The Hindu Business Line : High-velocity lessons

Why do some organisations outdistance the field while their peers and competitors struggle to keep up? This is the question that Steven J. Spear explores in Chasing the Rabbit ( www.tatamcgra whill.com). The difference, he finds, is in the approach that the leaders and the strugglers adopt for managing complex systems.

Most organisations are hindered by a structural problem – they manage their functions individually, not as steps in a well-integrated process — rues Spear. “Each function does its job and somehow the whole thing comes together — except when it doesn’t.”

At the same time, most organisations are also hindered by a dynamic problem, he adds. “When problems crop up, many of them are treated — that is, ignored — as unavoidable noise … Problems do not provoke change.”

In contrast, leaders interpret ‘the daily chatter of imperfect systems’ as ‘a stream of messages telling them where they can and must improve,’ and not as unavoidable noise to be griped about or ignored, the author explains.

Valuable read.

Competitive advantage

Knowledge Leadership
Tools for Executive Leaders
C. Lakshman

Located in the centre of the garment outsourcing industry, Hong Kong, Li & Fung, unlike other companies in the business, operates without owning and running factories that make garments, writes C. Lakshman in Knowledge Leadership: T ools for executive leaders ( www.sagepublications.com). Instead, the company deals only in information.

“There are no secrets in the actual manufacturing. I mean a shirt is a shirt,” explains a quote of William Fung, cited in the book. “We would rather build on something proprietary, like what information it takes to make that shirt faster or more efficiently.”

He observes that the company’s competitive advantage is thus in doing something that no computer can do, that is to deconstruct an order and use ‘distributed manufacturing’ to make it.

Interesting examples.

Create virtual presence

The Global Consultant
How to Make Seven Figures Across Borders
Alan Weiss and Omar Khan

Once you have got the relationships, keep connecting, advise Alan Weiss and Omar Khan in The Global Consultant: How to Make Seven Figures Across Borders ( www.wiley.com). The aim, they say, is tocreate virtual presence, through email offerings, teleconferences, in-person and e-seminars, new books or CDs, newsletters, and various other forms of offered benefit.

“As people respond to these and benefit from them, they will naturally visit your website, which can be further replete with everything from articles, blogs, podcasts, interviews, video clips, and more.”

The more they come to enjoy your ‘voice,’ your point of view, your perspective, your experiences, your take on life and business, they will gravitate to your various offerings, aver Weiss and Khan.

Ready takeaways.

D. Murali

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