The Search For Best Practices: a stakeholder management approach

The book is geared to those interested in doing the right thing the right way, often in the face of organizational roadblocks. The book is a 'how to' book to assist management and operations personnel to analyze their operations in a program of continuous improvements. It proposes an on-going search for best practices so that each entity operates most economically, efficiently, and effectively–consistent with why the entity is in existence in the first place. Best practice techniques assist the company in identifying its critical problem areas and treating the cause and not the symptom. With sensible business principles as the hallmark for the company's quest for best practices, the company can be clear as to the direction for movement and avoid merely improving poor practices or matching competitors less than desirable practices. Clear business principles that make sense to all levels of the organization allow the company to identify and develop the proper best practices. In this manner, everyone in the organization is moving in the same desired direction–and singing from the same songbook. The viruses that corrupt a business organization can be widespread and quite contagious. Nouveau quick fixes may be okay in the short term, but over the long haul the company needs to know what they are doing. If the company doesn't, some other company will. The main audience for this book is anyone currently or desirous of working in business–including management/supervision/employees and anyone interested in the world of business and how businesses operate. As many businesses are struggling to be competitive, or merely to survive, this book becomes a primer or 'how to' for identifying and maintaining excellence in their operations using best practices in developing a learning organization. The book can be used by individuals, groups or departments–management and operations personnel–in business as a learning, coaching, and mentoring tool in their quest to make their operations the best possible. Another audience is undergraduate and graduate business programs where the book could be used as a course text or supplemental readings for an existing course. Courses could include any course related to business operations, management courses, or its own specific course.