flevyblog

Flevy Blog is an online business magazine covering Business Strategies, Business Theories, & Business Stories.
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP STRATEGY, MARKETING, SALES OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANIZATION & CHANGE IT/MIS Other

How Do You Achieve Management Excellence?

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Chief of Staff (CoS) Toolkit (140-slide PowerPoint presentation). Curated by McKinsey-trained Executives Unlocking Success: The Complete Chief of Staff Business Toolkit Are you ready to elevate your leadership team and propel your organization towards unparalleled success? Introducing the Complete Chief of Staff Business Toolkit – a comprehensive, [read more]

* * * *

In their book In Search of Excellence, McKinsey consultants Tom Peters and Robert Waterman found 8 common themes which they argued were responsible for the success of 14 identified companies of “excellence.”  The framework is known as the 8 Attributes of Management Excellence.  The research and theorizing of this framework was based on the McKinsey 7-S Model, also authored by Peters and Waterman.

The 8 attributes are:

  • A Bias for Action
  • Close to the Customer
  • Autonomy and Entrepreneurship
  • Productivity through People
  • Hands-on, Value-driven
  • Stick to the Knitting
  • Simple Form, Lean Staff
  • Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties

In an interview, Peters later also added a 9th attribute: Capabilities Concerning Ideas, Liberation, and Speed.

8attr

Let’s quickly explain the 8 attributes with a bit more depth.

A Bias for Action

This characterizes a company that can get things done—i.e., one that adopts a “ready, shoot, aim” philosophy.   There is also a strong focus on communication.  The Bias for Action attribute increases knowledge, interests, and commitments.

Close to the Customer

Companies of excellence highly value customers–customer is truly king.  There is an obsession with quality, reliability, and customer service.  There is a constant emphasis on customer satisfaction.

Autonomy and Entrepreneurship

Risk taking, innovation, “bootlegging,” and “championing” are highly encouraged in a company of excellence.  Failure is completely tolerated.  Employees are never penalized when they take a risk and things go south.  Successful product or program champions rise quickly up the ranks.

Productivity through People

The ideas and actions of the frontline workforce, customers, and suppliers are the main source of productivity gains.  We are enthusiastic and respectful toward others.  Employees are treated with utmost respect and dignity.  Likewise, employees feel a sense of job security and safety. Gains through productivity improvement are broadly shared across the organization with all employees.

Stick to the Knitting

“Never get into businesses you don’t know thoroughly or know how to run.” – Robert Wood Johnson, founder of Johnson & Johnson

Companies should always stick with what they know best.  The excellent companies expanded and diversified primarily internally, one small, manageable step at a time.  Thus, risk was contained and measured.

Hands-on, Value-driven

This attribute embodies the company philosophy and values of excellence companies.  Two common key values were

  1. striving to be the best; and
  2. delivering superior quality and service.

We should be clear on what our company stands for.  Leaders are seen as positive role models.  They are also highly visible across the organization.

Simple Form, Lean Staff

Organizations of excellence have simple, decentralized organizational structures.  People are know who they report to.  The structure is “flat” with minimal top-level, management staffing.  Also, organization realignments/restructures seldom occur in these companies.

Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties

This last Attribute of Management Excellence is actually a summary of the other 7.  There is tight financial and strategic control, but decentralized authority  The key values of the organization are articulated and known.  All employees are charged with tightly adhering to these values, but are given leeway as to how the daily business is performed.

Are you a management consultant?  You can download this and hundreds of other consulting frameworks and consulting training guides from the FlevyPro library.

Does your organization embody these 8 Attributes of Management Excellence?

You can learn more about these management attributes and download an editable PowerPoint about the the 8 Attributes of Management Excellence here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

 

9-page PDF document
This workshop provides valuable practical tips about how to improve organizational performance. Five tips for the learner are shared: engaging and involving employees, making the improvement journey enjoyable, building on the assessment of current state, learning from others and working with a [read more]

Do You Want to Implement Business Best Practices?

You can download in-depth presentations on Organizational Excellence and 100s of management topics from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.

For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:

These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.

Readers of This Article Are Interested in These Resources


13-page PDF document
This workshop invites the learner to assess the current state of excellence in their organization. The workshop begins with an invitation to download a complementary copy of the Organizational Excellence Framework publication. This 240-page publication is a valuable resource that defines the [read more]


 
15-slide PowerPoint presentation
 
 
43-slide PowerPoint presentation

About David Tang

David Tang is an entrepreneur and management consultant. His current focus is Flevy, the marketplace for business best practices (e.g. frameworks & methodologies, presentation templates, financial models). Prior to Flevy, David worked as a management consultant for 8 years. His consulting experience spans corporate strategy, marketing, operations, change management, and IT; both domestic and international (EMEA + APAC). Industries served include Media & Entertainment, Telecommunications, Consumer Products/Retail, High-Tech, Life Sciences, and Business Services. You can connect with David here on LinkedIn.

, , , ,



Complimentary Business Training Guides


Many companies develop robust strategies, but struggle with operationalizing their strategies into implementable steps. This presentation from flevy introduces 12 powerful business frameworks spanning both Strategy Development and Strategy Execution. [Learn more]

  This 48-page whitepaper, authored by consultancy Envisioning, provides the frameworks, tools, and insights needed to manage serious Change—under the backdrop of the business lifecycle. These lifecycle stages are each marked by distinct attributes, challenges, and behaviors. [Learn more]

We've developed a very comprehensive collection of Strategy & Transformation PowerPoint templates for you to use in your own business presentations, spanning topics from Growth Strategy to Brand Development to Innovation to Customer Experience to Strategic Management. [Learn more]

  We have compiled a collection of 10 Lean Six Sigma templates (Excel) and Operational Excellence guides (PowerPoint) by a multitude of LSS experts. These tools cover topics including 8 Disciplines (8D), 5 Why's, 7 Wastes, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and DMAIC. [Learn more]
Recent Articles by Corporate Function

  

  

  

  

  

The Flevy Business Blog (https://flevy.com/blog) is a leading source of information on business strategies, business theories, and business stories. Most of our articles are authored by management consultants and industry executives with over 20 years of experience.

Flevy (https://flevy.com) is the marketplace for business best practices, such as management frameworks, presentation templates, and financial models. Our best practice documents are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier consulting firms (like McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, BCG, and Deloitte) and used by Fortune 100 organizations. Learn more about Flevy here.
  


OUR CORE OFFERINGS
Flevy Marketplace: Top 100
· Strategy & Transformation
· Digital Transformation
· Operational Excellence
· Organization & Change
· Financial Models
· Consulting Frameworks
· PowerPoint Templates
FlevyPro (Subscription Service)
KPI Library
Streams (Functional Bundles)
Flevy Executive Learning (FEL)
PowerPoint Services

FREE Resources

About Flevy
Management Topics
Marcus (AI-Powered Consultant)
Partner Program
LinkedIn Influencer Marketing
FAQ / Terms / Privacy / Blog
Contact Us: support@flevy.com



CONNECT WITH US!
       
TOP 100 TRENDING TOPICS
Acquisition Strategy
Agile
Analytics
Artificial Intelligence
Balanced Scorecard
Best Practices
Big Data
Breakout Strategy
Business Continuity Planning
Business Plan Financial Model
Business Transformation
CMMI
COBIT
Change Management
Cloud
Communications Strategy
Company Financial Model
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Analysis
Consulting Frameworks
Continuous Improvement
Core Competencies
Corporate Culture
Cost Reduction Assessment
Customer Experience

BROWSE BY FUNCTION
Strategy, Transformation, & Innovation
Digital Transformation
Operational Excellence and LSS
Organization, Change, & HR
Management Consulting

Customer Journey
Customer Service
Cyber Security
Data Privacy
Decision Making
Digital Marketing Strategy
Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation Strategy
Due Diligence
ESG
Employee Engagement
Employee Training
Enterprise Architecture
Growth Strategy
HR Strategy
Hiring
Hoshin Kanri
ISO 27001
ITIL
Information Technology
Innovation Management
Integrated Financial Model
Kaizen
Kanban
Key Performance Indicators

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Business Strategy Frameworks
Case Studies
Consulting Training Guides
COVID-19 Trend Data
Digital Transformation
Financial Advising Services (FAS)

Knowledge Management
Leadership
Lean
Lean Manufacturing
Logistics
M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)
Manufacturing
Market Research
Marketing Plan Development
Maturity Model
McKinsey PowerPoint
McKinsey Templates
Operational Excellence
Organizational Change
Organizational Design
Performance Management
Post-merger Integration
Pricing Strategy
Process Improvement
Process Maps
Procurement Strategy
Product Launch Strategy
Product Strategy
Project Management
Quality Management


Free Resources
KPI Library
Lean Management
Lean Six Sigma Training Guides
Marcus Insights
Operational Excellence

Real Estate
Remote Work
Restructuring
Risk Management
Robotic Process Automation
SWOT
SaaS
Sales
Scrum
Service Design
Six Sigma Project
Social Media Strategy
Strategic Planning
Strategic Thinking
Strategy Development
Supply Chain Analysis
Sustainability
Target Operating Model
Team Management
Total Productive Maintenance
Value Chain Analysis
Value Creation
Value Stream Mapping
Visual Workplace
Workplace Safety


Product Strategy
Small Business Owner
Startup Resources
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Process
Value Innovation Strategy


© 2012-2024 Copyright. Flevy LLC. All Rights Reserved.