Vol. 25, Issue 23 The Granularity of Growth How to Identify the Sources of Growth and Drive Enduring Company Performance By: Patrick Viguerie, Sven Smit, Mehrdad Baghai 240 pp. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2008 Review by: Amity Noltemeyer

It is undeniable that companies need growth to continue to thrive in today’s marketplace. The question that lingers in the minds of many organizational leaders – particularly those representing large companies – is where this growth will come from and how it can be achieved. In The Granularity of Growth, authors Viguerie, Smit, and Baghai argue that organizational leaders need to adopt a granular, rather than broad-based, approach to addressing growth. Using the results from a quantitative analysis of nearly 500 large companies, the authors encourage readers to consider their ambition for growth, chart a direction for growth, and ultimately design an architecture to support growth. Although individuals often assume that entire industries are characterized by growth (e.g., pharmaceuticals), research suggests this notion is a fallacy. The authors propose six levels of granularity and use research to demonstrate the benefits of focusing on levels that are more fine-grained than that of the industry level.

Vol. 25, Issue 40 The Three Signs of a Miserable Job A Fable for Managers (and their employees) By: Patrick Lencioni 259 pp. Jossey-Bass Review by Amity Noltemeyer Vol. 25, Issue 39 Unlocking Opportunities for Growth How to Profit from Uncertainty While Limiting Your Risk By: Alexander B. van Putten, Ian C. MacMillian 161 pp. Pearson Education Review by Jennifer G. Cuthbertson Vol. 25, Issue 38 Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0 By: Sarah Lacy 294 pp. Gotham Books Review by Karen McHenry

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