Scaling Up Excellence

Getting to More Without Settling for Less

By: Robert I. Sutton, Huggy Rao

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

In Scaling Up Excellence, best-selling author Robert Sutton and Stanford colleague Huggy Rao tackle a challenge that determines every organization’s success: scaling up further, faster, and more effectively as a program or an organization creates a larger footprint. Sutton and Rao have devoted much of the last decade to uncovering what it takes to build and uncover pockets of exemplary performance, to help spread them, and to keep recharging organizations with ever-better work practices. Drawing on inside accounts and case studies and academic research from a wealth of industries - including start-ups, pharmaceuticals, airlines, retail, financial services, high-tech, education, non-profits, government, and healthcare - Sutton and Rao identify the key scaling challenges that confront every organization. They tackle the difficult trade-offs that organizations must make between "Buddhism" versus "Catholicism" - whether to encourage individualized approaches tailored to local needs or to replicate the same practices and customs as an organization or program expands. They reveal how the best leaders and teams develop, spread, and instill the right mindsets in their people - rather than ruining or watering down the very things that have fueled successful growth in the past. They unpack the principles that help to cascade excellence throughout an organization, as well as show how to eliminate destructive beliefs and behaviors that will hold them back.

Scaling Up Excellence is the first major business book devoted to this universal and vexing challenge. It is destined to become the standard bearer in the field.

©2014 Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"A great read that provides real, practical advice whether you're a team of 5 or 50,000. Sutton and Rao find just the right stories to show how almost any team can get bigger and better." (Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of People Operations, Google)

"Innovation at scale and speed is our goal. Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao show us how to do it more often and better, knowing that scale matters." (Beth Comstock, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Office, GE)

Not exactly the book I was hoping for

it was a great book and interesting to listen to. However I felt it wasn't very clear what the topic of this book was. I run a small business and I'm interested on all the methods and techniques on how best to scale-up and expand our business. this book is not really about that.

This book is more about how to maintain excellence during and after you scale up. It is not about how to actually scale.

A must read for all high growth organizations.

Invaluable insights, good mix of different industries, plenty of food for thought. Highly recommend for anyone trying to grow a business.

A bit slow at the beginning but worth the wait

This is a fine audiobook. The first 3 chapters were a bit slow, but gets better and better as the chapters advance. Well narrated and interesting content.

Definitely some good learnings for scaling up

I would suggest is for anybody who is involved in scaling up an organization or department. The only drug that are that the authors seem to rely only on stories and best practices that they have personally come into contact with as a result of their internal research at Stanford. It would have been nice for them to go out and find some other examples as well, but that leaves some room for a second book! Overall a worthwhile read.

The single best business book I've ever read.

This is my third listening to this book in the past 5 years or so.

Since it's been so long since I last listened to it. I've realized this book is the basis almost everything I use in my Neuro- Cognitive Design Consultancy that focuses on leveling up leaders.
tim #bgreen🌏

Fun to read, but not very helpful

it's a lot of helpful experience-based advice, that is categorized in helpful chapters but if I was going into a season of needing to scale up an organization, I wouldn't think of this book first.

great insights and practical

useful for managing growing businesses and for fostering understanding with your counterpart organizations e.g. suppliers, franchisors, clients. It could help bridge understanding and opportunities with other businesses, too.

Brilliant / Well structured / Applicable tips

Features great practical examples. Inspired me to write my own "peanut butter manifesto" on some of the challenges my company is facing.

The headline is optional, except it's not.

I listened to it at 1.5x speed which helped. The book is fascinating if you're interested in how to grow organizations effectively or have maybe wondered what goes wrong in places that don't.

a MUST read, regardless age of your organization

Very informative and straight to the point on examples of what works and what does not, tips and recommendations on scaling a business.