Andrew Campbell, Mikel Gutierrez

Strategies rarely say much about specific operations. In fact, when a strategy is complete, there are usually many questions left to be answered: what do you want me to do? by when? how much will this cost? do we have the budget? do I have clearance to hire extra people? what IT changes are needed? what can be outsourced? what new skills will we need? … [ Read more ]

Why You Need an Operating Model: To Align Your People and Deliver You Strategy

Putting a new strategy into effect is always difficult. Andrew Campbell and Mikel Gutierrez provide a practical solution to designing the necessary changes: the Operating Model Canvas. They describe how they applied it to the merger between Siemens and Gamesa, demonstrating how this framework, along with its supporting tools, can help leaders to design changes in their organization and operations.

Andrew Campbell

The success of ‘stretch goals’ to power performance in existing businesses can blind managers to the reality that similar techniques cannot be used to drive the creation of new businesses. Stretch goals work in existing businesses because managers get stuck in ruts and the stretch can unlock their thinking. In the search for new businesses managers have no ruts to unlock. Stretch just distracts them … [ Read more ]

How to Test Your Decision-Making Instincts

Trust your gut instincts—but only when four tests have been met.

Parenting Advantage: The Key to Corporate-Level Strategy

We estimate from our research that, far from being worth more than the sum of their parts, well over half the world’s multibusiness companies are actually worth less than this. They are value destroyers. The lack of clear corporate-level strategies shows up in the portfolios of unhappy bedfellows, well-intentioned but damaging corporate initiatives, and strings of acquisitions that create more wealth for bankers, lawyers and … [ Read more ]

Corporate Breakups

Acquisitions are all the rage, but when it comes to creating value, big is not always better. What matters is how a company’s pieces work together.

Editor’s Note: this article offers one of the most controversial and counter-intuitive prescriptions I have ever read (up there with the “IT adds no value” argument). Specifically, it says that corporate centers typically subtract value in multi-business entities rather … [ Read more ]