367 Posts Found

In these volatile times, achieving consistently outstanding performance in business has never been more important. IESE’s Federico Marinelli looks for – and finds – a clear pattern behind sustained performance among diversified companies. His fresh approach to the diversification issue also distinguishes between successful companies that consistently outperform their industry and beat the market indices – and their less fortunate brethren.

Content: Article | Author: Federico Marinelli | Source: IESE Insight | Subjects: Best Practices, Strategy

Procurement mastery—significantly outpacing competitors in areas such as sourcing, category management and supplier relationship management—can be immensely profitable and yet a surprising number of companies never implement a procurement-optimization effort. Accenture can help companies understand the nature of procurement mastery—how and why to achieve it, and how it contributes to high performance.

Content: Article | Authors: Kevin Potts, Rob Woodstock | Source: Accenture | Subjects: Best Practices, Operations

When it comes to appraising performance-appraisal systems, why do so many companies score so low?

Content: Article | Author: Dick Grote | Source: The Conference Board Review | Subjects: Best Practices, Human Resources, Management

Rather than guaranteeing employment security, many firms now claim to provide opportunities for employees to accumulate skills and experiences that both improve company performance and enhance employees’ employability in the labor market. This “employability approach” encourages and often expects individuals to take greater personal responsibility for their careers.

Since many believe that the employability approach allows, and even invites, the loss of talent, organizations are often … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Chi T. Pham, Elizabeth Craig, Sarah Bobulsky | Source: Accenture | Subjects: Best Practices, Human Resources, Management

When we ask, “What works in all companies?” we’re looking for an absolute formula in a field — competition in a marketplace setting — that is inherently relative. The answer is, “There isn’t one formula.” If everybody in the industry follows the same prescription, they won’t all be successful. Once we accept this, we’re in the realm of making judgments under uncertainty that are different … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Phil Rosenzweig | Source: strategy+business | Subjects: Best Practices, Competition, Management

Most M&A experts and merger integration managers would agree that a successful outcome from any single merger or acquisition is far from certain. Studies repeatedly confirm that half of all business “marriages” fail. Yet when M&As work, they create significant value – as demonstrated by the 50 percent of corporate unions that succeed. The secret to their odds-beating success? Strong leadership combined with professional execution … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Juergen Rothenbuecher, Pablo Moliner, Phil Dunne, Sandra Niewiem, Sebastien Declercq, Simon Mezger | Source: Kearney | Subjects: Best Practices, Mergers & Acquisitions

“No company is created to fail. Yet the odds are stacked against corporations surviving more than a few decades. Many once-greats are dying a slow death, losing much of what made them superior. Others have expired quickly. And new research shows that many more are starting to atrophy as their leaders turn their focus to managing complexity–and away from leading for … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Robert Rudzki | Source: ChangeThis | Subjects: Best Practices, Management

Executives understand that it’s important to monitor and improve the long-term health of their companies, but rarely do. Here’s how they can practice what they preach.

Content: Article | Authors: Aaron De Smet, Bill Schaninger, Mark Loch | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Best Practices, Management

Inc. magazine offers a list of suggestions for selecting, attracting, and running a good board of advisers.

Content: Article | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subjects: Best Practices, Corporate Governance

Lo and behold, contests actually work to spur innovation. So should we use them for everything?

Content: Article | Author: Anya Kamenetz | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Best Practices, Innovation, Management

Executives say their companies could be a lot more effective at developing a strategy and implementing strategic plans, and they suggest some areas for improvement.

Content: Article | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Best Practices, Strategy

Why you should learn to love checking boxes.

Content: Article | Authors: Chip Heath, Dan Heath | Source: Fast Company | Subjects: Best Practices, Management

In Toyota’s view, you don’t have a problem without a standard. Someone might tell his or her boss, “We’re not meeting our delivery date” or “Our meetings are not happening on time.” And the boss would say, “What is the standard? What would be acceptable lateness?” or “Why is lateness a problem? What is the result of lateness?” As long as the standards are clear, … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Jeffrey Liker | Source: strategy+business | Subjects: Best Practices, Problems / Solutions

Call it a trial by fire, but a recession may in fact be good for your company.

Content: Article | Authors: Darrell K. Rigby, Sarabjit Singh Baveja, Steve Ellis | Source: Bain & Company | Subject: Best Practices

Leonard L. Berry examines some of America’s great service companies and finds “nine drivers of excellence” that are behind them all. Discovering the Soul of Service looks at 14 diverse businesses, including the St. Paul Saints minor-league baseball team, Dial-A-Mattress, Midwest Express Airlines, and two of the world’s fastest-growing service companies–Charles Schwab and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “The lessons they teach are clear indeed,” writes Berry, a … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Leonard L. Berry | Subjects: Best Practices, Customer Related

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Few large global companies outperform their competitors on both revenue growth and profitability over a decade. Do those that do have anything else in common?

Editor’s Note: article available via BetterManagement.com, but requires free account…

Content: Article | Authors: Janamitra Devan, Matthew B. Klusas, Timothy W. Ruefli | Sources: BetterManagement.com, McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Best Practices, Management, Strategy

Consolidating supplier markets, rising energy prices and the growing demand for raw materials in emerging markets have fundamentally changed the purchasing framework. Suppliers are more powerful than ever, which means buyers must adjust quickly to a new playing field.

A.T. Kearney developed The Purchasing Chessboard — a compilation of insights and experience from thousands of purchasing projects performed worldwide—to help procurement professionals master the tools of … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Source: Kearney | Subjects: Best Practices, Finance, Management, Operations

Navigating the hiring process can be daunting for even the most seasoned managers, particularly if hiring is the not your primary responsibility. We have found, time and again, that the organizations who lead the most effective searches have a clearly defined and strategic process outlined before they even post the position. This is what we refer to as a Search Strategy, and this strategy … [ Read more ]

Content: Member-Contributed Content | Source: Commongood Careers | Subjects: Best Practices, Human Resources, Management

The holy grails of supply chain management are high speed and low cost — or are they? Though necessary, they aren’t sufficient to give companies a sustainable competitive advantage over rivals. Here’s what else your company needs.

Content: Article | Author: Hau L. Lee | Sources: BNET, Harvard Business Review | Subjects: Best Practices, Operations