The authors’ point is, if a company wants to be a “winner,” they must excel at (a) 4 mandatory areas: strategy, execution, culture, and structure, and (b) any 2 out of the following 4: talent, leadership, innovation, acquisitions and mergers.  All the other things, like 360 degree PRS, management training programs, etc. they found are not consistently statistically significant.  This is the kind of book I would bring on a plane or car ride where I could skim through it.  The writing style is journalistic and sensational.  As one Amazon.com reviewer notes, the book uses a “hero” / “villain” format, which although entertaining, is somewhat naïve.  The book’s thesis is pretty much articulated in the first chapter.  You could read that, and then follow up by reading other business books that expound on one of these areas (e.g., Bossidy).