Organizations can accelerate the pace of quality improvements by ensuring that Total Quality efforts are driven from organizational strategy. In the process of doing this, a success paradigm can be created that allows different units of an organization to work more effectively toward a shared purpose. The significant examples presented here are the result of almost a decade of direct research and application in a very diverse set of organizations, including Fortune 500 manufacturing and services firms, non-profit organizations, health care organizations, and public education. The result is a specific process with enough detail for professional managers to read the book and implement the process in their own organizations. CEOs and NPO professionals, as well as business academics and upper level students, should find significant examples in an array of industries and situations that make this reading especially worthwhile.

The approach described in this book centers around Critical Success Factors which Rockart introduced in 1979. It is a learning-oriented approach to planning that the authors have implemented in a variety of settings, including Boeing, Air Midwest, and Conway Hospital. The important relationship between management control and strategic planning styles is discussed in several interesting chapters. Another topic that the authors address is the reinventing of government and the feasibility of applying the process in that environment. . Several examples of governments who attempted the task are offered along with discussion of their level of success. The approach described in this book is a powerful tool that can be used to develop a common vision in any organization.