I was so anxious to get the monograph (see: small book) by Jim Collins that I ordered it twice. Well, it did not disappoint.
The small book is two things: (1) a stake in the ground for research on its way, and (2) a quick read packing lots of punch. I dare say its density is a marvel. Collins begins with the eye-catching phrase, "Business thinking has no place in the social sector" to draw any casual reader’s attention. However, as is the case with much of Collins’ work, it is a bit more complicated than it sounds. The book reminds us that research reinforces one constant in all great organisations: DISCIPLINE.
I found two things interesting: (1) the importance of branding and (2) the change from economic engine to resource engine in the social sectors. The branding confirms what we have postulated about to our clients: build your organisation with excellence in mind, coordinate the image and efforts, and thus build your brand. (P. Middlebrook has more on this). The economic v. resource engine is interesting because it recognizes the cultural and indeed operational differences of a social enterprise (or charity) from that of a private sector business. It is helpful because it engages the social sector audience instead of alienating them while keeping the focus on the right thing: sustainability. (in all its forms)
Buy the book. It is worth £7 .
If you don’t buy the book, this is likely my favourite passage (paraphrased below, emphasis is mine)…summing up the passion we would be happy to see more of in social enterprises and entrepreneurs:
Do you know which company attained the number-one spot in terms of return to investors on a dollar for dollar basis, of all U.S. publicly traded companies from 1972 to 2002? …Southwest Airlines…Think about that for a minute. You cannot imagine a worse industry than airlines over this 30-year period: fuel shocks, deregulation, brutal competition, labor strife, 9/11, huge fixed costs, bankruptcy after bankruptcy.
Now, consider a question: What if the people at Southwest had said, "Hey, we can’t do anything great until we fix the systemic constraints facing the airline industry."?
I do not mean to discount the systemic factors facing the social sectors. They are significant, and they must be addressed. Still, the fact remains, we can find pockets of greatness in nearly every difficult environment….Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.
*Note: Southwest is NOT Ryanair. Southwest is constantly ranked among the top companies by its employees. It is scoring with investors AND its employees.
Worth looking at:
http://www.jimcollins.com (the author)
http://www.fastcompany.com (interview with author on Good to Great)
http://pmiddlebrook.typepad.co.uk (branding and social enterprise)
Leadership by James MacGregor Burns
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