THE SHAPE SHIFTERS: CONTINUOUS CHANGE FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE - Softcover

Mariotti, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0595481957 ISBN 13: 9780595481958

Publisher: iUniverse, 2007

Synopsis

The Shape Shifters tells how to create a powerful advantage by continuously changing to create and deliver what customers want-and consider best value-now and in the future. It's full of unique tools & techniques to help understand value and develop consensus on how value is perceived by customers, competitors and your own organization. It explains why the key to success is making the shape of your business one that consistently creates and delivers the value your customers wants. "This book will make you rethink the strategies of your entire company."-James Swartz, author, Seeing David in the Stone

About this title

From the Inside Flap

The Shape Shifters Continuous Change for Competitive Advantage John L. Mariotti What kind of shape is your company in? Are you and your organization flexible, adaptable, ready to capitalize on change, and assume any form required to succeed? This is the ever-shifting challenge for organizations to survive and succeed in our hyper-competitive global landscape. Like the Star Trek character, or those from ancient Indian folklore, today's companies must become "shape shifters." In The Shape Shifters, John L. Mariotti tells you how to create a powerful competitive advantage, by continuously changing to create and deliver what customers consider best value, both now and in the future. Want to get on top? Stay on top? Put aside your old arsenal of "quick fixes," patchwork programs, management fads, buzzwords, and banners. The Shape Shifters explains how to understand value better than your competitors and then use your core competencies to create and deliver that value. You'll learn what the "shape of value" really means and how to measure and picture it. You'll understand what comprises the "shape of a business" and why it is so important. You'll become comfortable with how the structure, processes, culture, relationships, and purpose of a business, lead to the value in the form of quality, service, speed, cost, and innovation. Plus, you get real-life examples from scores of companies who have "shape-shifted" to stay prosperous, including IBM, GE, Chrysler, HP, Huffy, Sears, Microsoft, and many more. Once you commit to the idea of the shape-shifting organization, Mariotti explains how to implement it smoothly, without resorting to radical downsizing or painful reengineering. To use Mariotti'seffective approach to teamwork, collaboration, learning, and rapid change calls for new organizational structures. But now that you've "shifted," where do you go from here? Mariotti gives plenty of guides to keep you on your path to success. Not only does the shape-shifting organization adapt to events; it can also proactively shape them. You can develop your goals first, define a playing field that suits your talents, and devise the strategies to give your organization an ongoing competitive advantage! The key is to take the shape necessary to provide your coustomers with the best value by using the powerful ideas and techniques you'll find in The Shape Shifters.

From the Back Cover

The Shape Shifters Continuous Change For Competitive Advantage John L. Mariotti Only by developing a core that shifts constantly to deliver best value to customers will your company survive and succeed in the coming era of breathtaking change. In the pages of this revolutionary approach to building a "shape-shifting" company from the ground up, you'll learn to:

• Get closer to your customers and develop a clear understanding of their mental picture of "value."
• Institute company-wide, integrated improvements -- not just piecemeal patches.
• Understand the difference between shape-shifting and popular trends such as reengineering.
• Develop "new partnerships" by combining teamwork, human insight, and new technologies.
• And much more!

The day of the rigid, bureaucratic organization is waning, and a new day of learning and adapting is dawning. With the help of T## exciting new era! Mariotti's new book focuses us on what matters most in business....growth and all of its positive implications. A truly refreshing read after so many years of stultifying "reengineering." --Michael Harris, Partner, The Sequoya Group, Inc. I had said "Wow" out loud twice in the first 30 pages. Many lights went off in my head as I read The Shape Shifters...This is more than a book, it's an opportunity to rethink the existing customer strategies of your company, your division, or your departments. --James B. Swartz, President, Competitive Action Group I have already used John Mariotti's shape shifting construct...This is a very valuable tool with which to coach an organization in developing winning strategies. --Fred S. Grunewald, President and Chief Operating Officer, Overhead Door Corporation

About this edition

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0595481957
• ISBN 13: 9780595481958
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 290