Dead Horse Strategies

The View
Through The Windshield
About Cars ... and Everything Else I See
by Joe Sherlock

Deceased Equine Strategies

car blog

Management Advice - Dead Horse Strategies: Dakota Tribal Wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However, the Harvard Business School (in a project underwritten by several well-known consulting groups, including the Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte Global, Accenture and BearingPoint) offers alternate proposals:

1. Buy a stronger whip.

2. Change riders. (Preferably, to one with an MBA)

3. Harness several dead horses together to increase speed.

4. Appoint a committee to study horse performance in context - past, present and how it's done in Europe, Japan and China. Issue a white paper.

5. Develop a series of training sessions to increase managers' riding abilities.

6. Hire outside contractors to ride the dead horse. (Or ship it to Bangladore and have it ridden there.)

7. Request that a major vendor develop a product to make dead horses run faster.

8. Provide additional funding to increase the horse's performance.

9. Form a Brainstorm Circle to find profit-enhancing uses for dead horses.

And - if all of the above fails ....

10. Promote the dead horse to a senior management position.

(hat tip - George Pradel, posted 3/22/05)

Other Pages Of Interest

Disclaimer

The facts presented in this blog are based on my best guesses and my substantially faulty geezer memory. The opinions expressed herein are strictly those of the author and are protected by the U.S. Constitution. Probably.

Spelling, punctuation and syntax errors are cheerfully repaired when I find them; grudgingly fixed when you do.

If I have slandered any brands of automobiles, either expressly or inadvertently, they're most likely crap cars and deserve it. Automobile manufacturers should be aware that they always have the option of trying to change my mind by providing me with vehicles to test drive.

If I have slandered any people or corporations in this blog, either expressly or inadvertently, they should buy me strong drinks (and an expensive meal) and try to prove to me that they're not the jerks I've portrayed them to be. If you're buying, I'm willing to listen.

Don't be shy - try a bribe. It might help.

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