Tom Peters

Thomas J. Peters (born November 7, 1942) is a business management guru of the late 1970s to the present. His first big book was In Search of Excellence.

Related Topics:
November 7 - 1942 - 1970s - In Search of Excellence

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Peters was born in Baltimore and attended Cornell University and Stanford University. He served in the United States Navy and worked in the White House during the Nixon administration. He worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company before becoming an independent consultant.

Related Topics:
Baltimore - Cornell University - Stanford University - United States Navy - White House - Nixon administration - McKinsey & Company

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Peters' ideology is focused on solving business problems with as little business process overhead as possible. In Search Of Excellence was focused on devolving power to the lowest person possible in an organization to empower them to solve the most problems possible. Tom Peters has acknowledged the influence of Col. John Boyd on his work.

Related Topics:
Ideology - Business process overhead - John Boyd

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According to Peters, the traditional centralized authoritative structure of business governance was imperfect because it required business leaders to know too much and because it overburdened them with needless trivia.

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Another main principle of the book was managers allowing employees to fail, on the premise that doing nothing is usually much more expensive for a business than doing the wrong thing. Given the difficulty in predicting the future of markets and the consequences of management actions, the business decision maker should be adaptable and adopt a policy of quick action, with changes as necessary as dictated by market feedback.

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Peters is known for a very evocative, emotional, and dynamic speaking style. His speaking engagements have earned him a large following.

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He is the author of many books on business management and continues to write and speak about personal and business empowerment and problem solving methodogies.

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His books include

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• 1982 - In Search of Excellence
• 1985 - A Passion for Excellence
• 1987 - Thriving on Chaos
• 1992 - Liberation Management
• 1993 - The Tom Peters Seminar: Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations
• 1994 - The Pursuit of WOW!
• 1997 - The Circle of Innovation: You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness
• 1999 - The Brand You50, The Project50 and The Professional Service Firm50
• 2003 - Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age
 
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