Scaling Up Excellence audiobook cover - Getting to More Without Settling for Less

Scaling Up Excellence

Getting to More Without Settling for Less

Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao

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Management & LeadershipCorporate Culture

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Scaling Up Excellence
The Nature of Scaling+
Strategic Trade-offs+
Removing Friction+
People and Connections+
Execution Techniques+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
According to the book, why is scaling referred to as both the 'problem of more' and the 'problem of better'?
  • A. Because companies must continually hire more employees to achieve better financial results.
  • B. Because successful scaling requires not only replicating best practices but also improving performance along the way.
  • C. Because organizations need more financial resources to build better marketing campaigns.
  • D. Because scaling involves expanding to more locations to provide better customer service.
Question 2 of 8
What analogy do the authors use to describe the persistence and endurance required for a successful scaling effort?
  • A. It is like fighting a ground war rather than an air war, requiring time and resources to conquer each opponent.
  • B. It is like building a skyscraper, where a deep foundation is more important than the upper floors.
  • C. It is like running a sprint, where quick wins are essential to build momentum and inspire the team.
  • D. It is like flying a commercial airplane, where strict automation and standardization ensure a smooth journey.
Question 3 of 8
In the context of the book, what do the terms 'Catholicism' and 'Buddhism' represent regarding organizational scaling?
  • A. The choice between top-down leadership (Catholicism) and flat, democratic hierarchies (Buddhism).
  • B. The balance between strict standardization (Catholicism) and local variation guided by a shared mindset (Buddhism).
  • C. The ethical guidelines companies must follow when expanding into international markets.
  • D. The difference between focusing strictly on profit margins (Catholicism) and focusing on employee well-being (Buddhism).
Question 4 of 8
When starting a scaling endeavor, what is the authors' stance on whether to target people's beliefs or their behaviors first?
  • A. You must always change beliefs first, because beliefs fundamentally dictate how people act.
  • B. You should only target behaviors, because beliefs are too difficult to measure and change.
  • C. You should target both simultaneously using strict corporate mandates and financial incentives.
  • D. It does not matter which one you start with, as long as you begin where it works best for your organization.
Question 5 of 8
What is a major pitfall of scaling up that can lead to the 'disease of a big dumb company'?
  • A. Failing to hire enough middle managers to oversee newly implemented projects.
  • B. Adding too much complexity, such as redundant rules and organizational layers, before it is necessary.
  • C. Expanding into international markets without properly understanding local consumer preferences.
  • D. Focusing too heavily on local variation and losing the core identity of the brand.
Question 6 of 8
How did the Tokyo-based food delivery company Tamago-Ya successfully foster accountability among its employees?
  • A. By offering the highest salaries in the industry to attract top university graduates.
  • B. By implementing a strict penalty system for late deliveries and customer complaints.
  • C. By employing high-school dropouts who became highly dedicated and grateful for the training and opportunity.
  • D. By replacing human drivers with automated delivery systems to eliminate human error.
Question 7 of 8
Based on the 'broken windows theory' and social research, how should leaders handle disruptive or destructive behavior during a scaling effort?
  • A. Ignore it, as focusing on positive behaviors will eventually drown out the negative ones.
  • B. Address it with vigilance and perseverance before trying to spread excellent practices, because bad behavior is highly contagious.
  • C. Isolate the disruptive employees and give them administrative tasks away from the main team.
  • D. Use financial bonuses to incentivize disruptive employees to conform to company standards.
Question 8 of 8
What is the primary purpose of performing a 'project premortem' before completing a scaling initiative?
  • A. To calculate the exact financial cost of the scaling effort using historical data.
  • B. To formally document the project's goals so that stakeholders can be held legally accountable.
  • C. To imagine the project has already succeeded or failed in the future, helping to identify potential roadblocks and check over-optimism.
  • D. To eliminate team members who show doubt or pessimism about the project's success.

Scaling Up Excellence — Full Chapter Overview

Scaling Up Excellence Summary & Overview

Scaling Up Excellence is the first major business publication that deals with how leaders can effectively spread exemplary practices in their organization. Readers can expect to learn about the latest research in the organizational behavior field, lots of instructive industry case studies, and many helpful practices, strategies and principles for scaling up.

The authors help leaders and managers understand major scaling challenges and show how to identify excellent niches, spread them and cultivate the right mindset within their organizations. They also set out scaling principles that guide leaders in their daily decisions.

Who Should Listen to Scaling Up Excellence?

  • Leaders and managers seeking to improve the performance of their organization
  • Anyone who wants to know how to spread best practices in an organization
  • Anyone interested in cutting-edge organizational research

About the Author: Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao

Huggy Rao is a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University. He has published the book Market Rebels: How Activists Make or Break Radical Innovation. Robert I. Sutton is a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University. Among his books are Good Boss, Bad Boss and The No Asshole Rule (also available in blinks).

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