Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Gary Hamel, world-renowned business thinker and coauthor of Competing for the Future , the book that set the management agenda for the 1990s, now delivers an agenda for the twenty-first century with the national bestseller, Leading the Revolution . Fully revised with a new introduction, this book provides an action plan for any company or individual intent on becoming and staying an industry revolutionary. Hamel argues that to thrive in the age of revolution, companies must adopt a radical new innovation agenda. The fundamental challenge companies face is reinventing themselves and their industries not just in times of crisis--but continually. Beautifully illustrated with more than 100 full-color photos and drawings, Hamel's Leading the Revolution is an action plan (indeed, an incendiary device) for any company or individual intent on becoming and staying an industry revolutionary. Based on experiences of world-class companies, including Charles Schwab, Cisco, Virgin, and GE Capital, Leading the Revolution explains the underlying principles of radical innovation, explores where revolutionary new business concepts come from, and identifies the key design criteria for building companies that are activist friendly. It will show companies how to avoid becoming "one-vision wonders"; harness the imagination of every employee; develop new financial measures that focus on creating new wealth; and create vibrant internal markets for ideas, capital, and talent. Drawing on the examples of activists whoprofoundly changed their companies with their bare hearts, Hamel outlines the practical steps anyone can take to lead a successful revolution in their own firm.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. vii)
• I Facing Up to the Revolution
• 1 The End of Progress (p. 1)
• 2 Facing Up to Strategy Decay (p. 31)
• II Finding the Revolution
• 3 Business Concept Innovation (p. 59)
• 4 Be Your Own Seer (p. 119)
• III Igniting the Revolution
• 5 Corporate Rebels (p. 149)
• 6 Go Ahead! Revolt! (p. 187)
• IV Sustaining the Revolution
• 7 Gray-Haired Revolutionaries (p. 207)
• 8 Design Rules for Innovation (p. 251)
• 9 The New Innovation Solution (p. 283)
• Notes (p. 325)
• Index (p. 327)
• About the Author (p. 338)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Hamel's first edition of this volume, published in 2000, urged managers help lead a business revolution by embracing change-developing e-commerce, participating in joint ventures and engaging in selective cooperation. Centuries of incremental progress have given way to a time of revolution, Hamel argued, and companies must change or die. His revised version keeps the focus on far-reaching innovation-imagine the kind of future you want for your company, Hamel urges, and then go out and create it-but he makes sure to dismiss the "helium" of the dot-com bubble and focus on meaningful business change. He highlights Cemex, the third largest cement company in the world, as proof that "new attitudes and new values can change an old industry"; UPS, too, gets the nod as another "gray-haired revolutionary." (Unsurprisingly, Hamel's positive Enron profile from the earlier edition gets the axe.) Hamel's presentation is powerful and his core argument that corporate leaders must be more entrepreneurial remains convincing; the worst that can be said about this volume is that, by rehashing his earlier writings, Hamel may not be fully following his own advice. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

For the past five years, Hamel has been the biggest name in management gurudom. He and his consulting firm Strategos are regularly profiled in the business press, and his articles frequently appear in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Harvard Business Review. Competing for the Future, which Hamel cowrote with C. K. Prahalad in 1994, won numerous accolades and is still an influential, often-cited work. Strategy is Hamel's mantra. He argues that companies must continuously reevaluate, update, and redefine their core strategies. IKEA, Home Depot, Charles Schwab, and Cisco are some of the "insurgents" leading Hamel's revolution, tipping over such stolid icons as Kodak, K-mart, Compaq, and Westinghouse. Hamel even maintains Nike is on shaky ground. It is not enough, he warns, to start new businesses or develop new products. Victors in the revolution must invent new ways of doing business. Attempting to validate his own "revolutionary" credentials, Hamel has re-created--or at least repackaged--the business book, this one coming with jazzy illustrations and four-color graphics; and it will be heavily promoted. --David Rouse