Five Frogs on a Log: A CEO's Field Guide to Accelerating the Transition in Mergers, Acquisitions And Gut Wrenching Change

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Definitely Worth Reading

good for frogs

Very thought provoking

Worth reading

The best of them all

Five Frogs on a Log: A CEO's Field Guide to Accelerating the Transition in Mergers, Acquisitions And Gut Wrenching Change
Mark L. Feldman , and Michael F. Spratt
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 088730981X

Amazon.com

Five Frogs on a Log is a practical and easy-to-absorb manual for corporate leaders facing those intense periods of total transformation that seem--for better or for worse--to define today's business world. Written by Mark L. Feldman and Michael F. Spratt, both partners and managing directors of PricewaterhouseCoooper's global M&A consulting division, the book aims to help managers through the "jolts, curves, and emotional potholes" that inevitably accompany such large-scale restructuring. "The high-priced bankers and lawyers exit with the close," they write, "leaving management to confront the challenge of producing results that justify the price, the added risk, and/or the significant disruption to current operations. To complicate matters, they face what amounts to a new company and a set of unexpected demands that can easily divert them from capturing the value that drove the deal." With help from insightful illustrations and quotations from those who have been there, Feldman and Spratt build upon their basic theory--that speed is of the essence in corporate upheavals of this type--by offering pragmatic solutions for the myriad problems that invariably arise. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

A riddle:
Five frogs are sitting on a log.
Four decide to jump off. How many are left?
Answer: Five
Why?
Because there's a difference between deciding and doing.

Written by Mark L. Feldman and Michael F. Spratt of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Five Frogs on a Log offers readers an entertaining and no-nonsense field guide to the mergers and acquisitions jungle, packed with insight and instruction for executing corporate change and capturing shareholder value. Whether you're buying another company or acquiring a new vision of the future, this book proffers an unconventional perspective and a practical, readily accessible set of solutions to the single greatest challenge facing today's managers: executing rapid transitions ion mergers, acquisitions and gut wrenching change.

Designed for corporate managers and CEOs caught up in the whirlwind of change, every chapter provides accessible ideas and wisdom for navigating the most demanding business transitions. The authors offer a unique hands-on perspective based on their work with top Fortune 500 firms. As they state:

"Increasingly, the companies that win are those that learn faster, act quicker and adapt sooner. They will compress time by making and executing early, informed decisions about economic value creation, ruthless prioritization and focused resource allocation. They will use these decisions to take early firm stands on management deployment, organization structure and culture. Their actions will increasingly be linked to long-term, sustained economic value creation."

The advice and expertise offered in this book can be used to solve a range of operational problems from speeding up new product development to merging two businesses; from changing company culture to repositioning a business in a while new marketplace.

Whatever the challenges and opportunities facing you, your company, your industry, Five Frogs on a Log will move you from deciding to doing.

Customer Reviews:

Definitely Worth Reading.......2007-03-24

My organization is in the process of a major change and reorganization. I found this book to be right on target in identifying the challenges and hurdles that we faced as well as providing some effective solutions to ensure that we do not make the same mistakes that others before us have made. I believe this is an excellent book and a must read for anyone within the organization, not just CEOs.

good for frogs.......2006-07-11

Feldman and Spratt advise lots of CEOs of large corporations as part of their work for PricewaterhouseCoopers (a mergerized mouthful if there ever was one), and those consulting habits show. The book is anecdotal and clever without being practical or useful, even if you're actually contemplating a merger. You will, however, learn the riddle of the five frogs on a log, which in the interest of saving time, we offer here: Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many are left? Five. Because there's a difference between deciding and doing. "Execution," the authors tell us, "is always more difficult than it seems."

Here's the lesson: Smart advice is timeless. If you do want a quick take on making effective decisions, then consider the very short chapter "The Effective Decision" in Peter Drucker's Managing the Non-profit Corporation (HarperCollins, 1990). Drucker writes sharply about the evils of reaching consensus too quickly, the dangers of not doing your homework, and the fact that decision making always involves risk taking. He also observes that "far too many decisions remain pious intentions." Even more memorable than the frog story.

Very thought provoking.......2002-06-27

This book is an excellent view of the M&A process from a very different angle. Many books cover the mechanics of the process, but this one looks at the outcomes for human beings - our most important assets. I would recommend it highly.

Worth reading.......2002-04-30

Having been on the receiving end of several poorly-executed acquisitions, I much appreciated the authors' vivid descriptions of merger complexity - and their straightforward advice on how to avoid it. Definitely worth reading.

The best of them all.......2002-04-29

My company has been making acquisitions for over twenty years and I think we've read all the merger books in print. "Five Frogs" is the winner when it comes to candid, practical and intuitive advice on how to accelerate through the post-deal transition without destroying shareholder value. Its a fast and easy read that makes its points clearly and with great examples that force you to think intelligently about decisions that must be made and executed quickly. The two chapters on internal and external communications planning and execution alone are worth the price. Our results from following the authors'advice on post-deal priority setting were both powerful and surprisingly painless. We're about to go through the biggest merger in our history and every member of every transition team in both companies now has a copy of "Five Frogs." It's become our merger bible. Also, if you get a chance to hear Feldman speak on the subject, don't miss it. He's an articulate and entertaining speaker who's seen it all. Very motivating.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Teaming Up: Making the Transition to a Self-Directed Team-Based Organization (McGraw-Hill Training Series)

Average customer rating:

A must for organizations making the transition to team-based

Teaming Up: Making the Transition to a Self-Directed Team-Based Organization (McGraw-Hill Training Series)

Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0070516464

Book Description

Plenty of books will tell you why self-directed teams are good for businesses and the people in them. But very few also show how to set teamwork into motion, day by day and year by year. If you're seeking that "second-generation" level of guidance - how-to, detailed, based on struggles and successes at organizations just like yours - look no further than Teaming Up. Dr. Darrel Ray has front-line experience in helping teams grow at manufacturing and service companies, government and social service agencies, Fortune 500 giants, and small firms. His approach has been proven to work in union and non-union environments, and the payoffs have been measurable: higher morale, better use of resources, and dramatic positive impact on bottomline profit.

Customer Reviews:

A must for organizations making the transition to team-based.......1998-09-21

Dr Ray takes you on a step-by-step journey towards a successful transition to Self-Directed teams. Everything from Whats to Whys, Designing a system for success, etc. There are alot of good illustrations of potential issues and tangible benefits of a team-based culture.

I have purchased this book for my staff to be used as a reference text while making this journey.

Average customer rating:

High rating for a textbook, but it deserves it.

great results from this book

great, short, valuable

Managing Transitions by William Bridges

Great ~

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change
William Bridges
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes

Leading Change

The Way of Transition: Embracing Life's Most Difficult Moments

Managing Change and Transition

The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations

ASIN: 0201550733

Book Description

From the most trusted voice on transition, a revised edition of the classic practical guide to dealing with the human side of organizational change.

The business world is a place of constant change, with stories of corporate mergers, layoffs, bankruptcy, and restructuring hitting the news every day. Yet as veteran consultant William Bridges maintains, the situational changes are not as difficult for companies to make as the psychological transitions. In the best-selling Managing Transitions, Bridges provides a clear understanding of what change does to employees and what employees in transition can do to an organization.

Directed at managers and employees in today's corporations, Bridges shows how to minimize the distress and disruptions caused by change. Managing Transitions addresses the fact that it is people who have to carry out the change. When the book was originally published a decade ago, Bridges was the first to provide any real sense of the emotional impact of change and what can be done to keep it from disrupting the entire organization. With new information and commentary on layoffs, corporate suspicion, and the increasing tumult in the business world, Managing Transitions remains the definitive guide to dealing with change.

Customer Reviews:

High rating for a textbook, but it deserves it........2007-08-11

I have had several textbooks in Management between an Undergraduate, Graduate and Business itself. This was no different in that I expected the same old stuff, but was very pleasantly surprised at the authors candor about our perceptions of business practices. It didn't mince words on several tactics used by management and explained why so much doesn't work. It got my attention and I continued my reading with far more interest. There really isn't anything more complimentary I can say than I intend to sell all other books to new students, excect this one which I will hang on to and reference.

great results from this book.......2007-07-06

This is a wonderful book. If you deal with people who need to change how they do their work you must read this book.

great, short, valuable.......2007-07-04

This is a great book for all people who deal with people that are dealing with change. I have found this book useful when being a change agent for a company, or just for management in my own company. Part of the value of this book is it describes the emotional aspect of change. People are not always (usually) logical. Emotions play a large part. Knowing how to deal with the emotional aspect of change is essential. This book gives you great insights in this area.

Managing Transitions by William Bridges.......2007-05-13

This book is great! I was/am dealing with some pretty significant transitions -- the sudden death of my 21 year-old daughter, and a major division re-org at an S&P 500 company. Several months earlier, my VP had mentioned the book and suggested that all of his direct reports to read it. I did and it really hit home.

The author does an excellent job of describing the emotional and organizational impact of change and the mechanics of the process we use to get through it. We use the same basic process to deal with all change -- personal and professional -- and it has been very helpful to understand how it works. There is also a section in the book about the life cycle of an organization and that was illuminating. The book provided some tools to help me make critical decisions.

I bought six copies of the book and have given them out to friends and co-workers.

Great ~.......2007-05-07

This was a great book and well needed. If your your in or responsible for transitions. This is for you - an eye opener to some great ideas and the author takes the reader to both sides of the good and bad involving the transitional process and how it should be done. Great insight!

Organizational Transitions: Managing Complex Change (Addison-Wesley Series on Organization Development)

Average customer rating:

OD Classic
Pop-Psychology for OD

Organizational Transitions: Managing Complex Change (Addison-Wesley Series on Organization Development)
Richard Beckhard , and Reuben T. Harris
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Organizational Change | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0201108879

Customer Reviews:

OD Classic.......1999-09-10

This is one of the books that I've dog-eared, underlined, and referenced over and over, so much so that I'm on my second copy. It goes beyond the typical change management information, and gives valuable tools for assessing the readiness for change, identifying roles people assume in a change situation; charting responsibilities in a change process, among others. In my opinion, this isn't a book for scholars, it is a book for managers and those who help them plan and manage complex organization transitions.

Pop-Psychology for OD.......1999-04-11

Beckhard and Harris' book on organizational transition is easily one of the worst I have ever read on the subject. It is not necessarily the kind of information that is conveyed here, nor is it the style with which it is done. Rather, if you have even the slightest concept of the meaning of OD and related topics then your knowledge is perhaps well beyond the scope of this book. Though the book does represent a nice introduction to the management of change, it is hardly worth its price.It barely surpasses the quality of an average pop-psychology book but certainly is of little value to scholars.

The Transition Equation: A Proven Strategy for Organizational Change

Average customer rating:

Very insightful, very practical!
An excellent guide on how to manage organizational changes

The Transition Equation: A Proven Strategy for Organizational Change
J. Allan McCarthy
Manufacturer: Lexington Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0029204852

Customer Reviews:

Very insightful, very practical!.......2003-06-23

I enjoyed this book. I recommend it to my clients.

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

An excellent guide on how to manage organizational changes.......1998-06-03

Organization change has become a constant in today's fiercely competitive business world. We are just beginning to learn some things about how to manage large scale organizational change; but have a long way to go. Knowing how to effectively manage organizational transitions can represent a core competency, and thus a competitive advantage for an organization.

Book Description

This volume addresses the role of communication in cultural change efforts within organizations, especially during periods of transition, mergers, technological innovations, and globalization. Included is a development of the nature and function of organizational cultures, discussion of the role of leadership in providing visions and framing organizational events, investigations of ethical issues, and careful examination of the importance of member involvement in change processes. Specific organizational cases are highlighted throughout. These materials were initially developed as the electronic text for an online course in organizational culture and cultural change as part of an executive masters program at Seton Hall University. The success with this course led to the development of a book to aid students and professionals work with organizational cultural change.

Average customer rating:

Informative and useful analysis

Education and Political Transition
Mark Bray , and W.O. Lee
Manufacturer: Comparative Education Research Centre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

Informative and useful analysis.......2003-09-04

Education and politics in East Asia have charted a very different course when compared with the case in the West.

In this very informative book, the authors have highlighted a number of different themes which illustrates in a pellucid manner the characteristics of education and politics (as well as social development) in the East Asian region.

Book Description

Examines the evolution of corporate form and managerial process from the 1880s to the 1990s, detailing how corporations influenced government to affect changes in response to economic transitions.

In Big Business and the State Harland Prechel develops a conceptual framework that contrasts with prevailing definitions of the corporation. His analysis shows that corporate property rights and the legal basis of ownership are crucial to understanding corporate behavior. The book examines how historical transitions affected the three most significant corporate transformations in the last 110 years (1880s-1900s, 1920s-1930s, 1980s-1990s). During each period, in response to economic crisis, big business engaged in political behavior to pressure state managers to realign the institutional arrangements in which corporations were embedded. The historical multicausal method shows that economic crisis, managerial inefficiencies, dependence on external capital markets, and the political processes of redefining corporate property rights and corporate tax laws are crucial to understanding corporate transformation.

Customer Reviews:

Big Business and the State: The Author's Summary.......2002-02-07

The crisis at Enron occurred within a corporate form capable of organizational flexibility and self-financing that was embedded in institutional arrangements characterized by a free market ideology, deregulation, and lax regulatory enforcement. Big Business and the State provides a historical analysis of corporate change and the political and economic conditions that lead to the contemporary corporate form, which permits managerial risk-taking and opportunism.

Big Business and the State shows that corporate property rights and the legal bases of ownership are crucial to understanding corporate behavior. The book examines how historical transitions in corporations political and economic environments affected the three most significant corporate transformations in the last 110 years. During each historical period, in response to economic crisis, big business mobilized politically to pressure state managers to realign the institutional arrangements in which corporations are embedded.

The particular form of political mobilization is affect by historical conditions and social forces and structures (e.g., state business policy) that define the parameters within which social actors pursue and realize their interests. Class-based political behavior affected change in state business policy that resulted in rapid corporate form change during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (1880-1905), the 1920s and 1930s, and the 1980s and 1990s. During each historical period when corporations' capacity to accumulate capital declined, capitalists mobilized politically and attempted to transform the institutional arrangements within which capital accumulation occurs.

After New Deal legislation created several disincentives to using the holding-company subsidiary form, corporations changed their subsidiaries to divisions. Whereas subsidiary corporations are legally separate entities that are wholly or partially owned by the parent company, divisions are part of the same corporation and are wholly owned by the parent company and cannot issue stock. By the end of the 20th century, most of the largest U.S. corporations had changed to the contemporary version of the holding-company subsidiary form. This form, the multilayered subsidiary form (MLSF), is a corporation with a hierarchy of two or more levels of subsidiary corporations with a parent company at the top of the hierarchy operating as a management company. The mean number subsidiary corporations in the largest 100 industrial corporations increased from 21 in 1981 to 49 in 1993. This corporate form change occurred after big business mobilized politically and lobbied state managers to overturned crucial New Deal legislation including the tax on capital transfers from subsidiary corporations to the parent company.

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