The idea is that hedgehogs are focused and diligent in their activities, unlike foxes that chase shiny objects. For example, most of the airline industry historically used total revenue per. May 04, 2016 good to great is the book that answers the question the previous one raises. Hedgehog concept in the social sectors good to great. A simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of three circles. Overall, good to great is an absolute classic business book and one that we recommend you read. In his book good to great, he uses the parable of the clever, devious fox and the simple hedgehog. Finding your personal hedgehog is the key to unlocking your potential and discovering what youre really meant to do. What the organization can be the best in the world at doing, where the organization has a passion for innovation and success, and where the organization. Here are 3 of them to give you an idea of what it takes to build something thats worldclass. Oct 12, 2018 in the year of 2001, collins in his book good to great, he highlights and describes the various similarities between the large corporate and multinational organizations and his famous hedgehog concept.
How to use the hedgehog concept to compete with massive competitors 47 july, 20 9 minute read posted by amin. Second, the goodtogreat companies translated that understanding into a simple, crystalline concept that guided all their effortshence the term hedgehog concept. Recognize that getting a hedgehog concept is an inherently iterative process, not an event. You are wondering why some companies make huge progress while other just stay good and never growth to become great. The result is a set of strategies, habits, and practices, which can turn a company from good to great. It took about four years on average for the good to great companies to clarify their hedgehog concepts.
This single response is simple and works as a response to any attack. When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Given the choice between being a fox or a hedgehog which one would you choose. Good is the enemy of great is the first sentence in jim collins book. Lessons from good to great that hold up 15 years later. Mar 08, 2010 collins calls this the hedgehog concept, doing one thing and doing it well. Sure, if you lagged in a technology that was in your hedgehog concept, you would just be good and not great, but it was never the reason for a company going under. It took four years on average for the good to great companies to get a hedgehog concept. The key to going from good to great is to get the right people onboard, engaging in critical thinking, then taking disciplined action aligned with the hedgehog concept.
Jim collins starts describing the hedgehog concept by talking about. For example, if you were to apply the concepts above into a more personal context, you could say. Hedgehog concept was first introduced in the book good to great, by jim collins. In good to great, the second part of disciplined thought is the hedgehog concept the simplicity withing the three circles the thought is that all companies and perhaps people too, in order to achieve greatness that is need a deep understanding of three areas that join together to form one simple concept the hedgehog concept.
Jim collins concepts the hedgehog concept good to great. Good to great using the hedgehog concept matching johnny doitall many of us can recount envy of people for whom everything in life appeared to come all too easily, as epitomised by the charmed life of schoolboy character. In addition, technology by itself will never take a company from good to great, or prevent it from an impeding disaster. According to collins, companies and their leaders can be either foxes or hedgehogs. Technology accelerators november 10, 2012 the team supporting jim collins research for his book good to great debated whether or not a chapter needed to be dedicated to the use of technology by great companies whether technology is a principle that took companies from good to great. Its about the power of simplicity, increasing the chance of success. Here is the best explanation i have seen from the lecturer jim collins, who explains how some companies. In relation to all the other areas level 5 leadership, first who then what, confront the brutal facts we have talked about so far, this idea is the most pivotal to becoming great. All good to great companies have a hedgehog concept. In continuing with the current theme of good to great, i would now like to explore the idea that jim collins put forth which he dubbed the hedgehog concept. For those of you already familiar with good to great, certainly the hedgehog concept is perhaps the easiest to remember. Foxes are a very clever creature and can pursue many goals at once. The fox is smart and is aware of its environment and can access his prey even from a long distance and makes many strategies to catch his prey, the hedgehog.
In his 2001 book good to great, collins describes the similarities between large organisations like multinational corporations and the. Mar 09, 2019 collins introduces new management concepts, such as level 5 leaders, the hedgehog concept, and the culture of discipline, which are essential to the success of goodtogreat companies. He gives the example of walgreens ceo cork walgreen, who viewed the mission of his company in one concise statement. A simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of three. Some found it hard to develop, but no matter how awful they were at the start of the process, they all prevailed in the search for a hedgehog concept. The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. The hedgehog concept is a corporate leadership strategy outlined in jim collins 2001 book, good to great. Good to great using the hedgehog concept pete wargent.
Jim collins says, because good is the enemy of great, is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. The hedgehog principle was introduced by jim collins in his book good to great, in which he argues that truly great companies are oriented around a hedgehog concept. In this post, im going to discuss the hedgehog concept and why it is important for tech companies to keep operating. Jan 17, 2011 the answer jim collins, in his book good to great, addresses this question by defining the hedgehog concept. Analyzing 28 companies in 3 categories goodtogreat, direct comparison and unsustained comparison over the span of 30 years, jim and his team looked at which companies went from average or subpar stock market. Goodtogreat companies set their goals and strategies based. The hedgehog concept is from the book good to great by jim collins. Core concepts from jim collins good to great faithmaps blog. When you figure it out it just seems right, it is not some startling revelation.
Collins goes on to state that the people who led good to great companies were all hedgehogs in one way or another, who developed clear, concise hedgehog concepts to guide their decisions. Hedgehog concept in the business sectors good to great. While its competitors ran a race to the bottom by manufacturing evercheaper disposable razors, gillette went in the opposite direction, designing and producing sophisticated shaving systems that its technicians and executives could get excited about. A personal hedgehog concept in jim collins good to great, he presents an idea called the hedgehog concept the sweet spot in business at the intersection of three distinct drivers. Jan 04, 2016 good to great companies founded their strategies on deep understanding along three key dimensions, and translated this understanding into a simple concept hedgehog concept that guided all of their efforts. Good to great, why some companies make the leapand other dont. But insight and understanding dont happen overnight or after one offsite.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading good to great. Comparison companies, in contrast, often launched ventures and acquisitions that had little to do with their core concepts. The hedgehog concept from good to great part 1 youtube. Your company should be here disciplined thought relook your companys denominators to gain understanding of your economic. The book was a bestseller, selling four million copies and going far beyond the traditional audience. Only adopt new technology if it helps you reach your goal. Collins that describes how companies transition from being good companies to great companies, and how most companies fail to make the transition. Collins notes that goodtogreat companies consistently turned down even onceinalifetime opportunities when those opportunities did not match the companys hedgehog concept. You absolutely do not need to be in a great industry to produce sustained great results. Hedgehog concept great companies figured out 1 what they could be the best in the world at. In good to great collins notes that it took four years on average for the goodtogreat companies to get a hedgehog concept.
Apr 29, 2008 for those of you already familiar with good to great, certainly the hedgehog concept is perhaps the easiest to remember. When confronted by predators, the hedgehog s instinct is to curl up into a protective ball. Core concepts from good to great by jim collins level 5 leadership level 5 leaders embody a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will. Like built to last, good to great is one of those books that managers and ceos will be reading and rereading for years to come.
Its interesting to note the difference that jim collins identifies in good to great. He also brings up the idea of what he calls the council, which is a group of people devoted to working through the three circles in order to find the hedgehog concept. Apr 21, 2020 the hedgehog concept is a corporate leadership strategy outlined in jim collins 2001 book, good to great. The book was a bestseller, selling four million copies and going far beyond the traditional audience of business books. This single function will become the organizations hedgehog concept. Collins calls this the hedgehog concept, doing one thing and doing it well. All concepts summarised in this presentation belong to the author of the book. In the journey from good to great, defining your hedgehog concept is an essential element. How should we go about getting our hedgehog concept. The hedgehog concept was originally based on an ancient greek parable which stated, the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. The essence of a hedgehog concept is to attain piercing clarity about how to produce the best longterm results, and then exercising the relentless discipline to say, no thank you to opportunities that fail the hedgehog test. For example, one of our most effective features is the 7geese peer. Order good to great from amazon the original hedgehog concept came from an essay by isaiah berlin in which he talks about leo tolstoys theory of history. Well cover the good to great hedgehog concept, hedgehog concept examples, and the questions to ask yourself and your team to find your own hedgehog concept.
The hedgehog concept in good to great by jim collins can transform your life as well as your business. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not so great, the book offers a wellreasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider. The fox is quick and cunning, moving from place to. More precisely, a hedgehog concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles. The hedgehog concept is developed in the book good to great. While its competitors ran a race to the bottom by manufacturing evercheaper disposable razors, gillette went in the opposite direction, designing and producing sophisticated shaving systems that. The answer jim collins, in his book good to great, addresses this question by defining the hedgehog concept. May 18, 2004 good to great usa today ran a nice article today on good to great, written by jim collins, and its exploding popularity. The hedgehog concept was first introduced in the book good to great, by jim collins. In the book good to great, jim collins discovers that great companies from his study all had a similar approach to their business, an approach that lead them to greatness. But, finding it means that my work is much more fulfilling and i hope that asking the question might help you find your hedgehog concept as well. However after reading the monograph and receiving so many recommendations to read his best seller.
To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. The idea is that hedgehogs are focused and diligent in their activities, unlike foxes that chase shiny objects and are easily distracted. In good to great collins notes that it took four years on average for the good to great companies to get a hedgehog concept. Those who built the good go great companies were, to one degree or another, hedgehogs. Its the simple idea that is at the intersection of three circles. The hedgehog concept simplicity within the three circles. The fox is a multitasker and can do many things at one time.
A fun video showing the concept from the book good to great and how important it is to focus in on one thing that you do that you can be. Business researcher and consultant, jim collins, used this concept as a metaphor for business in his influential book, good to great. Those who built the goodgogreat companies were, to one degree or another, hedgehogs. Collins introduces new management concepts, such as level 5 leaders, the hedgehog concept, and the culture of discipline, which are essential to the success of good to great companies. Level 5 leadership level 5 leaders embody a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will. The hedgehog concept by collins is based on an ancient greek parable that tells the story about the hedgehog and the fox. A quasireligious adherence to the hedgehog concept, supplemented by a robust stop doing list. First, the goodtogreat companies founded their strategies on deep understanding along three key dimensionswhat we came to call the three circles. The hedgehog concept can be summed up in a single word.
Collins also emphasizes that hedgehog concepts can only be created through sustained debate, with most goodtogreat companies taking at least four years to clarify theirs. After reading you will understand the definition and basics of this. The hedgehog concept comes for the old greek parable about a hedgehog and a fox which states the following. Aug 30, 2018 in 2001, jim collins published his influential book, good to great. The hedgehog concept by the american business consultant jim collins shows how a company or person can be successful in business. Another perhaps startling fact is that strategy did not separate the good to great companys from the comparison companies. For example, former circuit city ceo alan wurtzel who retired long before good to great, but who wrote his own book about the companys history called good to great to gone would often ask his employees probing questions that might reveal unpleasant truths, like what should we be worried about. For example, the hedgehog concept and stockade paradox were catchy terms named after.
Good to great companies founded their strategies on deep understanding along three key dimensions, and translated this understanding into a simple concept hedgehog concept that guided all of their efforts. Good to great is divided into 9 chapters, which represent the key elements of the book. Another perhaps startling fact is that strategy did not separate the goodtogreat companys from the comparison companies. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. From jim collins book good to great, the hedgehog concept helps your. Following up on his last book, built to last, jim collins lays out the necessary framework for a company or organization that wants to make the important transition of moving from good to great. Most people and companies would probably choose to be a fox. When confronted by predators, the hedgehogs instinct is to curl up into a protective ball.
The pivot point in good to great is the hedgehog concept. From jim collins book good to great, the hedgehog concept helps your organization focus on three main areas. Jun 17, 2011 in jim collins good to great, he presents an idea called the hedgehog concept the sweet spot in business at the intersection of three distinct drivers. The concept is drawn from a greek poem in which a cunning fox tries and continually fails to eat a hedgehog who was always able to roll into a ball at the key moment.
To transition from good to great, companies should focus on doing one thing better than anyone else in the world. Jul, 20 how to use the hedgehog concept to compete with massive competitors 47 july, 20 9 minute read posted by amin. A hedgehog concept is a simple concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles. May 04, 2016 the hedgehog concept is from the book good to great by jim collins. How to use the hedgehog concept to compete with massive. An overview of jim collins book good to great, with a particular focus on finding your hedgehog concept how to get there. Goodtogreat companies with a culture of discipline, consistent with their hedgehog concept, build frameworks within which individual managers have the liberty to innovate and experiment. Fourth in a series of posts relating the findings and concepts of good to great to the introvert entrepreneur. Why some companies make the leap and others dont at. This post is part of my series on how to apply the concepts of the book good to great, by jim collins, to tech companies.
432 683 557 635 134 1017 24 1183 1205 705 1417 1512 697 1208 805 1109 471 1174 19 1103 284 1196 299 416 237 1362 1097 818 1239