Faster Cheaper Better: The 9 Levers for Transforming How Work Gets Done

The rough patch we have had for the past couple of years is only going to continue. Michael Hammer's brilliance was especially acute during tough times when people in business had to hunker down and just be plain better than the competition. His focus was on the nuts-and-bolts of how work actually gets done, showing people how to transform a business by improving the way it is run--whether it's a factory or a software company. While he worked with CEOs, much of his life was spent two and three levels down, with people who run refineries, develop new pharmaceuticals, make the packaging for food products, market financial services, deliver health care, or develop software. Hammer's mantra was, "My job isn't to tell people what business they should be in, that's up to them. I simply tell them how to do it best--whether it's something as complex as software or as simple as widgets, and that means doing it differently." The central problem Hammer saw is that despite good intentions, companies don't perform at the levels they need to because the way they do things is screwed up. This book is a tool kit for how to do things right, providing its listeners with the skills to make deep and fundamental changes in how companies do their work. Given the range of people and the types of companies Hammer worked with, Faster Cheaper Better will benefit a wide range of people. It includes those at the top as well as middle managers and business professionals. Its focus on operations and process make it the ideal book not only for those who run a factory, refinery, or the customer service operation of a bank, but also people and companies engaged in creative activities--such as book publishers, software companies, and pharmaceutical firms.

About the Author :
Dr. Michael Hammer is the leading exponent of the concept of reengineering. He was named by BusinessWeek as one of the four preeminent management gurus of the 1990s and by Time as one of America's 25 Most Influential Individuals. He lives in Massachusetts. Lisa W. Hershman is the CEO of Hammer and Company, an internationally recognized business education and research firm that counts more than 75 percent of the Fortune 100 on its client list. Prior to joining Hammer and Company, she served as corporate senior vice president of operational excellence at Avnet, Inc., the world's largest B2B distributor of electronic components and computer equipment. Lisa earned her degree from Clarkson University. George Wilson (1927-2014) received a bachelor's degree in English in 1949 from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He was an author and former Washington Post reporter who covered the military from the perspective of soldiers crawling in the mud and from the offices of decision-makers in Washington, and who played a notable role in the Pentagon Papers case.

Review :
"Easy to read, down-to-earth, and filled with nuggets of practical business wisdom, this eye-opening work is imminently applicable for business owners, leaders, and managers at all levels." -- "Publishers Weekly"