Bo Lindquist , pp. 54. MAM/Sektionen för Management, 2006.
Background and Problem Discussion: To be able to be a successful company in the US you need to possess certain factors. Jim Collins and his research team have found that successful companies in the US have six factors in common. His findings are described in the book Good to Great . This thesis tries to find out if these success factors also can be found in small successful Swedish companies. Purpose: To see if the Collins’ findings are “universal” and independent of the size of the company. Method: · Select a couple of small successful Swedish companies based on how their stock price had developed during the last 10 years. · Interview the selected companies’ CEOs to get hold of information about the reasons for their company’s success. · Compile the success factors in Swedish companies and try to find common denominators. · Compare the findings of Collins with my findings to see if they are similar. Theory: According to Collins’ research, successful US companies in have six common factors that make them unique compared to less successful/unsuccessful companies; a leadership on level 5, first who then what, accept and face the reality, the Hedgehog concept, a culture based on discipline, technology as an accelerator. My assumption is that it would be possible to find some common factors in small successful Swedish companies as well. Analysis: When comparing the results found by Collins with my findings, I analysed if they were fully compatible, to some degree similar or if they completely differed with the findings of Collins. Conclusion: I have found that several factors are common among the analysed Swedish companies. All of my findings could also be related to the findings of Collins and his research team. Two of Collins findings were not directly apparent but explanations around this will be found in the thesis.