Ohmae's Key success factors LO11795

Virginia I. Shafer (vshafer@azstarnet.com)
Fri, 10 Jan 1997 12:58:05 -0700 (MST)

Replying to LO11744 --

Kent Meyers adds to the discussion:

>While I concede that key thinking is useful in support of design, I'll
>still claim that it is not systems thinking, and that if it is used in
>place of strategy on strategic problems, that it is the opposite of
>systems thinking. Systems thinking is required to put key thinking in its
>place, in fact to give it a place.

Well said, "Systems thinking is...to give it a place." As soon as one
takes a key factor for success (KFS) out of its context in order to
exploit its value as a KFS, you've broken the system and can no longer see
the whole. So, Kent, you're exactly right, it's not systems thinking and
when applied to the strategy of the enterprise, has the affect of
meddling.

Any special emphasis area that draws resources from other areas will have
unknown consequences. If one is willing to pay the piper later, as is the
case with senior executives who have no planned longevity with a
particular enterprise, then meddling with the system can achieve
impressive short- term results. (At least impressive enough for the
executive to move on to the next enterprise needing turnaround.)
Therefore, KFS thinking is useful for market domination strategies.
However, if the objective is sustainability, to stay in business for teh
long run, then systems thinking is imperative.

'Snuff for now,

-- 

Ginger Shafer The Leadership Dimension "Bringing Leadership to Life" vshafer@azstarnet.com

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>