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Kill the Company: End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution [Hardcover]

Lisa Bodell
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 15, 2012
In the ever-changing world of business, we've arrived at a point where process has trumped culture, where the race toward efficiency has made us complacent and unable to reach our potential. Stuck in the land of status quo, we've forgotten how to think. And the very structures put in place to help businesses grow are now holding them back. It's time to Kill the Company.

What this book suggests is simple: to SIMPLIFY by getting rid of things first rather than continually building on what doesn’t work; a form of spring cleaning for your organization. Innovation specialist Lisa Bodell urges companies to question assumptions and to challenge rules that have outlived their time. Killing these status quo attitudes makes space for change and more value-added work, like thinking. Bodell tells us that these changes need not be one-size-fits-all initiatives that are forced upon employees. Instead, we need to embrace smaller, positive behavioral changes that create ripple effects throughout the organization. Too many change initiatives simply add another layer of processes to the to-do lists of already overwhelmed and tired employees. Not this one. Innovation is supposed to make things better, not worse, easier, not more complicated. Kill the Company is your guide for simplifying and streamlining, then building and maintaining a place where everyone’s innovative spirit and energy fuel the long-term goals of your organization. A company that empowers its people to think critically, question relentlessly, and act boldly, to move from Zombies, Inc. to Think, Inc., will own the future.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lisa has done the impossible: she's written a book that's simple, powerful and rewards organizations that have the guts to make change."  Seth Godin, author of The Purple Cow, Linchpin, We Are All Weird, and other best-sellers

 

"At Zappos, one of our core values is to ‘Embrace and Drive Change.’ Kill the Company shatters traditional notions of culture change and innovation.  This book gives a fresh and interesting approach to businesses looking to make changes to their own cultures."   Tony Hsieh, NY Times best-selling author of Delivering Happiness and CEO of Zappos.com, Inc.

 

"Lisa Bodell is a first class change agent in the corporate world. She points out the often obvious but totally ingrained things that are stifling our companies, then goes on to share her plan for how we can start our own ‘innovation revolution’.”   Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times bestsellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

 

"Dylan's Candy Bar will absolutely be utilizing Lisa Bodell's inspiring toolkit to help us prepare for the year 2025. The thought starters and provocative questions in Kill the Company are an exceptionally useful blueprint for any company's strategic plan."– Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar

 

"The core message and call to arms in Kill the Company is both timely and spot on. Industrial management and MBA-training won't help you think in a more adaptive, iterative, entrepreneurial way to invent and reinvent, but this book will."  Peter Sims, author of Little Bets and founder, The Black Sheep

 

 “This book is provocative yet its solutions are simple to achieve and it offers straightforward tools that can create real revolutionary change. Kill the Company is a must-read for every organization, whether a big company or a small business group within. Be prepared not only to look objectively at your organization, but also at yourself.”– Paul Gerbino, Executive Director, Thomas Industrial Network, Inc.

 

Kill the Company is the real company’s guide to implementing a culture of innovation. Unlike other books on the topic, it does not rely on the conjuring of mystical spirits or the anointing of corporate shamans to get your business to go from complacent to competitive. It is a how-to guide to make your real-world organization more imaginative, more inspired and much more innovative." – Amanda L. Perrin, Head of U.S. Talent Management, NYSE Euronext

 

 “A must-read for managers and leaders at all levels. Innovation is the key to our collective future, and this book provides some great ideas on how to get there.”– Barbara Daniels, GE Capital Americas

 

"Those of us interested in innovation will be glad to know that innovator/futurist Lisa Bodell has finally captured her years of successful innovation work with clients in this book. It’s not only an inspiring manifesto to get on with it—one person and one project at a time—but it provides detailed concepts, examples, and tools for anyone to make innovation happen. Reading this book will launch you on a path to innovation that will you enable to create the future that you want." – Andy Hines, Lecturer/Executive in Residence, University of Houston, Futures Studies

 

“Lisa Bodell is dead-on: ‘Everyone is a Change Agent.’ This book provides practical tools for anyone to change their company’s culture and raise their game in innovation.“– Jeff Honious, VP, Innovation, Reed Elsevier

 

“Innovation requires more than just a good idea. A company's culture must persuade innovation to thrive. Bodell gives us a book full of practical wisdom and applicable tools for building a climate of innovation. Step-by-step exercises are laid out in each chapter. The dynamic framework make this an indispensable guide for innovation revolution.”– Leigh W. Jerome, Ph.D., President & CEO, The Institute for Triple Helix Innovation

“Both enlightening and frightening at the same time! Bodell forced me to really ask myself some hard questions. Finally, a book that jarred my thinking but then also gave me a framework and tools to help me work towards better answers.” — Judy Brown, CFO, Perrigo Pharmaceuticals
 
"The boldness of Lisa's assertion that we must Kill the Company is only matched by the preciseness of the arguments, tools and techniques that she provides to show us how to do it." — Prof Tony O'Driscoll, Executive Director, Center for Technology, Media and Entertainment (CTEM), Fuqua School of Business.

About the Author

Lisa Bodell, founder and CEO of futurethink, an internationally recognized innovation research and training firm, believes that we all have the power to innovate; we just need to know how. As a leading innovator and trainer, she has devised training programs for hundreds of leading companies including 3M, GE, and Johnson & Johnson. A respected thought leader on innovation topics, Bodell has appeared on FOX News, and in publications such as Crain's, Business Week, The New York Times, WIRED, Investor's Business Daily, Successful Meetings, Harvard Business Review, and The Futurist. She serves as an advisor on the boards of the Institute of Direct Marketing in London, The Women's Congress, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the prestigious Institute for Triple Helix Innovation think tank, and has taught marketing at American University and through the American Management Association.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Bibliomotion (May 15, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1937134024
  • ISBN-13: 978-1937134020
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lisa Bodell is the founder and CEO of futurethink, an internationally recognized innovation research and training firm. Lisa founded her organization on the principle that everyone has the power to innovate; they just need the knowledge and tools to know how. As a leading innovator and cognitive learning expert, she has devised training programs for hundreds of innovators at leading companies such as 3M, GE, and Johnson & Johnson.

A respected thought leader on innovation topics, Bodell has appeared on FOX News, and in publications such as Crain's, Business Week, The New York Times, WIRED, Investor's Business Daily, Successful Meetings, Harvard Business Review, and The Futurist.

She serves as an advisor on the boards of the Institute of Direct Marketing in London, The Women's Congress, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the prestigious Institute for Triple Helix Innovation think tank, and has also taught marketing at American University and the American Management Association.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Erin B.
Format:Hardcover
Engaging to read with powerful, implementable ideas. Highly recommended.

Ms. Bodell clearly articulates actual, real live things one can DO to make change happen (vs. theory which sounds good on paper on 'parking lot' posters in Brainstorming Meetings). I have used this book in two different - but related - venues.

As a change management executive at a global consulting firm, I am often approached by clients who want to make change happen but lack the tools required to shift the behavior of the 'frozen middle' such that they become active change agents. Kill the Company provides tactical ways to effect change that is thoughtful, considered and dare I say it? Fun. "Picture the Future" allowed me to creatively engage with a leadership team in a visioning exercise that prior to Ms. Bodell's kickstart idea, felt a bit stale.

As a professor for organizational change-related classes at NYU I found the book so insightful that it's now on my course syllabus. Through this book, Ms. Bodell helps us to wisely drive intentional change. How can you not be intrigued by astonishingly simple ideas that are so powerful like "Kill a Stupid Rule" (which, when I did this with my team, was met with stunning enthusiasm and great results)?
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Two cautions but otherwise a moderate endorsement October 2, 2012
Format:Hardcover
Caution 1: The marketing of this book appears to employ some of the time-worn tactics of many business books, e.g., bringing first-time reviewers out of the woodwork to add two sentences of praise in order to inflate the star ratings.

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Caution 2: Parts of this book read as an advertisement for Bodell's consulting company. ("We offer an array of tools...")

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With those two cautions aside, the core message of this book is a good one, and is delivered persuasively: Thinking in all its forms -- questioning, creating, inventing, exploring -- too often takes a backseat to efficiency, output, and short-term ROI. Thinking is relegated to a one-time PowerPoint presentation reserved for the annual strategic plan. But novel and useful ideas ("innovation") are the backbone of a company, and the company's politics and policies must be "killed" in order to invite those ideas in.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I am ready to take action! June 25, 2012
Format:Hardcover
Kill the Company conveys a straight-forward idea in a clear manner. It is impressive how Ms. Bodell presents the many layers and implications of being innovative, starting with personal intuition and ending with the functioning of a group. The message is truly inspiring; I believed it. But more importantly, she uncovers a journey to become innovative and creative that I am absolutely willing to embark on!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Provocative title, some pearls inside
Yet another book addressing the now common place question of corporate governance, which is accused of destroying human creativity and innovation. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pierre MORGON
1.0 out of 5 stars Lack of knowledge...
The author does seem to have complete knowledge and understanding of certain methodologies such as Six Sigma which the books harps on. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jbs
5.0 out of 5 stars Tools You Can Use
I echo the other comments about the practicality of this book. I've read many books with theories that sounded good but left me wondering where to start. Not this book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by TDHen
5.0 out of 5 stars Overall Good Info and Guidance for Any Company
At first glance, the attractive cover (I do like the cover art) of the book may lead you to believe it is propaganda for the Communist party. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mason Donovan
5.0 out of 5 stars Kill the Company "kills it!"
Futurist and innovator Lisa Bodell has written an important book for anyone interested in stimulating innovation in their organization. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Andrew Hines
4.0 out of 5 stars A new way to look at how to improve your business
Interesting take on how to improve your own company while brainstorming how to "kill" the competitor. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Christine
5.0 out of 5 stars LEGO RULES
Not a day goes by that my team would not thank Lisa for letting me take part in being a change agent on one of her instigator SWAT teams.. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Madlyn Del Monte
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't just outside the box; crush the box!
Lisa is a fellow author with Bibliomotion, so I was already intrigued with reading the book. The title is intentionally provocative and underpins her whole premise: You have to... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Paul Heagen
4.0 out of 5 stars Thinking From the Outside In
I love this book. But first, a disclaimer and a bias. First, the author sent me a copy because I have worked with her in the past. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Brian J.
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical tools for any manager
Kill the Company provides a suite of proven, inspired tools that can be implemented immediately to shift how an organization approaches change. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lui
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