Good to Great

by Jim Collins

Are there any great urban school systems in America?  Systems that, on a scale of 1 to 5 would rate a 5? A 4?  I believe there are some 3's, a large number of 2's, and very few 1's.  Good systems, but no very good ones, and certainly no great ones.  This book isn't about school systems; it's about large companies.  Dr. Collins presents the findings of his research team's five-year study of the only 11 Fortune 500 companies over a 30-year period that met their stringent criteria of transitioning from mediocrity to excellence.  The parallels for school systems looking to go from good to great intrigue me.  Here are the common elements they found for these 11 companies that were not shared by the 11  comparison companies that either never made the transition from good to great, or made it and then fell back:

Level 5 Leadership:   Although trying not to find a "CEO-factor", they did, but a very non-intuitive one that contradicts much popular wisdom about top leaders.  What they found were individuals who were modest about themselves, even humble, but utterly determined to achieve greatness for their companies.  They stayed at it, refused to accept anything less than excellence, and generally attributed the company's failures to themselves, and the successes to good fortune.

First Who, Then What:  These CEO's did not bring a great vision that led to the change.  Rather, they first focused on the "who", then the "what".  They assembled excellent teams, then went to work with those teams.  They worked long and hard, often waiting far longer than they would have liked to fill a position, to find the right person.  They moved folks to new positions looking for the right fit.  And they were rigorous in evaluating personnel; only excellence against a very high standard would do.  Interestingly enough, in general these companies did not resort to layoffs as much as the comparison companies.  And, especially interesting in view of the current interest in "performance pay" for teachers, it was clear that compensation format was NOT linked to the performance of these companies, at least at top levels, and to the extent the research team could dig down, not down in the ranks either.  (This result is consistent with other information from the world of business and suggests great skepticism is due toward pay for performance for teachers.)

Confront the Brutal Facts: The Level 5 Leaders and their First-Rate Teams then went to work -- questioning, probing, looking honestly at the most brutal facts about their companies and their markets.  They never wavered in believing in greatness as the end result, but they neither averted their eyes nor whitewashed unpleasant truths about the current situation. They created a climate where truth was heard (and the speaker wasn't punished).  (Interestingly, the comparison companies also saw the brutal facts, they just wouldn't confront those facts and allow the facts to change their actions -- the didn't develop truth-hearing cultures.)  As noted, they didn't come in with the "what" already decided.  Instead, they asked questions, engaged in dialogue and debate and found the answers.  This approach took care of "motivation" problems.  When really good people are engaged and listened to, they are motivated; the key is not to de-motivate them.  See also "Wicked Problems and Social Complexity" and the "adaptive leadership" in Surfing the Edge of Chaos.

Hedgehog Concept:  Out of this process of Level 5 Leadership and an excellent team confronting the brutal facts with an unwavering belief in ultimate greatness, each company developed a "hedgehog concept", a simple statement of focus at the intersection of what they passionately cared about, what they could be the best in the world at, and what drove their economic engine.  For a great school system, this has to be about teaching, about creating a school culture and designing work that will get every student to engage, persist, and, through effort, develop valuable knowledge, skills, and habits of mind.

Culture of Discipline:  With the right people on board, a willingness to confront facts, and a hedgehog concept, these companies were able to build systems that gave great freedom to individuals within a disciplined framework.  If something fit the facts and matched their hedgehog concept, the did it: relentlessly, doggedly, with determination and focus.  If it didn't, they didn't.

Technology Accelerators:  Finally, these companies applied and mastered technology accelerators for their hedgehog concept.  They didn't just do technology for technology's sake.  Instead, they found the technology components that would allow them to more excellently act on their hedgehog concept, and they applied, extended, refined, and mastered those technologies.

The Fly Wheel and the Doom Loop:  In combination, these factors became a success flywheel:  massive amounts of momentum rolling toward greatness built up by incredible numbers of little and large "pushes", all in the same direction.  In contrast, the comparison companies engaged in "doom loops."  Each new great leader would come in with a new vision, a new what, and the company would lurch in that direction.  Then a new vision would be seized upon, perhaps as the result of new leadership, and the company would lurch in that direction.  No momentum, no sustained results, no breakthrough to entirely new levels of performance.  Sound like any school systems you know?