Good to Great

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Business Analysis”

In this activity, students will select a business and make predictions about the company’s future using Collins’s key principles for analysis.

Consider Collins’s analysis of companies and his methodology in assessing greatness. Select a company to investigate using the Good to Great model to determine the potential future of the company. Create a visual presentation of the company’s policies and how they align with the book. Use these questions in your consideration:

• What is the company determined to be the best at?
• What are the goals of the company? Are they aligned with their Hedgehog Concept?
• Analyze the leadership of the company. Do they meet the criteria for Level 5 leadership?
• In what way does the company apply the “first who” concept?
• Describe the company culture. Are employees free to share ideas?
• Does the company use the Stockdale Paradox?
• Does the company have a “stop-doing” list?
• How would you describe the company’s culture of discipline?
• In what way does the company apply technological advancements?
• How quickly does the company implement changes?

Share your research with peers describing the company’s overall alignment with Collins’s principles. Based on the principles of the book, make predictions as to the company’s future.

Teaching Suggestion: Students may find it beneficial to first discuss companies that may fit the Good to Great model outlined by Collins. Consider asking students to create a list of these companies to consider what they do well and what they likely need improvement on. Students may require additional support in identifying creative ways to obtain some of the above information that is not readily available online. Consider connecting small student groups with any available and willing community business partners to help identify ways to obtain and/or accurately interpret this information.

Differentiation Suggestion: To help make this activity more accessible for students who may struggle to identify a company and/or start or complete research and analysis projects, consider providing students with a pre-set list of companies that are likely to have the requested information to choose from and allowing them to form and work in small groups based on their identified companies. For students who demonstrate interest, in lieu of this activity, consider offering the opportunity to research some of the companies (perhaps 2-3) that Collins identified as great in 2001 and present on how those companies are faring presently and why.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Collins describes belief as being one of the key elements that help companies to achieve greatness.

• Why is belief an important factor in transforming a company from good to great? (topic sentence)
• Explain what Collins means when he describes belief in the book, then provide two examples from the book that characterize the success of individuals or companies who depended on belief.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain the connection between belief and the Stockdale Paradox.

2. Collins describes good as being the enemy of great.

• Why is good the enemy of great? (topic sentence)
• Identify how Collins proves his argument that good is the enemy of great. Select two examples provided by Collins that describe good companies and explain why Collins believes they are not achieving greatness.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe the elements of a great company outlined by Collins.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Collins claims that work and purpose are closely related and that his principles can be applied beyond the business world to an individual’s personal life. Analyze Collins’s methodology in connection with personal goals and purpose. In an essay of at least three main points, explain whether you believe Collins’s principles can be applied to an individual’s personal life. Support your response using evidence from the book.

2. Consider Collins’s seven principles that outline a company’s shift from good to great. Which of Collins’s principles do you believe to be most important, and which do you believe to be least important? Discuss in two or three paragraphs the most and least important principles. Substantiate your response using quotes from the book.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the fundamental question the author seeks to answer in Good to Great?

A) The best way to improve profits in the stock market

B) How to improve leadership and interpersonal skills

C) To identify what makes a company great

D) How to employ essential strategies to improve personal goals

2. What are the two qualities essential to becoming a Level 5 leader?

A) Competence and reflection

B) Pride and vision

C) Confidence and kindness

D) Humility and resolve

3. What advice would Collins likely give to a company that intends to build a team responsible for company growth and prosperity?

A) Recruit those who have specific skill sets, expertise, and experience.

B) Develop a team with good character and willing to engage in discussion.

C) Select individuals who are determined to execute the CEO’s vision for the company.

D) Choose team members who have a reputation for building and executing company policies.

4. Which of the following is a quality that, according to the author’s methodology, identifies a company as great?

A) A company that is able to profit in the stock market over an extended period of time

B) A company that engages in community improvement and outreach

C) A company that is able to make improvements under strong leadership

D) A company that successfully turns a profit and gains investors within 2-3 years

5. According to Collins, which of the following is a quality of a strong CEO?

A) A CEO should confidently claim responsibility for the company when it succeeds and look to employees when it doesn’t.

B) A CEO should build an effective team to help determine the goals for the company.

C) A CEO should censor discussions regarding important topics to decrease negativity.

D) A CEO should be responsible for making decisions regarding hiring, firing, and company culture.

6. Which statement best summarizes the concept of the Stockdale Paradox?

A) Using the potential of the worst outcome to instill fear and motivate employees

B) Maintaining the company’s core values whether they serve business goals or not

C) Justifying the pursuit of profit with an intense focus on inspiring passion in employees

D) Confronting the harshness of reality while still believing in the best outcome

7. What does Collins recognize as being a primary concern regarding technology in the workplace?

A) Companies do not purchase the appropriate equipment for technological advancement.

B) Companies fail to implement technological strategies quickly enough.

C) Companies enforce technological advances without consideration for training.

D) Companies act quickly out of fear, making their technological execution disorganized.

8. Which of the following does Collins identify as being essential in simplifying a complex business model into a single idea?

A) The Stockdale Paradox

B) The Hedgehog Concept

C) A culture of discipline

D) A doom loop

9. What does Collins describe as being his motivation for writing his book?

A) His boss’s complacency

B) His company’s development

C) His own curiosity

D) His own promotion

10. Which of the following might Collins identify as problematic in a business structure?

A) A company in which individuals gradually make changes and implement strategies

B) A company that is quick to respond to and implement the latest ideas

C) A workplace that is heavily dependent upon employees for feedback and goals

D) A workplace culture where individuals feel free to share ideas

11. What two company qualities are important for maintaining a culture of discipline?

A) Quality culture and open communication

B) Strong leadership and company hierarchies

C) Optimism and commitment

D) High expectations and rigorous standards

12. What is likely the first step you would take if you sought to achieve a personal goal using Collins’s method?

A) Reflect on your competence as a leader

B) Consider the Stockdale Concept

C) Identify what you want to be best at

D) Implement strategies for using technology

13. Which scenario best represents a company that applies the flywheel method?

A) A company quickly adapts to rigorous standards relating to business.

B) A company develops changes slowly, knowing it will build momentum.

C) A company uses its core ideology to enforce a strict company culture.

D) A company makes drastic business changes, causing it to become chaotic.

14. How might Collins’s interpretation of the data be viewed based on his experience?

A) His opinion is biased because he has worked in the companies he writes about.

B) As a CEO, Collins’s view is biased because he empathizes with leadership.

C) Collins has been asked to conduct research by others and is therefore unbiased.

D) Collins’s material is unbiased because he maintains personal connection to his research.

15. Which statement best summarizes the Hedgehog Concept?

A) Uncomplicating goals by maintaining a central focus

B) Confronting reality by maintaining perpetual hope

C) Seeking dramatic change whenever possible

D) Finding success amongst disorder and chaos

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Use Collins’s model for what makes a great company to analyze the importance of teamwork. What, according to Collins, makes a great team?

2. What does Collins describe as being attributes that contribute to poor leadership?