Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
$3.16 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
HEADS YOU WIN: How the Best Companies Think
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

HEADS YOU WIN: How the Best Companies Think [Hardcover]

Quinn Spitzer (Author), Ron Evans (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback, Import --  

Book Description

February 17, 1997
New Coke. The Walt Disney Company's aborted theme park near the Manassas battlefield. AT&T's acquisition of NCR Corp. Were these merely the gaffes of individual decision makers, or do they represent larger, organizational deficiencies in critical thinking? In "Heads, You Win!," Kepner-Tregoe's CEO Quinn Spitzer and executive Ron Evans argue that problem solving and decision making are no longer just individual tasks, but rather have become collective activities. The question then becomes: How confident are you in the collective brainpower of your organization? And how do you weave proficiency in critical thinking into the fabric of an enterprise?

In their provocative and extraordinarily practical book, Spitzer and Evans cite the experiences and share the advice of the presidents and CEOs of some of the world's best businesses who have learned how to create thinking organizations: Roger Ackerman of Corning Incorporated, Ralph Larsen of Johnson & Johnson, Robert Lutz of Chrysler Corporation, Sir Colin Marshall of British Airways, and Richard Teerlink of Harley-Davidson, Inc., to name a few. There is also expert commentary from a pantheon of management experts, including Kenneth Blanchard, Henry Mintzberg, Tom Peters, C. K. Prahalad, Peter Senge, and Noel Tichy.

The authors also describe how some of the most innovative companies are winning by capitalizing on the brainpower of every employee. And finally, they examine those issues that have the most significant impact, in the current business environment, on problem-solving and decision-making processes:

data overload versus information sufficiency
the teaming of the workplace
business organizations viewed as asystem
the roles of intuition and rationality
leadership quality and core values

"Heads, You Win!" provides a wealth of practical tips and techniques for all those who wish to sharpen their own and their organization's critical thinking -- a task that is crucial to success in today's brutally competitive economy.

Improving an organization's ability to effectively solve problems, make decisions, and cut through the information clutter has long been the specialty of Kepner-Tregoe, one of the most respected international management consulting firms. In their landmark bestseller, "The Rational Manager, " the firm's founders described crucial problem-solving and decision-making skills and explained how they could be developed and applied by individual managers. In their new book, Spitzer and Evans examine these critical thinking skills in an entirely different light.

Rich in anecdotes and examples, "Heads, You Win!" brings together the keen perceptions of two consultants with an unusual depth of business experience. And best of all, Spitzer and Evans use wit along with wisdom to craft a book that undoubtedly will keep your thinking sharp and make your organization smarter than the competition.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Quinn Spitzer and Ron Evans of the Kepner-Tregoe consulting firm believe "critical thinking" is the true route to a winning business. It is the foundation upon which all other management theories are built, they argue, but it has changed over the years in a manner that few truly understand. In Heads You Win: How The Best Companies Think, they analyze the way top corporations are now harnessing the collective brainpower in their organizations to achieve success.

From Publishers Weekly

Management fads come and go, but there is a constant in the workplace, argue the authors (CEO and practice leader, respectively, of a Pennsylvania consulting firm): Executives need to know how to think. Specifically, they must be able to analyze situations, identify the cause of problems and quickly implement solutions, make applicable decisions and seize opportunities. The authors demonstrate here how successful companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Chrysler and British Airways carry out this process. Consistent with their belief about how to solve problems, Spitzer and Evans break down each step into small bites, using a straightforward approach that recognizes that management books need not be deadly dull. "The initial objective of problem solving is not to solve the problem, but to keep from doing something stupid," they advise. They even provide a lengthy appendix that contains dozens of questions and forms to use in spurring critical thinking. When a new business buzzword is created every few months, a reminder of the importance of the basics is refreshing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (February 17, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 068480431X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684804316
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,057,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful in improving quality of decision making, July 24, 2000
This review is from: HEADS YOU WIN: How the Best Companies Think (Hardcover)
I pride myself on my decision making / problem solving / analysis skills. Others have told me that I'm good at identifying the most important issues out of lots of data / information / (often contradictory) evidence. So, I got the book for a quick skim and to fill "gaps". The first few chapters didn't add much value. However, the last 2/3 of the book outlined a fairly simple and straight-forward decision making process. I have found this process useful to "pause" when analyzing / making decisions and become more aware of which implications can be directly deduced, which ones are hypothesis (thru intuition), and how to verify / refute the latter. I applied the process formally to making a decision to renew third party software license in our organization. One email detailing the situation and decision making process elicited meaningful / thoughtful / comprehensive comments and fact gathering.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   


Listmania!


Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject