Proven Management Models

Rating:
Summary: Great Toolkit for Business Analysis & Consulting
Review: This is one of those rare books whose content matches the title and cover, and presents 45 useful management models in a readily-accessible, well proof-read, very usable attractive format. Aimed mainly at MBA students, this book is suitable for a much wider audience including consultants and business managers.

The management models are represented by: figures, main principle, assumptions, elements, issues, applications, related models, and main references. The models cover:

* Accounting/economics - break-even, supply & demand, economics of scale, elasticity, financial ratios, internal rate of return, net present value, and variance analysis.

* Business strategy - barriers and profitability, BCG matrix, contrasting characteristics of upstream/ downstream companies, five forces, five Ps for strategy, four routes to strategic advantage, generic strategies, Geobusiness model, PESTLIED, Porter's diamond, related diversification grid, and strategic triangle

* Human resources- action-centred leadership, Belbin's team roles, group development, Herzberg's Motivator- Hygiene theory, job characteristics, managerial grid, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and situational leadership.

* Organizational strategy- company position/industry attractiveness screen, cultural web, dynamics of paradigm change, four organizational cultures, integrated model of strategic management, MOST, network analysis (PERT/CPA), organic versus mechanistic management styles, patterns of strategic change, resource allocation at corporate level, the seven 'S' framework, SWOT analysis, and value chain.

* Strategic marketing- Ansoff's box, nine specimen standardized strategies, PIMS competitive strategy paradigm, and product life cycle.

I use this book in combination with a great World Class manufacturing/business change management book (CSC publisher now, was Lucas) to operationalize the use of management models in context of change projects. Other operations management texts would be equally suitable companion texts (by Wild, Slack etc..).

One just needs to pick a business-fad novella at the airport for inspiration to complete the troika of: tools (this book), application (operations management), and inspiration required to make effective change happen!

Improvements to this excellent text would be to include models on performance measurement including balanced scorecard, and a new section on change management (data gathering & analysis, force field analysis, project management, time management, communications, business process mapping, systems modeling, cause-effect, QFD etc..) to enable effective standalone use on projects. Even further improvements include: provision of PC templates for models and forms, screenshots of commercial software tools, and a case study example showing integrated use of some of the models (or perhaps a flowchart showing which models to use at what stage in a project).

Overall, thoroughly recommended, and invaluable for real use at work (be that consultancy, business/industry/engineering, students, or even for a basic business research starting point). The suggested improvements would increase audience greatly (through scope stretch), and perhaps significantly reduce businesses need for lower-end consultancy services.

[Refers to UK edition of same book, with different title-"MBA Management Models" ISBN0566081377]