The traditional, non-competitive organization
- Control-oriented
- Predictable
- "Don't fix it if it ain't broke"
- Management information systems (MIS)
- Labor an expense
- Quality control (inspect quality in)
- Reactive
Becoming the competitive organization of the future
- Will require moving responsibility and accountability for planning, problem solving and decision making to the lowest appropriate level
- Will require learning how to share power, information, knowledge and rewards
- Will require change via participative management
- Will require commitment to the commitments
Characteristics of competitive organizations
- Consumer-driven schedules, procedures and quality requirements
- Flexible product mix potentials, fast startup
- Managers who manage, operating teams focused on prime activities
- Improvement-oriented, high productivity, high quality
- Clear sense of direction and mission
- Few management levels, flat structures and wide spans of control
- Small operating units structured around specific markets or consumers
- Consumer-oriented marketing