Getting to Nimble - by Peter A High (Hardcover)

About the Book

Gain competitive advantage by adopting the best practices of established companies such as FedEx and CarMax, who successfully transformed their practices around people, processes, technology, internal partnerships and external networks.

Book Synopsis

With increased pressure from digital natives, now is the time for established companies to address outdated and antiquated practices in order to respond quickly to the ever-increasing speed of market changes.

The pace of change in business today is such that it is becoming easier to go from a legendarily high-performing company to liquidation in a short period of time. Getting to Nimble shares the stories of organizations that were able to successfully transform their people practices, processes, technology, ecosystems and strategy for the digital era. The book also covers once dominant companies like Circuit City and Kodak that neglected to change and were impaired or died as a result.

Highlighting a framework to follow along with best practices that others can emulate, Getting to Nimble includes case studies from major organizations such as Capital One, FedEx, CarMax, The Washington Post, Domino's Pizza, Walmart and the country of Estonia.

Review Quotes

"Peter High has the context to write a much-needed guidebook to the innovation journey, focused on the vast majority of great companies who are 'digital immigrants', not digital natives. His survey of the most relevant areas of disruption (and therefore, innovation) in our time is peppered with insightful stories from recent technology history and practical frameworks. It's a must-read for business and technology executives in the age of unprecedented pace of change."-- "Sarah Guo, General Partner, Greylock"

"It is essential that leaders, be they of universities, not-for-profits or corporations, take control of the change that digital innovation is exerting upon us. We must be nimble enough to run toward opportunity and away from potential issues. In Peter High's fascinating book, he provides the roadmap to follow to do just that."-- "Pradeep Khosla, Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego"

"One of the biggest challenges an organization faces as it grows is how to remain nimble. There are many forces at work in large corporations that layer in bureaucracy and attempt to mute its entrepreneurial spirit. In today's world, a company's technology is particularly vulnerable to falling behind and hindering marketplace agility. In Getting to Nimble, Peter High shows how technology is essential to any company's ability to adapt at the speed required by today's constantly changing market forces."-- "Frederick W. Smith, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, FedEx"

"Since I first collaborated with Peter High nearly a decade ago, he has been a source of wisdom for me. In his book, Peter offers a synthesis of some of his most important thoughts for companies around the world, grappling with how to create organizations that do well for the long term. By following his methodology and the examples he provides, your organization will be successful at meeting the disruptive changes that come your way."-- "Vicente Fox, 55th President of Mexico"

"The pace of innovation and change is already unprecedented and will only get faster in the future. Companies that are not nimble enough to pivot quickly, both in times of crisis and opportunity, will get left behind. In his new book, Peter High has set a playbook for CEOs, CIOs, CDOs and other executives to follow to stay nimble enough to find sustainable success."-- "John T. Chambers, CEO, JC2 Ventures and former CEO, Cisco"

About the Author

Peter A. High advises a wide array of Fortune 500 business and tech executives on how to compete in the digital era, and is based in Chevy Chase, MD. He is the president of Metis Strategy, moderates a weekly podcast, Technovation with Peter High, and writes the "Technovation" column on Forbes.com. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, CIO Magazine, CIO Digest, and Information Week, and keynotes at corporate conferences and universities in the US, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic, Spain, China, India, Australia, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia.