The Agenda

Hammer's 1993 Reengineering the Corporation was a "big idea" business book whose one central theme was that dramatic improvements in performance were possible through reengineering business operations. Both the book and the concept were huge successes and encouraged others to promote one silver-bullet idea after another-all promising instant, ongoing competitive advantage. However, in his studies since that time, Hammer has discovered that the best companies innovate broadly, not only employing reengineering, but also a host of other initiatives that they use in response to the challenges of an evolving business environment and that often completely redefine their businesses.

The Agenda is offered, not only to chronicle and explain these emerging new business initiatives and make them widely accessible to the entire business community but also to expiate the "sin" of Hammer’s former (albeit unintentional) transgression.