I've been in business for about 25 years, as a middle or senior manager for about 20 of those years. I've worked for some pretty successful organizations and some unsuccessful ones. Successful organizations have a number of qualities in common, whether in healthcare, finance, telecommunications or technology.

When I worked for Henry Ford Health Systems, managers received training in the Edward Deming method of Total Quality Management or TQM for short. I've been through a lot of training seminars before and since, but the lessons of the Deming method is something that has stayed with me for 15 years. The first principle was the Willing Worker. People in general derive a lot of satisfaction from a job well done. They are internally motivated to do the job well. But the corallary of this is that management must provide the tools to do that job well and reinforce that motivation. If you want to change an outcome, look to change the process first. The example used at the TQM class was that we were all handed Tic-Tac shakers, filled with red and white beads. We were told NOT to open them, but to only shake out the white beads. Since we couldn't open the shakers, the natural consequence was that some red beads came out. The TQM instructors addressed the problem as if it were one of worker motivation. They explained over and over that red beads were bad. The held motivational meetings and gave us tee-shirts and coffee mugs with a red bead with a line through it and the slogan "No red beads!" printed on it. Naturally, nothing changed and some red beads came out anyway. They "fired" the worker with the highest percentage of red beads. Nothing about the outcome changed, management looked silly (well, stupid actually) and we workers became more dissatisfied than ever. A great example of what NOT to do, but I have seen real companies assume that if things didn't go right, it must be the workers fault.

So, what then are the qualities of successful companies and successful management teams in particular?

One of the most helpful exercises that I have ever engaged in was to have an inverted table of organization next to a traditional TO. If someone reports to you, what are you responsible for giving them? Most relationships are transactional, you give things and you get things. What are you responsible for giving and are these the tools for success?

Number 1 is Vision. Has top management communicated the company's goals and direction in sufficient detail that managers can make day to day decisions that are consistent with that vision? Successful companies do this well. This is the key to delegated responsibility. If a manager knows their role in the corporate scheme of things, they are capable of autonomous action. If, instead, they need to check before each decision they are not real managers.

Following from vision is ownership. A self sufficient employee can make good decisions on their own and gets the pride of owning a process. They can point to revenues that they have generated, to improvements that they have made. This grew out of having a shared vision, being able to make decisions and having the tools to implement those decisions.

Good organizations can adapt to change. Thats because they have many parts that all work together. Again, a prerequisite is the ability to make decisions.

Success has to be recognized and appreciated. Not just financially, but through praise and public pats on the back. This is team building and creates an organizational elan.

The final point is that no manager or organization is going to be successful 100% of the time. So, do you learn from unsuccessful outcomes how to be more successful the next time around?

Thats been my experience, you are welcome to comment.