Tom Peters identified leadership as being central to the quality improvement process, discarding the word “Management” for “Leadership”. The new role is of a facilitator, and the basis is “Managing by walking about” (MBWA), enabling the leader to keep in touch with customers, innovation and people, the three main areas in the pursuit of excellence. He believes that, as the effective leader walks, at least 3 major activities
are happening:
• Listening suggests caring
• Teaching values are transmitted
• Facilitating able to give on-the-spot help
Having researched successful American organisations, he concluded that any intelligent approach to organising had to encompass, and treat as interdependent, seven variables, in what became known as the McKinsey 7-S Framework, designed to force explicit thought about both the hardware and software of an organisation: Structure, Strategy, System, Skills, Styles, Staffs&Shared Values.
