NZ leads in a ground-breaking business book

MEDIA RELEASE

The astonishing performance records of the world’s best sporting organisations are at the centre of a new business book designed to show companies how to get to the top and stay there.

Peak Performance – HarperCollins’ Business Book of 2000 – is an unparalleled exploration of sustained success. PPO (for Peak Performing Organisation) theory-in-action is new, unique, compelling and optimistic. In a business age where the rule book has been shredded, PPO theory offers strong values, consistent practices and key techniques for long term success.

A team from the Waikato Management School at the University of Waikato, including Kevin Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Saatchi and Saatchi plc, travelled North America, Australasia and Europe to experience close-up the compelling sporting endeavours of ten of the greatest sports organisations in the world.

These were the Chicago Bulls, the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco 49ers, Williams Formula One Motor Racing, FC Bayern Munich, Netball Australia, Women’s Hockey Australia and the Australian Cricket Board, the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Team New Zealand.

With unique behind-the-scenes access, Gilson, Pratt, Roberts and Weymes asked the question: “What would we hear, observe and feel if we walked through the front door of an organisation which had sustained Peak Performance over a number of years?”
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Working alongside and speaking to the management, the coaches and key inspirational players on and off the field, including Michael Jordan, Frank Williams, Franz Beckenbauer, Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Peter Blake, Vicky Wilson and Jonah Lomu, the authors have been able to identify the attributes essential for sustained Peak Performance. These lessons are applicable to any business.

Since Kevin Roberts has applied PPO theory to Saatchi & Saatchi, the evidence of its effectiveness has been compelling. The value of the company has risen approximately four-fold, and the company was recently named by Ad Age as “international new business champion” of 1999. This is the first time Saatchi & Saatchi has taken the number one position; they were 40% ahead of the next agency in the survey.

Combining compelling stories of sporting endeavour and innovative business theory, grounded in explicit data, Peak Performance is indispensable reading for managers, directors and business students.

The authors are all affiliated with the Waikato Management School at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.

Professor Clive Gilson is Chair of the Department of Strategic Management and Leadership at the Waikato Management School and is Editor of The Electronic Journal of Radical Organization Theory.
Professor Mike Pratt is Dean of the Waikato Management School and a specialist in management accounting, auditing and leadership.
Kevin Roberts is Chief Executive Officer of Saatchi & Saatchi plc. He is a board member of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union.
Associate Professor Ed Weymes is Director for the Centre of Executive Education at Waikato Management School.

POWERFUL ENDORSEMENTS:

H. Okuda, Chairman, Toyota Motor Corporation is an advocate of the book and its principles, saying “Striving for excellence, continuously improving our performance with a never-ending challenging spirit is the philosophy of Toyota and Peak Performance. I think Peak Performance will inspire you to rethink your business from the inside out.”

Dennis Malamatinas, CEO of The Burger King Corporation: “Wow! There is a formula to take you to the peak and it has been put together by these PPO guys in a fun and practical way. This is the first business book which gives you practical examples and tips in an engaging way using real illustrations without the nonsense business jargon we’ve been fed on recently. I love it. Enjoy it!”

Clive Gilson, Mike Pratt, Kevin Roberts and Ed Weymes
are available for interview.
For further information, or a review copy, please contact
Lorraine Steele at HarperCollins Publishers (NZ) on (09) 443-9400 ext. 811
or e-mail lorraine.steele@harpercollins.co.nz

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