Re-imagine Critique

            Re-imagine: business excellence in a disruptive age is a book written by Tom Peters. The author highlights various business values that can be used in order to succeed in the highly competitive market. He talks of the values that can afford for chaos, enhance change, consider emotions and test the convention. The book focuses on various important marketing situations through topics such as branding, emotion, customer satisfaction, markets and trends that have been ignored, selling, internet marketing and designs of products (Peters, 2003).

In the Re-imagine the author wants people to look around the world and see the changes that are disruptive in nature everywhere and though it might be uncomfortable it becomes necessary to get customized with the changes if relevance is to be maintained, if the change is not going to be accepted then irrelevance will be evident.

The present situation of the business field is undergoing rapid changes. It is also very likely that the changes will occur more drastically thus making the future business years to be more stimulating or more disturbing. The parties that may experience the changes more are the people who practice businesses, the trainers or educators as well as the general public. Availing the book into the business field in times of chaotic competitions, the author appropriately offers important and timely information that can assist the businessmen to survive in the competitive marketplace (Peters, 2003).

The author highlights the need for the abandonment of the serene and irrational modes of carrying out business. He shows need to change the way organizations and people perceive the business practices from the past. At the same time the author puts forward that the management of the businesses and organizations need to undergo reinvention as well as rewriting the books of management. This he says is due to the presence of changes that need to be reflected in the current business practices. The author says that the innovations needed in the market places can not come from the market researches or from the groups such as the focus groups. Instead he says that they come from individuals who are influenced by the environmental experiences they undergo and not satisfied with the present situation of business practices (Peters, 2003).

In the book the author is challenging the business minded people to utilize their imagination and inquisitiveness. He believes that people are being faced with challenges in their imaginations. He is therefore putting forward an argument that people should restructure their ways of imagination in the working places and market places. The fact that the book is talking about changing imagination methods in order to create significance in the market places does not offer an assurance of success. There is no forecast give of the likely outcome.

The author indicating that market research and focus group is not necessarily the source of innovation in the market place but rather from individuals can be criticized. This is because the downgrading of the importance of market research might demoralize the researchers and therefore make the market to stand at risk of not accessing important findings. The market research is particularly important in establishing the feasibility of the business as well as other benefits such as establishing the price changes and trends in consumer demand. It is therefore important that the research be emphasized as long as the changes are taking place.

From the book it is very evident that the author is advocating that people should believe in quite impossible issues. This looks unrealistic because to carry out viable business practices one needs to be in a position to foresee or project the likely outcomes of undertaking a particular procedure especially in management. It is therefore important that business practices put into practice more of the already proved working practices in business to avoid risks.

The many important factors that arise from the book include the suggestions that people should carryout studies in success as well as in failure. Here the writer becomes relevant in that the studies can become helpful in determining the necessary changes to effect in the business context. The truth is that most businesses studies only include success and forget about failure into which most of them fall. Failure is a recurrent issue and therefore it should be learnt and understood to be avoided.

The call for reexamination of the management procedures and obligations is important because this is the determinant for the business’ productivity. Poor management often leads to poor performance and productivity whereas good management leads to high performance and productivity. This becomes an added advantage in the marketplace because it makes the business to gain competitive advantage over other businesses of the same kind.

Therefore Peters is right when he says that the management leadership and as a discipline should be reexamined and reinvented to become relevant in the changing world. In fact he concludes by giving 50 leadership guidelines (Peters, 2003). He thus offers the necessary aids for re-evaluating business plans and rethinking or re-imagining about developing as a leader.

The book illustrates that due to the disruptive changes around the world people should think as entrepreneurs in a manner which is fast and trustworthy, simple and dangerous with craftiness and surprise, rapidity and alertness. People must struggle with a lot of vigor in order to make use of the available opportunities in the world. People must also struggle towards the realization of the customer demands and needs. Therefore in this case the book is relevant.

The book says that in order to make effective transformation to the world people should work hard, become crazy and allow the technology to become the driving force of their policies. The ideas developed here by the book are important but the author seems to forget that people need time for personal development besides business. The author seems to suggest too much concentration on the business and does not look at the social impacts that can be created. He depicts the need for people to be like machines (Collins, 2007).

The issues that arise from the book such as taking big risks and creating huge plans and creating innovations are, to some extent, not rational. The author by suggesting that people should take big risks and make big plans has not considered some of the consequences involved in doing so. Big risks have the potential of putting a business into discontinuity when the out come deviates from the expected. Plans should be within a business person’s reach to implement them. Therefore the author suggesting for big plans may lead to poor management procedures.

The book is also bringing out some sense of losing touch with the real world. People are needed to have dreams and also to write their own histories and create their own legendaries. Lose of reality is also evident from the part where the book says that being ordinary is a worse thing than anything. This may bring about conflicts of ideas when people have different opinions especially in places where coordination is required for the progress of the business.

There is a part in the book which says that the past executive jobs are disappearing and therefore new ways should be found in order to increase value. The option given is that of going away from vague levels of performance and target creativity. People should change into actual business persons and stop being slaves of old values (Peters, 2003). The writer seems to be unaware that the practices in place have contributed into changes such as in technology and important discoveries.

However there are many of the important issues discussed in the book such as creating strategies that are beneficial beyond the market places. Re–imagine also talks of creating new worlds of selection. People must think as entrepreneurs and become their own bosses. Under these factors, the book becomes very relevant because the changes in the global business markets are calling for new inventions and rational minds (Collins, 2007).

The book has talked about appreciating the presence and growth of technology. Technology has become an important part of the business world today because of many benefits obtained from the sector. There are e-businesses where business transactions are done online. Technology has also led to improvement in other areas such as communication, management, accounting, research, information storage and retrieval among many other areas. Therefore the book does a good job in creating awareness about the importance of technology and need for its improvement to the best levels possible.

Issues raised in the book such as learning to make good decisions and training well in whatever the business undertakings are, are very important in the business world today hence the book becomes relevant in that part. He illustrates that people should think of the entrepreneur who is the leader and creator of extraordinary quality (Collins, 2007). The changes around the world have developed many variations in the way people used to do works and business. In the past people went to look for opportunities where there was enough money but due to disruptive changes globally the money is going to elegant people. These are some of the issues learnt from the book and since they are true the book develops much relevance.

Therefore, in general the book Re-imagine is relevant and can be used by people who want to be relevant with the changes that are taking place drastically in the global village. Though the book is voluminous and it demoralizes one from settling down to read it, it gives tips on how effective management can be attained through restructuring the old methods and systems of business practices. Furthermore, since the book elaborates how the business world has changed drastically, the book inspiringly highlights the manner in which the current business world operates. It also elaborates strategies that can be utilized in empowering talent and establishments in which every person has a chance to give opinions.

 

References:

Peters T., Re-Imagine: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 2003.

Collins D., Narrating the management guru: in search of Tom Peters. Routledge Publisher, 2007.