the previous reviewers, and without a doubt this book will become a reference in many Business Schools. But to assert that this strategy will eradicate poverty and bring development is plain sophistry. As Carl Sagan said "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence".
  
  Why sophistry? Regarding the poverty eradication claimed by Mr. Prahalad I will try to highlight some of the main flaws in his rationale and lack of sufficient evidence:
  
  1. Despite the consideration of several cases from around the Third-World, most of the discussion and arguments to build the framework are related to India, excessively. The conditions of the poor in Latin America are quite different, and often, they have better public services available to them. On the other hand, many African countries have worst conditions. So you can not reach valid conclusions based solely on a country with such unique cultural and ethnical conditions. For doing business the cases are fine, especially for India or China because they are such huge markets at the BOP.
  
  2. Wealth creation is hugely overestimated. Poor entrepreneurs and their immediate family will undoubtedly benefit from these new economic activities, but the framework lacks an explanation about how these oases of welcomed capitalism will trickle-down to the rest of their neighbors and poor villages. The implicit assumption is that everybody at the BOP has to become an entrepreneur for this strategy to work, because by just having access to affordable consumer products it seems very unlikely that poverty will be eradicated. The proposed framework is just good for doing business and for the poor to have access to new services and products, but where is the sustainable "fishing industry" for the rest of the poor population? The cases are very unique, islands of excellence, and with limited potential for a population the huge size of the BOT to bail out of poverty in significant numbers.
  
  3. The analysis lacks the historical, cultural, legal and socio-economical background for a given country or region, and this consideration is fundamental for a proper analysis on sustainable development. Even when Mr. Pralhalad correctly identifies lack of education, corruption and the size of the informal sector as barriers for development and doing business, he then oversimplifies a lot on how to overcome these key issues, and again, an isolated Indian case is used as the magic formula to solve the problem through information technology. In fact, at the end of Chapter 6, within the conclusions, he recognizes that the illustrations he provides "are but islands of excellence in a sea of deprivation and helplessness". As the development community knows well, these successful stories are very hard to replicate. In Latin America we have the outstanding cases of Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica. In Brazil, we have the cases of the Southern states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. All of them very developed as compared to their neighbors (in terms of income, education, health, etc.), but despite all efforts, no one has successfully reproduced these islands of excellence at a scale that makes a difference.
  
  4. An example will help to understand how superficial the cases are from a point of view of development and poverty eradication. The Brazilian case of "Casas Bahia" lacks the consideration of the socio-economic environment of the country, especially the case omits to mention key characteristics of the financial and credit markets (for those interested in this particular case from the point of view of business, I recommend you read "Samuel Klein e Casas Bahia: Uma trajetoria de Sucesso", Novo Seculo, 2005, this is a real and really impressive business success story). Mr. Klein successfully, by trusting the poor, built an empire that today is still one of the few option many mid- and low-income families have to buy the first computer for their children going to college in Brazil. But, let's see why the market share for credit cards is only 4%, and why it is not a real threat for Casas Bahia own financial system as stated in the book, as well as why there is not much in here to help eradicat poverty in Brazil. Annual inflation today in Brazil is in the order of 3-4%, and the Brazilian currency, the "Real" have been steadily revaluating against the dollar for the last 3 years. However, interest rates in Brazil are sky-high, a legacy of the hyper-inflation times of twenty years ago. Interest rates for well-known international credit cards are 9-11% per month, which compounded translates to an annual rate close to 180%, regardless of whether you're poor or rich. Today retail chain stores of this type charge around 3% per month, embedded in the price of the consumer products, so the consumer doesn't know up-front the real price. This translates to a compounded rate of 43% per year. Often if you try to pay upfront, there is no discount. So where is the real benefit for the poor? Or are they just getting every day more indebted, and spending money on fat interests that they could have used to buy more or better food or better health services for their kids. I do not see where poverty eradication fits in this case. Obviously Brazil has a problem of lack of real competition in the capitalist sense; even the branches of American Banks doing business in Brazil charge these exorbitant rates. As a reference for the readers, you can buy a 30Gb iPod in Brazil for the "reasonable" amount of US$1,000, payable in 12 installments, and for the high price we also have to thank the federal government high taxes on almost everything. Coming back to the case, as an additional "benefit", you only can make the payments in person at stores of the retail chain, just to make sure the poor are tempted every month and come back for more when they are close to payback that debt. That's why there is a 77% of clients who make reapeat purchases as the book reports. Not surprisingly the case description mentions the criticism "that Casas Bahia simply exploits the poor and charges them exorbitant interest rates", but neglects to present a due explanation of why this is not truth, and simply disregards the cristicism.
  
  5. Finally, Mr. Prahalad is extremely optimistic. At he end of Chapter 6 and in his own words: "I have no doubt that the elimination of poverty and deprivation is possible by 2020". This prophecy speaks by itself about the reliability of the analysis. And again, let's remember that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. All the book presents is anecdotal evidence, which is not proof as any scientist knows, and the framework presented has no predictive power, much less to assert that poverty will end by 2020.
  
  Unquestionably an excellent business book, and a very innovative one, but just for that, business. That's why to me it only deserves 3 stars. On the other hand, not much value-added in there for doing real sustainable development across the board, as the author insinuates and some of the readers think, and certainly not much for real poverty eradication. For that outrageous addition to the book's title I took the other 2 stars. The "Erradicating poverty through profits" part of the book's title should be erased, so the book really deserves the 5 stars most reviewers gave to it (and as the previous reviewer rightly complained, the cases were really awfully edited for the paperback edition, even with repeated sentences). Definitely this book is not recommended if you are serious about new ideas for sustainable development. For a real book on that subject, read the recently publicated "The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It" by Paul Collier, though its scope refers mainly to very poor African countries, it is an example of a serious and proper approach to the problem of eradicating poverty. To understand the complexities of promoting development, you may also read "Making Globalization Work" by Joseph Stiglitz. These two books will clearly ilustrate why "The Fortune at the BOP" is not a book on development, and absolutely, no Nobel Prize is deserved.

  Hardcover and tradepaperback are different!!!.......2007-04-13

  Here is a note I sent to the editor after buying the tradepaperback version.
  
  Your editorial staff has done something so dumb I am astounded! (Also really $%^& mad.) The hardcover and trade paperback versions of CK Prahalad - The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid, are NOT the same. I assigned readings from this book to my class of 100 students. They went and bought the book and found that the case studies aren't there. On closer investigation I see that you shortened the case studies and renamed the chapters. Unfortunately the editing on the shortening is terrible and I simply can't ask my students to read such badly written material.
  
  You did several things wrong
  1) You sell two books with identical titles and covers, which have different content
  2) You edited very very badly
  3) You did this on an award winning book with high visibility
  
  As far as I can tell there is no way for anyone to figure out that the content is different except in the very rare case that they own both versions.
  
  This is a black mark on the Wharton name. What were you thinking?
  
  -james

  at last a pragmatic approach to develpment.......2007-01-09

  Prahalad'book "the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid" demonstrates the importance to get the people we are "supposed" to help to get involved. The bottom up approach is in line with William Shaffeerly and David Bornstein books where the people are key to any lasting development. The top down approach a la Jeffrey Sacks are fine for the politicians but did not bring much results after all these years. It is time for a change in approach and the Nobel Price to Dr. M.Yunus is very encouraging.

  Magical .......2006-08-29

  FBP is an intriguing concept and the model can be scaled up or down in size in all parts of the world. The book serves as a wake up call to businessmen across the world.

  Average customer rating: My Board loved the charts Strategic leaders at NPOs should read this book good basic introduction Excellent Resource for Non-profit Boardmembers For those serious about strategic planning!

  Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations, Second Edition Michael Allison , and Jude Kaye Manufacturer: Wiley ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Nonprofit Organizations & Charities | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books Similar Items: Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century Creating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, 2nd Edition Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement, 3rd Edition How to Manage an Effective Nonprofit Organization: From Writing and Managing Grants to Fundraising, Board Development, and Strategic Planning Managing the Non-Profit Organization: Principles and Practices ASIN: 0471445819

  Book Description

  Your total guide to putting a powerful management tool to work in your organization

  Why strategic planning? Because a well wrought strategic plan helps you set priorities and acquire and allocate the resources needed to achieve your goals. It provides a framework for analyzing and quickly adapting to future challenges. And it helps all board and staff members focus more clearly on your organization's priorities, while building commitment and promoting cooperation and innovation.

  But to be effective, your plan will need to address the special needs of the nonprofit sector. And for more than a decade, Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations has been the number-one source of guidance on all facets of strategic planning for managers at nonprofits of every size and budget.

  This thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded edition arms you with the expert knowledge and tools you need to develop and implement surefire strategic plans, including tested-in-the-trenches worksheets, checklists, and tables—in print and on the companion CD-ROM—along with a book-length case study that lets you observe strategic planning in action. Packed with real-world insights and practical pointers, it shows you how to:

  • Develop a clear mission, vision, and set of values
  • Conduct SWOT analyses and program evaluations
  • Assess client needs and determine stakeholder concerns
  • Set priorities and develop core strategies, goals, and objectives
  • Balance the dual bottom lines of mission and money
  • Write and implement a solid strategic plan
  • Develop a user-friendly annual work plan
  • Establish planning cycles, gauge progress, and update strategies

  Customer Reviews:

  My Board loved the charts.......2007-06-08

  The Planning Committee of the Board of Directors at my nonprofit wants to get the full Board engaged in strategic planning within a year. The chart in this book that shows the steps in the process was just what they wanted. It was worth the purchase price...and we haven't started to use it yet!

  Strategic leaders at NPOs should read this book.......2006-04-23

  The authors of this book do a nice job of condensing the content of their book into a diagram at page 15 that they entitle: "The Strategic Planning Process." Then they explain the diagram chapter by chapter. The chapters are full of good information and lots of exhibits, worksheets, and real-life examples. Job well done! I recommend to anybody interested in preparing a business plan for a for-profit or a nonprofit to read this book. And I also recommend all strategic leaders (i.e. executive directors, board chairs, and CEOs) read this book. It should be helpful to them in performing their job duties.
  
  The book basically points out the following series of questions and/or tasks a strategic leader much consider when doing his or her job:
  
  1. What is the organization doing now?
  2. What are its strengths?
  3. What are its weaknesses?
  4. Are we heading in the direction we want?
  5. What must we change to get back on track?
  6. Prepare a written plan for change.
  7. Implement the plan for change.
  8. Monitor the implementation.
  9. Reevaluate the plan for change.
  
  I would have liked the book better if the authors had more accurately described what a business plan is, and what it is used for. The authors seem to think that a business plan is something that a for-profit entity creates in order to get loans from lenders or capital from investors. While it is true this is one of the reasons for writing a business plan, the more important reason a plan is written is that it acts as a roadmap for the leader and management of the business to follow towards success. Most businesses that do not have a written business plan are doomed for failure. NPOs without a business plan will probably not be successful either.
  
  Another shortcoming I found in the book was that the authors do not point out that NPOs need a "business plan" just as much as does a for-profit. NPOs also need a roadmap to follow. Whether the authors want to admit it or not, a business plan for an NPO is pretty much the same document as a business plan for an organization seeking profits. The difference between the two plans exists in the marketing section - and that is the only difference. NPOs need to market to their customers/clients and to philanthropists that have a connection and commitment to their cause, whereas for-profit businesses need only market to their customers/clients.
  
  Any NPO should have a business plan starting on the day it comes into existence. The strategic planning process described in this book can be used to create that written business plan. Therefore, this book is for NPO founders. After the business plan exists and it is being used as a roadmap to success, then the effectiveness of the plan must be monitored regularly. When it appears the plan is not proving effective, then the strategic planning process described in this book should be used again to implement change to get the NPO back on track to success.
  
  Strategic leadership is a critical role that any leader must play, and if he or she can't, then she has no business assuming a leadership role. A "leader" who does not know how to perform strategic leadership is merely a manager, not a leader. I think it is a sad state of affaires that so many executive directors and board chairs are clueless when it comes to strategic planning - thus they are just managers. The authors, by writing this book, have created a resource for wanta-be leaders to use to learn how to do an important and critical part of their job - lead strategically.

  good basic introduction.......2006-03-17

  Book provides a good basic introduction to strategic planning from the non-profit perspective. Although I already knew strategic planning from the corporate side, this book showed how it differs when applied to the non-profit arena. The review of the SWOT process was a bit simplistic, but I found the checklist for evaluating projects helpful. The disc and the worksheets were definitely worth the price of the book

  Excellent Resource for Non-profit Boardmembers.......2005-09-30

  This book is a step by step guide with suggested modifications to fit the needs of any group. The worksheets, included on an accompanying CD, are very useful. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in strategic planning for any organization - public, private or non-profit.

  For those serious about strategic planning!.......2005-09-12

  A great book that does what many non-profit management books don't -- talks about dollars and cents as well as need and impact. CD is underutilized (compared with, say, the CD included with "Non-Profit Kit for Dummies"), but the worksheet concept is good. Their "do either this OR this" might be confusing for novices. Not too far of a stretch to connect this with a "balanced scorecard" evaluation. CompassPoint's Dual Bottom-Line Matrix (p. 188), while complicated-sounding, actually should clarify decision-making for many non-profit managers.

  Books:

  1. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
  2. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
  3. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
  4. Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
  5. Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation
  6. Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play
  7. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
  8. I Read It, but I Don't Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers
  9. Introduction to Business
  10. Introduction to Probability and Statistics (with CD-ROM)

  Books Index

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