Book analysis through organizational development theory

OD Choice

Collins, J. & Hansen, M. (2011). Great by Choice. New York: Harper

There number of theories, many of them mutually exclusive or in direct opposition to each other, that attempt to explain how or why some organizations are successful while others fail, and what organizational leaders can do in an attempt to achieve higher levels of success. As compelling as many of these theories are, they are usually presented in dry and often obtuse academic papers or hardbound tomes that do not readily yield up practical advice and that often seemed to be based as much on conjecture as actual evidence. A book like Jim Collins and Morten Hansen's Great by Choice is a rarity, in not only providing direct evidence of all of the claims made and the mechanisms that an analysis of many modern corporations suggests exist, but in yielding directly relevant and practical advice and in providing a compelling series of narratives based on the research and supporting the conclusions.

The authors develop a number of theories and specific mechanisms by which certain organizations are successful or achieve greater success while others flounder or fail. Disciplined leadership combined with ambitious goal-setting, innovation supported by careful research and analysis, and overall having a clear vision and establishing concrete ways to bring it about are the primary elements of choices that lead to greatness, according to the research these authors conduct and present. Their findings match with many other theories and conclusions of broader organizational development theories, including many elements of transformational leadership. t the same time, there are certain discrepancies between these authors findings and other accepted constructs in organizational theory, and these warrant consideration.

Stability and disciplined goal attainment are demonstrated to be key elements of a successful organization through the research of these authors, even during times of turbulence, yet common conceptions in organizational theory suggest that flexibility and the ability to respond to changes is more instrumental to success. More than just the ability, the authors of Great by Choice seem to suggest that a refusal to change course is actually effective in the long-run; some evidence from the recent economic troubles (a period after the authors were done collecting data) seems to support conventional wisdom rather than the assertions made in this book. Though the evidence is compelling, it also appears that some of the author's claims -- such as innovation and rigid course-setting -- are at least somewhat mutually exclusive, or else are so broadly defined as to be essentially meaningless.

Great correspondence with other organizational development theories and frameworks is found in the perspective and purpose of the book, however, as well as in identifying some of the key agents and circumstances that contribute to organizational success. Larger theoretical frameworks of organizational development also put leadership as one of the most important factors of organizational success, and the degree of control over the culture at the organization is also paramount. Collins and Hansen clearly feel the same way, defining the qualities in leaders that lead to success and demonstrating how these qualities must be imbued throughout the organization in order to have the necessary level of impact. In this regard, their book fits neatly with other theories regarding organizational success.