Motivating through metrics
December 2005
by Frederick Reichheld and Paul Rogers
Plenty of companies have vibrant cultures, but great companies foster a passion for the business among frontline employees that encourages them to give 110%, even when no one is looking. One of Bain's recent articles describes how three firms have crafted metric-based reward systems that transform their front line into a key competitive advantage.

For a fuller account of how companies craft reward systems that insipre their front lines, read "Motivating Through Metrics."

Listen to Paul Rogers discuss frontline metrics presented in an audio slideshow.

Closing the delivery gap
October 2005
by James Allen, Frederick Reichheld, Barney Hamilton and Rob Markey
Most companies—80% of them, in fact--believe they satisfy their customers. But Bain's research tells a much different story: when surveyed, customers say that only 8% of companies deliver a superior experience. What lies at the heart of this dramatic gap in perceptions? And what do those "superior" companies do to close it? Bain examines the answers in the article below, "Closing the Delivery Gap: How to Achieve True Customer-Led Growth."

To find out more about how to truly deliver to your most important customers, read a longer version of "Closing the Delivery Gap."

Listen to James Allen discuss how achieving companies approach the Three D's of customer-led growth presented in this audio slideshow.

The decision-driven organization
June 2005
by Paul Rogers and Marcia Blenko
In a world where speed and adaptability can make or break a business, organization increasingly is how companies win-and keep on winning. Yet Bain & Company research indicates that only 15% of companies have an organization that helps them to outperform. For these few, the organization itself is becoming a source of competitive advantage.

To read a fuller account of what it takes to build a decision-driven organization, click here.

Listen to Paul Rogers discuss the keys to effective decision making presented in this audio slideshow.

China: Turning Your Toehold into a Forward March
April 2005
by James Allen, Frederick Reichheld, Barney Hamilton and Rob Markey
Many multinationals have struggled to make headway in China. The problem isn't a Chinese aversion to foreign brands. Nor is it the brands' starting point: Almost all aim first at the premium segment. Rather, it's their approach to broadening market share. A handful of multinationals point to a better path. Through a careful combination of pricing, cost reduction, distribution and acquisitions, they've turned a toehold in China's premium segments into a rapidly expanding market.

For a fuller account of how multinationals can succeed in China, read "Expanding in China," which appeared in the March 2005 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Listen to Ann Chen highlight the keys to extending your company's reach in China in this audio slideshow.

Tech and Telecom Results—Making the move to low-cost countries
March 2005
by Ron Kermisch and Paul Smith
The convergence of voice and data networks offers highly attractive cost savings and revenue enhancement to companies across the telecom industry. This comes with new risks, however. Convergence means that premium-priced voice services become just another packet stream, opening up the telcos to competition from powerful systems integrators like IBM and Electronic Data Systems. To win, carriers will need to figure out how much to invest and when. The answers depend on each carrier's competitive position.

For a fuller account of the opportunities that convergence presents, read "Making good on telecom convergence," by Ron Kermisch and Paul Smith, which appeared on FT.com in January.

Capability sourcing: From the periphery to the core
February 2005
by Mark Gottfredson and Rudy Puryear
This issue of the Results Brief summarizes Bain's latest viewpoint on how companies should source every single activity in their value chain. It's a new discipline we call "capability sourcing," and it's helped our clients lower costs by as much as 30% while actually improving quality and customer satisfaction.

For a fuller account of capability sourcing, read "Strategic Sourcing: From Periphery to the Core," by Mark Gottfredson, Rudy Puryear and Stephen Phillips, which appeared in Harvard Business Review in February.

Listen to Mark Gottfredson highlight the keys to successful capability sourcing in this audio slideshow.