1. For a good review on high performance organizations, see James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, Built to Last (London: Century, 1994); and Jeffrey Pfeffer’s book The Human Equation (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1998). A book by Manfred Kets de Vries, The New Global Leaders, describes the roles exemplary leaders take on. My article (co-authored with Manfred Kets de Vries) in “Transforming the Mind-Set of the Organization,” Administration and Society, 1999, 30(6), 640–675) may also give some insights into the “authentizotic” organization, the kind of organization where people perform beyond expectations.
2. For an insightful perspective on gastronomic chefs refer to Soul of a Chef: the Journey towards Perfection by Michael Ruhlman (Viking Books, 2000). Ruhlman describes the vigorous competition among America’s best chefs and the hardships of becoming a successful chef.
3. For an in-depth description of the historical development and present functioning of three star Michelin restaurants see Jean-Francois Mesplede’s Trois Etoiles au Michelin (Paris: Grund, 1998). He describes the story of French gastronomy from its beginnings until today, demonstrating a strong link between a country’s culture and its gastronomy, as well as the history of the Guide Michelin and how it came to be the authority on restaurants that it is today.