How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses

Written by Neil Smith and Patricia O'Connor

Narrated by Dave Courvoisier

Companies make headline news all the time for decisions that make many of us scratch our heads in wonder, even companies that are smart and successful. Here, Neil Smith, with more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale performance improvements, reveals the hidden barriers that cause excellent companies to do dumb things, and smart people within companies to act in dumb ways.#160;Drawing on his experience working with and helping transform top global businesses, Smith has identified 8 barriers that prevent organizations from achieving and maintaining sustainable success. Rich with anecdotes and case studies, Smith outlines a fast and proven process in which 12 principles of business transformation can break down the barriers holding companies back. What Smith offers his readers is the same thing he offers every day to the major companies he works with, a promise that by following his insights, the company will be able to increase communication, simplicity, and profit to levels never before attainable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Sep 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781611749960

Neil Smith

Neil Smith is emeritus professor of linguistics at UCL and co-author of Chomsky: Ideas and Ideals among many other books.

Reviews for How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things

[d.rivv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was well written and is definitely worth a read. The premise is that many companies (if not all) have many barriers that prevent true growth and true employee development. The author goes through eight barriers and how to overcome each. At the end of the book the author outlines an 100 day "program" to overcome the barriers in your own company. I have read many similar books and can say that typically if you've read one business book you've read them all--but this book definitely offers an interesting perspective with PLENTY of anecdotes and stories.

[annetteoc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

We know that change is good, but it’s not always clear as to how we can successfully implement it. As a result, things continue on as usual, and our businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations – and yes, that includes churches – continue to waste resources, miss grand opportunities, and struggle to build a lasting, effective community. Where do we continually go wrong?Neil Smith, CEO of Promontory Growth and Innovation (PGI), and Patricia O'Connell, former Management Editor at Bloomberg Businessweek.com, have the answer. In the awkwardly titled How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), they identify reasons why the improvements you want to make never leave the drawing board. These barriers include your management being risk adverse, trying to avoid controversies that will inevitably rock the boat; poor prioritization of activities; and even the way your company’s departments are organized.But all not hopeless. The “PGI Promise” can help you knock down these 8 Barriers with 12 Principles and successfully institute a change-friendly culture in your business. Smith shows how to get executives involved in a non-threatening way, managers committed to enforcing changes, and employees eager to contribute their revenue-building and cost-saving ideas. Be forewarned though: You might have to weed through some lesser-quality material to get to the helpful parts. In fact, you might just want to scan the Introduction and Chapter 9 and call it read. The book suffers from repetitive content; cheesy personal life examples that take away from the relevant real-life business examples; and a lot of PGI promotions. Worse still, the long quoted passages from clinical psychologist Richard Levak seem to indicate that Smith doesn’t feel entirely confident in his own qualifications. Working with Bank of America, Heinz, and MasterCard isn’t enough. Apparently, he has to rely on someone else to give him credibility.So, should you read How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses? If you’re having trouble implementing change in your business, then this book might be a great place to start. At the very least, it can help get the conversation going, and that has a lot of value in and of itself.Disclaimer: I received a copy of How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. I was not required to write a favorable review.

[jamilyn-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this as part of librarything Early Reviewer program.Self help book for business. Good read but nothing new or innovative.

[kellerific-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not sure I'm a fan of the title ("dumb things"??) but the book itself is well-written and engaging. There is a little product placement for the author's consulting business, but it is not excessive and does not get in the way of the author's helpful advice and observations.According to the author, there are 8 hidden barriers that stop companies from making effective change. Each is described in detail, and numerous real-life examples bring the theories to life. There are also essays from a psychologist which explain the behavioral components to some of these barriers. The also discusses how each of these barriers was broken in a real-life case, which could be helpful if your situation is similar.Overall, a good read that I would recommend to anyone interested in management and business.

[surlysal_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Neil Smith suggests there are 8 barriers that prevent companies from fully achieving their potential and provides ways to avoid these common pitfalls. The text is quite readable although occasionally gets bogged down in the details but easy enough to comprehend. Nothing seemed overly earth shattering but it is usually the simple or overlooked details that seem to doom businesses and people alike. The central theme seemed to be embrace change, change is good. Definitely a good intro book that should help you lay the groundwork for a successful business.

[mattdocmartin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

(Can't believe I neglected to post review for so long)Nothing fancy or earthshaking... I get others comments about "sales pitch-y" as well. If you are a business addict (which I am sometimes), it may appeal. Beyond that, I cannot recommend.

[loafhunter13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The ideas presented by Neil Smith in this book are very relevant to higher management in medium to large companies looking to fix operations and efficiency. With lots of experience and case studies to draw on, Smith can illustrate his "barriers" and roughly outline fixes in a variety of environments. The book had plenty to offer and a lot can be taken from Smith's expertise but as other reviewers pointed out, the book reads more like a advertisement for consulting services than a management tutorial. Solutions are hinted at but never truly presented and each chapters has a very polished shine to it which reads more like ad copy than professional development text. Devoted readers/managers could pull some ideas from the book but implementing them without further employing Smith might prove difficult.

[biscuit_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't finish it. It seemed like a sales pitch, and I just couldn't get interested.

[smoothpower · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Neil Smith has written an interesting book highlighting major obstacles to change in businesses. His target audience is senior management at large businesses. As such, the book is written to shine enough light on each subject to illustrate the challenge but not delve deeply enough to make the author's consulting services irrelevant. With this scope in mind, the author draws from his consulting experience to illustrate real life examples demonstrating the challenges all businesses face. I found this to be a good read which left me curious to delve more into solutions and implementations.

[dlweeks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My line of work is managing change - so this book was right up my alley. The author does a great job of organizing the issues he sees businesses face, bringing in examples from his own experiences to really drive the points home. I have recommended this book to several of my colleagues as I believe there is some significant value in understanding these obstacles. Understandably, the author does continue to plug his program - I mean, it is all about sales, right? So if you don't mind the occasional plug, I would recommend this to everyone interested in improving their enterprise.

[reluctantmessiah-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Recently finished this book and I have to admit that I found the universal business advice to be useful and applicable. I am in a position where I may be opening a microbrewery, and I though the book was definitely geared toward proactive change within large companies, the general business principles are valuable for a company of any size. Definitely recommend for both entrepreneurs and business professionals.

[charlessvec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just got done reading this book that I received from Early Reviewers. It was a good read, and I did like the real-life examples that were presented. Depending on the needs of your business, and if you're able to have the senior management involved, then this would be a book for you to read.

[hillgirl_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

not really my favorite read but if you were starting a business or thinking about it, This book is definitely for you. Not sure what else to say except if you are trying to build your business plan this book is for you.

[dokfintong · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have put off reviewing this book for too long (I got it through LibraryThing.com quite a while ago) because I am not quite sure what to say. To explain my reluctance to write, I will have to give a bit of background.In the 1990s I started a subscription to Harvard Business Review. The writing at HBR is super and the editing great, especially while Suzy Wetlaufer was there. (If you don't know Suzy Spring Wetlaufer Welch, check out the New York Mag story "If you knew Suzy.") The articles in HBR are short, punchy, and to the point and I have learned loads from trying to read each issue from cover to cover. I often use HBR articles as starting points in my teaching.But, over the years I have bought a few books by HBR writers that purport to expand on the ideas presented in HBR, and I have always been disappointed. The HBR article says exactly the same thing in 10% of the words and at a fraction of the cost.When I read "How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things," I had two reactions. First is that it is wordy; second that I read the same stuff long ago in HBR.So, how then to write a review?If you like reading self-help books about business management then this book may give you some useful insights. If you don't like self-help books, give it a miss and look up the same ideas online.I received a review copy of "How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things" by Neil Smith and Patricia O'Connell (Palgrave Macmillan) through LibraryThing.com.

[dulcinea14-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book provides a good approach to change management, focusing on the barriers that arise to successful implementation. It was organized well and straight forward.

I received a copy from Goodreads Giveaways.

[austin.sears · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is not a bad read, but I feel it could have been better. It could be more concise when explaining the barriers. The barriers do seem somewhat obvious, but that is because they are so commonly encountered. The real life examples presented with each barrier are very short, and the solutions/end results are explained separately later in the chapter. While these examples are illustrative, there are times when the book would have benefitted from not explaining the barrier and the resolution of the barrier pages apart. That said, the book is still a good and useful read, especially since more concrete implementations of how he consults with clients are given towards the end.

[loucypher_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this read. I won this book from the early reviewers on LibraryThing. This book contained mountains of knowledge in thearea of fixing problems some larger companies may run into. The solutions were very practical and well thought out. I highly suggestthis book for anyone who owns or runs a business, either as a problem solver or just some food for thought.

[mandie_mckenzie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was easy-to-read and offered a simple break-down of company do's and don'ts for business-minded people. This book would be excellent for people in an introductory business course or for people hoping to start their own business and looking for some pointers. I did not feel like the information found in this book was much different from other business best-sellers, and so, therefore, could not give it a higher rating, but it was a good foundational guide to business principles.

[sherieadams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being in HR this book is excellent for me. I used quotes fronm the book in my Thesis for my Masters. I would recommend this book for anyone in the business field. Or even for small business owners.

[twylyghtbay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as a member of the early reviewers club. All of the author's recommendations are valid and a good reminder to leaders in business strategies that help keep ventures profitable and growing.

[mamaweb5ter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a high school the book gave me great examples of business situations to use in my marketing/business classes.

[jshrop_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I don't read a lot of business books, but How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things is yet another offering to this multi-million dollar self-help industry that feeds off the insecurities of middle managers the world over. The sub-title: "Breaking the 8 hidden barriers that plague even the best businesses" is completely preying on the impulse airport book buyer. Is "Reluctance to Change" really a "hidden" barrier? All of his 8 barriers are completely derivative of business books since the dawn of this industry. There are some techniques and tips given for each barrier, but they seemed like common sense to me. This seems more like another "how to get rich by selling a derivative book to timid managers and peons who aspire to middle management, but probably won't get there if they think a book can solve all their problems" market. If it helped you influence change within your organization, great, but it seems more like a marketing pamphlet for his consulting company.

[amandawelling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a very quick read and I'm glad I had the opportunity to review this book. I found it extremely helpful for getting me through a few of my business and marketing classes in college last semester, since I was able to refer back to a few of the chapters. I'd recommend this to anyone who plans on going into business or is looking for addition course material on innovation an marketing.

[jlhowson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a nice discussion of typical problems that prevent companies from achieving excellent - or trip them up when they normally do. Broken into quick, easy to read chapters, the basic concepts in this book could be applied across a wide number of organizations. A quick easy read, perfect for workgroup or section study with discussion questions.

[nicolec78 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is very informative. I received it as an Early Reader review book but thoroughly enjoyed it. I am planning on opening my own small business in the near future and it gave me some good ideas on things to watch or, plan and ways to avoid certain problems. IT is well organized and chalked full of information on things businesses do that set them up for failure along with ways to avoid it and other successful ways to manage a business. A must read for any business owner

[bakersfieldbarbara · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How Excellent Companies avoid Dumb Things by Neil Smith lists 8 hidden barriers that plagues even the best of businesses. Barrier One: avoiding controversy, was especially interesting to me. I treated many employees in my counseling career field whom had anger at not being able to deal with the conflicts in their office. Denial and rationalization were key issues that the supervisors would use to avoid conflict. They would let up to the employees to 'work it out'. No business was being done to make the company a better work place; energy was spent on surviving the supervisor's lack of dealing with the problem.Author Smith lists twelve principles for breaking these 8 barriers, a 100-day process to follow and the results to expect. Empowering employees to produce creative ideas is the basis for this book,and I recommend it to all managers and leaders.This is an in-depth look at the structural and behavioral barriers that keep your organization from outstanding performance, and offers a clear set of principles to get back on track. Tthe authors insights are a must read for managers everywhere.

[sarah.hansrote · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.i really enjoyed this book cause me and my friends want to open a bar, and i think this will help us even if we are not really a company. The guidelines are easy to understand and clearly organized. It startled me that something that may seem obvious is usually something people tend to miss. I will give this book to my friends.

[cheetosrapper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In his book How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things, Neil Smith lays out eight items that can sink a company. They are:Avoiding ControversyPoor Use of TimeReluctance to ChangeOrganizational SilosManagement BlockersIncorrect Information and Bad AssumptionsSize MattersExisting ProcessesThese eight things, that are often overlooked or avoided, have the potential to cause company failures in either communication, production, or can ultimately cause dissolution. Smith addresses each of these, how they cause potential failures, and then give advice from his consulting experiences on how to correct them.I found this book to be very direct, with takeaways and questions at the end of sections, toward company success. While not new information, another perspective can be just the right angle for action to take place. That is where I place this book. Good information and an angle that may speak to just the people who need to hear it.

[jec27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good read with step-by-step guidance from "Step 0" to Step 12 about how to recognize the need for change and then bring it to fruition. Many companies opt for ISO 9000 certifications fought hard for and won, only to set in concrete a different status quo that is as resistant to real progress as before, and with ever-growing personnel costs to maintain it. Acknowledging the 8 and transforming with the 12 in government bureaucracies would be another worthwhile application.

[etrainer_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've worked in middle management in 4 or 5 companies for over forty years. I think I could have identified six or seven of Smith's eight barriers that cause companies to do dumb things pretty quickly on my own. Still, it's valuable for someone to put this information together in a readable format with some examples from the real world. I wouldn't have done so well with the twelve principles for breaking those barriers. Smith has worked at a much higher level than I have. But I do know something about eliciting ideas for improvement from the workforce. There are lots of management consultants, each with this own 'program' for coaxing valuable information from employees who usually think they are powerless to effect a change in what the organization does. This is the part of Smith's book I enjoyed the most. This is a part of my work experience that I have enjoyed being a part of. The collective knowledge of employees, down to the lowest levels in the organization is too often underutilized, if at all. Smith's description of his high level change process had a large, company wide scope. Again, this is not my experience, but some of the steps - surfacing ideas, evaluating their impact and risk, and presenting them to upper management (in my case more like one at a time, for Smith's program pretty much all at once) apply for small changes as well as large company wide ones.If you are new to this idea of 'change', Smith's book is a good overview. If you have been involved in similar efforts, even on a smaller scale, there is really not much new here.