Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart

11.2. Sin 2: The Process Improvement effort does not involve the right people, especially top management, in the right way.

We believe that Process Improvement should not be done by outsiders. CEOs are frequently tempted to hire experts to "do it for us." These consultants present recommendations for improvement. The primary deficiency in this approach is not in the thoroughness of the consultants' analysis or the wisdom of their recommendations.

Rather, because the changes come from the outside, they do not garner sufficient commitment from those who have to implement them.

We know of a manufacturing company that recently dismissed a reengineering consulting firm on which it had spent $70 million. While there were pockets of impressive, quick-hit ...