Patterns of Excellence Book

Samson and Challis take a pretty poor view of the modern corporation. They(the corporations) are having a mid-life crisis. They are not in charge of their destinies. They are out of control. "If we ran oil refineries with the same degree of lack of control and discipline that we achieve in our organisational systems, there would be major explosions in most cities most days of the week", they write. To make things worse, many of the management remedies used to solve the problems don't seem to work either. Why is it that if ideas like total quality management, re-engineering, benchmarking, just-in-time management and so on. are so powerful, that the great majority of companies which use them, are doing so badly, they ask? The answer they give is that these are all tactics. "What is nearly always missing is a strategic and holistic view and approach of long-term, sustainable management fundamentals that are implementable and that increases shareholder value." The book details how to align what they argue are the four fundamentals of business success: business strategy, operational actions, management of performance and rewards for employees. Without these elements in place, anything else you try will just not work. Samson is currently Professor of Management at Melbourne Business School and author of five books on management. Challis has 20 years' experience under his belt as a management consultant. Drawing on their substantial experience, they discuss what constitutes "excellence", debate what the "excellent" company would look like and then lay down thirteen management principles that serve as a template for action. Finally they provide details of implementation. All illustrated with compelling examples of best practice from the world's leading corporations. This is a well written, thoughtful and though-provoking book. But it is probably best read by CEOs and other powerful honchos. If you do read it and you are unable to implement any of its well considered suggestions, it will only leave you sobbing into your pillow with frustration. --Alex BenadyRead More