Giant Killers

How did shoestring start-ups like Microsoft, Dell, Compaq, and Acer overtake giants such as IBM, Wang, and Digital? What lessons can we learn from the fascinating entrepreneurs who have built exciting and profitable companies in one of the world's most competitive and rapidly changing industries?

In Giant Killers, Geoffrey James presents a unique and instructive portrait of the best management methods of the most innovative leaders in world industry today, including Bill Gates (Microsoft), Stan Shih (Acer), Michael Dell (Dell Computer), Scott McNealy (Sun Microsystems), Eckhard Pfeiffer (Compaq), Lewis Platt (Hewlett-Packard) and Shiv Hadar (HCL).

These high-tech CEOs have discussed and defined new rules for management. They have built organizations in which employees are loyal and wildly productive, while providing aggressive career growth and financial reward. They have developed a management style very different from that of the traditional company, that has enabled their companies to become powerhouses of flexibility and creativity. In this revealing book, James shows managers from all industries how they too can apply these cutting-edge strategies to their companies.

• Preface to International Edition
1. Who Are the Electronic Elite?
• A Little History
• The Quest for the Secrets
• What is Corporate Culture?
• Traditional Corporate Mindsets
• Electronic Elite Corporate Mindsets
2. Business is an Ecosystem
• The Traditional Mindset: Business = Battlefield
• Case Study: Novell and Digital Strive for the Network Market
• Strategy 1: Encourage Diversity
• Strategy 2: Launch New Generations
• Strategy 3: Build Symbiotic Relationships
• Points to Ponder
3. The Corporation is a Community
• The Traditional Mindset: Corporation = Machine
• Case Study: IBM and Dell Compete in the PC Market
• Strategy 4: Communicate Directly
• Strategy 5: Create Opportunities for Social Interaction
• Strategy 6: Make Work Fun
• Points to Ponder
4. Management is Service
• Traditional Mindset: Management = Control
• Case Study: The Organisational Structure of Hewlett-Packard and Digital
• Strategy 7: Increase Power by Dispersing It
• Strategy 8: Encourage Creative Dissent
• Strategy 9: Build Autonomous Teams
• Points to Ponder
5. Employees as Peers
• The Traditional Mindset: Employee = Child
• Case Study: Groupe Bull and Acer Enter the US Computer Market
• Strategy 10: Hire the Self-Motivated
• Strategy 11: Eliminate Fancy Perks
• Strategy 12: Encourage Informality
• Points to Ponder
6. Motivate with Vision
• The Traditional Mindset: Motivation = Fear
• Strategy 13: Create a Climate of Trust
• Strategy 14: Create a Sense of Mission
• Strategy 15: Compensate for Missions Accomplished
• Points to Ponder
7. Change is Growth
• Traditional Mindset: Change = Pain
• Case Study: Downsizing at Honeywell Information Systems
• Strategy 16: Have Long-Term Vision, Short-Term Plans
• Strategy 17: Keep Jobs Fluid and Flexible
• Strategy 18: Make Decisions Quickly and Broadly
• Strategy 19: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst
• Points to Ponder
8. Redefine Your Current Culture
• Case Study:The Renaissance at Compaq
• Strategy 20: Calibrate Your Current Culture
• Questionnaire 1: How Far Has Your Industry Come?
• Questionnaire 2: Where Does Your Organisation Stand?
• Questionnaire 3: Are You Evolving?
• Questionnaire 4: Whom Can You Influence?
• Assessing Questionnaire Results
• Strategy 21: Cultivate Cultural Role Models
• Strategy 22: Imagine the Possibilities
• Strategy 23: Extend the Vision
9. Break Limiting Cultural Patterns
• Case Study: The Rebirth of Wang
• Strategy 24: Directly Confront Denial
• Strategy 25: Sacrifice the Sacred Cows
• Strategy 26: Transform the Vocabulary
• Strategy 27: Reinforce the New Culture
10. Harness Electronic Mail
• Case Study: Electronic Mail and Traditional Computer Vendors
• Strategy 28: Create an Electronic Community
• Strategy 29: Handle E-mail with Care
• Strategy 30: Keep It Short and Simple
• Strategy 31: Ruthlessly Prioritize
11. Create a Sense of Balance
• Case Study: Apple Computers and the Macintosh Graphical User Interface
• Strategy 32: Cultivate Constant Change
• Strategy 33: Learn to Disconnect
• Strategy 34: Take Frequent Sabbaticals

• Epilogue

• Appendices
1. The Mindset Shifts That Lead to Success
2. The Stages of Building an Elite Corporate Culture
3. Management Strategies of the Electronic ELite
• Recommended Reading

Idol worshipping and qualified bullshitting. Why do I buy trash like this?