Table of Contents

• The Beatles: It's all about the team
• The Miracle on Ice: Adapt and win
• Focus: Dutch yachtsman Conny an Rietschoten on eliminating all but the essentials

  Albert Einstein: Seeing the big picture

• Apollo 13: NASA's mission control approach saves the day
• D-Day: Coordination and courage
• Baldwin Steam Locomotives: The consequences of myopic thinking
• Teleonomy: How purpose is built into life itself
• Giuseppe Arcimboldo: Making a harmonious whole out of disparate parts
• The Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Series: Rhythms at the root of human activities
• Communication of Ants: Nodal communication and optimization algorithms
• Public spaces: Nourish networking and collaboration
• Human Brain: Neuroplasticity and modular construction
• The Roman Military: Why the maniple superseded the phalanx
• Rugby: Blind passes to waiting receivers scores trys
• Wikipedia: Why the breakthrough Encarta died at age 16
• Billy Beane's Oakland Athletics: Buying wins instead of players
• Channel Tunnel: 15 organizations become one to succeed
• NATO Forces: Beating back bureaucracy
• Kodak: Voices for change ignored
• Singapore's Changi Airport: Pride and culture makes it the best
• The European Union: Poor strategy, little functional excellence, and no plasticity
• Kent Redford: Melding conservation and synthetic biology
• Apple Computer: The power of purpose
• Google: The power of culture
• Volkswagen: The power of spirit
• Wartsila: The power of leadership
• The Human Brain Project: The power of networking
• Star Trek: The power of knowledge
• Guns, germs and steel: The power of focus
• Wolves: The power of organization
• The Symphony Orchestra Conductor: How to lead
• Director and Actor: Discovering people who can contribute
• Humans: Plastic to their core

About the Author

Christian Schuh is the leader of A.T. Kearney's Supply Management Practice in EMEA and is based in Vienna, Austria. He joined A.T. Kearney 17 years ago and has since then led multiple projects for clients in the automotive, construction equipment, defense, high tech, packaging, and steel industry in Austria, China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, Ukraine, and the USA. His areas of expertise include strategic sourcing, high-end R&D, and organization. He is the author of various books (most notably The Purchasing Chessboard), monographs, and articles. Before he joined A.T. Kearney, he worked several years for Unilever. Schuh studied aeronautical engineering at TU Graz (Austria) and holds a doctorate in business administration. He lives in the historic city center of Vienna.