The High-Velocity Edge: How Market Leaders Leverage Operational Excellence to Beat the Competition

The High-Velocity Edge contains ideas that form the basis for structured continuous learning and improvement in every aspect of our lives. While this book is tailored to business leaders, it should be read by high school seniors, college students, and those already in the workforce. With the broad societal application of these ideas, we can achieve levels of accomplishment not even imagined by most people."
the honorable paul h. o'neill, former ceo and chairman, alcoa, and former secretary of the treasury

"some firms outperform competitors in many ways at once cost, speed, innovation, service. how? steve spear opened my eyes to the secret of systemizing innovation: taking it from the occasional, unpredictable stroke of genius to something you and your people do month-in, month-out to outdistance rivals."
scott d. cook, founder and chairman of the executive committee, intuit, inc.

"steven spear connects a deep study of systems with practical management insights and does it better than any organizational scholar i know. [this] is a profoundly important book that will challenge and inspire executives in all industries to think more clearly about the technical and social foundations of organizational excellence."
donald m. berwick, m.d., m.p.p., president and ceo, institute for healthcare improvement

About the Book

how can some companies perform so well that their industry counterparts are competitors in name only? although they operate in the same industry, serve the same market, and even use the same suppliers, these extraordinary, high-velocity organizations consistently outperform all the competition and, more importantly, continually widen their leads.

In the high-velocity edge, the reissued edition of five-time Shingo Prize winner Steven J. Spears critically acclaimed book Chasing the Rabbit, Spear describes what sets market-dominating companies apart and provides a detailed framework you can leverage to surge to the lead in your own industry. Spear examines the internal operations of dominant organizations across a wide spectrum of industries, from technology to design and from manufacturing to health care.

while he investigates several great operational triumphs, like top-tier teaching hospitals' fantastic improvements in quality of care, pratt & whitney's competitive gains in jet engine design, and the u.s. navy's breakthroughs in inventing and applying nuclear propulsion, the high-velocity edge is not just about the adoration of success. it also takes a critical look at some of the operational missteps that have humbled even the most reputable and respected of companies and organizations. the decades-long prominence of toyota, for example, is contrasted with the many factors leading to the automaker's sweeping 2010 product recalls. taken together, these multiple perspectives and in-depth case ...