The book, The Goal: The Process of Ongoing Improvement, by Eliyahu M Goldratt and Jeff Cox, is more like a management novel and is a good read! The fact that the book written by an eminent business consultant, who is also a physician, scientist and the holder of many successful patents, adds more sincerity into the applications that are presented in the book. It has remained one of the best-selling management books since its publication in 1984. The book is not just for management experts, but also for everyone who wants to change their lives for the better. It uses non-traditional approaches, that are usually not expected in management books, to educate the readers on different concepts. The main concept of the book is the ‘Theory of constraints’. In order to explain this theory to the readers, Golratt, has sought the help of Socrates’s inductive reasoning. The major theme of the book is ‘change’: what is change? What to change? and How to change? (Goldratt and Cox)
As suggested earlier, the book is written in a novel format, and the protagonist of the book is Alex Rogo, a 38 years old executive. Being an engineering candidate with an MBA, he started his career as a project manager at UniCo, and presently works as plant manager in Bill Peach, Bearington. The other main characters in the story are the staff and stakeholders at Bill Peach. Being in the production company, as a project manager, Alex’s goal is to increase productivity. Following a brainstorming conversation with Alex’s physics professors, he realizes the goals he needs to establish, in order to increase productivity. The goal is very important for any company, as it enables the company to move ahead in the right direction. Without proper goals, the company may lose path and get caught up in the constraints presented by the current time. Goal is about the future. The book is a must read for anyone who wants to set the right goal and get ahead in life or work. (Goldratt and Cox)
According to Michael Grey, the editor of the newsletter Tax & Business Insight, the book by Eliyahu M Goldratt is a must read for all managers. The book helps identify production bottlenecks that are key to improving productivity. The book helps to develop strategies to overcome these bottlenecks or it provides ways to live with it. The ideas presented in the book will help improve productivity and efficiency. (Gray)
According to Martin, The Goal, is one of the best books to describe the goal and the process of achieving it. It throws light into day to day activities of a plant manager and how he employs the Socratic method of approaching and resolving problems that arise in his daily life. It breaks many myths about a best performance measure that is popularly followed by many managers. The main aim of the book is to explain the logic and validity of Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints. The book challenges many business practices and thought processes. (Martin)
The book presents some of the important discoveries that Alex makes, in his day to day life as a plant manager. It discusses some of the problems that are simple but relevant to a productive industry. It suggests the importance of reducing the batch size and eliminating bottlenecks to improve production efficiency. This book can be a quick read to find immediate solutions to management problems. It challenges conventional thinking and opens the mind of the reader to new ideas and opportunities. The fact that the book is presented as a fable with intertwining management concepts, makes it an interesting read. Some of the readers can associate themselves with the characters in the book. ("Amazon.Ca:Customer Reviews: The Goal: A Process Of Ongoing Improvement")
Work cited
"Amazon.Ca:Customer Reviews: The Goal: A Process Of Ongoing Improvement". Amazon.ca. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 May 2016.
Goldratt, Eliyahu M and Jeff Cox. The Goal. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press, 1992. Print.
Gray, Michael C. "The Goal Book Review". Profitadvisors.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 May 2016.
Martin, James. "The Goal - A Summary Of The Novel By Goldratt And Cox". Maaw.info. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 May 2016.
