This is one of the worst business books I've ever read. I measure business books by what I get out of them, and unless you are building a Fortune 500 company I don't see how you could get anything out of this that you could use or put into practice.
The first few chapters try to sell you on the book. The premise is that they picked companies that outperform and that from similarities between these companies they found in their research, and the differences they found from less successful companies, we can discover the secret recipe to being a great company that is built to last!
So what type of research do we get to see? Just stories and anecdotes. No data, no statistics, nothing objective. They pick a principal to highlight, they go find stories of their successful companies exhibiting that principal, and that's the chapter.
I can only believe that people rate this book well because they like business stories? But please don't think these are entertaining or good business stories, they are hyperbole.
Built to Last Hardcover – 16 September 1994
by
Jim Collins
(Author),
Jerry I. Porras
(Author),
Jerry I. Porras as
(Author),
James C. Collins
(Author)
&
1
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Product details
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0887306713
- ISBN-13 : 978-0887306716
- Best Sellers Rank: 80,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com
Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars
377 reviews

LT
1.0 out of 5 stars
No actionable ideas, just 200 pages of anecdotes
19 March 2021 -
Published on Amazon.comVerified Purchase
One person found this helpful

Benjamin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding writing and reference
6 March 2020 -
Published on Amazon.comVerified Purchase
To be clear, I really appreciate books that lean hard on research based findings, rather than theoretical supposition. This book is precisely that. The two authors clearly utilized the data uncovered from the research to compile and present the UN-polluted facts in as unbiased a method as is possible with human interaction. I personally ordered a second copy to give to a friend whom I felt could also take a whole lot out of understanding from it. Loads of great information.
4 people found this helpful

Joshua M.
5.0 out of 5 stars
this book will undoubtably inspire you to reach great heights.
6 October 2016 -
Published on Amazon.comVerified Purchase
[book:Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies|4122] was one of the first business books I've ever read. At the time, as an aspiring entrepreneur, James C. Collins spoke volume to me and how I should structure an everlasting company. Written by two Stanford University's Graduate School of Business professors, the level of knowledge and experience they jointly possess will exceed your expectations. The main point of the book is to either identify your business as a "clock builder" or a "time teller." Time tellers focus on being the loudest and most disruptive companies, while clock builders are more reserved and focus on growth and preserving their core values for centuries into the future. As a well researched book might indicate, the authors provide a tremendous amount of detail on what makes companies such as Coca-Cola, Citi Bank, Wal-Mart, Walt Disney, Nordstrom, stand the test of time. These companies have been active in our lives for generations and they reveal exactly how they have endured, and how they will continue to endure for many generations to come. Whether you are an entrepreneur, owner, middle management or a salesmen, this book will undoubtably inspire you to reach great heights.
14 people found this helpful

Ed Barton
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read for the CEO
28 April 2014 -
Published on Amazon.comVerified Purchase
Anyone tasked with the daunting responsibility of running an organization is faced with the challenge of culture. In the event that you are the "lucky" successor to a founder or a turn-around situation (my professional scenarios all have been in this realm), the task of what to do, where to go, and how to get there are huge - the culture is either well established, failing, and needs to change, or the culture may have been one of personality, facing a vacuum, and needs to be institutionalized. Collins and Porras look at a series of companies that have transcended this challenge and have developed a visionary culture that withstands the test of time.
Summarizing the basic themes:
* Be an architect and clock builder and design and develop a vision that stand the test of time
* Embrace the "Genius of AND." - do not accept difficult trade-offs and strive for the near impossible
* Preserve the core/stimulate progress - Develop, hone and ruthlessly protect core values, and innovate around that core
* Seek consistent alignment - Align all stakeholders to the vision of the organization and continue to insure alignment
Unlike some of the challenges faced by the companies chosen by Tom Peters in "In Search of Excellence", a 25 year run on Collins book finds many of his study subjects still in the forefront of their industries. Collins is definitely onto something, and is one of the more engaging writers of the genre. Definitely worth the read.
Summarizing the basic themes:
* Be an architect and clock builder and design and develop a vision that stand the test of time
* Embrace the "Genius of AND." - do not accept difficult trade-offs and strive for the near impossible
* Preserve the core/stimulate progress - Develop, hone and ruthlessly protect core values, and innovate around that core
* Seek consistent alignment - Align all stakeholders to the vision of the organization and continue to insure alignment
Unlike some of the challenges faced by the companies chosen by Tom Peters in "In Search of Excellence", a 25 year run on Collins book finds many of his study subjects still in the forefront of their industries. Collins is definitely onto something, and is one of the more engaging writers of the genre. Definitely worth the read.
17 people found this helpful

johnykarate
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read!
19 August 2018 -
Published on Amazon.comVerified Purchase
for anyone wanting to know what it takes to be a successful company, read this!
"Managers at visionary companies simply do not accept the proposition that they must choose between short-term performance or long-term success. They build first and foremost for the long term while simultaneously holding themselves to highly demanding short-term standards". p182 - one of my my favorite quotes in this book.
"Managers at visionary companies simply do not accept the proposition that they must choose between short-term performance or long-term success. They build first and foremost for the long term while simultaneously holding themselves to highly demanding short-term standards". p182 - one of my my favorite quotes in this book.
6 people found this helpful