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In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies Paperback – February 7, 2006

by Thomas J. Peters (Author), Robert H. Waterman Jr. (Author)

117 customer reviews

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The "Greatest Business Book of All Time" (Bloomsbury UK), In Search of Excellence has long been a must-have for the boardroom, business school, and bedside table.

Based on a study of forty-three of America's best-run companies from a diverse array of business sectors, In Search of Excellence describes eight basic principles of management -- action-stimulating, people-oriented, profit-maximizing practices -- that made these organizations successful.

Joining the HarperBusiness Essentials series, this phenomenal bestseller features a new Authors' Note, and reintroduces these vital principles in an accessible and practical way for today's management reader.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of those rare books on management that are both consistently thought-provoking and fun to read.” (Wall Street Journal)

About the Author

Thomas J. Peters, "uber-guru of business" (Fortune and The Economist), is the author of many international bestsellers, including A Passion for Excellence and Thriving on Chaos. Peters, "the father of the post-modern corporation" (Los Angeles Times), is the chairman of Tom Peters Company and lives in Vermont.

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: HarperBusiness; Reprint edition (February 7, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060548789
ISBN-13: 978-0060548780
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 117 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #26 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Business
- #135 in Books > Business & Money > Education & Reference
- #428 in Books > Business & Money > Management & Leadership > Management

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Abhishek

Some great management insights and observations

March 8, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

For any who delights and is confounded by the structure and functions (or lack of) of large organizations this book is a delightful read, the first two thirds of it anyway. The authors have done extensive research to come up with their eight points that according to them are indicative of an organization's long term success and health (some of them sound repetitive and start to tire toward the end).

It is interesting to note that many of the great companies of the time of the first publication for this book in the mid eighties - HP, IBM, Digital, TI, etc - are either struggling to remain relevant or are not to be found anywhere anymore. This is not to say that the recommendations in the book are not meaningful but it does point out the complexity and the unpredictability of the world in which organizations operate. It does, however, is indicative of the book's failure at noting and addressing the requisites for sustaining a culture of excellence through the market demands, changing leadership, large expanse of time, and disappearing founders, which often leads to value corrosion - the root of all cultural sickness.

One of the most critical aspects of good leadership is the passing of the baton, developing other leaders who can take the torch forward while deeply understanding and upholding the values on which an organization succeeds. Both HP and IBM have severely suffered since the loss of their founding fathers. In spite of having good leaders come and go they no longer carry the glean with which they once used to shine.

One other area where I found this work lacking was that it never touched upon in detail on what it considers as "excellence". One could construe from the writings that to the authors excellence is about a work culture where people naturally feel empowered and motivated, organization's output is innovative and ever fresh, and financial results are strong. To me these are results of excellence but not excellence itself.

I have often asked myself about excellence, it's presence and its absence, and how do we know when we are in presence of excellence and how to tell when we are witness to sloppiness. Excellence shines of its own accord. It is hard to put a definition around excellence. It is almost a spiritual quality, which is hard to confine in a definition but easier to express in what it is not or how it expresses itself. To me excellence is beauty, it is the bringer of delight, desirable yet unexpected, it exudes a pride of craftsmanship, it is skill in action, it is the WoW! factor, it makes the ordinary seem extraordinary, it is love, passion, pride, quality, and competence manifested. Excellence above all is an expression of genuine care.

9 people found this helpful

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Dated Classic

April 14, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Tom Peters is one of the most influential business writers of the last 20 years, and this was his initial work. Published in the early 1980's, the book explored new management methods - revolving around employee empowerment, fostering innovation and decentralized control. Exploring dozens of leading companies, Peters identifies 8 basic principles to "Stay on Top of the Heap":

* Bias to action
* Stay close to the customer
* Promote autonomy and entrepreneurship
* Productivity through people
* Executives need to be hands-on and values driven
* Focus on the business the company knows best
* Keep a simple form and few layers of management
* Foster tight adherence to values and high tolerance for employees accepting the values

These 8 principles are tough to argue - yet the majority of the companies Peters profiled in the book subsequently failed or went through extremely tumultuous times (IBM, TI, Delta Airlines, Dow, Exxon, Dana, Blue Bell, DEC, Amdhal, NCR, Wang and Xerox to name a few). Perhaps they didn't stick to their knitting - or perhaps there are other factors besides the 8. The bottom line is that the book is now nearly 30 years old, and much has changed in that time. Peters has newer books that are more on point for this century. This is a good foundational read, and an exceptional author. It is just 25 years past a 5 star review.

5 people found this helpful

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Steven Cooper

A book of mentoring for those who don't have the types of mentors to help them achieve their greatest potential. If one happens

August 12, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Wish I'd read this in high school. A book of mentoring for those who don't have the types of mentors to help them achieve their greatest potential. If one happens to have Jack Welch or Warren Buffet, Zig Ziglar, Oz Guiness or Bill Gates as a mentor, then you probably don't need this book. If not, you probably should get it. I mean, seriously, a $10 investment for hundreds of years of billion-dollar life coaching!

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Benjamin Rossen

Timeless Classic

November 16, 2005

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Like many groundbreaking works, this one must be seen as important when it was written for what it said then, and important now for what it has led to. Inspired, without doubt, by the monumental Drucker study of IBM, it took case analysis a step further. Its seminal ideas are found in many contemporary studies and schools or management thinking which have taken these principles yet further.

That doesn't mean it should no longer be read. But, after reading it, and to get the most from reading it, other contemporary works should be included in your reading list. For example, Jim Collins' "Built to Last" and "Good to Great", and John Roberts' "The Modern Firm" take Peters and Watermans' original insights many steps further. "In Search of Excellence" however, is unlikely to lose its status as a classic, and the broad strokes of its conclusions will continue to be recognized as timeless principles.

3 people found this helpful

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