Many times there are organizations that have been passed down for generations, but they still manage to go bankrupt or close their doors just because they did not manage to cross over and become a great organization that knows how to survive no matter the circumstances. There are many pieces to the puzzle of greatness, but one of the main concepts the author highlighted in the book is the great companies do not expect to become great over night. By building up momentum allows the organization to establish all aspects and create a strong foundation that is capable of withstanding whatever problems they could face. I found this concept, the Flywheel Effect, very interesting because the author states the companies that did not become great skipped building up momentum and went straight for the prize. By doing this, nothing was accomplished but failure which led to the Doom Loop. Success never seems to happen over night so I do not understand why these companies think they are any different.
With that said, Saint Joseph Hospital clearly understands momentum must be built rather than acquired. They have merged with other hospitals, but still the name remains Saint Joseph Hospital all over the state of Kentucky. They did not become rich and famous over night it has taken over a century to be the organization they are today. They have found the thing they are the best in the industry at and went with it. When hospitals specialize in certain areas it makes them more desirable rather than trying to conquer everything because then they are decent, but never masters. In the health industry it is more important to be a master rather than average.
I completely agree that companies that have been around a long time are oftentimes mistaken for “great.” Before reading Good to Great, I think I assumed that this was the case. However, now that I understand just how intricate the “puzzle of greatness” is (I love this analogy of yours!), I can see how very wrong the assumption is. Simply because a company has remained in operation for many years certainly does not indicate greatness. Without passion, dedication, the will to be the best in the world, and the focus on just that variable, a company will not become great. It’s great that you are able to make the connection from the book to the hospital that your group has analyzed. If you are like me these days, any time that you encounter or think about an organization, your mind immediately starts critiquing it based on what we have learned in class! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying. St. Joseph was always a hospital i had heard of when i was growning up, then they bought the hospital in my hometown so i decided to do some research on them. Now you can find many St Joseph's all across Kentucky and they are continuing to grow.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what you are saying. It is a shame that companies that have been around for a long time go under or bankrupt because of whose in charge and the lack of their leadership skills. With St. Joseph's it has been apparent that since they are growing so wide spread that they have a good infrastructure. Hopefully it can stay that way so they can serve many people who need it.
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