The Icarus Paradox: How Exceptional Companies Bring About Their Own Downfall - Softcover

Miller, Danny

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0887305245 ISBN 13: 9780887305245

Publisher: Harpercollins, 1992

Synopsis

Just as the fabled Icarus of Greek mythology was able to fly so high, so close to the sun, that his wax wings melted and he plunged into the sea, this same paradox can apply to outstanding companies - their very success seduces them into the excesses that cause their downfall. "The Icarus Paradox" is a breathtaking account of what creates stellar business success, and at the same time, sows the seeds of corporate failure. After researching over 200 companies, Miller discovered that success imperils an organization through the momentum it creates and he has coined a new language to describe the rise and fall of major corporations. Craftsmen such as Ford and Texas Instruments have become concerned only with the products they have created, totally oblivious to the markets they have lost. Pioneers such as Wang and Apple have become escapists, so caught up in searching for breakthroughs that they create often brilliant yet commercially useless products.

About this title

From Library Journal:

This is Miller's theoretical look at how success has caused corporation failures. Miller, a Canadian professor and coauthor with Manfred de Vries of The Neu rotic Organization (Jossey-Bass, 1984) and Unstable at the Top (NAL, 1987), researched over 100 corporations to discover how success imperils an organization through the momentum it creates. He has invented new terminology to describe the different corporations he studied, calling them Craftsmen, Salesmen, Builders, and Pioneers. Included in this little volume are extensive notes, tables, and an index, which makes it useful to business students, instructors, and researchers. For larger academic collections.
- Susan Awe, Natrona Cty. P.L., Casper, Wy.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0887305245
• ISBN 13: 9780887305245
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256