Product Description

Lets face it for many of us, our organisations are not as well organised as we would like...It's time for a rethink

Patterns of Excellence presents a blueprint for success which can be adapted to any organization. Based on extensive analysis of worldwide excellence in performance, this highly accessible book reinforces theory with practical examples.

Samson and Challis reveal the patterns of excellence which connect the operations of the world's best organizations, and demonstrate how to mould these defining principles into a structures framework and management approach. The book's case studies provide illuminating analysis and practiocal guidance on implementing managment structures..

The Authors

Danny Samson is currently both Professor of Management at Melbourne Business School and Director of the Centre for Manufacturing Management. He began his career working as a chemical engineer for ICI, after which he attained a PhD in Management and subsequent appointments at the universities of Illinois and New South Wales. He has written five books and published over fifty articles on management.

Danny regularly consults business across a variety of industries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA on strategy, operations improvement and realization of the business principles outlined in Patterns of Excellence. In addition he conducts regular executive education programs for companies wishing to restructure themselves within this framework. He has worked on numerous high-level government inquiries in fields ranging from technology management, manufacturing management and leadership to industry competitiveness, market policy and restructuring.

David Challis has spent the last 20 years consulting to organizations in Europe, USA, Australia and Asia in the area of stretegic organizational change. He has worked at all organizational levels: board through middle management through shop floor and has an outstanding track record as an effective change agent. David is an Assiciate of Melbourne Degrees in Engineering and a PhD in Management.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2697144 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-19
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Samson and Challis take a pretty poor view of the modern corporation. They(the corporations) are having a mid-life crisis. They are not in charge of their destinies. They are out of control. "If we ran oil refineries with the same degree of lack of control and discipline that we achieve in our organisational systems, there would be major explosions in most cities most days of the week", they write.

To make things worse, many of the management remedies used to solve the problems don't seem to work either. Why is it that if ideas like total quality management, re-engineering, benchmarking, just-in-time management and so on. are so powerful, that the great majority of companies which use them, are doing so badly, they ask? The answer they give is that these are all tactics. "What is nearly always missing is a strategic and holistic view and approach of long-term, sustainable management fundamentals that are implementable and that increases shareholder value." The book details how to align what they argue are the four fundamentals of business success: business strategy, operational actions, management of performance and rewards for employees. Without these elements in place, anything else you try will just not work.

Samson is currently Professor of Management at Melbourne Business School and author of five books on management. Challis has 20 years' experience under his belt as a management consultant. Drawing on their substantial experience, they discuss what constitutes "excellence", debate what the "excellent" company would look like and then lay down thirteen management principles that serve as a template for action. Finally they provide details of implementation. All illustrated with compelling examples of best practice from the world's leading corporations.

This is a well written, thoughtful and though-provoking book. But it is probably best read by CEOs and other powerful honchos. If you do read it and you are unable to implement any of its well considered suggestions, it will only leave you sobbing into your pillow with frustration. --Alex Benady