How Good is Good To Great - Essay Example

How Good is Good to Great? Abstract Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't is a business management book written by James C. Collins. The book investigates the unique management and marketing techniques employed by different businesses in the country. The author believes that the relative successes that businesses enjoy in the market rely on the effectiveness of their management and marketing techniques. The author investigates the operations of eleven large companies in the country explaining their transition from small-scale businesses to large corporations in the country, this way he explains the management and marketing techniques he considers effective. The research below investigates the effectiveness of the book. In doing this, the research investigates the rationale of the philosophies the author uses coupled with the applications of the philosophies. The report below investigates the effectiveness of the research methods the author uses in investigating the companies among other pertinent features of the book such as reviews from other interested parties. Introduction The fact that numerous companies compete for the same market but only one enjoys the market leader’s position implies that the market leader is employing particular effective strategies that safeguard he company’s profitability. James C. Collins thus investigates numerous companies operating in different industries with the view of determining the unique marketing and management strategies that such companies employ (Butler, 1995). In realistic analysis and interviews of numerous managers, James Collins portrays the difference in the policies, management and marketing structures that the different companies employ. The book is thus a management masterpiece that offers insight to effective management strategies and real life examples thus providing contemporary managers with an unparalleled view of their respective industries. The effectiveness of the book lies on the author’s ability to portray the transitional nature of companies often providing a realistic analysis of both the companies and the industries as the discussion below portrays. Philosophical assumptions Among the philosophical assumptions that James C. Collins makes in developing the book include adherence to discipline results in a seamlessly managed organization. Additionally, James C. Collins assumes that changing technology influences the performance of organizations. He therefore explains that just as is the case with discipline, a company must include its operations to the changing technologies. He thus assumes that all the great companies accustomed their operations to include the changing technologies prevalent in the market. Relation of the assumptions The two assumptions are fundamental to both the success of the research and the success of the respective companies as the research portrays. In carrying out his research, James C. Collins employed a team of dedicated and disciplines employees coupled with effective information processing technologies to facilitate the collection of the more than three hundred megabytes of data used in analyzing the companies. Additionally, just as he portrays in his research, discipline in companies in paramount since it influences the profitability of the respective companies. Effective management relies on the ease of managing employees in the organization. A disciplined work force maintains the ethical principles and the codes of conduct in the organization thereby expediting the operations of the company. This way, it becomes easier to implement new policies besides motivating the employees to new modes of production and marketing among other fundamental operations in an organization. Technology on the other hand is a fundamental feature that every organization must consider in its operations. The internet for example has succeeded in globalizing the world thus providing companies with ways of increasing their presence in the market. Through effective technologies, companies market their products efficiently a feature that reduces the cost of doing business. As James C. Collins explains, all the eleven great companies appreciated technological change in the society thus changing their operations appropriately (Cameron, 2010). Practical significance James C. Collins provides a realistic analysis of numerous companies by carrying out actual investigations of the numerous companies operational in numerous industries in the country. This implies that he investigates practical operational features of the company by analyzing each company and comparing the numerous marketing and management functions of the numerous companies in the same industry. In doing this, the researcher believes that the market share that each company enjoys relies on the effectiveness of the management and marketing strategies employed by the respective companies (Collins, 2001). He therefore investigates the growth and development of some of the current great companies most of which started as small businesses. In measuring the effectiveness of the management policies employed by different companies, James Collins analyses the life span of the company and its market share. By analyzing the growth of a company’s market share, it becomes possible to determine the company’s growth rate a feature that portrays the effectiveness of the company’s management and marketing strategies. The book’s approach thus gives contemporary managers a realistic view of their industries by exposing the unique operational policies employed by their competitors. Additionally, the book reveals the size of different industries to prospecting entrepreneurs. The book reveals the management and marketing styles employed by different companies that enjoy varying sizes of the market share. This way, it becomes possible to enter a particular industry and maintaining particular marketing and management strategies thus realizing the desired results. Most of the Wall Street Journal’s CEO council members reviewed the book with most of the admitting that the book portrays numerous useful insights to different industries and is therefore a management masterpiece. The book for example provides challenges and opportunities in different industries. Additionally, the book offers strategies used by managers of some of the largest companies in the different industries thus portraying the realistic ways of overcoming such challenges. Research methodology The overriding research philosophy that James C. Collins employs interpretivism, this implies that he seeks to investigate the relationship between different features of the subject group. In the research, he investigates different management and marketing strategies and the effects of such strategies on the profitability of the companies (Bryant, 2009). This requires the ability of the researcher to interpret the essence of the different techniques that managers and marketers employ in order to justify the market shares they enjoy in their respective industries. He therefore adopts the qualitative research approach that provides him with an effective access to the different qualities and values of the companies. Qualitative research is one that does not compute the research variables numerically but strives to investigate the different values thus establishing their impact in answering the overall research questions. This requires effective interpretive skills in order for the researcher to relate the different values of the numerous companies and relate the management techniques to the profitability of the companies. James C. Collins employs stratified sampling in investigating the numerous companies, which he specifically targets owing to their conspicuous presence in the different industries. Additionally, he uses numerous data collection techniques including interviews and the use of questionnaires. Such are ideal data collection techniques which he combines seamlessly thereby improving the efficacy of the research findings. He uses strategic data analysis tools that helps validate his interpretation of the data thus develop the conclusion and recommendations he makes. Interpreting the data required vivid description coupled with provision of adequate evidence, James C. Collins does this as he provides adequate data that readily portray the comparison between the different companies. He then provides graphical presentation of the research findings a feature that makes understanding the research data easier. Concisely, James C. Collins maintains effective research methodology by ensuring that he uses appropriate research techniques in investigating the expansive yet equally sensitive topical issue. Personal observations An analysis of the content of James C. Collins’ book portrays a factual representation of the numerous industries in the American economy. The author investigates the management structures and the marketing techniques that each company uses. In doing this, he provides an evident difference in the operations of the numerous companies with the view of validating the different market shares that the companies enjoy. In doing this, the author investigates the growth of the numerous companies by interviewing numerous stakeholders in the industries. This way, he provides a realistic market share and success rate of the numerous companies often validating the success of such companies by citing the numerous strategic management and marketing styles used by the managers of the companies. By investigating the histories of the companies, James C. Collins seeks to justify the difference in the management techniques both within the organization and in comparison to its competitors in the industry (Callinicos, 1999). Additionally, James C. Collins’ claims in the book appear realistic owing to the fact that he maintains the book to particular industries in the country. He investigates the structure of eleven companies that he finds great coupled with their comparators. Limiting the research to the eleven companies makes the research realistic and achievable. This way, he finds adequate time to investigate the structures and marketing strategies of the companies and their comparators. He upholds numerous research provisions thereby resulting in a realistic book that provides realistic view and solutions to contemporary management challenges in any industry. Adherence to philosophical approaches Conventionalists assert that there are specific ways of making particular undertakings. Management is therefore one of such undertakings that require particular conventional ways of doing things. While the society is changing rapidly, particular features of the society remain unchanged thus require conventional ways of undertakings and considerations. Key among such features of the society that have remained the same is ethics and morality. Commercial companies must therefore maintain a degree of ethics in their engagements with their customers in order to sustain the relationship with the customers since such sustains the longevity of the businesses. James C. Collins explains that discipline is a fundamental feature of successful organizations. Most managers instil discipline in the organizational cultures. This portrays the importance of ethics in the success of a company. Postmodernists on the other hand vouch for the introduction of new appropriate ways of managing organizations owing to the trending social and cultural changes. The approach is realistic and James C. Collins underscores its importance by proving that great companies are those that have changed with the changing society thereby introducing new ways of doing things thus enhancing the profitability of such companies (Alan, 2010). Of the seven characteristics, that James C. Collins explains are essential in steering the success of a company is technology as an accelerator of growth. This implies that companies must adopt contemporary technologies in order to increase their markets. New technologies enhance marketing of companies. Appreciating technology in a company thus enhances the success of the company. By infusing the two approaches, James C. Collins provides a realistic approach to management by confining the operations of the managers to particular activities that enhance success. Conclusion Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by James C. Collins is a phenomenal management book that provides realistic solutions to the challenges facing contemporary managers. The author adopts a representative approach by investigating the structures of some of the best companies in the country. This way, he investigates the structural differences in the companies. In doing this, he investigates the characteristics of some of the greatest companies in the countries thereby portraying the important management features that any contemporary manager should exhibit. Among the seven characteristics are adopting technology, maintaining discipline, the hedgehog concept and confrontation of the brutal facts. Such are simple facts that any manager may know. However, he portrays the difference in the implementation of the features thereby providing contemporary managers with realistic solutions to the management challenges that deter the growth of companies globally. References Alan, M. (2010). The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide to Management. New York: HarperCollins. Bryant, A. (May 23, 2009). "For This Guru, No Question Is Too Big". New York Times. Butler, J. (1995). 'Contingent Foundations' in (ed. Nicholson) Feminist Contentions: A Philosophical Exchange. New Yotk: Routledge. Callinicos, A. (1999). Against Postmodernism: A Marxist Critique. Cambridge: Polity. Cameron, D. (2010). Cultural Strategy. New York: Oxford University Press. Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap…and others don’t. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. Read More