Driving Change--the UPS Approach to Business
by Mike Brewster & Fredrick Dalzell
Published by Hyperion
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Reviewed by Al Olsen
Everything about the book, Driving Change, is meticulously done. Would you expect anything less from UPS? The jacket cover-brown and white with the UPS logo-is perfect. Then if you take away jacket, the hard back cover is also brown! Nicely done!
The book begins with an overview of the history of UPS. It explains how Jim Casey, an enterprising teenager, saw a market need in 1907 for delivering messages in his native Seattle, Washington. Casey then branded his service as cost competitive with any service in town, and his agents as dependable and hard workers. These traits would follow him as American Messenger Service turned into Merchants Parcel Service. That in turn morphed into United Parcel Service in 1919.
Beyond just history, the reader is informed how this company with the ubiquitous brown trucks is very innovative in providing better service at a more reasonable price. Before reading this book I would not have used the word “innovative” in the same sentence as UPS, yet UPS has been an industry leader in the package delivery business worldwide! My perception of UPS was challenged as the authors delved into how such a large corporation could embrace change. UPS could even miss the signals that the market was changing, as they did in the overnight delivery business and global expansion movement, but in an effort to “catch-up” could even surpass the competition.
What is the competitive edge that UPS has that other companies lack? Loyal employees who believe and enjoy the work that they do are that “secret ingredient.” UPS is a company with a corporate culture like no other, although they have not been perfect. The book has done a beautiful job in explaining those lessons learned.
This book is well written, well researched, and surprisingly engaging. At the end of each chapter is a quick summary that synthesizes the major points of the chapter. I found this very helpful.
Armchair Interviews says: For anyone with an interest in organizational change, this book is a must read.