Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change Hardcover – March 6, 2012

Only about 9 percent of global companies have been able to achieve more than a modest level of sustained and profitable growth over the course of the last decade, according to Chris Zook and James Allen in this book. Enduringly successful companies maintain a for a simplicity at their core by adhering to a consistent set of principles which the authors describe as "great repeatable models".The research used by the authors provides the following significant findings:* 80 percent of variation in financial returns among all businesses in the world is accounted for by their performance relative to other companies within their industry, as opposed to their choice of market.* New growth initiatives--organic or by acquisition--have success rates of only about 20-25 percent, much lower than most executives realize.* The odds of success (surviving and re-establishing a profitable trajectory) in redefinition are extremely low, less than one in ten.A significant majority of the companies which were successful over the long term had "great repeatable models" , and the three most important design principles for such models were:* A strong, well-differentiated core, involving unique assets and deep competencies* Clear non-negotiables involving a common understanding of the company's core values and the key criteria used to make trade-offs in decision making* Systems for closed-loop learning, for driving continuous improvement across the businessIn my view this book makes a key contribution to the field of business strategy. The business environment has changed permanently over the past decade and it is now much more difficult to create sustained profitability. The three key design principles identified by the authors do seem to be very important for future success. I found the authors' reasoning compelling, and I highly recommend the book to anyone involved in devising organizational strategy.

In full disclosure, I'm a big fan of Chris Zook. I've seen him speak and really enjoy his presentation style, sense of humor and the deep library of business examples he calls upon.This is the 4th Zook/Allen book I've read and I have found valuable lessons in each. I especially like the "Zook/Allen strategy series" because they are quick reads, they follow a logical progression, and the findings are backed up by actual long-term financial results. The empirical examples are drawn from Bain's overall consulting practice and not limited to the few companies with which the authors have personally worked. So with each book, I feel I expand my understanding of strategy, add to my toolkit and learn about a few new interesting global companies, businesses I would not typically encounter in my current US-focused role.So it is no surprise that I really liked this latest book on Repeatability. The words of advice about avoiding complexity and building repeatability really ring true to me not only in my work but also personally. There is no 1 size fits all approach to strategy, but in conjunction with the concepts in the authors' earlier works, the argument for repeatability is very compelling. You can download it to your Kindle and finish it on a long flight...and if it helps you make 1 better business or personal decision, it will more than pay for itself. Not many investments of time and money offer that kind of ROI!

As a former consultant at a competing firm, I'm familiar with most of the literature on business strategy. I've always bought into the authors' previous books on growing from the core - in truth, so have my clients. I was curious to see how they would top that quintessential point of view, and if they felt compelled to stray in order to pursue some newer, hotter concept.I have to say, Zook and Allen have come out with a really practical and insightful book that bridges from their fundamental beliefs around the power of the core, to the capabilities and routines required to win with their core repeatedly. The book is full of data and examples that bring credibility to their ideas. It just makes sense.I've talked with a lot of executive teams that are consumed about new markets, new products, new trends, and how they should pursue them. What I don't hear as often, unfortunately, is if they have a consistent repeatable formula for growing. I've actually already recommended this book to two of my closest C-level contacts.

My attention to this book was drawn by an interview with co-author Chris Zook in a Dutch management magazine. He explained how complexity is the inevitable consequence of growth of companies and ultimately its silent killer. His answer is simple; keep focus with a well-differentiated core, a set of clear nonnegotiable principles and systems to drive learning and adaptation. This book repeats this message several times with clear examples from a range of successful companies across industries. To my surprise the list did not include the major oil and gas companies. My advice is to read Richard Rumelt's "Good strategy / Bad strategy" first to understand the nature of a good strategy based on a proper diagnosis, a strong guiding policy and coherent actions. This book will help you further in making the guiding policy and actions, based on the above mentioned principles. The book ends with the top 10 conclusions, which summarize all findings and are a very good read. Highly recommended for every manager.

The authors interestingly use their years of top-level international strategy consulting to arrive a some essential dos and don'ts for growing businesses.It's surprising how many fail, and they highlight the major risks of stagnation through bureaucratic complexity making the unfortunate enterprise a sitting target for more efficient and flexible competitors.One could call this death by loss of focus and they provide a check list at the end of the book to help a business stick to its core competencies.The overall text is a little academic and I could recommend Sam Walton's autobiography "Made in America" to catch many of the same ideas in a more entertaining format. The reader can see him arrive at mostly the same place by trail and error.Certainly a recommendable book for anyone managing a business.

Es gibt Vorgänge in Unternehmen, die hat man immer schon geahnt, aber der Beweis für die Richtigkeit war nicht (immer) da. Der Inhalt dieses Buches gehört dazu, es wurden durch jahrelange Untersuchungen Gesetzmäßigkeiten für Erfolg und Misslingen bei großen Firmen gesucht – und meiner Meinung nach, auch gefunden. Übermäßige Komplexität beschäftigt zwar, bringt aber nicht nur keinen Nutzen, sondern behindert in der täglichen Arbeit und vermeidet die gewünschten Spitzenergebnisse.Die Lösung ist vergleichsweise simpel: sich von den Fesseln der Komplexität zu befreien und ein standardisiertes Modell zu schaffen, das von vielen Mitarbeitern verstanden und wiederholt werden kann. So werden erfolgreiche Unternehmen wie Ikea, Nike, Hilti, Toyota und auch andere Unternehmungen, vor allem amerikanischen Ursprungs, als Beweisbeispiel herangezogen, was das Lesen spannender, weil praxisbezogener, macht. Erfolgreiche und auch absteigende Firmen wurden über Jahre analysiert, und wie durch einen Filter wurden Gemeinsamkeiten gesucht, die erfolgreich, oder auch nicht, machen. Fehler, wie die fehlende Nähe des Managements zum Kunden oder übermäßige Komplexität bei den täglichen Abläufen, werden schonungslos aufgezeigt und durch positive Beispiele wird eine Lösung in Aussicht gestellt. Zusammenfassend lässt sich der Prozess in folgenden Schritten beschreiben:• Vorstellung und Erklärung des „Great Repeatable Model“• Die Konzentration auf einzigartige Produkte, für die einzigartiger Service geboten wird und wo aufgrund einfacher Abläufe Kostenvorteile gegenüber Mitbewerbern entstehen• Dinge abzuklären, die man NICHT macht (für mich der wichtigste Punkt) und die auch nicht verhandelbar sind• Ein laufender Verbesserungsprozess durch eine selbstlernende Organisation• Ein ständiges Balancehalten zwischen der individuellen Freiheit und der Einhaltung von Rahmenbedingungen durch das Management und die Mitarbeiter: somit sich ständig anzupassen, ohne die Ziele in Frage zu stellen.• Ein immer währendes Bemühen, die Dinge einfach zu halten, ohne auf den Fortschritt zu verzichten.Ergänzt wird dieses Buch im Anhang mit der Darstellung der Untersuchungsmethoden (für Ungläubige), Index und ausführlichem Literaturverzeichnis.Für mich war das Lesen spannend und immer wieder fielen mir Abläufe ein, die man besser gestalten könnte. Somit eine klare Empfehlung, auch wenn Einiges zu allgemein und einfach dargestellt wurde, aber das war sicher im Sinne der Autoren und hat letztendlich das (Gesamt-) Verständnis gefördert.

.. ich habe es intensiv gelesen - ein herausragendes Buch. Genau so und nicht anders macht man Unternehmen wirklich erfolgreich. Mir gefällt, dass es kein typisches Business Buch ist, das nur Floskeln in die Welt setzt und unbelegte Behauptungen aufstellt. Sondern dass die Autoren ihre Erkenntnisse sehr solide aus einer empirischen Studie abgeleitet haben. Unternehmen, die sich so aufstellen sind also nachgewiesenermassen erfolgreicher als andere.

Was completely engaged for the first half of the book and then the authors went down a very long dissection of learning companies... But it didn't tie into the other principles if the book. Guess they had a page count to hit. Ignore this section and you will enjoy the read and will find something worth highlighting every other page.