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Designing Value-Creating Supply Chain Networks
by Alain Martel Walid KlibiFocusing on the design of robust value-creating supply chain networks (SCN) and key strategic issues related to the number; location, capacity and mission of supply chain facilities (plants, distribution centers) - as well as the network structure required to provide flexibility and resilience in an uncertain world - this book presents an innovative methodology for SCN reengineering that can be used to significantly improve the bottom line of supply chain dependent businesses. Providing readers with the tools needed to analyze and model value creation activities, Designing Value-Creating Supply Chain Networks examines the risks faced by modern supply chains, and shows how to develop plausible future scenarios to evaluate potential SCN designs. The design methods proposed are based on a visual representation formalism that facilitates the analysis and modeling of SCN design problems, book chapters incorporate several example problems and exercises which can be solved with Excel tools (Analysis tools and Solver) or with commercial statistical and optimization software.
Designing Water Disaster Management Policies: Theory and Empirics
by Chennat GopalakrishnanThis book represents a landmark effort to probe and analyze the theory and empirics of designing water disaster management policies. It consists of seven chapters that examine, in-depth and comprehensively, issues that are central to crafting effective policies for water disaster management. The author uses historical surveys, institutional analysis, econometric investigations, empirical case studies, and conceptual-theoretical discussions to clarify and illuminate the complex policy process.The specific topics studied in this book include a review and analysis of key policy areas and research priority areas associated with water disaster management, community participation in disaster risk reduction, the economics and politics of ‘Green’ flood control, probabilistic flood forecasting for flood risk management, polycentric governance and flood risk management, drought management with the aid of dynamic inter-generational preferences, and how social resilience can inform SA/SIA for adaptive planning for climate change in vulnerable areas.A unique feature of this book is its analysis of the causes and consequences of water disasters and efforts to address them successfully through policy-rich, cross-disciplinary and transnational papers. This book is designed to help enrich the sparse discourse on water disaster management policies and galvanize water professionals to craft creative solutions to tackle water disasters efficiently, equitably, and sustainably. This book should also be of considerable use to disaster management professionals, in general, and natural resource policy analysts.This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Natural Resource Policy Research.
Designing West Africa: Prelude To 21st Century Calamity
by Peter SchwabMany African nations are now described as 'fourth world nations', ones which essentially have no future. How could this have happened? Through the scope of the 1960's, the first decade of African independence, Peter Schwab presents a compelling and provocative answer to this question. Designing West Africa tells the story of a pivotal decade in African history, when the fate of the continent was decided. Focusing on the six most visible leaders of the period - painting detailed portraits of them both as leaders and as people - Schwab looks at how Africa served as a ground to play out larger international conflicts, namely the Cold War. He does not fall back on blaming non-African involvement for the failure to build a visible leadership for the continent; rather he critiques the African leaders themselves for their individual failings.
Designing with Society: A Capabilities Approach to Design, Systems Thinking and Social Innovation
by Scott BoylstonThis book explores an emerging design culture that rigorously applies systems thinking to the practice of design as a form of facilitating change on an increasingly crowded planet. Designers conversant in topics such as living systems, cultural competence, social justice, and power asymmetries can contribute their creative skills to the world of social innovation to help address the complex social challenges of the 21st century. By establishing a foundation built on the capabilities approach to human development, designers have an opportunity to transcend previous disciplinary constraints, and redefine our understanding of design agency. With an emphasis on developing an adaptability to dynamic situations, the cultivation of diversity, and an insistence on human dignity, this book weaves together theories and practices from diverse fields of thought and action to provide designers with a concrete yet flexible set of actionable design principles. And, with the aim of equipping designers with the ability to drive long-term, sustainable change, it proposes a new set of design competences that emphasize a deeper mindfulness of our interdependence; with each other, and with our life-giving natural systems. It’s a call to action to use design and design thinking as a tool to transform our collective worldviews toward an appreciation for what we all hold in common; a hope and a belief that our future is a place where all of humankind will flourish.
Designing with Sound: Fundamentals for Products and Services
by Amber Case Aaron DaySound can profoundly impact how people interact with your product. Well-designed sounds can be exceptionally effective in conveying subtle distinctions, emotion, urgency, and information without adding visual clutter. In this practical guide, Amber Case and Aaron Day explain why sound design is critical to the success of products, environments, and experiences.Just as visual designers have a set of benchmarks and a design language to guide their work, this book provides a toolkit for the auditory experience, improving collaboration for a wide variety of stakeholders, from product developers to composers, user experience designers to architects. You’ll learn a complete process for designing, prototyping, and testing sound.In two parts, this guide includes:Past, present, and upcoming advances in sound designPrinciples for designing quieter productsGuidelines for intelligently adding and removing sound in interactionsWhen to use voice interfaces, how to consider personalities, and how to build a knowledge map of queriesWorking with brands to create unique and effective audio logos that will speak to your customersAdding information using sonification and generative audio
'Designing Women': Gender and the Architectural Profession
by Annmarie Adams Peta TancredHistorically, the contributions of women architects to their profession have been minimized or overlooked. 'Designing Women' explores the tension that has existed between the architectural profession and its women members. It demonstrates the influence that these women have had on architecture in Canada, and links their so-called marginalization to the profession's restrictive and sometimes discriminatory practices. Co-written by an architectural historian and a sociologist, this book provides a welcome blend of disciplinary approaches. The product of much original research, it looks at issues that are specific to architecture in Canada and at the same time characteristic of many male-dominated workplaces. Annmarie Adams and Peta Tancred examine the issue of gender and its relation to the larger dynamics of status and power. They argue that many women architects have reacted with ingenuity to the difficulties they have faced, making major innovations in practice and design. Branching out into a wide range of alternative fields, these women have extended and developed what are considered to be the core specializations within architecture. As the authors point out, while the profession designs women's place within it, women design buildings and careers that transcend that narrow professional definition.
Designing Workforce Management Systems for Industry 4.0: Data-Centric and AI-Enabled Approaches
by Alex Khang Sita Rani Rashmi Gujrati Hayri Uygun Shashi Kant GuptaThis book brings insight to the HR management system and offers data-centric approaches and AI-enabled applications for the design and implementation strategies used for workforce development and management. Designing Workforce Management Systems for Industry 4.0: Data-Centric and AI-Enabled Approaches focuses on the mechanisms of proposing solutions along with architectural concepts, design principles, smart solutions, and intelligent predictions with visualization simulation. Data visualization for the metrics of management systems and robotic process automation applications and tools are also offered. This book is also useful as a reference for those involved in AI-enabled applications, data analytics, data visualization, as well as systems engineering and systems designing.
Designing World Class Corporate Strategies
by Keith Ward Andrew Kakabadse Cliff BowmanDesigning World Class Corporate Strategies considers the key role of corporate centres within very large, primarily multi-business organisations. At present, these corporate centres are under attack as not creating and value and merely adding cost to their groups.The authors have developed a corporate configurations model which demonstrates four ways in which corporate centres can add significant value. However this requires the centre to act in specific ways depending on the external environment in which the group is operating.Designing World Class Corporate Strategies is highly readable, with a large number of illustrative examples included in the text. Academic references and theoretical underpinnings are placed in the final chapter of the book, so that the book is focused on the professional market for strategy and creating value.
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
by Dave Evans Bill BurnettAt last, a book that shows you how to build--design--a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home--at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve.In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.From the Hardcover edition.
Designing Your New Work Life
by Bill Burnett Dave EvansFrom the authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life—a timely, urgently needed book that shows us how to transform our new uncharted work life into a meaningful dream job or company. With updated tools, tips, and design ideas that show us how to navigate disruption (global, regional, or personal) and create new possibilities for our post-COVID work world and beyond.Bill Burnett and Dave Evans successfully taught graduate and undergraduate students at Stanford University and readers of their best-selling book, Designing Your Life ("The prototype for a happy life." —Brian Lehrer, NPR), that designers don't analyze, worry, think, complain their way forward; they build their way forward. And now more than ever, we all need creative and adaptable tools to cope with the chaos caused by COVID-19. In Designing Your New Work Life, Burnett and Evans show us how design thinking can transform our present job, and how it can improve our experience of work in times of disruption. All disruption is personal, write Burnett and Evans, as with the life-altering global pandemic we are living through now. Designing Your New Work Life makes clear that disruption is the new normal, that it is here to stay and that it is accelerating. And in the book's new chapters, Burnett and Evans show us step by step, how to design our way through disruption and how to stay ahead of it—and thrive. Burnett and Evans's Disruption Design offers us a radical new concept that makes use of the designer mindsets: Curiosity, Reframing, Radical collaboration, Awareness, Bias to action, Storytelling, to find our way through these unchartered times. Burnett and Evans show us, with tools, tips, and design ideas, how we can make new possibilities available even when our lives have been disrupted (be it globally, regionally, or personally), giving us the tools to enjoy the present moment and allowing us to begin to prototype our possible future.
Designing Your Organization
by Jay R. Galbraith Amy KatesDesigning Your Organization is a hands-on guide that provides managers with a set of practical tools to use when making organization design decisions. Based on Jay Galbraith's widely used Star Model, the book covers the fundamentals of organization design and offers frameworks and tools to help leaders execute their strategy. The authors address the five specific design challenges that confront most of today's organizations:· Designing around the customer· Organizing across borders· Making a matrix work· Solving the centralization--and decentralization dilemma· Organizing for innovation
Designing Your Own Workforce of One: Cultivating a Customized Employment Experience in Your Organization
by David Y. Smith Susan CantrellCompanies have excelled by treating customers as "markets of one," offering them personalized buying experiences. But in managing their own workers, most firms still use one-size-fits-all HR practices. A better approach, according to talent management experts Susan Cantrell and David Smith, is to treat each employee as a "workforce of one." In this chapter they help you determine your own unique path toward managing your workforce as a workforce of one by choosing which of four customization approaches-workforce segmentation, modular choices, broad and simple rules, or employee-defined personalization-will work best in your organization, based on your specific business needs and types of employees. The chapter concludes with an inside view of how four leading companies-Best Buy, Procter & Gamble, Men's Wearhouse, and the Royal Bank of Scotland-chose the customization approaches that best suited their organizations. An easy-to-take quiz will help you do the same. This chapter was originally published as Chapter 6 of "Workforce of One: Revolutionizing Talent Management Through Customization."
Designing Your Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work
by Bill Burnett Dave EvansFrom the authors of the #1 New York Times best seller Designing Your Life ("Life has questions. They have answers" --The NYT)--a job-changing, outlook-changing, life-changing book that shows us how to transform our work lives and create a dream job that is meaningful without necessarily changing the job we have.Dysfunctional Belief: I'm stuck in a lousy situation (and there's nothing I can do about it). Reframe: I'm stuck in a lousy situation (and I'm finding the problems and the solutions). Bill Burnett and Dave Evans successfully taught graduate and undergraduate students at Stanford University and readers of their best-selling book, Designing Your Life ("The prototype for a happy life." --Brian Lehrer, NPR), that designers don't analyze, worry, think, complain their way forward; they build their way forward. In Designing Your Work Life, Burnett and Evans show us how design thinking can transform our present job and our experience of work in general by utilizing the designer mindsets: Curiosity. Reframing. Radical collaboration. Awareness. Bias to action. Storytelling. Dysfunctional Belief: Good enough isn't good enough. Reframe: Good enough is GREAT--for now. Burnett and Evans show us how, with tools, tips, and ideas, to enjoy what we have and to live in a state of "good enough, for now," one of the strongest, most effective reframes there is, and how this idea, once understood and accepted, can make new possibilities available, giving us the energy to enjoy the present moment and allowing us to begin to prototype possible futures. And if we want to quit? Burnett and Evans show us how to use the job we have to get the job we want (in another company), and show us as well, the art and science of quitting (leave the campsite better than we found it), using the power of the quit design to reframe how we finish our current job and get a better one. They write, as well, about how the work world is changing as the automation of work increases (hello Alexa, artificial intelligence, drones, and robots); how thinking like a designer can make us flexible, and ready to adapt to change . . .
Designing Zero Carbon Buildings: Embodied and Operational Emissions in Achieving True Zero
by Ljubomir JankovicIn this significantly revised third edition, Designing Zero Carbon Buildings combines embodied and operational emissions into a structured approach for achieving zero emissions by a specific year with certainty.Simulation and quantitative methods are introduced in parallel with analogue scale models to demonstrate how things work in buildings. Where equations are provided, this is also explained with common analogue objects, pictures, and narratives. A Zero Equation introduced in this book is not only explained as an equation but also as an analogy with a jam jar and spoons, making the book accessible for a range of audiences. Tasks for simple experiments, exercises, discussion questions, and summaries of design principles are provided in closing lines of chapters.This book introduces new case studies, in addition to an updated case study of the Birmingham Zero Carbon House, applying embodied and operational emissions to assess their status using the Zero Equation. The approach introduced brings about a sense of realism into what true zero emissions mean. Written for students, educators, architects, engineers, modellers, practising designers, sustainability consultants, and others, it is a major positive step towards design thinking that makes achieving zero carbon emissions a reality.
Designs by Kate: The Power of Direct Sales
by John Deighton Sarah L. AbbottThe sales representatives at Designs by Kate (DBK) sell private label jewelry at hosted parties and through online social media channels. They are also responsible for recruiting, training, and managing new sales reps. CEO and founder Kate Creevey designed the commission plan to encourage sales reps to build teams and become "leaders" for their teams. The strategy has been very successful over the company's first five years. Now the CEO is concerned that growth in top-line revenue is slowing, possibly due to an unwillingness by current sales representatives to build and manage their own sales teams. A survey reveals that many sales reps believe their incomes from jewelry sales decline when they add members to their sales teams due to increased competition for hosting parties within the same geographic area. The CEO must revisit the commission structure to determine if it is still an effective incentive. The case includes a quantitative assignment that students should complete as part of case analysis.
Desigualdad
by Nicolás EyzaguirreUn contundente ensayo sobre los orígenes históricos de la desigualdad en Chile y sobre cómo salir de esta fatídica condición Durante más de dos siglos Chile ha sido un país construido sobre la base de instituciones oligárquicas, las cuales han impedido un equitativo progreso social. Es lo que algunos analistas, a mediados del siglo XX, denominaron como "desarrollo frustrado". Bajo la modalidad de análisis ofrecida por la "economía comprada" (tal y como lo hicieran Robinson y Acemoglu en Por qué fracasan los países), Nicolás Eyzaguirre compara el desarrollo económico-político latinoamericano con el caso chileno, haciendo un repaso histórico que va desde las ciudades-estado griegas, pasando por el descubrimiento del "Nuevo Mundo" a la travesía chilena durante los siglos XIX y XX; esto, con el propósito de ofrecer un nuevo panorama para el futuro.
Desinformationsangriffe auf Unternehmen abwehren: Das dunkle Geschäft mit Fake News & Co und wie man sie bekämpft
by Uwe WolffFake News ist für die allermeisten ein Begriff, den sie mit Politik und politischen Kampagnen in Verbindung bringen. Die verheerenden Auswirkungen sind bekannt (Brexit, Trump, AfD) Doch erst jetzt realisieren Unternehmen und Unternehmenslenker, dass auch sie Zielscheibe von Fake News werden können. Die ersten Unternehmen in Deutschland haben diese Desinformationsattacken bereits zu spüren bekommen. Die Folge: Wertverfall des Unternehmens, Aktienabstürze, Reputationsschaden sowie verunsicherte Mitarbeiter, Geschäftspartner und Banken. Die Ziele und Motive der Kommunikationsattacken sind vielfältig: Sie reichen von verärgerten Ex-Mitarbeitern, aggressiven Mitbewerbern bis hin zu Hedge-Fonds, die ein Unternehmen übernahmereif schießen wollen oder auf fallende Aktienwerte wetten. Den modernen Kommunikationsattacken steht ein wirkungsvolles und breit gefächertes Waffenarsenal im Bereich Internet und Social Media zur Verfügung, mit denen sich Fake News in Minutenschnelle Wirksam verbreiten lassen, sodass Unternehmen kaum mehr die Zeit haben, sich dagegen wirkungsvoll zu wehren. Dieses Buch richtet den Blick auf die neue Situation, in der sich die Unternehmen empfinden, und beschreibt die die empfindlichen Stellen. Es erläutert Kommunikationsattacken anhand von Beispielen und liefert zudem eine Handreichung für Unternehmen in Sachen Prävention und Detektion, aber auch im Abwehrkampf gegen gezielte unternehmensschädigende Informationsattacken.
Desk Wars: Make secret weapons from stationery with 30 models to build yourself (Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction)
by John Austin'Cubicle farms are full of enemy combatants begging to be taken out.' WIREDAchieve clandestine ends practically and inexpensively with Desk Wars - perfect for do-it-yourself spy enthusiasts. Follow fully illustrated step-by-step instructions to build 30 miniature secret weapons and surveillance tools from stationery, transforming common household items into uncommon gadgets and sidearms.Assert dominion over the desktop with these cunning contraptions:>>> Paper-Dart Watch>>> Pen Blowgun>>> Mint-Tin Catapult>>> Rubber-Band Derringer>>> Toothpaste Periscope>>> Bionic Ear>>> Cotton Bud .38 Special>>> Paper Throwing Star>>> 44 marker magnum>>> And more!
Deskilling Migrant Women in the Global Care Industry
by Sondra CubanThis book explores the human geographies of skilled migration, specifically the practices, dispositions, relationships, and resources of professional women who participate in the global care industry.
Deskriptives Data-Mining
by David L. Olson Georg LauhoffDieses Buch bietet einen Überblick über Data-Mining-Methoden, die durch Software veranschaulicht werden. Beim Wissensmanagement geht es um die Anwendung von menschlichem Wissen (Erkenntnistheorie) mit den technologischen Fortschritten unserer heutigen Gesellschaft (Computersysteme) und Big Data, sowohl bei der Datenerfassung als auch bei der Datenanalyse. Es gibt drei Arten von Analyseinstrumenten. Die deskriptive Analyse konzentriert sich auf Berichte über das, was passiert ist. Bei der prädiktiven Analyse werden statistische und/oder künstliche Intelligenz eingesetzt, um Vorhersagen treffen zu können. Dazu gehört auch die Modellierung von Klassifizierungen. Die diagnostische Analytik kann die Analyse von Sensoreingaben anwenden, um Kontrollsysteme automatisch zu steuern. Die präskriptive Analytik wendet quantitative Modelle an, um Systeme zu optimieren oder zumindest verbesserte Systeme zu identifizieren. Data Mining umfasst deskriptive und prädiktive Modellierung. Operations Research umfasst alle drei Bereiche. Dieses Buch konzentriert sich auf die deskriptive Analytik.Das Buch versucht, einfache Erklärungen und Demonstrationen einiger deskriptiver Werkzeuge zu liefern. Es bietet Beispiele für die Auswirkungen von Big Data und erweitert die Abdeckung von Assoziationsregeln und Clusteranalysen. Kapitel 1 gibt einen Überblick im Kontext des Wissensmanagements. Kapitel 2 erörtert einige grundlegende Softwareunterstützung für die Datenvisualisierung. Kapitel 3 befasst sich mit den Grundlagen der Warenkorbanalyse, und Kapitel 4 demonstriert die RFM-Modellierung, ein grundlegendes Marketing-Data-Mining-Tool. Kapitel 5 demonstriert das Assoziationsregel-Mining. Kapitel 6 befasst sich eingehender mit der Clusteranalyse. Kapitel 7 befasst sich mit der Link-Analyse. Die Modelle werden anhand geschäftsbezogener Daten demonstriert. Der Stil des Buches ist beschreibend und versucht zu erklären, wie die Methoden funktionieren, mit einigen Zitaten, aber ohne tiefgehende wissenschaftliche Referenzen. Die Datensätze und die Software wurden so ausgewählt, dass sie für jeden Leser, der über einen Computeranschluss verfügt, weithin verfügbar und zugänglich sind.
Desmistificando As Listas De Tarefas
by Mayara Leal S. J. ScottAPRENDA: Por que a maioria das pessoas não conseguem realizar coisas Você cria listas de tarefas que nunca saem do papel? É fácil começar cada dia de trabalho com uma longa lista de tarefas. Mas então, algo inesperado surge. Sem você perceber, o dia já está quase no fim. Você trabalha arduamente em um ritmo frenético, mas acaba se sentindo frustrado, porque não há tempo suficiente para fazer tudo. Todos nós escrevemos listas com a esperança de que elas nos transformem em máquinas de produtividade. Infelizmente, listas de tarefas muitas vezes produzem o efeito oposto. O tipo errado de lista pode ser desmotivador, causando o seu relaxamento e a procrastinação. DESCUBRA: Como criar listas de tarefas eficazes e factíveis A verdade é que qualquer um pode escrever uma lista. A parte mais difícil é a criação de uma lista que seja factível e que também se encaixe em sua vida agitada. Na maioria das vezes, as pessoas enchem suas listas com uma mistura desorganizada de tarefas, desejos, necessidades e ideias aleatórias. Então, elas se perguntam por que não estão obtendo resultados significativos em suas vidas. Qual é a solução? Reconsidere a maneira como você gerencia a sua vida diária. Especificamente, você deve usar várias listas que cubram diferentes tipos de tarefa. Esse é o conceito básico que você vai aprender neste livro. BAIXE: Desmistificando as Listas de Tarefas O livro fornece um plano em etapas para escrever listas eficazes e executáveis. Você vai aprender: 7 erros comuns nas listas de tarefas (e como corrigi-los) A ferramenta #1 para capturar ideias Como usar uma lista de projeto para identificar tarefas críticas Quando trabalhar em atividades de rotina Por que a revisão semanal o ajuda a realizar coisas O aplicativo para gerenciar listas de tarefas Como concluir as suas
Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments
by Rachel WojoDo your prayers resemble last-minute cries more than first-response chats? You&’re not alone in calling out to God in life&’s pitch-black moments and wondering if He&’s listening. Enter the powerful secrets of the Bible's eleventh-hour pleas of fifteen men and women. This engaging book invites you into the prayer stories of struggling Bible characters like Hagar, Hannah, and David. Each chapter's simple three-word prayer focus will deepen your trust and affirm your heart that it&’s best to be you before God. The ideal desperate pray-er to shine light on your prayer dilemmas, Rachel Wojo vulnerably shares her heartbreaking experiences of loss while pointing you to your Father. Her prayer journey and promising principles will guide you from frenzied desperation to dependent faith. When you finish Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments, you&’ll know that praying in a panic creates a powerful pathway to peace.
Desperately Seeking Growth: Focus on Your Core Business to Generate Profitable Growth
by James Allen Chris ZookInternational bestseller Profit from the Core was originally published in 2001 and helped many companies find their way back to profitable growth after the Internet bubble burst. Now, the fully updated edition points the way forward in today's economy with new examples and data that demonstrate how companies have met the challenges and opportunities of turbulent times by returning to their core businesses. The most important issue management teams have always faced is how to grow their companies. In a world of turbulent economies and scarce resources, are you wondering where your next wave of profitable growth will come from? This chapter argues that, now more than ever, the key to unlocking hidden sources of growth and profits is to renew focus on your core business. Short case studies of companies like Bausch & Lomb, Amazon, and The Gartner Group demonstrate how some have profited from their core business, even through tough times, while others have strayed too far from the core-to disastrous results. This chapter was originally published as Chapter 1 of Profit from the Core (Updated Edition): A Return to Growth in Turbulent Times.
Desperately Seeking Solutions: Rationing Health Care
by David J. HunterFollowing the Governments health reforms in 1991 rationing has been put firmly on the agenda. This book identifies and clarifies the numerous political and ethical issues surrounding rationing in healthcare. Drawing upon international examples it offers a critical overview of the approaches to rationing and makes practical proposals for its management.Desperately Seeking Solutions challenges the assumption that all health services are inherently subject to rationing as demand invariably outstrips supply and examines this within a comparative framework. The author critically evaluates the extent to which rationing has always existed and should exist within the NHS, although until recently it operated on an implicit rather than explicit basis and was bound up with clinical judgements rather than purely financial considerations. The author questions whether calls for explicit rationing are actually desirable and potentially feasible.
Desperately Seeking Synergy
by Andrew Campbell Michael GooldManagers can separate the real opportunities for synergy from the mirages, say Michael Goold and Andrew Campbell of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre, by taking a more disciplined approach to synergy. Corporate executives have strong biases in favor of synergy, and those biases can lead them into ill-advised attempts to force business units to cooperate--even when the ultimate benefits are unclear. These biases take four forms: 1) the synergy bias, which leads executives to overestimate the benefits and underestimate the costs of synergy; 2) the parenting bias, a belief that synergy will be captured only by cajoling or compelling business units to cooperate; 3) the skills bias--the assumption that whatever know-how is required to achieve synergy will be available within the organization; and 4) the upside bias, which causes executives to concentrate so hard on the potential benefits of synergy that they overlook the possible downside risks. In combination, these four biases make synergy seem more attractive and more easily achievable than it truly is. As a result, corporate executives often launch initiatives that ultimately waste time and money and sometimes even severely damage their businesses. To avoid such failures, executives need to subject all synergy opportunities to a clear-eyed analysis that clarifies the benefits to be gained, examines the potential for corporate involvement, and takes into account the possible downsides. Such a disciplined approach will inevitably mean that fewer initiatives will be launched. But those that are pursued will be far more likely to deliver.