Short description:

In Search of Excellence was the book that launched a thousand popular management books. In this concise book, David and Jack Collins demonstrate the emptiness of business excellence and in so doing reveal the flawed foundations of popular management theory.

Long description:

In Search of Excellence was the book that launched a thousand popular management books. In this concise book, David and Jack Collins demonstrate the emptiness of business excellence and in so doing reveal the flawed foundations of popular management theory.

Focusing upon the conduct of those organizations vaunted as ?exemplars of excellence? the authors build upon insightful case reports to demonstrate wholesale misconduct at the very heart of the excellence project. Indeed, The Emptiness of Business Excellence demonstrates that the exemplars of excellence indulged bribery, corruption, racism, sexism and anti-Semitism? and more besides! Furthermore, the book demonstrates that, despite their claims to knowledge, Peters and Waterman often knew little about the financial performance of their excellent organizations and were either unaware of or had chosen to overlook reports which highlighted deeply problematic conduct within those formations, which they offered as beacons for change and renewal.

This book will be of interest to researchers, scholars and students with an interest in business and management, especially those focusing on the realities of managerial practice.

'A crisp and revealing account of Peters' success." Andrew Orlowski, The Daily Telegraph

'This book is written with a wonderful sense of accessibility to the real world of practice and with a nod to the relevance of big ideas, rendered through a careful interpretation through the lens of "pracademia". In taking me back, it has propelled me forward, as all good books of this nature should do. I recommend it wholeheartedly to any student, academic or practitioner interested in progressive, real and accessible business thinking.' Ian Robson, University of Dundee, UK

'David Collins is my favourite writer on the cult of Excellence. In this book, he and Jack Collins show that from day one it was a seriously flawed and dangerous concept that ignored evidence of its unsound nature and lack of substance. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to know why so many big companies serve their employees, their communities, and the planet so very badly.' Bernard Burnes, University of Stirling, UK.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: The Enduring Significance of In Search of Excellence 2. In Search of Excellence in Theory 3. In Search of Excellence in Practice 4. Conclusion: The Emptiness of Business Excellence