Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
Author(s): Jim Collins (Author)
Publisher: Random House Business
Publication Date: 7 Sept. 2006
Language: English
Print length: 48 pages
ISBN-10: 1905211325
ISBN-13: 9781905211326
Book Description
'We must reject the idea - well-intentioned, but dead wrong - that the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become "more like a business".'
So begins this astonishingly blunt and timely manifesto by leading business thinker Jim Collins. Rejecting the belief, common among politicians, that all would be well in society if only the public sector operated more like the private sector, he sets out a radically new approach to creating successful hospitals, police forces, universities, charities, and other non-profit-making organisations. In the process he rejects many deep-rooted assumptions: that somehow it's possible to measure social bodies in purely financial terms; that they can be managed like traditional businesses; that they can be transformed simply by throwing money at them. Instead he argues for radical new attitudes and strategies, using the analytical approach and clear thinking that lie at the heart of Good to Great.
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From the Publisher
The author of the best-selling Good to Great turns his attention to the problems of the social and public sectors and suggests how to improve them.
From the Back Cover
We must reject the idea well-intentioned, but dead wrong that the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become "more like a business." Most businesses like most of anything else in life fall somewhere between mediocre and good. Few are great. When you compare great companies with good ones, many widely practiced business norms turn out to correlate with mediocrity, not greatness. So, then, why would we want to import the practices of mediocrity into the social sectors?
About the Author
Jim Collins is a student of companies – great ones, good ones, weak ones, failed ones – from young start-ups to venerable sesquicentenarians. The author of the national bestseller Good to Great and co-author of Built to Last, he serves as a teacher to leaders throughout the corporate and social sectors. His most recent book is Great by Choice, a look at why some companies thrive in uncertain times. His work has been featured in Fortune, Business Week, The Economist, USA Today, and Harvard Business Review. You can find more information about Jim and his work at his e-teaching site, http://www.jimcollins.com.