Building Engaged Team Performance: Align Your Processes and People to Achieve Game-Changing Business Results

CHAPTER 2“As the Pendulum Swings”—A Brief History of Adventures in Business Improvement

WE’D LIKE TO take a quick look back at the more influential trends and programs that businesses have followed in the modern era. We’re not going to go into a lot of detail; rather, we’re hoping to give a sense of the key points of focus of each era, emphasizing the swings between production efficiency, quality, sociology, equipment, accounting, processes, and customer satisfaction. As shown in Figure 2-1, the pendulum of business improvement theory has swung widely and wildly, from precise management of dehumanizing small tasks to what some might call “touchie-feelie” attempts in social engineering; from efficiency to effectiveness; from process focus to customer ...