In Pursuit of Excellence
- Course Number: P1020
- Credits: 6 hours
- Instructor: Hong Chen
- Price: $60
Course Outline
Plato once said: "Excellence is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act rightly because we are excellent in fact we achieve excellence by acting rightly." As design professionals, we are constantly in pursuit of excellence and innovation in our work. This course summarizes major concepts in the bestselling book In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr., which is ranked by Forbes as No.1 among the 20 most influential business books ever. The authors researched top companies (both in long-term profitability and continued innovation) and conducted extensive interviews with business leaders to develop their attributes of excellent companies. Through this course, you will learn the secrets of excellent companies as well as the mistakes of average companies and become a more effective and productive manager and leader.
At the end of this course, there will be a multiple-choice, open-book quiz designed to enhance your understanding of the course material.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, the student will:
- Learn how to apply the McKinsey 7-S Framework to spot weaknesses in the company;
- Know the importance of "soft" or "human" aspects of management;
- Know what the shortcomings of traditional management techniques are;
- Understand how company values affect performance
- Know how to better motivate employees;
- Learn how does organization affect company performance;
- Know what the eight attributes of successful companies are;
- Learn how excellent companies apply the eight attributes to ensure continued success.