Jim Collins has had an incredible track-record for timely books. Actually, “Built to Last,” published in 1997, built its popularity relatively slowly, but it reflected a growing desire in business leaders to understand the ingredients of long-term organizational success. The comparisons of visionary and more stagnant or failed enterprises became a hallmark study method. It also opened Collins up for criticism, since it’s easy to look back at “visionary” companies that failed years down the line and suspect the methodology Collins ascribed to their success.
“Good to Great” published in 2001 was an “instant classic” and captured a desire to understand “leadership” in the context of visionary organizations. Collins’ research pointed him to traits like humility, focus, and authenticity — ideas that weren’t earth-shattering but were heard very clearly in the wake of 9/11 and the recession.
Since it takes Collins a long time to produce each book no one can accuse him of hopping on the hot topic. But his latest, “How the Mighty Fall” is brutally timely in examining how organizations fall off the rails and fail.
Our timing isn’t bad either. Dr. Al Vicere’s webinar on June 17 will discuss this very topic in detail. His in-depth research into leadership rhetoric vs. the reality of organizational strategy, culture and operations deconstructs what’s wrong with many organizations. Particularly now, Dr. Vicere finds that leaders are extolling the need for innovation and customer service while understandably cutting costs, slashing workforce, and implicitly encouraging people to keep their head’s down and their eye on the immediate ball. Not exactly a recipe for innovation and breakthrough change.
Employees understand this, according to Vicere’s extensive surveys. Most see their organizations as follower-perfectors, not leading innovators, and they see the purpose of their job as doing more with less.
We’re not in a cyclical downturn but a phase of real institutional change that will see many mighty organizations disappear. But in this kind of environment there is also tremendous opportunity – at large organizations and start-ups.
