Larry Bossidy

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan have written a fine management book with “Execution” and I can't see why other reviewers find it lacking in usefulness. It's true that their systems require a good deal of uncomfortable frank talk between managers but the whole thing is really concerned with getting outside the comfort zone.

Strategy focuses firmly on the company's environment and competitor actions with the core being very open (non-political) decision making with clearly defined actions and a timetable with specific personal responsibilities.

I'm not a great fan of management books in general but I can recommend this one and it has similarities to one of my longtime favourites, Sam Walton's “Made in America” (bad title) and like him, they emphasise the personal touch and a high level of personal involvement.

A downside is the strange neo-liberal economic environment that these systems are designed to exploit (not really their fault they are an important part of it).

For example the idea that outsourcing may damage US industry/ skills and employment is completely absent as is concern with the influence of special interest (of which they are certainly one). Line workers also don't get a single mention.

Try the following quotes from the book:

P196 “Do we have people who know how to source? Do we have people who can run a supply chain that extends worldwide?”

P197 “The short and medium term milestones were to develop programs to move to low-cost manufacturing locations .”

P247 “We also had a program to promote sales of high tech globally, using China as a low cost supply base.”

P223 “You must continue to involve our lobbyist group to show congressional leaders the advantages of the product and dispel some of the current misconceptions.”

P250 “Or maybe you wanted to shut down a plant this year and transfer production to a lower cost country.”

Etc. etc. It's all in line with Jack Welch's 70/70/70 rule (70% of research and development should be outsourced, 70% of that should be outsourced offshore, 70% should be outsourced overseas and sent to India) = A tragedy of the commons, where the Commons is the non-shareholder/non-top executive part of the U.S.A.… (more)