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Just as the genes in a strand of DNA determine
the characteristics of an organism, the relative quality
of the individual business units in a company largely determines
the characteristics of an organization. Much like an organism's
DNA, the basic corporate structural model developed according
to the demands of survival. Now, with the arrival of new
technologies and new business realities, the corporate structure
is evolving again.
Heightened competition, reduced interaction
costs, and rapid communication have already begun to make
obsolete the traditional corporate structure composed of
design, manufacturing, marketing, and sales units. More
and more businesses are separating the different functions,
outsourcing many of them, or spinning them off into independent
businesses. In fact, the days when a single company researches,
designs, manufactures, and sells a product or service might
soon be over.
Rebuilding the Corporate Genome presents
a new vision of the corporation -- a sleeker, more compact
organization in which business units are recombined to create
more potent corporate DNA and more competitive corporations.
Leaner and more agile than their ancestors, today's capability-driven
organizations are reaping the benefits of a focused approach
to what they do best. By concentrating on their strengths
and eliminating or subcontracting their weaknesses, these
new companies are maximizing profits, quickly adapting to
changing markets, and better satisfying customer and shareholder
expectations.
Like modern-day dinosaurs, many corporations
are too big and slow to compete with smaller, faster creatures
better suited to today's super-competitive business climate.
This book provides a plan for building the prototypical
capability-driven organization. You'll set a realistic agenda
for recombining your corporate DNA and build a capability-driven
organization that is transparent, agile, and manageable.
You'll learn to turn your company's value-producing capabilities
into businesses in their own right, leverage your company's
strengths through exclusive link-ups and partnerships, and
pool capabilities with other organizations in pursuit of
scale.
Rebuilding the Corporate Genome will
show you how to focus on and nurture only the most profitable
parts of your business -- and build an organization that
succeeds and survives by concentrating on what it does best.
Johan C. Aurik is Vice President at A.T.
Kearney's Benelux Unit with offices in Amsterdam and Brussels.
A.T. Kearney is one of the world's leading global management
consulting firms. He is a frequent participant and speaker
at conferences such as the World Economic Forum and The
Conference Board.
Gillis J. Jonk is a principal at A.T.
Kearney who frequently gives executive briefings, guest
lectures, and speeches on next generation business strategies.
Robert E. Willen is a principal at A.T.
Kearney who specializes in corporate clients in consumer
products, financial services, information technology, telecommunications,
and transportation.
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