“Change or die” has become the rallying cry of companies around the globe. But despite these brave words, actual, sustainable change often remains an elusive ideal as companies flounder around in a foaming sea of buzzwords, theories, and approaches. Leaders wonder: Should we downsize … or rightsize … bring in TQM … empower the workforce … maybe reengineer … or find our core competence? For many companies these crisis-driven cures have not delivered on their promises. “Some have been worse than the ills they tried to cope with,” points out author and organization planner Robert Tomasko. “Thriving into the twenty-first century requires more. It necessitates abandoning the nineteenth century logic that still drives many organizations. It requires a from-the-ground-up rethinking of the corporation – its size, its structure, and its infrastructure.” Using lessons and parallels from architecture, Rethinking the Corporation provides a blueprint for such a reexamination. It does not specify any one-size-fits-all solution for every type of business, but shows how to go beyond the superficial and make the kinds of fundamental changes in corporate structure that are essential if today’s popular improvement programs are to have a lasting impact. This book lays out this new way of looking at a company in three major steps: resizing, reshaping, and rethinking. The book supplies diagrams, mini-models, and practical guidelines that help resolve issues such as how big a company should be; how bloatless growth can occur; how unnecessary work can be identified and outplaced; and why hierarchy shouldn’t disappear.
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