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Drive Business Performance: Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution (Microsoft Executive Leadership Series) | 
| Authors: Bruno Aziza, Joey Fitts
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy Used: $12.50
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Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 136629
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0470259558
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.4013
EAN: 9780470259559
ASIN: 0470259558
Publication Date: April 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Starting with a Foreword by Dr. Robert Kaplan and Dr. David Norton, creators of the revolutionary Balanced Scorecard approach, management gurus and business executives alike laud Drive Business Performance: "a pragmatic guide for world-class decision making," "a ground-breaking book that executives and managers alike should read," "provides specific and easy-to-follow guidance to deliver results. A must read for any organization seeking to win." Drive Business Performance explains the competitive advantage experienced by organizations that create and manage a "Culture of Performance." This groundbreaking guide is filled with first-hand accounts from Fortune 500 companies who are winning by building accountability, intelligence, and informed decision-making into their organizational DNA. This innovative, jargon-free book demystifies performance management, with detailed guidance for organizations to replicate top performers’ practices, including the recommended skills and assets needed to successfully compete in today’s business environment. Bruno Aziza has led marketing, sales, and operations teams at various technology firms, including Apple Inc., Business Objects, and Decathlon. Bruno has worked and lived in France, the U.K., Germany and the U.S., and holds a master’s degree in business and economics from three European institutions. He currently works on Microsoft’s Global Business Intelligence strategy. Joey Fitts has consulted over twenty-five of the Fortune 500, guest-lectured at Harvard Executive Education programs, raised over $16 million in venture capital, and served on the Board of Advisors for InterVivos and the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). He currently works on Microsoft’s Global Business Intelligence Alliance strategy.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
An essential guide to business transformation for performance improvement June 7, 2008
Adrian Downes
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Drive Business Performance: Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution" by Bruno Aziza and Joey Fitts represents much more than a demystification of performance management terminology. The book is neither a re-telling of the benefits of performance management, nor a veiled attempt to shape a business case for PerformancePoint. Instead, the authors introduce novel ideas backed by case study research, culminating in a pervasive and flexible model for business transformation within the scope of performance improvement.
The Culture of Performance (CoP) Model presented by the authors bridges a gap between the establishment of a performance measurement framework (e.g., Balanced Scorecard, TQM, Lean, etc.), and the tools and methods brought to bear in executing performance measurement (read: Business Intelligence). CoP is a comprehensive model for evolving organisations into the strategy-focused enterprises that Drs. Kaplan and Norton envisioned years earlier. To be certain, we all stand on the shoulders of giants.
That the authors chose to include "culture" in the name of their model cannot be understated: it directly addresses organisation-wide cultural transformation as it relates to the adoption of performance management (through the model's six phases). The authors demonstrate, with compelling evidence, that a company is more likely to achieve its desired outcomes when all its members adopt a performance-oriented mindset. Here, case studies on Expedia, Energizer and The Veterans' Health Administration (U.S.) each strike a chord on the sometimes painful transformation to a culture of performance. Aziza and Fitts make these findings practical, encouraging incubation through scored questionnaires, supporting capability models (MAP) and guiding principles. The final chapter of the book provides an excellent summary that aligns said scores to an entry point into the CoP model; this provides a reasonable indication of where an organisation may begin to improve business performance.
This excellent book warrants careful review and consideration-- it represents fresh and illuminating thinking from two of the most prominent figures in the field of performance management. For executives, directors and managers looking to improve business performance (as well as consultants specialising in performance management) consider this book essential reading.
A great guide to understanding performance management May 20, 2008
Nicholas Barclay (Sydney, Australia)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
With a foreword by none other than Drs Kaplan and Norton you can be sure that software is not central to this book's message. Drive Business Performance is part of Wiley's Microsoft Executive Leadership Series, however the only time "Microsoft" is mentioned is when referencing quotes from Steve Ballmer or Chris Liddell. The intended audience is a business one not technical, although technical people would do well to get their hands on a copy nonetheless.
Fitts and Aziza provide a comprehensive look at what Performance Management (PM) is and just how successful organisations can be when they succeed in creating a "Culture of Intelligent Execution". Central to the book's philosophy are what the authors have dubbed the "Six Stages of Performance Management Value". Targeted lists of questions at the end of each section enable readers to assess their organisation's current PM capabilities.
For mine the book's greatest strength are the anecdotes and quotes peppered throughout to underscore each topic. It is obvious the authors went to a great deal of effort to interview high-ranking members of companies who spearheaded some very successful PM implementations. The information gathered in these interviews coupled with well-chosen quotes from the likes of Winston Churchill, Henry Ford and many others serve as evidence to support Fitts and Aziza's Six Stages and the culture of performance management in general.
PM is not just something that can be thrown together in a few weeks by a couple of interns, it is an organisation-wide paradigm shift that takes time, effort and dedication to bear fruit. As recounted many times within the book, the rewards to organisations who implement an effective PM initiative can be very substantial.
This is a great book to hand to anyone who is considering implementing any form of PM. It details plenty of good "See! They did it, why can't we?" case studies as well as providing practical guidance describing how to do it within your own organisation. Highly recommended reading.
One of the better Performance Management books May 17, 2008
Eric Brown
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
At first I was skeptical, but then by the time I finished it, I had something I could actually use. The book goes where few management books dare to go - to actually talk about how to change a business culture. Wow!
There are precise examples of how change is made, with company stories, that allow for organizations to understand that change is possible. This book is now on my must reads list, and I will give it to every executive I work with.
I'd put this book before the Kaplan Balanced Scorecard books and even before Competing on Analytics. The style is concise, the case studies are relevant and the roadmap guidance to changing an organization is approachable.
BI Must Read May 14, 2008
Mauro Cardarelli (Wakefield, MA USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I just finished reading "Drive Business Performance - Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution" by Bruno Aziza and Joey Fitts. Wow, what a fantastic book! It is one of the best I have read on the subject of Performance Management. It finds the right balance of not being too theoretical or too techie. I love the fact that it offers a broad education on the concepts and terminology associated with Performance Management but, at the same time, is highly actionable. It serves a diverse audience. I would recommend it not just to a CEO but for an organization's entire executive team. It offers the potential for some great post-reading dialog.
My favorite part is their defined "Six Stages of Performance Management Value". For those who know me, it aligns nicely with my "crawl, walk, run" approach to business application development. The "money picture" is how they show the six stages, listed below, in concentric circles; illustrating the evolution and associated benefits of a commitment to Performance Management.
This is actually a book that you can read cover to cover and feel like you get value from every chapter. Read it then buy a copy for your boss... then find a way to get to the sixth stage!
Very good read and insightful May 7, 2008
Patrick Husting (Sammamish, WA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I manage a consulting firm and the #1 issue I see my business customers deal with is the perceived complexity of Performance Management. My customers struggle to determine the people, processes and technologies to turn their high-level strategy into a successful execution plan and results.
In this book, I have found a pragmatic guide that helps business managers and IT get together, assess where they are and start the discussions required to succeed in Performance Management. Sure - the book doesn't solve everything on its own, but it at least gives an easy and effective model to follow.
Finally, I enjoyed how the book reads. The authors give plenty of company success stories and have extracted some great best practice examples that help me remember them. Very sticky. I've also had success using the methodology, which appears well adopted given all the companies in the book saying they're "moving to a Culture of Performance". The Six Stages & 3 Capabilities (MAP) framework help me to assess what stage my clients are at today & explain the steps they need to take to garner greater competitive advantage.
All in all, a good & very useful read!
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