Designing the Customer-Centric Organization: A Guide to Strategy, Structure, and Process (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) [Hardcover]

Jay R. Galbraith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787979198 | ISBN-13: 978-0787979195 | Publication Date: April 14, 2005 | Edition: 1

Designing the Customer-Centric Organization offers today???s business leaders a comprehensive customer-centric organizational model that clearly shows how to put in place an infrastructure that is organized around the demands of the customer. Written by Jay Galbraith (the foremost expert in the field of organizational design), this important book includes a tool that will help determine how customer-centric an organization is- light-level, medium-level, complete-level, or high-level- and it shows how to ascertain the appropriate level for a particular institution. Once the groundwork has been established, the author offers guidance for the process of implementing a customer-centric system throughout an organization. Designing the Customer-Centric Organization includes vital information about structure, management processes, reward and management systems, and people practices.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jay Galbraith has once again tackled a complex subject and made it not only clear but deeply engaging for his readers. The result is an excellent practical road map for organizations trying to develop customer-centric solutions."
--Israel Makov, president and CEO, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

"Jay Galbraith is one of the world's premier experts in organization design, having vast knowledge of both the theory and practice of creating sustainable competitive advantage. P&G's new organization structure is producing significant competitive advantage, and uses many of the concepts of customer-centricity detailed by Jay."
--Keith E. Lawrence, director of human resources, Global Beauty, P&G

"In a world where business success or failure is increasingly dependent on a company’s ability to align its resources around the customer, this book is a must-read that describes in very practical terms how large organizations can cope with this added dimension."
--Gerard J. Kleisterlee, president and CEO, Royal Philips Electronics

"Galbraith provides an excellent framework for navigating through the complex organization decisions and process required to successfully lead an enterprise from product to customer centricity."
--Vincent Roche, vice president, Global Sales, Analog Devices Inc.

"Jay Galbraith has once again written a path-breaking book on organizational design. He has put the customer squarely in focus, and developed a new paradigm for the design of effective organizational based on this. Thus, a strong sense of relevant organizational purpose is achieved, based on creating value vis-à-vis the customer. A landmark book."
--Peter Lorange, president, International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland

From the Inside Flap

Studies have proved that sales to existing customers are more profitable than sales to new customers. Today's business leaders are recognizing that the new foundation for profitability is establishing loyal, long-term customer relationships. If industries are to thrive in the 21st century, they must have the ability to do business based on what the customer wants.

Designing the Customer-Centric Organization offers today's business leaders a comprehensive customer-centric organizational model that clearly shows how to put in place an infrastructure that is organized around the demands of the customer. Written by Jay Galbraith (the foremost expert in the field of organizational design), this important book includes a tool that will help determine how customer-centric an organization is—light-level, medium-level, complete-level, or high-level—and it shows how to ascertain the appropriate level for a particular institution. Once the groundwork has been established, the author offers guidance for the process of implementing a customer-centric system throughout an organization. Designing the Customer-Centric Organization includes vital information about structure, management processes, reward and management systems, and people practices.

Designing the Customer-Centric Organization is based on a three-year research study with McKinsey Organization Design Practice. Jay Galbraith studied fifteen companies that managed organizational complexity around customer demands. The book is filled with illustrative case studies from a variety of these successful organizations—IBM, Nokia Networks, Procter & Gamble, Citibank—that have made the transition to corporate reinvention and putting the customer first.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (April 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787979198
• ISBN-13: 978-0787979195
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's all in the first 25 pages!, January 13, 2007

By 

David Laws "getbetterservice" (PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designing the Customer-Centric Organization: A Guide to Strategy, Structure, and Process (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Hardcover)

I was very excited when I came across this particular book. This was exactly the right book - looking at the title - coming at the right moment for me. I could use it to help me work through a current problem!

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I dived into it with a passion. The introduction was insightful and right on target. This is terrific! Chapter 1; Surviving the Customer Revolution, was as good a review of this topic as I've read anywhere. It succeeded in defining what a customer centric organisation could look like and brought some real clarity to this part of the puzzle. If you've ever tried to explain the difference between a traditional product centric company and a customer centric one then you'll know what I mean.

Chapter 2 though, How Much Is Enough, was the beginning of the decline. The author attempts to define different levels of customer centricity necessary for your company and, for me, falls foul of too much detail and too much process - clearly reflective of the authors' obvious expertise and familiarity with organisational design. From there on it continued to be a struggle for me. The case studies were terrific and there was some real insight, but the solutions were too formulaic and linear to be of real value.

I came away from the book concerned that I'd missed something. I thought that customers would drive what level of customisation would be required in order to deliver value, and thereby improve business performance. Perhaps I was wrong!

Was I disappointed? Not at all. Worth reading even if the best is right up front!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COMPREHENSIVE, IN-DEPTH, THOUGHTFUL BOOK!, January 16, 2006

By 

Yvette Borcia and Gerry Stern "Stern's Manage... (Culver City, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Designing the Customer-Centric Organization: A Guide to Strategy, Structure, and Process (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Hardcover)

In contrast to product-centric, a customer-centric firm must be organized around the customer. This means going further than "customer focused" initiatives. This comprehensive, in-depth and thoughtful book begins by exploring the structures and philosophy involved in being customer-centric. Galbraith then details the different types of customer relationship strategies, following which he offers a guide to determining the level of customer-centricity (three levels are proposed) that would best serve the reader's company. The specific elements for achieving each of the three levels, from lightest to most intensive, are presented, along with guidelines for implementing actions ("solution strategy") required. Solution strategies vary by scale and scope, depending on the intensity of customer-centricity needed.

In all, the book delves into ways that organizations can design their strategy, structure, and processes to strengthen their position in the market and grow. Technology, with emphasis on its implementation and connectivity with customers, gets major attention. Much of the book presents engrossing cases (IBM, Proctor & Gamble, Nokia), which are extremely informative and provide a plethora of insights. This is an outstanding work in its content, organization of material, and style of writing. Very highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars B2B only, October 20, 2010

By 

radu - See all my reviews

This review is from: Designing the Customer-Centric Organization: A Guide to Strategy, Structure, and Process (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Hardcover)

extremely interesting topic for me - everybody is claiming that being customer centric will make the difference in the near future. so i dived into the book with high expectations - some of them fulfilled. unfortunately - for a B2C professional - the book is very much oriented into B2B. as a result, even tough i retained some ideas as food for thought, i am still looking for the right lecture on this topic