In theory, value-based management programs sound seductively simple. Just adopt an economic profit metric, tie compensation to agreed-upon improvement targets in that metric, and voila--managers and employees will start making all kinds of value-creating decisions. If only it were that easy. The reality is, almost half of the companies that have adopted a VBM metric have met with mediocre success. That's because, the authors contend, the successful VBM program is really about introducing fundamental changes to a big company's culture. Putting VBM into practice requires a great deal of patience, effort, and money. According to the authors' study, companies that successfully use VBM programs share five main characteristics. First, nearly all made explicit and public their commitment to shareholder value. Second, through training, they created an environment receptive to the changes the program would engender. Third, they reinforced that training with broad-based incentive systems closely tied to the VBM performance measures, which gave employees a sense of ownership in both the company and the program. Fourth, they were willing to craft major organizational changes to allow all of their workers to make those value-creating decisions. Finally, the changes they introduced to the company's systems and processes were broad and inclusive rather than focused narrowly on financial reports and compensation. The authors argue that properly applied, a VBM program will put your company's profitability firmly on track.

A survey of 345 Fortune "1000" industrial companies in 1979 shows that portfolio planning is becoming a popular method for managing the diversity of businesses within large organizations. Despite the described limitations of portfolio planning, most of the companies find portfolio planning worth pursuing because it helps them focus on the unique contribution each subsidiary makes to the business of the corporation.