编辑推荐
What makes a visionary company? This book, written by a team from Stanford's Graduate School of Business, compares what the authors have identified as "visionary" companies with selected companies in the same industry. The authors juxtapose Disney and Columbia Pictures, Ford and General Motors, Motorola and Zenith, and Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments, to name a few. The visionary companies, the authors found out, had a number of common characteristics; for instance, almost all had some type of core ideology that guided the company in times of upheaval and served as a constant bench mark. Not all the visionary companies were founded by visionary leaders, however. On the whole, this is an intriguing book that occasionally provides rare and interesting glimpses into the inner workings and philosophical foundations of successful businesses. Recommended for all libraries.
内容简介
Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies and studied each in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day -- as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: "What makes the truly exceptional companies different from the comparison companies and what were the common practices these enduringly great companies followed throughout their history?"
Filled with hundreds of specific examples and organized into a coherent framework of practical concepts that can be applied by managers and entrepreneurs at all levels, Built to Last provides a master blueprint for building organizations that will prosper long into the 21st century and beyond.
作者简介
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 coauthor of Built to Last, he serves as a teacher to leaders throughout the corporate and social sectors. His work has been featured in Fortune, BusinessWeek, The Economist, USA Today, and Harvard Business Review.
精彩书评
"Built to Last...is one of the most eye-opening business studies since In Search of Excellence
-- Kevin Maney, USA Today
"A must read for any CEO who aspires to create a great company."
-- T.J. Rodgers, President and CEO, Cypress Semiconductor Corp.
前言/序言
《基业长青:打造百年企业的基石》图书简介 一部引领组织穿越周期、实现永续增长的权威指南 在瞬息万变的商业丛林中,无数企业如流星般划过天际,留下短暂的光芒。然而,少数企业却能历经风雨,穿越无数次经济衰退与技术变革的浪潮,始终保持着旺盛的生命力,成为各自领域的灯塔。它们是如何做到的?它们的核心驱动力究竟是什么? 《基业长青:打造百年企业的基石》(Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies)正是一部致力于揭示这一奥秘的里程碑式著作。两位卓越的研究者——吉姆·柯林斯(Jim Collins)和杰瑞·波拉斯(Jerry I. Porras)——以其严谨的学术态度和深刻的商业洞察力,通过一项长达六年的、开创性的对比研究,系统地剖析了那些超越一般优秀企业,最终成为“持久卓越”典范的“基业长青公司”(Visionary Companies)与它们的直接竞争对手之间的根本差异。 超越平庸:从“优秀”到“卓越”的质变 本书的研究起点并非关注那些“昙花一现”的明星企业,而是聚焦于那些在几十年间持续超越市场平均水平、展现出惊人韧性和适应性的组织。柯林斯和波拉斯将“基业长青公司”定义为那些不仅在财务上表现卓越,更重要的是,它们在核心价值观、使命感和社会影响力上都设定了行业的新标准,并且在其所在的领域内,持续地定义着“什么是优秀”。 为了提炼出真正的成功秘诀,研究团队设计了一个严苛的对比模型。他们精心挑选了与“基业长青公司”在同一行业、同期起步、拥有相似产品和市场机会的“对标公司”。通过将“长青公司”与这些“对标公司”并置比较,作者得以剥离出那些偶然因素和市场运气,从而精准地锁定那些真正驱动长期卓越的、结构性的习惯和哲学。 核心发现:六个决定性的习惯 通过对这些“长青公司”——如沃尔玛(Walmart)、迪士尼(Disney)、宝洁(Procter & Gamble)、通用电气(General Electric)等——的深入剖析,作者总结出了六个跨越时空、具有普适性的核心特质,这些特质构成了企业永续发展的坚实地基: 1. 核心价值观与目的(Core Values and Purpose): 卓越的企业不仅仅是追逐利润的机器。它们拥有一套不可动摇的核心价值观和超越赚钱的崇高目的。这些价值观构成了组织的“宪法”,指导着员工在模糊不清的决策时刻做出正确的选择。它们不是挂在墙上的口号,而是深入骨髓的信仰体系。 2. 适应性而非战略的僵化(Adaptability Over Rigid Strategy): 柯林斯和波拉斯强调,“长青公司”并非拥有一个永远正确的五年计划。相反,它们发展出了一种“造钟”的能力——建立起一套能够持续产生新战略、新产品和新变革的机制。它们“既能坚持又具适应性”(Preserve and Preserve and Preserve),能够在坚守核心信仰的同时,毫不留情地抛弃过时的战术和产品。 3. 内部产生接班人(Building from Within): 令人惊讶的是,大多数“长青公司”的最高领导者并非是空降的外部明星,而是从内部培养、与核心价值观深度融合的继任者。这种模式确保了组织文化的纯粹性与持续性,避免了外部人才可能带来的文化冲击和方向偏离。 4. 持续的“理念驱动”而非“理念导向”(Built Around Ideas, Not Just People): 虽然伟大的领导者至关重要,但“长青公司”的成功并非系于任何一位魅力非凡的CEO。它们建立了一种制度,使得组织本身的概念和理念能够超越任何个人的生命周期。他们更像是“造钟人”,而不是“讲故事的人”。 5. 追求“大而全”与“小而精”的平衡(Tyranny of the OR vs. Genius of the AND): 这是本书最振聋发聩的论断之一。平庸的公司常常陷入“非此即彼”的思维陷阱(例如:我们必须选择高利润还是高市场份额?)。而“长青公司”则擅长驾驭“与”的关系,它们能够在看似矛盾的要素中找到统一,例如:既能保持对核心价值的绝对忠诚,又能进行激进的、颠覆性的变革。 6. 追求“不可思议的成果”(Big Hairy Audacious Goals - BHAGs): 为了激发组织潜力,这些公司会设定一些看似遥不可及、需要付出巨大努力才能实现的目标——“宏伟、大胆、冒险的目标”。这些目标为全体员工提供了一个明确的奋斗方向,将其从日常琐事中解放出来,共同致力于创造一个令人振奋的未来。 对管理者的深刻启示 《基业长青》不是一本提供速效药方的管理手册,而是一部关于组织哲学和长期思维的深度论述。它告诫管理者,真正的持久成功并非源于一时的市场运气或天才的战略远见,而是源于系统地、有意识地在组织内部植入一套经得起时间考验的结构、文化和习惯。 本书对那些渴望超越短期盈利目标,追求在数十年甚至数百年间对社会产生积极影响的企业领导者、创业者和学者而言,具有无可替代的价值。它提供了一个清晰的蓝图,指导我们如何构建一个能够自我更新、持续适应,并最终实现“基业长青”的组织实体。阅读本书,就是踏上探索组织永恒生命力的旅程。