Overview

Men, my brothers, men the workers, ever reaping something new:

That which they have done but earnest of the things that they shall do.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Locksley Hall'

Global warming perhaps not only refers to changing weather patterns; it could equally apply to the changing global market. Globalization - the reduction of tariffs and virtual elimination of national barriers - has exposed management inadequacies that previously were hidden. Previously a company competed in its own country against local competition using like systems and with similar cultures. Inefficiencies and inadequacies were to a large extent hidden. Comparative economic isolation and protection and the advantages of technical expertise no longer exist. Technological advances are constant and are available to all. The only real opportunity for competitive advantage is to do things better and to achieve world class status.

Ever since God sent Moses down from the top of Mount Sinai to deliver the Ten Commandments we have been delegating work to third parties. The dynamic growth of technology, especially the digital technology, has opened up new opportunities and competition. Any business, whether in a manufacturing or service sector, cannot gain competitive advantage without the best use of both own and third party resources.

The pillars we have discussed in the last three chapters are external pillars. We now turn to the core pillars of an organization. The pillar that forms the subject of the present chapter is Infrastructure Facilities.

What are infrastructure facilities? They include factories, offices, equipment and hardware,...