Corporate Tides

Book excerpt: Why, with so much focus on organizational change, is there so little successful change? Is it the result of poor planning? The economy? Foreign competition? The fundamental reason is that most corporations fail to understand basic laws of structure that determine a business's success or failure. Often managers attempt to impose change on a weak foundation. Robert Fritz examines the underlying structures that support business strategy, with the insight that structure gives rise to behavior. Once they understand these structural forces, managers can realize their company's goals by applying the right principles. Fritz outlines the basic laws that determine a corporation's success or failure. He describes the difference between structural advancement and structural oscillation, and shows how, if an organization is poorly structured, success in one department can actually cause difficulties in another - increased sales can strain manufacturing capacity; reinvestment can lead to declining market performance. Corporate Tides reveals techniques that can be used at all levels of an organization, from project teams to senior groups doing strategic planning, and demonstrates how to create consistency throughout the organization.