This book is about icons ? exceptional organisations (orchestras, restaurants, sports teams or companies) with an aspiration to make or do something special, and to go on doing so, year in, year out for decades. This is what gives these organisations their undeniably iconic status. By selecting 14 iconic organisations (including ElBulli, McKinsey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Procter & Gamble, the All Blacks) and researching what characteristics make them different from others, the authors discovered a "competency spiral" which these organisations exhibit in their success. Attracting and retaining the right people; forging individuals into a team; and achieving outstanding results, time after time, through continuous improvement and adjustment ? these are the key competencies required to achieve iconic status. AUTHOR: Xavier Bekaert, Gillis Jonk and Phebo Wibbens are leading management consulants who have worked at AT Kearney and Bain & Company. Jan Raes is the managing director of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. SELLING POINTS: . Revealing the secrets of the world's most consistently successful organisations . Fascinating book that analyses 14 iconic companies ? and how they have managed to produce excellence for decades . The icons examined are unique and range from orchestras to consultants, sports teams, restaurants, universities and oil companies . Offers inspiration and key lessons for entrepreneurs, managers and companies striving for long-term success . Management success literature in the same vein as Good to Great and Blue Ocean Strategy
