Finding Hidden Profits
December 2002
Productivity is gaining, but earnings continue to disappoint. Where can companies, and their shareholders, find long-lasting relief from the profit squeeze? We examined the strategies of 30 firms that managed to substantially improve margins and found at least one answer: short, targeted "profit-hunt" programs. Today, these programs are improving both margins and the way companies do business.

Open Market Innovation
October 2002
A growing number of companies have started to move in the direction of open-market innovation, an approach that brings the benefits of free trade to the flow of new ideas. By systematically opening their innovation borders to vendors, customers and even competitors, they are increasing the imports and exports of novel ideas. As they do, they improve the speed, cost and quality of innovation.

Getting Back to Offense
September 2002
The secret to top private equity firms' success lies not just in financial structuring, but increasingly in five managerial disciplines. The good news for corporations? These disciplines can, and do, apply to publicly held companies.

Private Equity Disciplines for the Corporation
June 2002
The secret to top private equity firms' success lies not just in financial structuring, but increasingly in five managerial disciplines. The good news for corporations? These disciplines can, and do, apply to publicly held companies.

Making Change Stick
April 2002
Too often, management teams that face the challenge of corporate transformation don't move far enough, fast enough, or broadly enough to truly reposition their businesses. Instead, they implement half-cures that can be worse than the disease: round after round of restructuring, strategic redirection, or layoffs, none of them sufficient to reinvigorate the organization.

Companies that implement "fast, focused, and simultaneous" change programs are the ones with the best chances to create enormous and long-lasting shareholder value.

Making CRM Work
February 2002
Customer relationship management (CRM) tools disappoint most users. That's because too many businesses put technology before thought, applying CRM software before they've straightened out their business strategies. But CRM can work. Properly applied, it can help increase customer loyalty and so increase revenues. And it can yield savings when users see which customers cost most to service.