Results are in for Bain's global Management Tools and
Trends survey. This year's survey of 1,221 global
executives found four strong themes: Sharpened customer
focus, Outward bound, Beyond cost cutting, and
Establishment of power tools. Today, executives around
the world are using more tools than when last surveyed
in 2004. They averaged 15 tools in 2006, up from 13 in
2004. This increase was especially prevalent among small
and midsize companies, both of which had significantly
reduced tool usage in 2004. But while companies are
employing more tools, they appear to be finding them
less effective. 2007 pdf
