A Powerful New Approach to
Performance Management from the Creators of the Balanced Scorecard
IN TODAY'S business
environment, strategy has never been more important. Yet research shows that most
companies fail to execute strategy successfully. Behind this abysmal track record lies an
undeniable fact: many companies continue to use management processes-top-down,
financially driven, and tactical-that were designed to run yesterday's organizations.
Now, the creators of the
revolutionary performance management tool called the Balanced Scorecard introduce a new
approach that makes strategy a continuous process owned not just by top management, but by
everyone. In The Strategy-Focused Organization, Robert Kaplan and David Norton share the
results of ten years of learning and research into more than 200 companies that have
implemented the Balanced Scorecard. Drawing from more than twenty in-depth case studies-
including Mobil, CIGNA, Nova Scotia Power, and AT&T Canada-Kaplan and Norton
illustrate how Balanced Scorecard adopters have taken their groundbreaking tool to the
next level. These organizations have used the scorecard to create an entirely new
performance management framework that puts strategy at the center of key management
processes and systems.
Kaplan and Norton articulate
the five key principles required for building Strategy-Focused Organizations:
(1) translate the strategy to
operational terms, (2) align the organization to the strategy, (3) make strategy
everyone's everyday job, (4) make strategy a continual process, and (5) mobilize change
through strong, effective leadership. The authors provide a detailed account of how a
range of organizations in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors have deployed these
principles to achieve breakthrough, sustainable performance improvements.
Presenting a practical,
proven framework steeped in rich case study experience. The Strategy-Focused Organization
helps solve a universal management problem- not just how to formulate strategy, but how
to make it work. Building on one of the most revolutionary business ideas of our time,
this important book shows how today's leaders can shape their own companies to meet the
challenges and reap the rewards of a new competitive era.
Robert S. Kaplan is the
Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School. David P.
Norton
Join the global Balanced
Scorecard Online community led by Drs. Kaplan and Norton and continue the dialogue at
http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/
390 pages hardcover