This book is a monograph on corporate culture, because? Values? 、? Mission, vision? Is the core of corporate culture. Attention to corporate culture began in the 1980s, with the famous? Cultural quartet? There are also masters, such as Shane and Quinn. Collins' success comes from an empirical perspective, which shows that forward-looking companies are different. Empirical research is highly valued in the west, but for the management circles in China, what is lacking is not only empirical efforts, but also empirical spirit. A large number of fast food books on the management bookshelf are basically derived from Mo Ming's thinking, and the thinking power of Chinese people can be seen. I'm afraid this kind of empirical food is even more needed to truly enter the hall of management. But just the creation of imagination seems to conform to the eastern thinking culture and way, the so-called systematic thinking. However, as a practice, management may be studied from an empirical perspective, which is more convincing. But in any case, Collins's Evergreen Foundation is worth reading.
Reading "the foundation is evergreen" has a feeling of aftertaste. Although it is the first time to savor it carefully, it is precisely because of the same management ideas that I feel deja vu. This feeling is wonderful, which makes me more and more interested in management thought.
Some time ago, I tried to read through Drucker's works. Suddenly I feel that I understand a lot of Drucker's thoughts, and suddenly I feel that Drucker deserves it? The best of the best? . Personally, I always agree with Drucker's management thought. Today, I read through "The Foundation is Evergreen" and verified the greatness of Drucker's thought from an empirical point of view.
Think about the existence value of the enterprise, especially the goal, mission and vision of the enterprise, the significance of profit to the existence of the enterprise, and the social function of the enterprise. , is a series of systematic thoughts that general management scholars have not experienced. As a masterpiece, Evergreen Foundation also set off a warm reading atmosphere in China. Many enterprises have designated it as a must-read book for employees. But I have a worry. Although reading is better than not reading, no matter how much I know, it is always helpful to the cultural construction of enterprises, especially to the thinking of the existence value of enterprises. However, I believe that most people will not really understand the great ideas in the book, let alone combine them with the management system. Although it doesn't matter, as a management major, I still have some regrets.
The happiness of reading does not come from what stories and truths a book tells, but from what readers experience from it.
Let's go back to Evergreen and talk about our understanding of the contents in the book.
First of all, "Evergreen Foundation" is an empirical research report of enterprises. Its value lies not in discovering the truth, but in testing the hypothesis. Collins may choose such a research topic for two reasons: one is to find the characteristics and motivation of a forward-looking company, that is, to be different; The second is to express this difference systematically and spread it effectively. In the United States, where the market economy is highly developed, this research condition exists. Just like the comparative companies selected in the book, the practical history of American enterprises gives researchers such a space. Of course, there are also serious and frank research attitudes of researchers. This reminds me of enterprises in China. As a domestic management researcher (at least I position myself in this way, which makes me extremely excited), what can we do? How to guide China enterprises to advance in practice when China enterprises are still short of summing up historical experience? Because in China, where the market economy has just started, enterprises are important organs of industrial society and are vital to the progress of the whole society. This point is described in detail by Drucker in the book "The Concept of the Company". As management researchers in China, what should we study? Especially scholars who want to provide some strength for the management progress and change of China enterprises, how should they create value for this? A few days ago, I saw mintzberg's "The Manager Is Not an MBA", and I felt a lot. Management education has a long way to go. But in any case, the concept of "everlasting foundation" is great, and the frank, serious and peaceful research attitude determines that the research results of this book are full of expectations.
Through empirical research, Collins and Bohr re-verified many traditional ideas by selecting companies with comparative research. The Evergreen Foundation seriously started with this idea and analyzed and explained it one by one from the perspective of empirical results.
This understanding of traditional ideas is what the book says? Break the myth of 12? , I think? Myth? Very easy to use,? Confused thinking? . This 12 question deserves my serious consideration. Although I may not remember them, I can learn something from their internal logic.
Chapter 2: Evergreen foundation and good reading experience. Fortune favors people with perseverance. What is the most important question for a forward-looking company? How can we make tomorrow better than today? They regard this problem as a way of life and a habit of thinking and acting. This is what "the foundation will last forever" tells us.
Profit is a necessary condition for survival and a means to achieve more important goals, but for many far-sighted companies, profit is not an end. Profit is like oxygen, food, water and blood that the human body needs. These things are not the end of life. But without them, there would be no life.
The key first step in establishing a forward-looking company is to clearly show a core concept.
Core concept = core value+purpose
Core values = the fundamental creed of an organization, that is, several general guiding principles; Not to be confused with specific culture or working methods; You can't self-destruct your position for economic interests or short-term interests.
Purpose = Beyond the root cause of the existence of money-making organizations-always guide the stars on the horizon and not be confused by specific goals and business strategies. The purpose is the root cause of the company's existence besides making money.
Core values are the fundamental creed of an organization, and we cannot self-destruct our position for financial interests or short-term rights. Thomas Jr, former CEO of IBM? I believe that the real difference between a company's success and failure can often be attributed to how much energy and talent the company has inspired its employees, what the company has done to help these people find the same purpose, and how to maintain this sense of purpose and direction when the company has experienced many changes from generation to generation (I think the answer lies in). I firmly believe that any organization must have sound beliefs as the premise of all policies and actions if it wants to survive and succeed. Secondly, I think the only important factor for the success of an enterprise is to faithfully follow these ideas? Faith must always come before policies, practices and goals. If these latter things seem to violate basic beliefs, they must be changed.
The core concept provides a consistent foundation for farsighted companies to evolve, experiment and change, and make progress, because it is easier for companies to pursue change and action on all things that are not core, because they clearly understand what the core is (so it is quite fixed).
The driving force of pursuing progress strengthens the core concept, because if there is no continuous change and progress, companies that adhere to this core concept will be outdated, no longer strong, and even unable to survive in a rapidly changing world.
Chapter 3: The learning experience of Evergreen Foundation; Evergreen Foundation, published by 1994, is regarded as one of the western management bibles. ? This is not a book about a leader with outstanding ability and foresight, nor is it about a visionary product concept, a visionary product or a visionary market analysis, nor does it mean having a certain company outlook. The issues discussed in this book are more important, lasting and real. This is a book about forward-looking companies. ? James. c？ Collins and Jerry? Me? The Poles wrote in the creative book "The Foundation is Evergreen". In the six-year research project of Stanford University, two scholars selected 18 excellent and enduring companies as research objects with extremely strict standards, collected and calibrated nine research elements covering almost all enterprise levels, such as organization, business strategy, products and services, technology, management, shareholder structure, culture, values, policies and external environment, hoping to find out the historical track of forward-looking companies and reveal enterprises.
Is this book beneficial to us college students? There is no doubt about it. ? Of course it applies. The author Jim Collins replied that it is applicable to any form of organization, but the form may be somewhat different. We are employed by a non-profit organization? Stanford University, our findings have been well applied in this university. The manager of a visionary company directly applies these ideas to his church?
What is the standard of enterprise's sustainable management? Before reading this book, I had heard of it and thought about many key elements myself. For example, excellent leadership, broad vision, good product ideas, strict management system and so on. It was not until I finished reading this book that I found that the points I mentioned above were just the appearance of the Guide to Sustainable Management of Enterprises. The book "Evergreen Foundation" gives a convincing answer through the study of 18 forward-looking companies and the comparison with ordinary large companies in the same industry. Now, I personally think that the principle of sustainable management of enterprises is to make clear the core concept of enterprises, and continue to struggle for it, persevere and continue to the end. I think Enduring is really the perfect title for this book.
Let me show you the elegance of "everlasting foundation".
Be a clock, not tell the time. What does an enterprise do? Making products? Do organizational structure? As the leader of an enterprise, do you need to be a talent? Through comparison, Evergreen Foundation tells us that to be an enterprise, we need to make clocks, not tell the time. The clock has been built. I'm afraid the time is not accurate. With the core concept, create your own unique style and practice hard, the enterprise will prosper for a long time.
The pursuit of profit. Profit is a necessary condition for survival and a means to achieve more important goals, but for many far-sighted companies, profit is not an end. Profit is like oxygen, food, water and blood that the human body needs. These things are not the end of life. But without them, there would be no life. It is meaningless for people to live just to eat and drink. Enterprises must pursue things above profits for a long time.
Protect the core and promote progress. This is the main point of the book Evergreen Foundation. What do you mean? Core? , the core concept of the organization, Collins defines it like this:
Core concept = core values+mission
Core values = the long-term fundamental creed of the organization, and you can't self-destruct your position for short-term interests.
Mission = beyond the root cause of the existence of money-making organizations, the eternal guide on the horizon.
Intention is a good thing, but only by turning it into concrete matters and binding mechanisms can we distinguish the advantages and disadvantages and decide whether to become a visionary company or just a dream forever. Preserving the core, encouraging progress, taking key actions, turning intentions into practice and making continuous progress are the fundamental essence of making clocks and the concrete methods for enterprises to advance.
A bold goal. Bold goals can unite everyone, and this radiant, touching, fashionable and highly concentrated thing can inspire the strength of the team. Far-sighted companies don't think that the bold goal is to stand out from the crowd, but they never think that what they are determined to do can't be done. In addition, far-sighted companies will not blindly pursue any bold goals they get at will, but only pursue bold goals that can strengthen their core concepts and reflect the company's self-positioning.
Sectarian culture. You don't need to create a visionary company? Gentle? Or? Is it comfortable? environment In terms of performance and corporate philosophy, forward-looking companies are usually more strict with their employees than other companies. There are only two kinds of employees in a visionary company. One highly agrees with the same idea of the enterprise, and the other will be out of place. Therefore, although a visionary company is excellent, it is not suitable for everyone to work there. Far-sighted companies strictly control their own ideas, and at the same time provide extensive autonomy at the operational level and encourage individual initiative. This is an inclusive either-or model.
The evolution of choosing the strong and scouring the weak. Enterprise is a gradually evolving species, and the progress of evolution is unplanned progress. Therefore, what kind of products the company is expected to make and which industry to invest in are not the key. If we fully understand the process of evolution and use it for our own benefit, this process may be a powerful way to stimulate progress. In this respect, prospective companies are far more diligent than control companies. Five lessons of evolution and progress: give it a try and be quick; Accept the inevitable mistakes; Take small steps; Give employees the space they need; Sound mechanism? Build a ticking clock.
Local managers. In the history of Vision Company in 1700 years, we found that there were only four cases in which an outsider directly served as CEO. The biggest difference between forward-looking companies and control companies is not the quality of leaders, but the consistency of excellent leaders, that is, the consistency of retaining the core. This is the importance of managers who have grown up by themselves. Most of the confusion in management comes from the confusion of managers. Cultivating managers with planned growth can safeguard the core value of enterprises, pursue the mission far beyond the term of any leader, and let enterprises advance rapidly for centuries.
Never good enough. Comfort is not the goal of a visionary company. Managers of forward-looking companies simply don't accept that they have to choose between short-term performance and long-term success. They first strive for the long term, and at the same time they are extremely strict with their short-term standards. If you want to build a forward-looking company, you must work hard for a long time, and success is never the end. ? Never good enough? Spirit comes from refining one of the qualities of a far-sighted company, which is a necessary condition for a long-lasting enterprise.
The end of the starting point. Churchill once said a tongue twister: This is not the end, or even the beginning of the end, but it may be the end of the beginning. After reading the tenth chapter of Evergreen Foundation, you will understand the meaning of this sentence and increase your wisdom.
Establish a vision. Vision is a very fashionable word and one of the most abused words. HNA also has its own vision. A well-conceived vision includes two aspects? Core concepts and future prospects. Pursuing vision means realizing the coordination of organization and strategy, so as to retain the core ideas and stimulate progress to achieve the expected future. Only by coordinating the two can we turn dreams into reality and beautiful wishes into concrete reality.
Is there an interesting passage after the second chapter of Evergreen Tree? An episode? , what's your name? Tai Chi gives birth to two devices? . China's traditional Taoist wisdom has also been Jim? Collins is integrated into his works. Personally, I feel that this foreigner has a deeper understanding of China's traditional wisdom than some of our so-called masters of Chinese studies. One of the explanations left a deep impression on me: in short, a visionary company doesn't want to mix yin and yang into gray and become a circle that is neither yin nor yang, but distinguishes yin and yang at the same time and at any time. Education in our country often opposes going to extremes and emphasizes the harmony between yin and yang, so there is a golden mean. However, truly great people and organizations are often extremely extreme? The actual situation is just the opposite of the theory we preach. Because yin and yang are mixed into gray, you just need to be good at compromise. What is needed is the wisdom to distinguish the distribution of yin and yang. The heart of compromise has no technical content, but the wisdom of distinguishing yin and yang is valuable.
At the end of this book report, I suddenly remembered a fable of a master with a black belt. The black belt represents the peak and the beginning of Wushu, and the starting point of the endless process of tempering, fighting and pursuing higher standards. I am thinking that anyone who wants to move on knows in his heart that today's achievements only represent the past, and the road is still long, and the hardships and struggles remain.
Chapter 4: Learning from Evergreen Foundation 1. Be a clock maker, not a timekeeper.
When I first read this book, I was just a technical talent (I thought). I worked hard on the training platform and was gradually promoted to the training management position by the leader, but I still couldn't forget the special research on technology. I spend most of my time on PPT. It seems that it is my job to do PPT well, and I selectively forget the kind reminder of the leader.
After several companies' job-hopping, operating the company's training system construction, echelon personnel training, management trainee training, online learning platform construction and other projects, it was discovered that the original training work was only simple. Tell the time Further work requires us to change our identities and become clock makers.
At 1787, the most important question was not? Who should be president? Who should lead us? Who is the cleverest person among us? Who is the best king? The question considered by American constitutional sages is:? What kind of programs can we create so that the country can have many excellent presidents behind us? What kind of long-term and stable country should we build? What principles should we rely on to build a country? How should the country operate? What guidelines and mechanisms should we formulate in order to create our dream country?
From individuals to companies, we also need to change our mentality, from watching time to making clocks. The management of enterprises should think less from the perspective of far-sighted products and pursue the personality characteristics of charismatic leaders, but should think more from the perspective of organizations and consider the characteristics of a far-sighted company.
2. Beyond the pursuit of profit? Practical idealism
When Masaru Ibuka, the founder of Sony, founded Sony at 1945, what businesses were involved? Failed rice cooker, miso soup, rough electric blanket? Less than 10 months after moving to Tokyo, the company not only failed to earn additional working capital, but also issued a public statement? Explain? (The actual document is relatively long, and the following is just an excerpt. )
? What if we can create an environment where employees can unite with strong team spirit and give full play to their scientific and technological capabilities? So, can this kind of organization bring endless happiness and benefits? Like-minded people will naturally unite to promote these ideals. ?
? Our basic principles have not changed since the founder conceived them. We clearly distinguish between core values and pragmatism. The core values remain unchanged, but the actual practices can be changed. We also make it clear that profit is important, but it is not the reason why HP exists. Companies exist for more fundamental reasons. John, former CEO of HP? 6? 1 Yang 1992
These far-sighted companies all put their core values and vision in the first place, just like the * * * production party in China, and take the realization of * * * productism as their lifelong goal. Is it because of the core values that we should give up the pursuit of profit? From the book, we can see that forward-looking companies are mainly driven by ideas, not pure profit targets. The goal of expanding profits is not everything. A visionary company pursues its goals when it can make a profit.
For chain stores, is it desperate to achieve the annual sales performance target? It is still necessary to standardize and lay a good foundation, such as improving the service quality of stores. If we want to improve the quality of service, we need to invest a lot in improving the store environment and enhancing the professional knowledge of shop assistants, which will sacrifice our funds, time and energy. How to choose? We need to distinguish between those that are in line with our core values and those that are not in line with our ideas, find pragmatic solutions and act according to our core values.
3. Goals and culture
In the enterprises visited, some friends asked how to keep the enthusiasm of employees and reduce the loss of employees. I'm just asking if the company wants to let employees see the future. Does the company you work for have a goal? Will these goals stimulate progress? Will it generate power? Will it inspire everyone to act? Will it make people passionate? Do they find this goal exciting, adventurous and exciting? Are they willing to contribute creativity and energy to this?
In the second half of the year, the author assisted Singaporean consultants to complete the corporate culture reconstruction project, including remolding corporate vision, core values, and establishing three-year planning objectives. And have a deep understanding of the setting of corporate goals. Can we be a little bolder and take a step forward in following the principle of SMRAT? From 500 million to 5 billion, we will stimulate the enthusiasm of employees with the model of lotus pond effect, set bold goals, let employees see the future vision, and be full of combat effectiveness under the guidance of goals.
When it comes to corporate culture, whether an enterprise can establish a culture similar to religion and let employees have their own beliefs (the vision of the enterprise and employees is the same), the suitable people will naturally stay, and the unsuitable people will naturally leave. The author's grandmother is a devout Buddhist layman. She usually abstains from meat, recites scriptures every day, and does not need supervision. Before she died, she did not forget that the banquet must be vegetarian. What is the belief of practicing wholeheartedly? She firmly believes that practice can bring peace to the whole family.
In the book, the author wrote about the magic of Disney. In the warning to the staff, we will be very tired in Disneyland, but we should never be bored. Even if the days are difficult, we should show happiness. Must show a sincere smile, must be from the heart? If nothing can help, please remember: I was hired to smile.
What we do is to make everyone happy, so that all people who enter Disneyland, no matter who they are, what language they speak, what color they have or what other differences, are happy because we are here. The belief of all employees is to make customers happy. Under the same belief, the behavior reflected by employees is in line with the core values of the enterprise and brings happiness to customers.
From the perspective of training, establishing a religious corporate culture can make all employees work hard for the vision of * * *.
Chapter 5: Understanding the Experience of Reading Evergreen Foundation; Evergreen Foundation has been mentioned many times in class by teachers who teach management. But I didn't finish reading this book seriously until today. Main contents: Collins and Burroughs, two professors of Stanford University, selected 18 companies with outstanding and lasting parent companies for in-depth research in a six-year research project, including companies with an average history of nearly 100 years, such as General Electric, 3M, Merck, Wal-Mart, Disney and Hewlett-Packard. In the discussion, for every excellent company, the author chooses a failed control company, and through comparison and induction, finds the secret of the company's enduring prosperity for a hundred years.
The core point of the book is only eight words: preserve the core+encourage progress. The author uses the ancient Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang in China to express the main points, so as to illustrate that retaining the core and encouraging progress are inclusive and complementary. The author believes that the most enduring and successful companies can always distinguish which should be eternal and which should change with time. What is eternal is the core value concept and mission of the enterprise (that is, preserving the core), and what should be changed at any time is the operation mode, specific objectives and strategies (that is, encouraging progress). The core values of enterprises have been discussed for many years, but in this book, I read different views on core values, which is the greatest inspiration of this book.
Disney's core concept and mission is to make people happy; The core concept and mission of Wal-Mart is to make ordinary people afford all kinds of goods; Ford's core idea and mission is to realize the popularization of cars; The core concept and mission of 3M is to solve difficult problems in life with innovative methods. The core value concept and mission (the genetic code of a century-old enterprise) have several important features:
1. will not change with the change of time and environment. If it will change, it will not be the core, such as quality (customer first, service, innovation, etc. Today, it is regarded as the core concept by many enterprises. However, if the quality of similar products is similar after 10 years, will your company still focus on quality? If not, it is not the core.
2. Extraordinary companies (don't like what the translator describes as? A bold company? ) Their core values and mission often have nothing to do with making money and profits, typically like Disney? Make people happy. The core concept and mission are the fundamental significance and reason for the existence of the company. Although these companies do not take making money as their fundamental purpose, when they pursue their ideals, money often follows. This is what I'm talking about. Do nothing. Do nothing? 、? Do not dispute? If the two authors knew about China's ancient philosophy, they might not be so surprised by their findings.
3. The core concept and mission will never be achieved. This sounds contradictory, but it is precisely because it has not been realized that enterprises will continue to pursue and have inexhaustible motivation. The main function of the core concept and mission is to inspire and guide, just like the lighthouse or the morning star in the sky, which will always spur the enterprise forward. Achieving goals easily makes people complacent and unwilling to make progress. It is the long-term logic of a great enterprise to have a great goal that can never be met.
4. Be persistent and specific. Almost all enterprises have so-called visions, goals and declarations, but most of them are just loud slogans. Great companies don't deliberately emphasize it repeatedly, or even don't mention it, but they are reflected in their daily behavior, integrated into the employee's behavior and corporate atmosphere, and stick to it all the time.
In addition to the core concept and mission, this book also touched and inspired me:
1. Make a clock instead of telling the time. Imagine that you meet a person with special functions who can tell the time accurately at any time. People will be surprised at him, but if this man doesn't tell the time, he will create a clock that can tell the time forever, even after he tells the time a hundred years later. Wouldn't it be more amazing? Author's? Make a clock? Theory runs through the book. In his view, great enterprises can last for a long time because they are good at making clocks and watches and creating fundamental and sustainable things.
2. Be brave in pursuing great goals. How many times did Boeing risk bankruptcy and destruction in order to build a jet airliner and become a leader in the civil aviation market? Gambling? . Dare to stand? Bold? The goal is then pursued enthusiastically, which is the biggest shock that Boeing has brought me. Why can't our lives be like this? Regardless of whether others laugh at us for being whimsical or overreaching, as long as we want to achieve it, we will bravely pursue it.
3. Enterprise is an ever-evolving species. Many enterprises, such as Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, Express, etc. In fact, I didn't know what to do at the beginning of my business. Many large enterprises today are the result of their accidental participation, relying more on the opportunities and opportunism of the times. Great companies don't want to be great companies from the beginning. They don't even have any grand and complicated strategic plans and blueprints, but they can keep acting, revising and trying like control companies. The same is true of life planning. In fact, at the beginning, there is no need to have too high an ideal or detailed planning. Doing every job well and maintaining continuous progress can often achieve unexpected results.
Maybe I will have a greater feeling when I go to the enterprise to read this book after work. Because I was still looking for a job when I read this book, I want to understand and feel more from the perspective of life development and life planning. Although this book is about enterprise management, I think many of its explanations are also applicable to life. Abstract to a certain height, such as philosophy, many things are interlinked.
In addition, this book sells well, but it is different from the bestseller I have seen before. The author introduced their findings to us as a scholar, and introduced their research methods in detail in the first chapter and the last appendix, with a very modest attitude. The research method is good and worth learning.