ABSTRACT
One consequence of increasing global competition for market share is that manufacturing companies need to ensure the traditional customer requirements of quality, delivery and price, are afforded maximum attention. When a company is organised on a strongly functional basis, the perceived internal goals of different departments are often in conflict, and if this fragmentation is allowed to
persist it can obscure the strategic objectives of the enterprise as a whole. This then manifests in sub-optimal competitive performance, and probable loss of customers. To achieve unity of purpose across all departments requires a mechanism which ensures corporate strategy is constantly aligned with the uncertain demands of the market, and that this strategy permeates all boundaries.
