AVOIDING THE CORPORATE DEATH SPIRAL

Nowhere is it written that a company, regardless of how large it is or how successful it might seem to be, will survive. There have been too many highly visible and painful reminders of this fact over the last several years. While many of these companies fall apart seemingly overnight, the reality is that the decline is a process that usually takes several years and results from a number of actions, decisions, and behaviors that contribute to the demise.

The purpose of this book is to present the warning signs of organizational decline, and provide a method for leaders to identify and eliminate them before the organization enters a death spiral. It provides detailed explanations of each warning sign, including an explanation regarding how the sign contributes to the decline, and also an assessment tool to determine the existence and extent of the signs within an organization. The principles and concepts present are equally applicable to healthcare, manufacturing, or service organizations.

Gregg Stocker is currently Director of Quality & Performance Improvement at ICO Polymers, Inc., where he is responsible for the global leadership and team member development systems, strategic planning, and team building. He holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Houston. He has contributed to the books Complete Guide to Plant Operations Management (Prentice Hall, 1992) and Making the Numbers Count (Productivity Press, 1996). Stocker is a Senior member of ASQ and Certified Quality Manager, as well as a Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) from the Institute of Supply Management.