Top Class Competitors : How Nations, Firms, and Individuals Succeed in the New World of Competitiveness

Three decades ago competitiveness was unheard-of; today it has taken the world by storm. But what is it? And will it last? In Top Class Competitors Stéphane Garelli - professor at IMD business school where he is also head of the World Competitiveness Centre, professor at the University of Lausanne, and former managing director of the World Economic Forum - defines competitiveness as the ability of a nation, company or individual to manage a set of disparate competencies to achieve prosperity. For instance, along with traditional policies a nation must tackle education and security to sustain economic development. Companies must manage soft issues such as brands to beat the competition. And individuals must reinvent themselves to survive. These fields of research did not exist until recently - now, competitiveness makes the link. Top Class Competitors is a journey through the brave new world of competitiveness. What are its historical origins? How does it impact the management of a nation? How do companies thrive on it in an international environment? What is the impact on work structures and value systems? Above all, is there a competitiveness mindset ? Exploring how competitiveness works, Stéphane Garelli shows why competitiveness is the most powerful tool available to unleash new levels of prosperity for nations, profit for companies and success for people.

"Every global leader will find this book not just important, but a necessity."
—Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, University of Southern California and author of On Becoming a Leader

"Competitiveness is top of our agenda at Nestlé. Stéphane Garelli’s research, writings and teaching have had a major impact on the way we approach this fundamental challenge."
—Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO, Nestlé S.A.

"Moving into highly consumer-driven markets, we at HP learned that inventing and building the best products no longer guaranteed competitiveness. Stephane Garelli’s work helped us to better understand the new criteria of success."
—Franz Nawratil, former Chairman and CEO, Hewlett Packard Europe.

"Global competition has significantly changed most industries. Stephane Garelli brings interesting, eye-opening insights to this key topic."
—Matti Alahuhta, President, KONE Corporation

"The world has never been as competitive as today. Stephane Garelli reminds us all that, unless one can make it and stay in the Top Class, the years ahead may become quite painful."
—Daniel Borel, Co-founder and Chairman, Logitech S.A.

"As China becomes a new member of WTO, competitiveness becomes the key issue for Chinese companies’ existence and development. Top Class Competitors will be a key concern and a shining example."
—Pan Chengliegh, Deputy Director-General, China Enterprise Confederation

"Dubai is constantly reinventing itself in order to sustain its competitive advantage over other cities. Stephane Garelli's work has had a strong influence on our strategies."
—Ahmad bin Byat, Director General, Dubai Technology, Electronic & Media Free Zone

"A typically insightful exposition of the what, the why and the how of competitiveness - surely the key to success for companies and societies!"
—Jonathan Leslie, CEO, Sappi Limited

Competitiveness is the most used and abused term in modern economics. Three decades ago it was unheard-of; today a Google search produces more than 35 million matches. Competitiveness has taken the world by storm with frequent name-checks from politicians, business leaders, journalists and academics alike. But is competitiveness a fad or for real? And, incidentally, what is it exactly?

Competitiveness, as defined in this book, is the ability of a nation, company or individual to manage a totality of competences to attain prosperity. Success today depends on more than managing a few well-established core competencies. Along with traditional policies, a nation must also tackle education and security to sustain economic development. A company must manage ‘soft’ issues such as brands and perceptions to beat the competition. And individuals must reinvent themselves and expand their skills to survive. These fields of economic research did not exist a few decades ago. Today, competitiveness makes the link.

Top Class Competitors is a journey through the brave new world of competitiveness. What are its historical origins? How does it impact the management of a nation? How do companies thrive on it in an international environment? What is the impact on work structures and value systems? Above all, is there a competitiveness mindset? Exploring how the concept works and how its issues are intertwined, Stéphane Garelli shows why competitiveness is the most powerful tool available to unleash new levels of prosperity for nations, profit for companies and success for people.

Three decades ago competitiveness was unheard-of; today it has taken the world by storm. But what is it? And will it last? In Top Class Competitors Stéphane Garelli - professor at IMD business school where he is also head of the World Competitiveness Centre, professor at the University of Lausanne, and former managing director of the World Economic Forum - defines competitiveness as the ability of a nation, company or individual to manage a set of disparate competencies to achieve prosperity. For instance, along with traditional policies a nation must tackle education and security to sustain economic development. Companies must manage soft issues such as brands to beat the competition. And individuals must reinvent themselves to survive. These fields of research did not exist until recently - now, competitiveness makes the link.

Top Class Competitors is a journey through the brave new world of competitiveness. What are its historical origins? How does it impact the management of a nation? How do companies thrive on it in an international environment? What is the impact on work structures and value systems? Above all, is there a competitiveness mindset? Exploring how competitiveness works, Stéphane Garelli shows why competitiveness is the most powerful tool available to unleash new levels of prosperity for nations, profit for companies and success for people.

Three decades ago competitiveness was unheard-of; today it has taken the world by storm. But what is it? And will it last? In Top Class Competitors Stephane Garelli - professor at IMD business school where he is also head of the World Competitiveness Centre, professor at the University of Lausanne, and former managing director of the World Economic Forum - defines competitiveness as the ability of a nation, company or individual to manage a set of disparate competencies to achieve prosperity. For instance, along with traditional policies a nation must tackle education and security to sustain economic development. Companies must manage soft issues such as brands to beat the competition. And individuals must reinvent themselves to survive. These fields of research did not exist until recently - now, competitiveness makes the link. Top Class Competitors is a journey through the brave new world of competitiveness. What are its historical origins? How does it impact the management of a nation? How do companies thrive on it in an international environment? What is the impact on work structures and value systems? Above all, is there a competitiveness mindset? Exploring how competitiveness works, Stephane Garelli shows why competitiveness is the most powerful tool available to unleash new levels of prosperity for nations, profit for companies and success for people. Explores how countries manage competitiveness to enhance national prosperity, how companies maximise it to create value and profit, and how individuals can apply it to their own skills and competencies in order to be successful. Here, the author identifies four forces driving national competitiveness and uses them to create a model for business Top Class Competitors: How Nations, Firms and Individuals Succeed in the New World of Comp establishes a continuum between the concepts of competitiveness of nations, competitiveness of enterprises, the structure of work, value systems as well as management competencies and personal skills. Competitiveness is a term much used but poorly defined. Nevertheless, it is a force that affects us all, and its goal is to raise prosperity. Building on the pioneering work of Michael Porter, A World of Competitiveness defines what competitiveness is - and is not