Argues that predictability is perhaps the single most powerful management tool in making businesses efficient. The author contends that when businesses favor short-term profits over long-term predictability (such as when they fire capable long-service employees) they are not only acting immorally, but incompetently. He discusses how businesses can incorporate predictability into long-term change programs such as reengineering, continuous improvement and restructuring. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.