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Thinking Big L et's say that researcher and author Jim Collins hadn't teamed up with his colleague and mentor Jerry Porras to write the bestselling business book Built to Last: Suc- cessful Habits of Visionary Companies. Let's say he and his research assistants hadn't chronicled the histories of 11 phenomenal companies—and their 11 not-so- successful comparison companies—to produce Good to Great: Why Some Compa- Author Jim Collins shares his boundless passion for business research, stressing that academic inquiry's reward isn't about answering the big questions—it's about asking them. by Tricia Bisoux nies Make the Leap…and Others Don't. Let's say that Collins' research and books had been unremarkable busts, not perpetual best sellers that propelled him to "guru" status. What would he be doing today? Collins laughs at the question, but says he'd be doing exactly the same thing he has always done: rock climbing (his personal passion) and business research (his professional one). "I've had some really good luck," he says. "But to me, research isn't a means to an end—it's an end in itself. It's like Christmas when you open up presents to see what's inside. You get to ask, 'Who would have thought this? How do we make sense of that?'" Collins' propensity for asking questions is his hallmark, so much so that he has created a mascot of sorts of the children's book character, Curious George. In fact, in honor of Collins' admiration of George's energy and ingenuity, his research assistants even took the name "Chimps." Images of Curious George are posted in the conference room at Collins' Colorado-based management research lab as inspiration. "Curious George," says Collins, "is absolutely my hero!" There's little doubt that his passion for asking questions has had an indelible impact on busi- ness. His books not only offer a road map for what it takes to succeed, but also have inspired a new business vernacular. For instance, businesspeople who've read Good to Great now often work to find their personal "hedgehog" concepts, in which they strive to be like the hedgehog that does "one big thing" very well, rather than the fox that does many things adequately. They now think, "First, who; then, what"—that is, they get the "best people on the bus" before they choose a direction to drive it. They set "big, hairy, audacious goals" (B.H.A.G.s) for them- selves and their companies. They embrace the "flywheel" concept, in which small improve- ments build so much momentum that one success quickly leads to the next. Finally, Collins' devotees aspire to "Level 5 leadership"—or try to work for companies led by a Level 5 visionary. In Collins' model, Level 1 to Level 4 leaders often rely on intelligence, organizational skills, charisma, or intimidation to move people in a given direction. Level 5 leaders, however, possess humility, personal conviction, self-discipline, and an unrelenting passion that inspires those around them to care about the organization's mission more than their own agendas. Last year, Collins created a monograph for nonprofits called Good to Great and the Social Sectors, and worked with the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the Uni- versity of Virginia in Charlottesville to create The Good to Great Experience, an interactive DVD version of the book for the business classroom. "I would love to personally visit hundreds of classrooms and interact directly with students, but my first priority remains research," says Collins. "The beauty of this technology is that it allows me to go from classroom to classroom in an electronic format." Collins quickly admits that he's no Level 5. But he also now believes that students can learn to apply Level 5 leadership concepts to their own personal and professional lives. He also hopes that business faculty will throw themselves wholeheartedly into business research's "B.H.A.G.s"—whether or not they find definitive answers. 16 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007