Next Level Blog

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

The authors argued that companies had to pick between one of three paths to value creation and success in the market – operational excellence, customer intimacy or product leadership. You have to pick a lane and then shape the systems that shape the culture you need to execute on the strategy.

Company 246

Company Customer Intimacy Schein Long-term 246

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

Bean is embarking on a major investment in its systems infrastructure. Terry Sutton , vice president of business transformation, told me that "The systems we''re implementing are about operational excellence. As a direct marketer we have been good at customer intimacy. We know a lot about our customers.

Customer Intimacy 8

Customer Intimacy Operations Supply Chain Retail 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 29, 2013

While a focus on lowering costs, improving quality, and providing consistent, reliable service will continue to be important, I see a shift in the coming decade to combining operational excellence with customer intimacy: tailored solutions for individual customers based on a deep understanding of their needs.

Customer Intimacy 8

Customer Intimacy Operations Supply Chain Transportation 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 8, 2011

IBM began as a computing and tabulation company, selling an array of products, including meat slicers, scales, employee time-keeping systems, and other goods. Know your customers intimately. Know your customers intimately. Cultivate collective responsibility based on "systems knowledge". had big plans for the company.

Customer Intimacy 14

Customer Intimacy How To Mass Marketing System 14

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 24, 2013

In his book Antifragile , Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes how some systems, such as biological ones, gain from disorder. Anti-fragile systems love randomness and uncertainty; going beyond resilience or robustness, they get stronger with stress and volatility. In recent years, Tesco stumbled in launching new stores in the U.S.

Organization 8

Organization Supply Chain Customer Intimacy Stress 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 17, 2015

In this article we look at three very different organizations – IBM, Rich Products, and Intuit – and the three different paths they have taken in reconfiguring their operations for more customer intimacy, by changing methods, reengineering processes, and transforming culture. IBM: Applying a Hybrid Design-Thinking Approach.

Productivity 8

Productivity Products Customer Intimacy Software 8

Lead Change Blog

OCTOBER 16, 2015

Not only has waste and expense been wrung out of most systems, too often so has the heart and soul of the people serving people. Bar coded packaging today drives inventory control, P&L calculations, and all manner of financial management processes. We seem to be getting longer on high tech; shorter on high touch.

P&L 150

P&L Customer Intimacy Price Retail 150