How Dell Does it

In its March, 2005 issue, "Fortune" magazine dubbed Dell Inc., the "Most Admired Company in the U.S." Such high praise is nothing new for Dell. Long before it made it onto the Fortune 100, in 1992, Dell has been the company to watch. So much so that Dell-watching has spawned a veritable cottage industry within the business press. A river of ink has been devoted to describing Dell's lightening-fast style of swooping into and rapidly dominating established markets, its famous "zero-tolerance" inventory practices, and its revolutionary use of the Internet to sell direct. Yet, for all the intense scrutiny, so far all who've tried to duplicate Dell's success have failed. Can it be that the pundits have been overlooking an essential truth about what makes Dell tick? Find out in "How Dell Does It," In the most rigorous and systematic examination of the company yet, industry insider Steven Holzner dispels the many myths and misconceptions swirling around Dell, Inc. to reveal the true soul of Dell. He takes us inside day-to-day operations at Round Rock, Texas, to explore the company's processes, practices, and culture. And, he explains how Michael Dell and his lieutenants have, through strict adherence to a set of core principles, ignited a business revolution as profound in its implications as the one sparked by Henry Ford at the dawn of the 20th century. How does a $49 billion company with 57,000 employees worldwide, consistently perform like a hungry upstart? What does Michael Dell mean, exactly, when he says that "inventory is ignorance?" How is Dell's obsession with ROIC (return on invested capital) reflected in its market segmentation practices, and how are those, in turn, mirrored in its approach to managing growth? How fundamental to Dell's success is the "virtual integration" of customers and suppliers, and how does it work? What has been the impact of Dell's unorthodox personnel practices, such as reducing the responsibilities of its most successful managers? Holzner provides detailed answers to these and dozens of crucial questions about how Dell does it. Like no author before him, he carefully delineates the Dell business model in all its parts and shows how they interconnect. And, perhaps most important, he extracts powerful lessons about doing business in the new millennium--lessons that leaders in any industry can use to create leaner, meaner, turn-on-a-dime enterprises, and, ultimately, succeed the way Dell does. Reveals the Key Management Principles Behind Dell's Unprecedented Success The story of how Michael Dell grew a dorm-room, custom-PC shop into the world's leading computer systems company, in just 21 years, has become part of modern business lore. But until now, none of what has been written about Dell, Inc. and its business practices has afforded business professionals a clear, practical understanding of the guiding principles underlying the company's phenomenal success. In "How Dell Does It," industry insider Steven Holzner cuts through the hype surrounding Michael Dell and the company he built to expose the core principles that have guided Dell, Inc. from the start. He takes us deep inside the company to explore, in exacting detail, every aspect of the company's processes, practices, and culture, and he shows how they function within the framework of Dell's revolutionary business model. He distills powerful lessons thatbusiness leaders in every industry sector can use to achieve extraordinary results the way Dell does. Among other things, you'll discover how to: Adapt Dell's just-in-time inventory techniques to your company Use "virtual integration" to turn customers and suppliers into partners Anticipate and adapt to market changes at a moment's notice Harness the awesome power of the Internet to achieve record growth Motivate employees to new heights of innovation and productivity