What is it that keeps professionals in the AEC industry up at night if it is not their ability to design and build good buildings? It’s their never-ending search for a competitive advantage - their ability, on a daily basis, to effectively compete for new work. The main concern of the millions of companies, large and small, engaged in creating the built environment across the world is their capacity to not only survive, but to also thrive, at a time when the global economy is dauntingly complex, constantly changing, and overwhelmingly competitive.Drawing on a three-year research project conducted by the Rice University Building Institute, Joe M. Powell incorporates the experience and wisdom of over 80 international market leaders. This book answers the following two questions: What are the critical performance characteristics of the world’s most competitive companies? And, what will be required to join the next generation of global market leaders?