Most businesses are racing just to keep up. A few are changing just for the fun of it and setting new standards that force change on their competitors. Today people expect to get quality and low price, too. Creative competitors in dozens of industries have taught us to believe this is possible. Pick any industry and you'll find some company proving to customers that they can have better products and better services quicker and for less money.
Several factors seem to be at the heart of the huge changes companies are undertaking.
A New Universe of Data. Incredible advances in information technology over the past twenty years have enabled companies to collect mountains of information about their customers, their products, and their own operations. The smartest ones have used this information to lower costs while increasing capacity and quality. New insights into the marketplace prove that all customers are different, that the mass market most companies were built to serve no longer exists. This has led to radical innovations in systems to develop, manufacture, and deliver new products.