The authors argue that, contrary to popular opinion, U.S. firms need not look overseas for models of successfully managed companies. Instead, many U.S. companies can benefit from using well-managed American high-tech firms as their guides. Through their studies of a wide range of high-technology firms, the authors identified those characteristics they believe make a company successful, and grouped them into six themes. Analysis of their findings has led them to conclude that well-managed companies have found ways to resolve a critical dilemma — the ability to manage conflict between continuity and rapid change.
