Overview

Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities.

Aristotle

Once gaps in performance have been established (see Chapter 12), the natural reaction is to take immediate, almost urgent, action to correct the situation. However, we caution patience. Having come this far, it is important not to take precipitate action. Our philosophy is that there is no such thing as a quick fix. The best results are achieved by careful consideration of all factors.

A vital stage between gap analysis and the implementation phase is the selection of the appropriate improvement strategy. Following the results of the self-analysis and performance gap analysis the team should develop a recommendation for change. A lack of in-depth investigation of what is appropriate for a company has caused many sound change programmes such as TQM and even Six Sigma to fail. Recently business writers have been warning of the dangers of adopting management fads' or quick fixes' (Richards, 1995; Miller and Hartwick, 2002; Pettigrew, 2004). We liken what has often happened to the application of wonder drugs by a doctor without the diagnosis of the illness, and without taking into account the condition of the patient, with the cure being more dangerous than the ailment.

Miller and Hartwick observe that Fads are simple, prescriptive, falsely encouraging, one size fits all, easy to cut and paste, in tune with the Zeitgeist , and so on. They conclude that enduring tools, what they describe as classics , arise not from the writings of academics or consultants but...