Customer Reviews

Business Agility: Sustainable Prosperity in a Relentlessly Competitive World (Microsoft Executive Leadership Series)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the third book I've read by Mr. Hugos and he never disappoints! Writing in an entertaining style that is easy to understand, informative without being pedantic Mr. Hugos skillfully delivers on making business perform and more profitable in the information economy. I have run a business for a quarter century in an industry where the operative buzz word has always been urgency but after reading Business Agility Sustainable Prosperity in a Relentlessly Competitive world my philosophy of conducting business and my understanding of how businesses should operate have been fundamentally changed.

By introducing and /or elaborating on three concepts OODA, Six Sigma, and Mr. Hugos' own DDB Define Design Build, and melding them all together in a cohesive plan to attain business agility he has delivered a powerful new book to the bible on how to properly conduct business, and how to stretch the almighty profit margin!

The concepts of business agility are cleverly conveyed by his use of drawing analogies from how a sun flower functions to the military tactics of great military minds of the past. While this book was probably written with the idea of making a large enterprise more nimble (it takes a while to turn an ocean liner) I see where the ideas and concepts presented will be useful in my small business (canoes have to be navigated too!)

In this book Mr. Hugos has shown how the old hierarchical controlling ways of doing business should be, must be replaced with a coordinated network approach. An approach that enables innovation, and promotes visibility, training and creates motivation. In this book Mr. Hugos has created a blue print to transform any organization from a staid assembly line, monolithic dinosaur to a dynamic, responsive and adaptive modern firm capable of growing the bottom line.

Like a welder `striking an arc', Michael Hugos' clear conversational-style writing brilliantly lights up the topic - Business Agility. And like the steady hand of a welder, he proceeds to fuse the customer and the provider together almost seamlessly through the proper utilization of IT. From his initial `business triage' (how can we help the most the fastest?) through his 10/4 approach (at a cost 10 times less than the competition and 4 times faster than the competition) he lays out a clear line of attack that will assist all business executives with moving a company's competitive edge forward.
This book provides a comprehensive conceptual framework to base improving agility and responsiveness upon. It is backed up with detailed real-life contemporary examples clearly illustrating improved profitability in today's rapidly changing global business environment. It is notable that the impetus this approach provides, adds velocity to projects and companies alike. When accomplished in series, the plan adds sustainable momentum through continuing closer, stronger, more dynamic customer relations, all leading to opportunities for improving top and bottom lines. This is an exceptional guide to - Sustainable Prosperity in a Relentlessly Competitive World - that no one else has put together!

My test of a good business book is to ask the question: "will I be doing differently something significant as a result of reading this book?" Hugos passed the test. Most people who read this book will be sharp, interested in improving their game, and seeking higher levels of awareness. They will get the basic Business Agility premise and understand its broad implications a few pages into the book - certainly by the end of chapter 1. That's typical for business books, most of which never get read beyond page 50.

What I found unusual in Business Agility is that the second half of the book delivered much of the take-home value for me. Hugos populates the last half of the book with simple rules of thumb to help the reader achieve business agility. They are clear, easy to understand, easy to apply, and obvious (once Hugos points them out to you). They make it worth while to read to the end.

Length:: 4:29 Mins

Business Agility: Sustainable Prosperity in a Relentlessly Competitive World (Microsoft Executive Leadership Series)

"RAD (Rapid Application Development) meets Supply Chain and business process."

We live in a time that one needs to take small bit size projects and prove a case then roll them out as a series of small projects checking and confirming along the way. It's building a house one brick at a time rather than putting the roof on without the walls up. It supports the need for great planning. Try a bunch of small things and then take a step forward. Repeat.

During the building of the Great Wall of China: There is a single unplaced brick at Jiayuguan Pass. Jiayuguan Pass is located at the western end of the Great Wall in Gansu Province and was a strategic point on the ancient Silk Road. A single gray brick is fixed on the back wall of the western gate tower in the pass. It is said to be a souvenir left from a bet between a craftsman and a supervisor when the Great Wall was being built. A contractor named Yi Kaishan was so good at working out plans he could accurately calculate the number of men and materials needed without any waste. The supervisor, who born him a personal grudge, didn't believe him and challenged him with a bet. "I'll allow you just one brick more than you say you need," he said. "if there is one left over, I'll put it on the tower myself to leave a good name for you. If you need more, you'll be punished."
Yi agreed. When the construction was finished, just as he predicted only one brick remained. This can be seen on the gate tower at Jiayuguan Pass today.

"One Brick at a time, with a good plan"

--Wyly Wade

Change is in the nature of things: no matter if you talk about personal life or business. Building organizations specifically designed for change, is a new science that focuses its attention on, guess what, people: their beliefs, their needs, and the level of participation they have. Michael Hugos depicts scenarios and underlines practical strategies that companies can use to mix leadership choices and IT innovation opportunities to succeed in the new emerging fast-paced global economy.

- PierG aka Piergiorgio Grossi, IT Manager, Agilist and Blogger

We have been historically conditioned to believe that he who brings the lowest price to the market will have the greatest success because the lowest price has always implied the one with the greatest efficiency. Mr. Hugos provides a compelling argument that this age-old notion is not sustainable when low cost services and commodities are readily available in a globally connected market. He sums it up succinctly and poignantly when he declares "responsiveness trumps efficiency" and after reading his book, it is clear that the sustainability of an organization in this modern era depends on its ability to become agile and foster a culture of continuous innovation.

John M. Phillips, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Briggs

Mike has done a powerful job of integrating the concepts of business agility, today's highly competitive world, Sun Tzu and common sense into an entertaining and practical text that can change any business. The practices if followed will give you the holy grail - i.e. a sustainable business advantage. These are practices we will implement in our business.