ABSTRACT
People want to be part of a winning team. Those at the top of organizations can help that desire become reality by creating structures and policies that foster successful organizations. Every person, every team, and every organization has customers, and the terms of customer–supplier relationships are vital to an organization’s success. Customers only want to deal with the suppliers who provide the best value. Customers within the organization, dealing with internal suppliers, may have few alternatives. While the concept of value may be intuitively, perhaps even painfully, obvious, few organizations or teams within organizations take the time to raise the following questions and then develop answers as part of the business plan. Highly motivated, skilled, and committed people operating in a lean and innovative environment are at the heart of building a competitive advantage. It is no secret that modern organizations face unprecedented challenges that demand first-rate leadership.
