Good to Great

Good to Great

• Genre: Nonfiction; Business; Management
• Originally Published: 2001
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: 9 chapters; approximately 300 pages; approximately 10 hours on audiobook
• Central Concern: Jim Collins examines why some companies make the leap from good to great performance while others don't. Through extensive research, the book identifies key principles that have allowed certain companies to outperform their peers. These include having the right leadership (Level 5 Leaders), embracing technology, focusing on what the company does best, and creating a culture of discipline.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Brief mentions of POW camps

Jim Collins, Author

• Bio: Born 1958; received MBA from Stanford University; taught at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business; founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado; recognized as a leading business thinker and researcher; focuses on sustainability and growth in business.
• Other Works: Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (1994, with Jerry I. Porras); How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In (2009); Great by Choice (2011, with Morten T. Hansen)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Guiding Principles as Universal Truths
• Leadership Versus Authority
• The Power of People

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and cultural context of business success that incite Collins’s research.