Bain& Company launched a multi-year research project in 1993, to gather facts about the tools managers around the world use and the trends that the respondents saw impacting their businesses in the years ahead.  Bain’s objectives were two-fold:  1) To provide managers with information they need to identify and integrate tools that will improve bottom-line results, and 2) To understand how global executives view their strategic challenges and priorities.  Over the past 12 years, Bain completed 10 surveys, assembling a database that includes 7,283 respondents from more than 70 countries around the world.

This year the survey focused on 25 of the most popular management tools and techniques:

1.      Activity-Based Management
2.      Balanced Scorecard
3.      Benchmarkng
4.      Business Process Reengineering
5.      Change Management Programs
6.      Core Competences
7.      Customer Relationship Management
8.      Customer Segmentation
9.      Economic Value-Added Analyses
10.   Growth Strategies
11.   Knowledge Management
12.   Loyalty Management
13.   Mass Customization
14.   Mission and Vision Statements
15.   Offshoring
16.   Open-Market innovation
17.   Outsourcing
18.   Price Optimization Models
19.   RFID
20.   Scenario and Contingency Planning
21.   Six Sigma
22.   Strategic Alliances
23.   Strategic Planning
24.   Supply Chain Management
25.  Total Quality Management

This is a great list of current topics about which management consultants should be conversant.  All IMC USA members should be seeking information about the basic concepts, trends, and sources of knowledgeable about these topics.  The IMC US Academy for Professional Development will help members stay current on these topics and trends. If you are, or know of, an expert or resource in these topics, please contact Norm Eckstein, Director of the IMC USA Academy at norm@ecksteinconsult.com