Ric Merrifield on Rethinking Cost Cutting and Boosting Innovation

Published: Jan 24, 2019

Reports of the most recent layoffs are making the front pages of our newspapers with frightening regularity. And massive downsizing continues to reshape the face of American business. But what about those who remain behind? In his updated 2009 edition of Healing the Wounds, David M. Noer, an expert frequently quoted in major media such as The Wall Street Journal and Fortune on the topic of layoffs and layoff survivor sickness, addresses these problems. Drawing on case studies and original research, Healing the Wounds provides executives, human resource professionals, managers, and consultants with an original model and clear guidelines for revitalizing downsized organizations and the employees left behind. David M. Noer is vice president for training and education for the Center for Creative Leadership. He has consulted extensively both in the United States and abroad, and he is the author of Multinational People Management (1975), How to Beat the Employment Game (1975), and Jobkeeping (1976). For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: * Igniting Commitment: Engaging Employees for Breakthrough Performance * Confronting the Tough Stuff: Management Skills for Supervisors To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: * One Foot Out the Door by Judith M. Bardwick * 101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees by Paul Falcone

It’s the trap that ensnares virtually every business. We focus on process: “how” we’re doing the job. And we forget about the bigger issue: “what” we’re doing and “why” we’re doing it. That’s why we’re leaving so much value on the table.

In Rethink, business architect Ric Merrifield exposes this problem with vivid examples and introduces breakthrough techniques for overcoming it. Merrifield presents case studies ranging from ING DIRECT to Amazon.com to Procter & Gamble. These diverse companies have learned how to cut costs, strengthen innovation, and profit from change all at the same time.

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