Author Takes New Path In Quest for Excellence; Tom Peters Now Calls U.S. Situation Dire
After five years of preaching the gospel of corporate excellence in blockbuster bestsellers such as "In Search of Excellence" and "A Passion for Excellence," Peters is taking it all back-or at least most of it.</br></br>Forget the whole theory of excellence, and the eight basic principles to stay on top of the heap. "There are no excellent companies," said Peters, raising the curtain on his new book, "Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution," which hits the bookstores tomorrow.</br></br>Even his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, felt it had to prepare readers-or "fans"-for the incongruity of it all. "This message may seem ludicrous to those who know Tom Peters as the co-author of `In Search of Excellence' and `A Passion for Excellence,' the two most successful management books in publishing history," warned the Knopf promotion department.</br></br>The message of the book may not be ludicrous, but it will take a leap of faith for those who grew addicted to the old, optimistic, upbeat Tom Peters who believed treating employes well, fostering innovation and putting the customer first were the secrets of "excellent" companies.</br></br>"There is good news from America," he and co-author Robert Waterman Jr. told readers of "In Search of Excellence." "Good management practice today is not resident only in Japan. But more important, the good news comes from treating people decently and asking them to shine, and from producing things that work."