Better Make It Real: Creating Authenticity in an Increasingly Fake World - Hardcover

Morin, Jill J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313376808 ISBN 13: 9780313376801

Publisher: Praeger, 2010

Synopsis

Businesses everywhere are rebooting on the heels of the Great Recession. "Now is the time to get real," says Jill Morin, CEO and author of Better Make it Real:  Creating Authenticity in an Increasingly Fake World.

For the first time in recent history, trust is as important to corporate reputation as quality of products and services, according to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer. Still, nearly 70 percent of people say that organizations will revert to "business as usual" once the economy recovers. Moreover, U.S. job satisfaction is at a 22-year-low, according to a 2010 Conference Board report, and by most every measure, the consumer outlook is bleak.

The good news?

Organizational authenticity is attainable, declares Morin in Better Make it Real. However, it isn't the goal, she says, but the result of providing, consistently and continuously, an authentic "total experience" to your stakeholders--workers, customers, vendors, and other business partners. In other words, Morin affirms, authenticity isn't a destination--it's an ongoing journey that will serve to differentiate any organization in its marketplace, which too often is littered with fakes.

Morin's recommended roadmap is Kahler Slater's Total Experience Design--a specific, step-by-step process for designing stakeholder experiences that are "authentic, intentional, and wholly integrated."  In Better Make It Real, Morin offers a comprehensive guide to implementing Total Experience Design inside organizations of all types and sizes. She also shares behind-the-scenes stories from Kahler Slater projects and clients, including Google, Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas, Monster.com, and numerous entrepreneurial enterprises.

Bottom line: Organizational authenticity is sorely lacking--and urgently needed. On the heels of the Great Recession, Morin rolls out a roadmap to "real"--helping executives and entrepreneurs find their way forward.

About this title

About the Author

Jill J. Morin is co-chief executive for Kahler Slater, an interdisciplinary design, planning, and consulting firm. Under her leadership, Kahler Slater has been named one of the Best Small Companies to Work For in America for the past six years. Founded in 1908, Kahler Slater works with clients throughout the world to define and manifest their authentic organizational visions through the design of ideal total experiences. Morin can be reached at jillmorin@bettermakeitreal.com.

From the Back Cover

"Transformation is easy to say but its execution is fraught with numerous challenges. In 'Better Make It Real,' Jill Morin provides valuable insights into principles and processes that will remove the roadblocks usually associated with true transformation. The outcome is a relationship with all stakeholders that is authentic, differentiated and mutually beneficial, which is the secret to long term organizational success."

-Rich Teerlink, former chairman and chief executive officer, Harley-Davidson

"This book captures the whole picture of what it takes to succeed in a marketplace. It is easy to read, often poetic. Anyone interested in a deeper understanding of how branding, service and organizational culture all fit together should read this."

-Peter Block, Author of Community: The Structure of Belonging

"Thinking about rising above the competition with your own differentiated offering? Start with 'Better Make It Real.' The ideas and exercises in this book will help you design an authentic and successful organization that's all yours."

-Charles "Chic" Thompson, Author, What a Great Idea! and Yes, But...

Fellow at University of Virginia Darden Business School

From the Inside Flap

Entrepreneurs, business and organizational leaders know that having a differentiated and competitive edge is their key to success. Some compete by being the cheapest. Others compete by being the best. When you're the best, you attract customers who get you and who want to work with you and only you. If you want to compete by being the best, this book is for you.

The goal of being the best demands that you start with authenticity. Committing your company to offering products and services based on who you are and what you believe in, rather than how cheap you can be, isn't easy. Happily, there's a roadmap to achieving the authenticity that will secure your success. Better Make It Real: Creating Authenticity in an Increasingly Fake World outlines the process for transforming your business or organization into the successful enterprise of your dreams.

In this book, you'll discover:

• How companies such as Google, Monster.com, and Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas moved their vision forward by incorporating the 4Ps of total experience design
• How to seamlessly integrate all aspects of your business in order to deliver customer experiences that will lift you far above your competitors
• A five-step process for identifying the kind of organization you want your enterprise to be, the kinds of customers you want to serve, and designing how to deliver your best to them
• The importance of engaging all your stakeholders in the process of transforming your enterprise into one that will thrive well into the future.

Better Make it Real gives you everything you need to transform your organization into an authentic and successful enterprise.

Edition details

• Publisher: Praeger
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0313376808
• ISBN 13: 9780313376801
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 196