Robert I. Sutton - Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less

Scaling Up Excellence is one of the finest business books youll ever read. It is rich with vivid examples, deep research, and practical advice on the toughest challenge organizations confront: how to spread success from a few small pockets of an organization to its entire fabric. Whether youre an entrepreneur who wants to get big, a CEO who wants to avoid stagnation, or a nonprofit executive who wants make a deeper difference, Scaling Up Excellence is an essential reada playbook that belongs on the desk of every leader. Daniel H. Pink, author ofDriveandTo Sell Is Human

Innovation at scale and speed is our goal. Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao show us how to do it more often and better, knowing that scale matters. Beth Comstock, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, GE

The Internet creates new possibilities for scaling, but scaling rarely happens because of technology alone. This insightful book shares the methods and strategies that successful leaders rely on to spread the beliefs and behaviors that can accelerate an organizations growth while simultaneously improving its processes. Reid Hoffman, cofounder/Chairman of LinkedIn and coauthor of the #1New York TimesbestsellerThe Start-Up of You

The first book to offer a detailed examination of the best practices needed to successfully scale without diluting the very qualities that made a company successful in the first place. An important book for corporations and entrepreneurs alike. Eric Ries, bestselling author ofThe Lean Startup

Maintaining excellence while growing is full of pitfalls and pain, and requires a great deal of thoughtfulness. Scaling Up Excellence gives us a well-crafted framework for thinking about and addressing the nitty-gritty problems on the ground without getting derailed by lofty goals. Sutton and Rao keep us focused on the personal actions required for tackling this leadership challenge. Ed Catmull, President of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation Studios

Too often, scaling is done as an art. To be done well, it needs to be a science. Scaling Up Excellence elevates scaling to a core competency instead of a talent. This is a worthwhile book to read. George Halvorson, Chairman of the Board, Kaiser Permanente

Scaling Up Excellence is a masterpiece. I have been wrestling with the same conundrum for thirty years, and I simply marvel at the way Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao have disentangled this supremely important Gordian knot. Tom Peters

A must-read. Renowned experts Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao are the first to tackle a pervasive problem that every leader faces: spreading and multiplying success. This landmark book is full of rich examples, powerful studies, and actionable insights for anyone who cares about making groups or organizations more effective. Adam Grant, Wharton professor and bestselling author ofGive and Take

A great read that provides real, practical advice whether youre a team of five or fifty thousand. Sutton and Rao find just the right stories to show how almost any team can get bigger and better. Laszlo Bock, Senior Vice President of People Operations, Google

Sutton and Rao provide an illuminating perspective that is particularly useful for leaders and teams about to embark on their own challenging journey to scaling excellence. The stories and studies shared by the authors provide valuable strategic and practical advice, which will increase your odds of success when they are combined with the real grit required to make improvements. Ann L. Lee, Senior Vice President, Genentech, and Global Head of Pharma Technical Development, Roche

We are all searching for new ways to build more effective teams, start-ups, and organizations that will stand the test of time. Through compelling research, stories, and narrative, Scaling Up Excellence will show you how to help your best ideas reach a much wider audience. If you want to have a big impact make sure your entire team reads this book. Tom Rath, bestselling author ofStrengthsFinder 2.0

An engaging exploration of a powerful and frequently neglected source of competitive advantage: finding ways to spread and sustain the best ideas and practices we already know how to do. Packed with inspiring examples of how to make it happenor miss out. Martin Riant, Group President of Baby, Feminine, and Family Care, Procter & Gamble

If you want your organization to expand and grow without losing what makes you special, this is the book for you. Sutton and Rao have written a must-read handbook for scaling. Chip and Dan Heath, authors ofDecisive, Switch, andMade to Stick

Scaling Up Excellence offers a strong antidote to the common papthe delusions, impatience, and incompetencethat too often frustrate reforms and keep many good ideas from achieving their goals. Through engaging accounts of both organizational successes and colossal failures, Sutton and Rao offer practical wisdom for scaling improvements in complex institutions. Anyone involved in the work of improvement should hold this book close at hand. Anthony S. Bryk, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Growth and reinvention are key to winning, especially in tech. In Scaling Up Excellence, Sutton and Rao outline a real-world view of the challenges leaders face, and provide wisdom and practical tips about how to master them. I loved the insights. Shantanu Narayen, CEO, Adobe Systems

Rather than a one-size-fits-all recipe for what to do in scaling up your company, Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao offer guidelines for action in easy-to-read terms, based on case studies and research conducted over the last seven years. If you are interested in excellence using the principle of Less Is More, this is the book to read. Riccardo Illy, President, Gruppo Illy

Scaling Up Excellence is the best book Ive ever seen on making an organizations vision come true. Sutton and Rao have created a deeply practical guide that is also a great read, grounded equally in astonishing stories and rigorous research. No matter what you do for a living, read this book to figure out how to link your short-term realities to long-term dreams. Teresa M. Amabile, Professor, Harvard Business School, and coauthor, The Progress Principle

Taking a small, manageable organization and making it into a big, successful enterprise is a major challenge in health care or any other industry. Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao take the mystery out of going large with memorable mantras and fascinating case studies. Scaling Up Excellence shows the high roadsand the pitfallson the way to bigger and better. Delos M. Cosgrove, MD, CEO and President, Cleveland Clinic

Inspiring stories, compelling research, and actionable ideas masterfully woven together and immediately usable by any entrepreneur or manager. Clara Shih, CEO and Founder, Hearsay Social, and member of Starbucks Board of Directors

Sustaining exceptional performance in growing organizations is critical in todays world. Sutton and Rao bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to identifying best practices in a straightforward and accessible way. If you want to grow your business, you need this book.