Following a given formula can’t ensure high performance, and for a simple reason: in a competitive market economy, performance is fundamentally relative, not absolute. Success and failure depend not only on a company’s actions but also on those of its rivals.
The halo effect, and other managerial delusions – The McKinsey Quarterly If you don’t have time to read the book, here’s an article-length summary of The Halo Effect
by Phil Rosenzweig, which I highly recommend.