Overdosed management: How excess of excellence begets failure

Abstract

The managerial world has been inundated with dozens of sound management theories during the last three decades. Among them are the Balanced-Scorecard, Activity-Based-Costing, Lean, Six Sigma, TQM, TOC, MBO, MCDM, Core competencies, Vision, Coaching, Outsourcing and many others. The application of these models has often proved disappointing for many companies. A major reason for the failure of these models is the OVERDOSE SYNDROME: taking good principles to destructive extremes. This paper analyzes the origins of the managerial overdose syndrome, illustrates its undesired outcomes and suggests ways to circumvent them in the future. Cases will illustrate the managerial overdose phenomenon and its remedies.