In this final week of reading and reflecting on The Goal, you will learn the outcomes for the companies and managers whose stories are told in the book. Consider how management challenges were often misunderstood because some managers could not see beyond their own paradigms. Consider how some of the most effective actions focused on the system, and the policy constraints, rather than the immediate, local issues.

This week, the Shared Practice focuses on the final section of The Goal, Part 3, assigned in this week’s readings. This section concludes the sequence of critical thinking activities and discussions of the book.

To prepare for this Shared Practice, select one of the following options, based on the two course level outcomes below, which you will use to frame and analyze this week’s reading assignment in The Goal:

Compare and contrast major approaches to managing and improving organizational performance.

OR

Demonstrate collaboration and perspective sharing among stakeholders to reach consensus on the desired state of the system.

Then, from Part 3 of your The Goal readings, research and select three short passages that contain essential concepts pertaining to management that you found to be compelling. Analyze them using the Course Outcomes you selected as a framework.

For this Shared Practice, write a 3- to 4-paragraph essay. Identify the Course Outcome you selected and the passages from Part 3 of The Goal. Explain why each passage you chose is relevant and important in effective business management. Justify your response and include citations for each passage.

As you move on to next week, reflect on this statement, “If I had only known this, back when…”