Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jim Collins (Author, Narrator), HarperAudio (Publisher)

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Built to Last, the defining management study of the '90s, 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

Listening Length

10 hours and 1 minute
Author

Jim Collins
Narrator

Jim Collins
Audible release date

July 13, 2010
Language

English
Publisher

HarperAudio
ASIN

B003VXI5MS
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	10 hours and 1 minute
Author	Jim Collins
Narrator	Jim Collins
Audible.com Release Date	July 13, 2010
Publisher	HarperAudio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B003VXI5MS
Best Sellers Rank	#228 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #4 in Business Management (Audible Books & Originals) #6 in Business Management (Books)

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Carey J.

Time has given this book a black eye

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

Overall the content is decent, but Time has given this book a black eye. Some of the companies touted as models to follow are in dire straits now or went out of business. Fannie Mae, praised as one of the banks to go Good to Great, has fallen into the trash heap since 2008 and has never recovered. This happened 7 years after the book was written. Circuit City, another Good to Great, doesn't even exist anymore, at least by name and as a brick-n-mortar store. Wells Fargo, a good to great awardee, aren't so noble anymore given their recent scandals. In the 2010's, Wells Fargo perpetrated some of the poor behaviors the book claimed they avoided through the 80's and 90's which led them to Great. The book is VERY well researched in its time frame, but a lot of it in my opinion is antiquated. 90% of the data is taken from the pre-Internet era, the ball field is much different now. Some of the points are valid and helpful, some are senseless. I did glean a few nuggets from the book that made it worth my time, but 1/3 of the way through this book I dreaded finishing it. You'd be better reading Simon Sinek's Start With Why.

385 people found this helpful

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science_mom

Great companies turned out to be cheating...

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018

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It's hard to know what to say about this book. People love it, and love what it says, but several of the companies profiled turned out to be cooking their books, cheating customers, etc... Wells Fargo, Sallie Mae, GE... So I'm left wondering, were these companies extraordinarily successful because of the processes and ideas presented in the book, or was their extraordinary success based on cheating. I just can't take the book's advice seriously given the track record of several of the companies studied. Maybe if you're passionate about being the best, and you want to be the best in the world, and make tons of money doing it [your hedgehog]- you break the rules to get ahead?? Not the advice I'm looking for....

154 people found this helpful

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Frost

Fundamentally flawed, don't buy.

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2019

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This is a Fad book that criticizes Fads...

The companies this book glorifies...have virtually all FAILED spectacularly following their business models since publication.

Fannie Mae is praised constantly for gambling in the capital markets with Wallstreet...how did that work out in 2008?!

Walgreens gained market share as a "hedgehog"...then became a bloated celebrity-obsessed Leftist corporation and enabled THERANOS!

Wells Fargo abandoned the safe banking model after deregulation... "hedgehog"...then started robbing their customers, and engaging in massive fraud...then the executive class threw local managers under the bus and escaped with their parachutes..

Circuit city focused on quality delivery experience..."hedgehog"...then they sat there and rotted away and were obliterated by the internet.

The list goes on. Don't buy this book.

58 people found this helpful

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KWDills

All hype, not a benefit to most.

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2020

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The advice and research in this book applies to very large corporations, with very specific investment returns over a period of time. Very little advice could be applied to small businesses (maybe the Hedgehog concept). Sure their research is impressive, but even the author admits most of this could not be consciously recreated. One of his "great" companies was Circuit City and they closed up just a few years after writing this book. All their choices of "great" companies were made based on stock market returns and they were very clear about this...for those who don't understand what this means; the author based his research of "great" companies on the results of a speculative market (the company is valued by investors/speculators!). Not a good judgement of a company being good or great, but it was hard data so they took the easy way.

This book just ended up being a narrowly defined research project by academics that have probably never had more responsibility than thinking they are the smartest person in the room. This is in no way a managerial development book as it is often thought as, or recommended as. It was a complete waste of time, unless of course you are intrigued by these company's histories. But they are smart enough to get professors and executives to recommend it everywhere. I'll give them that.

18 people found this helpful

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Windows 98

but I enjoyed this. I am not interested in being a ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2017

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This is the first business book I've ever read, so I'm not very famillar with the genre, but I enjoyed this. I am not interested in being a CEO or anything like that, but I liked this book because many of the concepts talked about can be applied to my own life. I saw this as more of a general self improvement book that used businesses as examples of concepts, rather than a book solely about business.

56 people found this helpful

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Henry and Janine

Good principles, good to look for when joining a company

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2004

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This is a very insight, readable book. The author and his research team starts with two very basic questions. 1) Are there companies which were merely average for a long time, but then turn themselves around and become great companies with a sustainable track records? 2) And if so, what key factors do these companies have?

The research team worked through several decades of stock market data and find eleven companies which for more than 15 years have close to average returns, but then the companies change to have way above average returns for a long period of time.

The main focus of the book is what do these eleven companies have that other companies don't have. The research team took a very scientifc attitude of what does the data say, instead of trying to force various theories to fit the data. They come up with seven key factors. The meat of the book is the seven chapters covering each of these key factors.

The author does a very good job of explaining the seven key factors, how they work, and why they work. The book is a fairly quick read and is packed with a ton of good ideas.

All of the principles mentioned were explored in terms of how they helped businesses do better. Many of these principles can also be applied to individuals: develope integrity, figure out your hedgehog concept, be disciplined, and just keep on plodding.

If you are interested in business, this is a good book to read.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

The Salary Coach

9/10: Useful lessons to improve your business

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

Good to great summarises the findings from extensive research into what makes certain high performing companies outperform their peers. The findings are both interesting and capable of being replicated by any company that wishes to improve performance.

This book is very concise and full of interesting case studies. It was one of the few occasions when I wished the book could have been a bit longer.

Well researched, well written, well done!

Here are some of the learnings I will be taking away from this book:
• All Good to great (“GTG”) companies had a Level 5 leader
• Level 5 leaders consistently exhibit humility, modesty and an ability to reign in their ego.
• Many companies are drawn towards outgoing egocentric leaders and this is often the wrong choice.
• Level 5 leaders are more interested in something larger and more lasting than their own career
• GTG leaders concentrate on hiring the right people before deciding on strategy
• Don’t compromise when hiring. If you’re not confident then keep looking
• When someone needs to leave the company act quickly
• Give your best people the best opportunities and not your biggest problems
• GTG management teams have rigorous debates and aren’t afraid to share their views. But when a decision is made they act as one
• GTG companies ensure information flows give management the right facts to manage the business effectively
• GTG companies foster a culture where employee’s views are heard and acted upon
• GTG companies review failures without negative consequences for the people involved
• Figuring out how to motivate people is a waste of time. If you hire the right people they will motivate themselves.
• Good to great companies did one thing exceptionally well and stuck to it (the hedgehog process)
• GTG companies developed their strategy from a deep understanding of what they could be world class at. This was not a goal or intention but an understanding of reality
• GTG companies typically focussed on one KPI e.g. profit per customer
• GTG companies were incredibly disciplined and did not waste time and money on unrelated activities and acquisitions
• GTG companies used technology as an accelerator of, not creator of, momentum
• Careful consideration should be given to whether a given technology fits with your hedgehog concept
• GTG companies often looked like an overnight success from the outside but in reality they were long in the making and a result of persistent action over a long period of time.
• Preserve core values and purpose while strategies and practices endlessly adapt with the changing world

99 people found this helpful

Amit Shrivastava

The print quality is horrible as its printed in India

Reviewed in India on March 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

I always try and buy books not printed in India, I thought this was printed in USA and when saw pathetic fonts , low quality ink and thinner fonts immediately looked for as to where it was printed and to my horror it was in India , as no other option is available I will make do with this terrible printed in India edition

43 people found this helpful

Lewis Lawson

Sadly a disappointment. Extremely dry book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Such a disappointment sadly. I had high hopes for this book because it's hyped up and a bestseller (for some reason). Couldnt get beyond the first chapter, flicked through and was met with more of the same. Very academic, more like reading a university research paper than a book (don't be fooled). It terms of practical advice to implement - very little to offer. Every paragraph had dates, statistics and peoples names which personally I find really hard to engage with and not easy to read. For academic types, I'm sure it would be interesting but it's more business historic than anything else.

3 people found this helpful

Jeff Duval

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2016

Verified Purchase

Incredibly valuable and easy to read piece of work!
A stunningly enlightening study of winners and losers

As Exec Chairman of a pan-European SME, the easy read of this book has refuelled my determination to (try and) get it right. Unfortunately, bad companies managed by Rambo like individuals remain the norm on this side of the pond... Still very refreshing read about what works and what doesn't...

7 people found this helpful

M. Ahmed

Charismatic CEO's led the good to great companies - Totally wrong perception!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2010

Verified Purchase

I read this book with great interest as it's selection criteria for the finally selected 11 companies was strict and the author does not withold any information on the selection process either. The end of the book lists its selection criteria, complete with a comprehensive FAQ section.

The final selection consists of 11 good to great companies (Selected from 1435 Fortune 500 companies) and 17 comparison companies that could not qualify. The primary selection process consisted of baselining the 'good to great' companies at three times the market for fifteen years including 15 years of good performance (1.25 time the general stock market) preceding the transition while the company had to be an established, on going company, not a startup.

Pretty strict criteria that has led to some eye opening findings. Most of the findings can be browsed by reading the reviews on the Amazon .co.uk and .com sites.

A MUST READ BOOK for all aspiring and current leaders.

5 people found this helpful

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