Book Review: In Search of Excellence.
“In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies” is a business book written by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. and first published in 1982. The book presents a collection of management principles and practices drawn from in-depth case studies of 43 of America’s most successful companies. Peters and Waterman describe these companies as “excellent” because of their ability to sustain long-term growth and profitability, and to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment.
The book is divided into eight sections, each of which focuses on a different aspect of management. The sections include: a culture of discipline, a bias for action, staying close to the customer, autonomy and entrepreneurship, productivity through people, hands-on, value-driven, and sticking to the knitting.
The book presents ideas like “stick to the knitting” that is to focus on the core competency, “autonomy and entrepreneurship” that is giving autonomy to the employees to perform their tasks, “productivity through people” which highlights the importance of people in the organization and how to manage them. The book also presents a “culture of discipline” which is a set of shared values, beliefs, and practices that create a sense of unity and purpose within the company.
In Search of Excellence was an instant classic, and it quickly became one of the best-selling business books of all time. The book is widely credited with popularizing the idea of “excellence” as a management goal, and it has been read and studied by managers and business students around the world. It is considered a must-read for anyone interested in business, management, or leadership.
Critics of the book generally praise it for its practical and actionable insights and its ability to provide a clear and accessible framework for understanding what makes a company successful. Some have criticized the book for being overly simplistic and for relying too heavily on anecdotal evidence. The book has also been criticized for not being empirically tested and for not providing any clear indication of how the companies were selected for the study. Despite the criticism the book is widely considered a classic in business literature and continues to be relevant today.
