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How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things

Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses

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How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things

By: Neil Smith, Patricia O'Connell
Narrated by: Dave Courvoisier
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About this listen

Companies make headline news all the time for decisions that make many of us scratch our heads in wonder, even companies that are smart and successful. Here, Neil Smith, with more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale performance improvements, reveals the hidden barriers that cause excellent companies to do dumb things, and smart people within companies to act in dumb ways.

Drawing on his experience working with and helping transform top global businesses, Smith has identified 8 barriers that prevent organizations from achieving and maintaining sustainable success. Rich with anecdotes and case studies, Smith outlines a fast and proven process in which 12 principles of business transformation can break down the barriers holding companies back. What Smith offers his readers is the same thing he offers every day to the major companies he works with, a promise that by following his insights, the company will be able to increase communication, simplicity, and profit to levels never before attainable.

©2012 NTS, LLC. Recorded by arrangement with Palgrave Macmillan, a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC. (P)2012 HighBridge Company Career Success Decision-Making & Problem Solving Management Management & Leadership Organisational Behaviour Workplace & Organisational Behaviour Business

Critic Reviews

"A helpful reminder on how lack of oversight on even commonplace issues can interfere with an enterprise’s productivity and success, this work will appeal to managers and leaders alike." ( Publishers Weekly)
"An in-depth look at the structural and behavioral barriers that keep organizations from outstanding performance, and offers a clear set of principles to get on track. Neil Smith's brilliant insights into removing these barriers and empowering employees to produce creative ideas are a must-read for managers everywhere." (Bill George, professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School, former chairman & CEO of Medtronic, Inc., and author of True North)
"Outlines the process by which any company can become more efficient and profitable while reducing complexity. It is a must . . . for any company that wants to improve its performance and for any manager who is serious about adding value to their organization." (Duncan Niederauer, chief executive officer, NYSE Euronext)
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