Questions
1. an example of the importance of systems in a non-business context
Select
A. Companies full of ‘star’ achievers will, by definition, outperform organisations without them. So firms should compete for the most talented people, attract them from other companies, pay them very well, and get rid of second-raters. B. The point was illuminated by the collapse of the major American company Enron, whose leaders were so convinced of their own cleverness that they believed that collective intelligence is the sum of a lot of individual intelligences. In fact, in a profound sense the two are opposites. C. Star quality didn’t easily transfer from one organisation to another. In many cases, when star performers switched employers, their performance dropped sharply and in some instances never recovered. Moreover, precisely because of their past success, stars were unwilling to learn new tricks and antagonized those who could teach them. D. Hiring a star has been compared to an organ transplant. The new organ can damage others by taking most of the blood supply, other organs can start aching or threaten to stop working, or the body can reject the transplant altogether. E. Everyone accepts the cliché that people make the organisation—but, in fact, to a far greater extent, the organisation makes the people. This is as true in the world of football as in business.
2. advice on how businesses can acquire the best people
Select
A. Companies full of ‘star’ achievers will, by definition, outperform organisations without them. So firms should compete for the most talented people, attract them from other companies, pay them very well, and get rid of second-raters. B. The point was illuminated by the collapse of the major American company Enron, whose leaders were so convinced of their own cleverness that they believed that collective intelligence is the sum of a lot of individual intelligences. In fact, in a profound sense the two are opposites. C. Star quality didn’t easily transfer from one organisation to another. In many cases, when star performers switched employers, their performance dropped sharply and in some instances never recovered. Moreover, precisely because of their past success, stars were unwilling to learn new tricks and antagonized those who could teach them. D. Hiring a star has been compared to an organ transplant. The new organ can damage others by taking most of the blood supply, other organs can start aching or threaten to stop working, or the body can reject the transplant altogether. E. Everyone accepts the cliché that people make the organisation—but, in fact, to a far greater extent, the organisation makes the people. This is as true in the world of football as in business.
3. a medical analogy to a star joining another company
Select
A. Companies full of ‘star’ achievers will, by definition, outperform organisations without them. So firms should compete for the most talented people, attract them from other companies, pay them very well, and get rid of second-raters. B. The point was illuminated by the collapse of the major American company Enron, whose leaders were so convinced of their own cleverness that they believed that collective intelligence is the sum of a lot of individual intelligences. In fact, in a profound sense the two are opposites. C. Star quality didn’t easily transfer from one organisation to another. In many cases, when star performers switched employers, their performance dropped sharply and in some instances never recovered. Moreover, precisely because of their past success, stars were unwilling to learn new tricks and antagonized those who could teach them. D. Hiring a star has been compared to an organ transplant. The new organ can damage others by taking most of the blood supply, other organs can start aching or threaten to stop working, or the body can reject the transplant altogether. E. Everyone accepts the cliché that people make the organisation—but, in fact, to a far greater extent, the organisation makes the people. This is as true in the world of football as in business.
4. a claim that stars may not make necessary adaptations when they change companies
Select
A. Companies full of ‘star’ achievers will, by definition, outperform organisations without them. So firms should compete for the most talented people, attract them from other companies, pay them very well, and get rid of second-raters. B. The point was illuminated by the collapse of the major American company Enron, whose leaders were so convinced of their own cleverness that they believed that collective intelligence is the sum of a lot of individual intelligences. In fact, in a profound sense the two are opposites. C. Star quality didn’t easily transfer from one organisation to another. In many cases, when star performers switched employers, their performance dropped sharply and in some instances never recovered. Moreover, precisely because of their past success, stars were unwilling to learn new tricks and antagonized those who could teach them. D. Hiring a star has been compared to an organ transplant. The new organ can damage others by taking most of the blood supply, other organs can start aching or threaten to stop working, or the body can reject the transplant altogether. E. Everyone accepts the cliché that people make the organisation—but, in fact, to a far greater extent, the organisation makes the people. This is as true in the world of football as in business.
5. an example of a company that suffered from a misplaced belief in the talents of its senior managers
Select
A. Companies full of ‘star’ achievers will, by definition, outperform organisations without them. So firms should compete for the most talented people, attract them from other companies, pay them very well, and get rid of second-raters. B. The point was illuminated by the collapse of the major American company Enron, whose leaders were so convinced of their own cleverness that they believed that collective intelligence is the sum of a lot of individual intelligences. In fact, in a profound sense the two are opposites. C. Star quality didn’t easily transfer from one organisation to another. In many cases, when star performers switched employers, their performance dropped sharply and in some instances never recovered. Moreover, precisely because of their past success, stars were unwilling to learn new tricks and antagonized those who could teach them. D. Hiring a star has been compared to an organ transplant. The new organ can damage others by taking most of the blood supply, other organs can start aching or threaten to stop working, or the body can reject the transplant altogether. E. Everyone accepts the cliché that people make the organisation—but, in fact, to a far greater extent, the organisation makes the people. This is as true in the world of football as in business.
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