Just finished reading "Built to Last" and I must say I am not very impressed. The book seems to be a research "inspired" by a well-packaged mix of works of Peter Drucker, Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman. Further, many a times it starts sounding more like a self-help book than a business book for a serious reader. For somebody who has no previous business knowledge, this book may seem pretty good, but for anybody who already has a reasonable grounding in management theory this book is simply not good enough. Even its findings are mired in too many generalities to be of any significant use except perhaps as morale boosters. In fact, I feel that to the uninitiated it may cause more harm!
Nevertheless, the actual data and examples about some great companies is invaluable. They can serve as good examples in management group discussions or lectures on management theory. They can also help a management student to create a more practical and concrete picture of theories propounded by Peter Drucker. The book may also prove useful to quickly recap some useful management basics that can possibly work in certain situations.
Concluding, even though history has much to teach, to exclusively use historic data for decision making may not help. I still believe that nothing can replace a good leader and active thinking.
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