Achieving Class A Business Excellence

A tough, challenging, and eventful journey is outlined in this cutting-edge business story. Greg, the company President, uses the latest edition of the trusted industry standard, The Oliver Wight Class A Checklist for Business Excellence, to transform his business from mediocrity to industry leading performance. What he learns about senior management responsibilities and behaviors drives him to achieve outstanding rewards and benefits, not the least of which is his company's survival.

Prologue xi

Introduction xiii

1 Opportunity 1

2 Fact-Finding—Greg Meets His Team 19

3 Greg’s Directives 47

4 Breakdown 53

5 Listening 67

6 and Learning 79

7 Observing 95

8 Possibilities 115

9 Beginning 141

10 Hope 171

11 Decision Time 193

12 Kick-Off 203

13 Involvement 219

14 Education, Education, Education 239

15 Process Design 253

16 Customer Service 273

17 Customer Satisfaction 295

18 Competitive Pressure 313

19 Class A Leadership 329

20 Sustainability and More 351

Epilogue 367

Reader’s Reference 371

Index 375

"Top of the class! This cuts through the management-speak and presents the reader with Class A nuggets." (Works Management, December 2008)

DENNIS GROVES is Chairman of Oliver Wight Americas and President of Oliver Wight International.

KEVIN HERBERT is a partner in Oliver Wight Europe, Africa, and Middle East, and is coauthor of the Wiley book Gaining Control.

JIM CORRELL is a former co-chairman of Oliver Wight International and chairman of Oliver Wight Americas. Jim is a Principal in Oliver Wight Americas, and is coauthor of the Wiley book Gaining Control.

If your company is underperforming or needs to grow, then this is the book for you. Based on the definitive and most trusted industry standard for excellence in business today, Achieving Class A Business Excellence describes the journey to Class A business excellence from the perspective of Greg, a corporate executive facing poten-tially disastrous business problems.The authors allow us to look over Greg's shoulder as he confronts and overcomes realistic challenges, beginning with his entry into the company and following him through a series of tribulations to his ultimate success. Learn with Greg as he follows Oliver Wight's renowned Proven Path methodology. Learn how the Proven Path guides his strategic journey to excellence, from major initiatives through everyday improvement programs, and supports achievement of his strategic objectives and goals. Importantly, this realistic depiction shows you how to achieve a comprehensive state of excellence that will enable your company to deliver outstanding and sustainable business results.

An excellence program will unite your people, your customers, and your suppliers through a common set of goals and allow you to improve your results at a pace that will outperform your competition and differentiate your company in the marketplace.

While the characters in the book are fictional, the people, the businesses, the situations, the challenges, the conversations, the conflicts, and the outcomes are based upon the authors' experiences, the success of their remarkable clients, and the collective knowledge of their colleagues in The Oliver Wight Companies. Greg's journey changes the way he manages, and changes the way every employee operates within his company. Achieving Class A Business Excellence can do the same for you and your business.

All three authors have direct hands-on experience of making similar journeys in industry before joining Oliver Wight. Within Oliver Wight, they all are educators, coaches, and mentors in the concepts and principles of Class A.

Praise for Achieving Class A Business Excellence

"Achieving Class A Business Excellence is a shockingly realistic look at the personal tendencies, biases, and organizational inertia that leaders must overcome to truly transform their companies. Achieving business excellence requires two steps: attaining excellence and sustaining it through continuous improvement. Achieving Class A Business Excellence is the rare book that demonstrates a proven path to accomplishing both." —Richard Burns, former global product supply director, Procter & Gamble, NA Class A Implementation Leader

"Global Operations are complex, and most companies plan and execute poorly because they address them functionally and rely on spot solutions to major issues. The authors take us back to the basics, show us operations in a comprehensive and integrated light, and do it in a story format that should appeal to most executives who want direction and are tired of buzz words. An excellent book." —Christopher Gopal, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Operations, Open Energy Corporation

"This is a great book for any business leader looking for a path to better organizational performance. The dramatization depicted in Achieving Class A Business Excellence presents a clear option using the proven path for making dramatic organizational change. With all of the alternative approaches available, this book provides an outstanding methodology for reaching and sustaining business excellence." —Don Allen, Senior Vice President, Operations, CorePharma, LLC

"An excellent depiction of the dedication and persistence required to deliver transformational change and the resultant improvement. This book doesn't sidestep the hard issues faced by executives trying to improve and sustain performance in today's rapidly evolving operational environment."
—Jason Thorne, Director, ABeam Consulting USA

"This book absolutely hits the bull's-eye on what it takes to dive into the issues plaguing underperforming companies and, most importantly, how to address those issues with a Class A–Best Industry Practice solution to turn any company into a top-performing profitable business. Excellent book!"
—Randy Gast, Vice President, Corporate Operations, 3PAR Inc.