Killer Analytics: Top 20 Metrics Missing from your Balance Sheet

Chapter 4

The Enterprise Excellence Index

WHY AN ORGANIZATION MIGHT TRACK THIS

Questions Answered

• Are employees supportive of the enterprise excellence initiatives we are implementing?
• Are people learning the concepts of these programs?

Why Is This Information Important?

Organizations waste millions of dollars each year on programs and practices that don’t work, frustrate employees, and infuriate customers. It doesn’t matter whether your job is in business, government, health care, or education: everyone will have experienced at least some of these programs. The mystery is how every one of these practices sometimes produces great results for a handful of organizations and fails for the rest. This chapter will provide useful tips on spotting bad programs and practices and for eliminating the waste and making other initiatives successful.

WHY TRASH ALL THESE SACRED COWS?

Well, first of all, it is fun to challenge sacred cows. In fact, according to authors Drs. Robert Kriegel and David Brandt, “Sacred cows make the best burgers.”1 Coming down on something most people are already down on is easy and ruffles very few feathers. Attacking the things people believe in, support, and are emotionally attached to gets a good reaction, however. Sure, you do get people mad, and they may attack you in response for trashing the program their company sells or is enamored with. However, at least you get a reaction and may cause people to think. If nothing else, it might encourage them to improve ...