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Library Journal Review

This is Miller's theoretical look at how success has caused corporation failures. Miller, a Canadian professor and coauthor with Manfred de Vries of The Neu rotic Organization (Jossey-Bass, 1984) and Unstable at the Top (NAL, 1987), researched over 100 corporations to discover how success imperils an organization through the momentum it creates. He has invented new terminology to describe the different corporations he studied, calling them Craftsmen, Salesmen, Builders, and Pioneers. Included in this little volume are extensive notes, tables, and an index, which makes it useful to business students, instructors, and researchers. For larger academic collections.-- Susan Awe, Natrona Cty. P.L., Casper, Wy. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

The Icarus Paradox alludes to the mythological Greek character who was able to fly with wings made of wax. Icarus's success at flying brought him too close to the sun; his wings melted as he neared the sun and he fell to the sea. This same contradiction, success breeding failure, applies to successful organizations: "their very success seduces them into the excesses that cause their downfall." The author identifies four major themes in the rise and fall of major corporations: craftsmen who become tinkers; builders who become imperialists; sales people who become drifters; and pioneers who become escapists. It is these four corporate transitions that lead successful firms to fail. The book also provides guidelines for diagnosing and curing organizational ills. An excellent work for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students studying both business policy and organizational behavior. -E. Garaventa, College of Staten Island, CUNY