Grow to be great : breaking the downsizing cycle / Dwight L. Gertz, João Baptista.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gertz, Dwight L., 1951-

Contributor:

Baptista, João, 1958-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Industrial management.

Corporations--Growth.

Corporations.

Downsizing of organizations.

Strategic planning.

Industrial efficiency.

Physical Description:

x, 211 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Free Press, [1995]

Summary:

No company ever shrank to greatness, conclude Dwight Gertz and Joao Baptista. Drawing upon their new study of more than 1,000 large companies, the authors argue that managers must move beyond the current wave of downsizing, restructuring, and reengineering. Contrary to current management fads, they contend that companies must grow to be great. Managers now involved in downsizing must consider long-term goals for growth alongside short-term measures for slimming. Gertz and Baptista shatter popular corporate myths by revealing that growth opportunities are everywhere, across all business sectors--even in stable industries and in companies "too big to grow."

Using case studies, Gertz and Baptista analyze successful high-growth firms such as Starbucks, Staples, and USAA. They examine not only the strategies followed by these companies--customer franchise management, superior new product development, and channel management--but also what they did to make these strategies successful. They discuss how, regardless of differences in strategic approach, the transformations achieved by these firms are based on the same three "foundations for growth": superior customer value, outstanding economics across the value chain, and excellence in process execution. They demonstrate how these three foundations work together, forming a powerful framework through which to attain corporate goals.

Distilling these findings into useful tools for the evaluation of any strategy, Gertz and Baptista show how those facing the difficult task of turnaround can get back to growth. By examining improvements at four companies within the context of their growth framework, they analyze the combination of inspiration, leadership, and technique which has enabled these firms to prosper.

Shifting the focus from cost-cutting to growth is a challenge that thousands of companies must now face. Gertz and Baptista have given CEOs, managers, and consultants in every industry a clear framework from which to build sustainable growth in revenues and profits. This book is a practical and colorful guide for those who want to grow to be great.

Contents:

Introduction What's Keeping CEOs Awake at Night 1

1 You Cannot Shrink to Greatness 7

2 Shattering the Myths of Corporate Growth 22

3 What Most Growing Companies Have in Common 39

4 Customer Franchise Management 50

5 New Product and Service Development 78

6 Channel Management 104

7 Growth Foundations 127

8 Getting to Growth 160

Appendix A Growth Diagnostic 179

Appendix B Growth Champions 185.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0028740475

OCLC:

32738147