The Art of What Works: How Success Really Happens

A commonsense approach to creating effective new strategies from ones that are proven to work

From Napoleon through Jack Welch, great leaders have always "borrowed" great ideas from others. The Art of What Works cuts against the grain of today's one-size-fits-all strategic gurus to argue that there are no intrinsically good or bad strategies--just flexible strategies that work best in given situations. Welch's appropriation of Six Sigma from Motorola, and use of its best features to revitalize GE, is a recent example of this approach.

In this insightful and practical guide, leading strategist William Duggan lays the groundwork for building new strategic frameworks by observing what works--and what doesn't--in the real world. The Art of What Works shows business professionals how to:

• Recognize and adopt great ideas and strategies
• Modify strategically sound ideas to their own benefit
• Decide on a course of action--then modify it when necessary