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Title: It's Not the Big That Eat the Small...It's the Fast That Eat the Slow: How to Use Speed as a Competitive Tool in Business by Jason Jennings, Laurence Haughton ISBN: 0-06-662054-6 Publisher: HarperBusiness Pub. Date: 16 April, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.18 (28 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Good Overview of Thinking and Decision Processes for Speed!
Comment: This book is the best one I have read to date on helping a company accelerate its ability to move ahead of the competition by being better at sensing the environment and reacting to it. Those who are interested in checking their organizations for stalled thinking in this regard will find a useful list of areas to investigate and improve.
"Do more with less and do it faster." That's the mantra that the authors have investigated through their case histories of Charles Schwab, Clear Channel Communications, America On Line, H&M (clothing stores), Hotmail, Telepizza (European home delivery pizza chain), and Lend Lease (Australian company).
The book is organized into four sections: Fast thinking; fast decisions; get to market faster; and sustaining speed. Each one contains a number of key points, with subpoint details to further elaborate.
Here's how Fast Thinking is organized:
"Speed . . . without a destination in mind, is haste." The focus of this section is on creating improvements in your business model or new business models.
The key sections under the heading are to anticipate; spot trends; put ideas through a thorough testing process to probe for their downside weaknesses; and being sure that the best idea wins by changing the company environment. Each of these sections is illustrated with examples from the companies that were studied and more detail on the key elements.
In this example, you should see the potential weakness of the book. It correctly points you toward spotting trends, but cannot possibly teach you what you need to know in just a few pages. So you will want to expand on the points here by reading other books that deal with these areas in more depth. In essence, the book then is an outline of the business processes you need for innovation in business models, choosing the right ones, getting them implemented well, and staying agile.
The primary metaphor is to Wayne Gretzky, who was famous for his ability to anticipate where the puck would go next . . . and to aim for that spot. If you can determine what is "likely to occur in the next few months and the next few years [that] is enough to give you an edge . . . ."
While I have not studied all of these companies, what was said about the ones that I know well was certain accurate and full of insight. I assume the rest was done equally as well. Many of the conclusions are similar to my own work on irresistible forces.
Of the four sections, I thought that the first section on fast thinking had the most original material, and will be the most valuable for many companies. If you have problems with fast decisions and getting to market fast, you may find it hard to change very quickly. But if you are already in pretty good there, the first section can increase the flow of good new ideas for you to consider. Many CEOs tell me that this is a limitation for them.
I do have some concerns. If everyone organizes for speed, how sustainable will that be? Perhaps it would be better to organize to grasp advantages that then become unavailable to others.
Also, what is it going to be like to work for a company like this? What is your family life going to be like? For readers who are interested in these questions, I suggest you read Professor Robert Reich's new book, The Future of Success. It has many thought-provoking ideas on this subject.
After you have organized for maximum speed that makes sense for your business and the personal lives of those involved, I suggest that you consider how the experience can be made much less demanding on everyone. That's the area where the most innovation is needed.
May you make rapid progress towards worthwhile goals . . . and have time to smell the roses along the way!
Rating: 5
Summary: simple stuff that's commonly ignored
Comment: Why ever hire overpriced consultants? Have your management team read this book and implement their suggestions. Each point is well thought out, easy to read, and applicable for most businesses.
What really blew me away was that this book contains easy business common sense stuff that companies (especially larger ones) ignore because of politics and butt-covering. It's easy to get lost in the minutae of the daily grind so these gems, packaged in a book, are valuable focusing tools. If managers would stop and read this, a lot of companies would move at a rapid clip.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 3
Summary: Simple management philosophy that worths a read
Comment: I think most people understand the importance of "speed" in the marketplace. The problem lies in "how" to incorporate this element into their daily business before they or their companies had been eaten by someone else. I am sorry that the author had not done a good job in this respect. He said a lot about the advantages of being speedy, but not practical methods of pushing it through bureaucracy, redtape, human resistance to change, the long term committment of top management......... Perhaps I had demanded too much from such a small book. However, I really believe the author is capable of giving us more, judged by his smooth and intelligent writing skills and choice of words.
Below please find some copy and paste for your reference.
Speed, merely for the sake of moving fast, without a destination inmind, is haste. Eventually, out of control, speed will land you in big trouble. But imagine how many more races you would win if you had a big head start. Think about the advantage you would have if you knew what the future was going to look like and were able to spot trends before the competition. Consider the power of being able to think about things quickly and accurately, tackling in minutes the same big issues and questions the competition would be processing for weeks. pg 9
Question everything...all the time. If you want to hone your anticipatory skills, accept nothing. Question everything. Ask how and why of everything that's presented to you. pg 19
A fund manager's best year will likely be his or her first. He or she is without a need to defend the previous year's choices and is able to ruthlessly assess the viability and potential performance of holdings in the fund. Dr. Richard Geist, professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. pg 101
It's not the strongest nor most intelligent of the species that survive; it is the one most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin pg 111
When you refuse to abandon, bad things always seem to happen.
p.s. The main book title is very interesting. I think if the author did add one more word "idiot" in the end, the impact will be even bigger.
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Title: Less Is More: How Great Companies Use Productivity As a Competitive Tool in Business by Jason Jennings ISBN: 1591840015 Publisher: Portfolio Pub. Date: 11 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Ram Charan, Charles Burck, Larry Bossidy ISBN: 0609610570 Publisher: Crown Business Pub. Date: 15 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: Less Is More: How Great Companies Improve Productivity Without Layoffs by Jason Jennings ISBN: 1591840309 Publisher: Portfolio Pub. Date: 30 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Art of Profitability by Adrian Slywotzky ISBN: 0446531502 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes by Robert S. Kaplan, David P. Norton ISBN: 1591391342 Publisher: Harvard Business School Press Pub. Date: 02 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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