The Strategy-focused Organization - How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment

The Strategy-focused Organization, How Balanced Scorecard CompaniesThrive in the New Business Environment--------------------------------------------------In today's business environment, strategy has never been more important.Yet research shows that most companies fail to execute strategy successfully.Behind this abysmal track record lies an undeniable fact: many companiescontinue to use management processes - top-down, financially driven,and tactical - that were designed to run yesterday's organizations.Now, the creators of the revolutionary performance management toolcalled the Balanced Scorecard introduce a new approach that makes strategya continuous process owned not just by top management, but by everyone.In The Strategy-Focused Organization, Robert Kaplan and David Nortonshare the results of ten years of learning and research into more than200 companies that have implemented the Balanced Scorecard. Drawingfrom more than twenty in-depth case studies - including Mobil, CIGNA,Nova Scotia Power, and AT&T Canada - Kaplan and Norton illustrate howBalanced Scorecard adopters have taken their groundbreaking tool tothe next level. These organizations have used the scorecard to createan entirely new performance management framework that puts strategyat the center of key management processes and systems. Kaplan andNorton articulate the five key principles required for building Strategy-FocusedOrganizations: translate the strategy to operational terms, align theorganization to the strategy, make strategy everyone's everyday job,make strategy a continual process, and mobilize change through strong,effective leadership.The authors provide a detailed account of howa range of organizations in the private, public, and nonprofit sectorshave deployed these principles to achieve breakthrough, sustainableperformance improvements. Presenting a practical, proven frameworksteeped in rich case study experience, The Strategy-Focused Organizationhelps solve a universal management problem - not just how to formulatestrategy, but how to make it work. Building on one of the most revolutionarybusiness ideas of our time, this important book shows how today's leaderscan shape their own companies to meet the challenges and reap the rewardsof a new competitive era. Robert S. Kaplan is the Marvin Bower Professorof Leadership Development at Harvard Business School. David P. Nortonis President of Balanced Scorecard Collaborative, Inc.--------------------------------------------------Author Biography: Robert S. Kaplan is the Marvin Bower Professor ofLeadership Development at Harvard Business School. David P. Nortonis the President of the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative, Inc.