Focused Operations Management

Chapter 23. Our Managerial Credo

It is difficult to determine what is “right” and “not right” in management, and what management style is best. In a world of uncertainties in markets, technology, and politics, it is important to adapt trade conditions, management methods, and tools to the changing situations.

However, we must design a managerial concept that will help increase competitiveness, enhance the firm's value for its owners, and improve the performance measures of the organization.

This chapter lays out the managerial framework that we feel is the most suitable one for the twenty‐first century.

The World Is Simpler Than It Seems

The business world is complex and complicated. It is affected by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of factors. It is filled with uncertainty in demand for services, technology and politics. The various management functions are in permanent conflicts (marketing versus development, development versus operations and so on). Life cycles of services and products are becoming shorter and shorter. New technologies appear almost daily, and competition puts pressures on all departments in the organization.

As previously shown in this book, viewing the managerial world through a different prism makes us realize that this world is simpler than it seems. The approach to simplicity is focus. Things seem simpler through focused eyes.

For example:

• Focusing on core problems. Any organization faces a multitude of problems. Trying to solve them one by one will take up most of ...