More for Less: The Power of Process Management

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else. --Sam Walton What do your customers really want? “More for less,” of course! They want more value, more service, more consistent delivery, more accuracy, and ever more responsiveness, --and, they want to pay “less” for this “more,” along with less hassle, less bureaucracy, less sales pressure. Unless you can provide your customers with “more for less,” you can be assured they will find someone else who can, and sooner rather than later. There's no magic to providing more for less, but it requires a management mindset that's different from the norm--and that's precisely what this book is about. The findings in the 2004-2005 Mindset Study, based on exclusive interviews with frontline executives, went into the making of this book. With clarity and insight, Spanyi has penned the definitive guide for business leaders who are determined to deliver more for less to their customers and shareholders.Andrew Spanyi's More for Less is the best source of contemporary thinking about business process management. It's eminently clear and practical, with nary a faddish or false word. This book is just what companies need to improve their operations.Thomas H. Davenport President's Distinguished Professor, Babson College and Academic Director, Process Management Research Center The author has provided clarification on how enterprise processes need to be closely aligned with a company's core vision and business strategies in order to drive step change improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. Spanyi's book helps to "connect the dots" for many leaders who may be confused or not convinced of the value of integrating strategy, processes, metrics, improvement projects, and IT into driving improved bottom line results.Bill Cantwell, Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Air Products Andrew Spanyi has done it again. I consider myself a seasoned facilitator of improving the business using a combination of Quality strategies and tools. When I read Andrew's book I found myself saying “I knew that” a lot. More frequently I found myself saying, “I never thought of that.” His unique way of focusing on Business Process Excellence and the numerous examples of ways to measure your business is a must read. Jim Pearson, VP of Customer Quality and Six Sigma, EMC Corporation Process is the competitive battleground of today, and how an organization thinks about process, or process orientation, is the sustainable competitive advantage for the 21st century. This book is a great combination of theory and practical examples that can accelerate the development of this new way of managing. - Dr. Kevin McCormack, President, DRK Research During the last twenty years, the business process mindshare of business leaders has waxed and waned. However, Andrew Spanyi has remained steadfast and compelling in his advocacy of the central role processes play in revenue growth, cost reduction, quality improvement, and time compression. Process improvement tools are well-chronicled elsewhere; More for Less adds an important tile to the mosaic by describing why and how leaders can use enterprise-wide process management as a strategic weapon.Alan Brache, author of How Organizations Work: Taking A Holistic Approach to Organization Health and co-author of Implementation: How to Transform Strategic Initiatives into Blockbuster Results and co-author of “Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart." Finally, a sensible book on the conversion to process thinking for managers. Not only is it down to earth and filled with good examples, it recognizes that sometimes what looks easy is hard to implement, due not to its complexity, but to stubborn managerial mindsets. This book will help you change the mindset in your organization.Allan R. Cohen, Edward A. Madden Distinguished Professor of Global Leadership, Babson College, co-author, Influence without Authority This thoughtful and persuasive book should be read by everybody in today's process community. In addition, it's a well-structured and comprehensive introduction to the power of process for anyone not familiar with this critical perspective of business. This book puts process on the map.Steve Stanton, Independent speaker, author, and consultant. One of the pioneers of process-centered innovation.This important book will provide leaders with clear direction for their process management initiatives. Spanyi has an amazing talent to summarize complex issues, make convincing observations, and provide guidance. More for Less may become one of the most important sources of knowledge for managers with a desire to increase the process orientation of an organization.Dr. Michael Rosemann, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia Andrew Spanyi hits the mark in More for Less. He nails the key elements of process management in today's business environment and challenges accepted thinking previously assumed to be gospel in process improvement circles. More for Less is an excellent piece of work and a “must read” from one of the thought leaders in the world of Business Process Management. - Stephen G. Smith, Senior Vice President & Managing Executive, Rummler-Brache Group