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Bain's 2007 Management Tools survey offers a window into what companies around the globe believe is important right now. They looked at how important the following tools were to companies, and how satisfied they were with them.

Percent using tool 
88% Strategic Planning 
84% Customer relationship Management 
82% Customer Segmentation 
81% Benchmarking 
79% Mission and Vision Statements 
79% Core Competencies 
77% Outsourcing 
69% Business Process Reengineering 
69% Scenario and Contingency Planning 
69% Knowledge Management 
68% Strategic Alliances 
66% Balanced Scorecard 
66% Supply Chain Management 
65% Growth Strategy Tools 
64% Total Quality Management

Satisfaction Levels
Very Satisfied 
Strategic Planning 
Customer Segmentation 
Mergers and Acquisitions 
Customer Relationship Management
Core Competencies 
Benchmarking 
Total Quality Management 
Mission and Vision Statements 
Scenario and Contingency Planning 
Strategic Alliances 
Business Process Reengineering

Satisfied 
Supply Chain Management 
Growth Strategy Tools 
Lean Operations 
Collaborative Innovation 
Offshoring 
Outsourcing

Not Satisfied 
Six Sigma 
Shared Service Centers 
Consumer Ethnography 
Balanced Scorecard 
Knowledge Management 
Loyalty Management Tools 
Corporate Blogs 
RFID

Bain concludes that this year, as in previous years, executives are thinking about customers-acquiring them, keeping them, learning more about what they want, and then satisfying and delighting them. They know they must innovate to keep customers happy, and engender loyalty to spur repeat business, but they're not entirely sure how to go about it.

They are also looking outside their organizations, to alliances and partnerships, to reduce costs, spur innovation and free up cash. Off shore relationships, to chase low costs are also important in this scheme they're outsourcing like crazy-but not necessarily sending the work offshore. And they are relying on information technology to run their businesses more efficiently.

More importantly, they're looking beyond cost sutting to learning how to manage better, and looking to "tool sets" such as those highlighted under "tool usage", to do so.

In past reports, they have also provided the following great recommendations:

1. Get the facts Every tool has its own strengths and weaknesses. To succeed, you must understand the effects (and side effects) of each tool, then combine the right tools in the right ways at the right times. Use the research. Talk to other tool users. Don’t naively accept hyperbole and simplistic solutions.

2. Champion enduring strategies, not fleeting fads. Managers who promote fads undermine employees’ confidence that they can create the change that is needed. Executives are better served by championing realistic strategic directions—and viewing the specific tools they use to get there as subordinate to the strategy.

3. Choose the best tools for the job Managers need a rational system for selecting, implementing and integrating the tools that are appropriate for their companies. A tool will improve results only to the extent that it helps discover unmet customer needs, helps build distinctive capabilities and helps exploit the vulnerabilities of competitors— or a combination of all three.

4. Adapt tools to your business system (not vice versa) No tool comes with prepackaged instructions and a guarantee. All must be adapted to a company’s particular circumstance.

For more information, follow this link to more information about the survey and the tools described Bain's Top 25 Management Tools