¿Cómo llegar a ser una magnífica compañía? El gurú Jim Collins (antiguo miembro de la Stanford University Graduate School of Business y líder de un laboratorio de investigación de gestión en Boulder) se atreve a dar varias claves para proporcionar algo de luz. Una de las conclusiones más importantes del libro Good to Great es francamente controvertida: lo más probable es que aquellas empresas que lanzan programas de cambio radicales y reestructuraciones agresivas no consigan dar el salto.

Su propósito es transgresor según él mismo escribe en fastcompany:

“I want to give you a lobotomy about change. I want you to forget everything you’ve ever learned about what it takes to create great results. I want you to realize that nearly all operating prescriptions for creating large-scale corporate change are nothing but myths”.

En su opinión, para alcanzar un nivel más elevado una empresa no necesita tanto un presidente de alto perfil, ni la última tecnología, ni una gerencia innovadora del cambio…, ni siquiera una estrategia muy afinada. Collins considera que una de las claves es poseer una cultura corporativa que consistentemente encuentre y promueva gente disciplinada, para que piensen y actúen en forma disciplinada.

Los trabajos de Jim Collins no se basan en la improvisación, hay un potente aparato estadístico que sostiene cada una de las tesis: un equipo de 21 personas dedicó cinco años de investigación para codifican 6000 artículos y 384 megabytes de datos. En Good to Great revela cuáles son algunas de esas empresas, e identifica cómo lo lograron.

“Here are the facts of life about these and other change myths. Companies that make the change from good to great have no name for their transformation — and absolutely no program. They neither rant nor rave about a crisis — and they don’t manufacture one where none exists. They don’t “motivate” people — their people are self-motivated. There’s no evidence of a connection between money and change mastery. And fear doesn’t drive change — but it does perpetuate mediocrity. Nor can acquisitions provide a stimulus for greatness: Two mediocrities never make one great company. Technology is certainly important — but it comes into play only after change has already begun. And as for the final myth, dramatic results do not come from dramatic process — not if you want them to last, anyway. A serious revolution, one that feels like a revolution to those going through it, is highly unlikely to bring about a sustainable leap from being good to being great”.

“After five years of research, I’m absolutely convinced that if we just focus our attention on the right things — and stop doing the senseless things that consume so much time and energy — we can create a powerful Flywheel Effect without increasing the number of hours we work”.

“I’m also convinced that the good-to-great findings apply broadly — not just to CEOs, but also to you and me in whatever work we’re engaged in, including the work of our own lives. For many people, the first question that occurs is, “But how do I persuade my CEO to get it?” My answer: Don’t worry about that. Focus instead on results — on subverting mediocrity by creating a Flywheel Effect within your own span of responsibility. So long as we can choose the people we want to put on our own minibus, each of us can create a pocket of greatness. Each of us can take our own area of work and influence and can concentrate on moving it from good to great. It doesn’t really matter whether all the CEOs get it. It only matters that you and I do. Now, it’s time to get to work”.

This entry was posted on Jueves, Junio 12th, 2008 at 12:14 and is filed under Branding, Estrategia, Libros, Planner. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.