Indiana
Businesses Rediscover What Henry Ford Pioneered
Throughout
the 1990s, businesses have been seeking the Holy Grail, looking for new answers
to enhance profitability. Buzzwords abound, and just about every week a new
breakthrough management theory flashes across the horizon. Many of these
panaceas come and go quickly, and the careers of their proponents can be just as
fleeting. As the millennium tums, an increasing number of Indiana businesses
have stopped looking for a magic solution and have returned to a management
practice that really works in the information age: systems. Henry Ford
did not invent the automobile, but he did make a fortune by developing a System
for manufacturing them. Sam Walton of Wal-Mart stores did NOT generate a
fortune by creating new products. He did it by creating a better system for
the marketing and distribution of products already on the market. To help
businesses approach their challenges with proven systematic models, many
professional services companies - CPA firms, HR companies and others -- are
pooling their expertise in networks. Networks exist in Fort Wayne, Richmond and
South Bend, with plans to expand in Lafayette and other communities. The
networks offer proven "templates" for typical business problems
ranging from OSHA compliance to Purchasing; from ISO 9000 Certification to HR
hiring practices. The networks analyze common business situations to determine
"what works," and break these solutions into step-by-step sequences that any business can easily adopt on a do-it-yourself basis. The network-systems approach can help any business use the power harnessed by Henry Ford and Sam Walton.