Former chief strategist of IBM and Xerox Michael J. Kami has concluded a list of 16 high value insights from management gurus out there. Among others Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Michael Hammer and many more.
Some more interesting than others, I will break the most interesting ones into detail in the upcoming weeks. Putting my own perspective on them and see which who have and have not relevance from my side of the table which is from the Brand and Design perspective.
#1
Forget the past. The future appears simply not in the rearview mirror, but you can get many useful glimpses of it by really understanding the present.
#2
Think big and global. Few domestic markets are large enough for big strategic ambitions.
#3
The changes internally must be drastic. Success sometimes requires total organizational change. Or expressed by Michael J. Kamis words: “One needs transformation, not reformation.”
#4
Build your business on knowledge and information, not on things. Technology, technology, processes and innovations are copied everything easier and faster. The value of your fixed assets is short, depends on the value of your human and intellectual capital.
#5
Create an information-based organization. Few companies have taken the plunge into the connected, digital world. Build your strategy on a substructure of information and knowledge exchange - between all employees, suppliers and customers.
#6
Focus on core knowledge. Ask yourself the question: What are we really, really good at? Do answer, be sure to not only be good at it, but will do anything to be perceived as the best.
#7
Reduce levels. Top managers, middle managers, self-managers and professional managers. If you fin more levels in your organization, get
rid of them.
#8
Give your employees the right mandate. Give the authority and mandate to those individuals and teams that have the resources and knowledge to make decisions and take responsibility.
#9
Provide ongoing development programs. The more trained your staff is - and not only in what the job requires, but in general - the better your business will be conducted.
#10
Prioritize talent. To attract, motivate and retain the most talented people is an absolute necessity for companies that want to have or maintain a leading position. But remember that talent is never better than the environment they are in.
#11
Applying benchmarking. On every important area, your business is as good or better than their colleagues in the same industry? And how do you stand compared to companies in other industries and other markets? You do not know the answer, chances are that you will miss great opportunities for improvement.
#12
Redesigning processes. See frequently and carefully how your product comes to the customer. Eliminate unnecessary steps or parts of the process, or create an entirely new process from scratch if it is the best solution.
#13
Reconsider quality. This applies equally to both goods and services. How well your business is performing than today, most things can always improve.
#14
Build partnerships. But not only externally. Also, to provide opportunities for people internally to create groups and alliances within the industry.
#15
Compress time. The sooner, the cheaper - if everything else is equal. Quick decisions are usually better for the company than protracted procrastination. Shorter cycles always means money in the bank.
#16
Act on-and-in. Take off the internal glasses. Consider your Organistion and business basis instead. How do your partners, suppliers and customers of your company or brand? What conclusions would an alien make and recommend?
