10. The need for a strategic vision

In his remarkable article in the Harvard Business Review , Robert H. Hayes, a leading specialist in industrial companies, makes an uncompromising assessment of the application of World Class approaches to American industry. He proves conclusively that these performance improvement programs have, in the majority of cases, been failures. Our own experience shows that European companies which have since embarked on such programs have paid little attention to R.H. Hayes' testimony. It therefore takes on prophetic overtones.

Virtually all industrial companies aspire to World Class status; those that reach this promised land are disappointed to find that,...