Less Is More: How Great Companies Use Productivity

This is the second of two books by Jennings which I have recently read, the other being It's Not the Big That Eat the Small...It's the Fast That Eat the Slow. His focus in this volume is on eight companies which "use productivity as a competitive tool in business." He set out to learn how they got that way and which lessons can be learned from them which "any company could follow." He and his research associates examined more than 4,000 companies, settled on a short list of 100, and then reduced it to the top eight outstanding performers. The criteria for evaluation and selection included revenue per employee, return on equity, return on assets, and operating income per employee. Next, questions were posed such as "Has the company been overexposed?" and "Might this company pull an Enron?" Prior to the final selection, several pit bulls (cleverly disguised as CPAs) sank their teeth into the companies' public data with the admonition to "take it apart, put it back together again, and provide as much assurance as possible that each of the companies was strong and likely to endure." Here are the eight: IKEA, Lantech, Nucor, Ryanair, SRC Holdings, World Savings, Yellow Freight, and The Warehouse. When discussing them, Jennings focuses with meticulous on issues such as these:* Tactics which are most effective when selling "the BIG idea" (strategy) to an organization (pages 23-35)* Action steps which will "drive a stake through the heart of bureaucracy" (pages 66-68)* The undesirable consequences of balancing the books by resorting to layoffs (pages 84-86)* The meaning of WTGBRFDT and why effective use of it is essential to the success of any organization (pages 106-113)* The proper role of the accounting and financial reporting functions (pages 115-121)* How to "systematize everything" (pages 127-132NOTE: While being interviewed by Mike Litman, Michael Gerber (author of various "E-Myth" books) observes that Ray Kroc and other entrepreneurs such as Fred Smith created "an absolutely impeccable turnkey system that would replicate the results [he and they] wanted no matter how many stores he opened up. No matter how many trucks Federal Express has got out there in the street...The real work is to create a system through which your company can absolutely differentiate itself from every other company in the world because it's able to do what it does impeccably, infallibly, every time."* Principles which highly productive companies employ to achieve continuous improvement (pages 147-153)* "Ruthless and strict" criteria by which to evaluate technological initiatives (pages 182-184)* Sequential initiatives which to permanently motivate a workforce (pages 200-204)* Traits required for a leader of a highly productive enterprise (pages 215-227)* "Twelve Rules for Doing More with Less" (pages 234-235)These are not checklists. On the contrary, each of these passages consists of a probing and eloquent analysis. By this process Jennings reveals the "lessons" to which

Jason Jennings latest book, Less Is More, has two very rare features that establish it as a classic, head-and-shoulders above other books in this category. The first outstanding item is easy to spot: the writing style is incisive and entertaining. When was the last time you read a book about business productivity that you thoroughly enjoyed? Even those completely unfamiliar with business tactics, financial statements and the like will find this book not only understandable but as easy to read as great fiction. And those with no background in business may be inspired to learn more, as Jennings advocates for all employees.The second rarity is the unflinching dedication to humility, respect for the work team, and adherence to building a culture of honesty. In the aftermath of the Enron & WorldCom scandals, we need a return to basic values and simplicity. The blueprint is here in this book.

My preconception about this book was that it would be the usual stuff of cutbacks and running lean operations. I found to my delight a very entertaining, quite well written account of a number of real world success stories, companies that far exceed their respective industries' performance standards by staying focused on what is really important. The example companies apply the most striking logic and simplicity in the tests and standards they apply to themselves and their businesses. And as for cutbacks, the book makes clear that cutbacks are just not part and parcel of companies that have shown over time they know what they are doing and where they are going. These top performers ask what resources they need and then execute flawlessly in ways, as recounted by Jason Jennings, that increase your awareness as to what is truly important in business today. Read for yourself and draw your own conclusions, but I can assure you it will make you think about what passes for conventional business wisdom. Thumbs up from this reviewer.

When Fast Company Magazine reviewed this book and called it the new In Search Of Excellence I bought it immediately and I agree with their review. Jennings has taken eight of the most productive companies in the world - newly discovered companies that haven't been written about to death - and shares their operating secrets. For me the three most important lessons were: the role of systems in every aspect of every business, the negative role that lay-offs play in businesses trying to be more productive and the way that productive businesses use `drivers' to manage their businesses not financial statements. The examples he uses are compelling and the book is a page-turner. His stories about Ryanair, World Savings and IKEA are priceless. I'd recommend this book to anyone who owns a business, manages a business or aspires to own or manage. It's a must read. Jennings just keeps churning out one hit after another.

A great study of how business should be run. Stay true to yourself, your employees and your customers and success will be yours. This book highlights companies from widely ranging industries and shows that "common sense" always trumps complicated process. If you read Jennings's first book, you will thoroughly enjoy this one. An easy and entertaining read. This book does what most don't.....get you thinking and start applying paradigm shifting practice right away. In the age of ENRON, MCI, Arthur Anderson and the DOTCOM bust, this book proves that the true maxums of successful and long lasting business have always applied. Truth, Honesty, and Integrity.