It’s the trap that ensnares virtually every business. We focus on process: “how” we’re doing the job. And we forget about the bigger issue: “what” we’re doing and “why” we’re doing it. That’s why we’re leaving so much value on the table. In Rethink, business architect Ric Merrifield exposes this problem with vivid examples and introduces breakthrough techniques for overcoming it. Merrifield shows how to rise above the clutter of your “hows” to expose what does and doesn’t need attention in your organization. You’ll learn to identify the activities most critical to success, as well as those that are borderline, redundant, or even counterproductive. Merrifield helps you get past the parochial, subjective viewpoints of ground-level participants…find more cost-effective ways to achieve core goals…capture better information for prioritizing investments…identify hidden sources of value…use technology-driven plug-and-play management to increase efficiency and agility…and reconfigure your company to ride nonstop waves of change. Along the way, Merrifield presents powerful case studies ranging from ING DIRECT to Amazon.com to Procter & Gamble. These diverse companies have learned how to cut costs, strengthen innovation, and profit from change all at the same time. Using the lessons in this book, you can, too. / Rise above low-level processes and narrow perspectives / Step back, identify what really matters to the organization, and act accordingly / Understand the hidden connections that can make or break your business / Make profitable changes without setting off destructive chain reactions / Expose activities where people, process, and technology matter…and, equally important, where they don’t
About the Author
Ric Merrifield spent nearly 15 years in various consulting roles helping organizations define and achieve their goals. Since joining Microsoft, Merrifield has spent more than 10,000 hours as a business architect and has filed twelve patent applications all with the goal of helping companies rethink their operating models and get out of the "how" trap described in the pages of this book.
Merrifield recently coauthored "The Next Revolution in Productivity," a June 2008 Harvard Business Review article focused on case studies that highlight needs of the organization and the opportunity to rethink business operating models before making major technology changes. Merrifield is an alumnus of Lakeside School in Seattle and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Book Details
- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: FT Press; 1 edition (April 8, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0137031653
- ISBN-13: 978-0137031658
- File Size: 856.2 KiB
- Hits: 992 times
