Powerhouse - Brian MacNeice

DISTINGUISHED FAVOURITE: Independent Press Awards 2017

Why are the New Zealand All Blacks the best rugby team in the world? How does the Kirov Ballet produce generation after generation of exceptional ballerinas? How did Southwest Airlines evolve from being an idiosyncratic Texan airline to become one of the most successful businesses internationally? How does the Finnish School Education System deliver great results by breaking conventions? Powerhouse uncovers the performance secrets of some of the most impressive organizations around the world and reveals the key principles they have in common to enable any business to raise their own bar.

To understand what makes these organizations great, MacNeice and Bowen have conducted immersive and personal research; investigating their culture, interviewing their leaders and observing their everyday practice. Despite this diverse range of seemingly contrasting industries - business, sport, technology, finance, the arts - each of these successful institutions share a common bond: they are world-class industry leaders and have repeatedly outperformed their competition. Powerhouse explores what lessons can be learnt from these organizations to provide a unique and in-depth analysis of how enduring high performance can be developed.