"It's no secret that in order to succeed - or even survive - American businesses need to make fundamental changes in the way they're run. The thinking used to be that automation alone was the answer. Judging from this country's slippage in the increasingly competitive global marketplace, that idea was obviously off the mark. Why? Because automating organizational structures and processes that were inefficient in the first place is akin to getting power windows installed in a car that needs an engine overhaul." "Clearly, the time is ripe for re-engineering. It's one of the most talked-about topics in offices and on factory floors throughout the country today. It's gaining momentum as the way to reduce costs, improve time to market, enhance customer satisfaction, and boost sales incredibly, all at the same time. But, while most everyone recognizes the need for re-engineering, and its vast potential, hardly anyone has a clue about how to make it happen in his or her own company." "This groundbreaking book offers the first detailed explanations of the whats, whys, and hows of business reengineering for managers at all levels in any kind of company. Written by two acknowledged re-engineering experts, and as comprehensive as it is pragmatic, Re-engineering Your Business shows you how to build a model of your current business, analyze it, and use it to design new processes and organizational structures; take into account the differing needs of individual departments, and delineate their roles in the re-engineering process; position your business to react to changing conditions and challenges in the marketplace; create a built-in capacity for ongoing change - and make change the friend, not the foe, of management and workers; cultivate an environment that expects and rewards not just quality assurance, but "quality initiative"; implement the new business operation and organizational structure while minimizing any sense of uncertainty in the workplace; and alter technological systems so that they support the new structure." "You'll also find numerous examples and illustrations throughout the book which are drawn from the authors' actual experience." "The steps described in Re-engineering Your Business are not merely unproven theories. They have already yielded quantifiable results for some of the most forward-thinking companies in the nation. What's more, many people are of the opinion that, in the near future, there will be two types of businesses: those that re-engineered, and those that failed." "All you need to get started are a willingness to effect fundamental changes in outdated "business-as-usual" practices ... and the step-by-step guidance, bold prescriptions, and real-world insights contained in this remarkable book."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved