1338 Posts Found

The strategic direction of the company must engender clear expectations about the markets in which the company will compete, which capabilities the company must possess to be able to achieve its desired position, and how the company’s organizational culture will measure and value performance. With these expectations clearly defined, management then must develop a set of concrete implementation plans that will drive the company in … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Author: Robert Gjetsund | Source: Accenture | Subject: Strategy

Competing successfully in this new decade requires companies to meet the needs of both low-growth and high-growth markets while differentiating themselves from foreign and local competitors. Building a low-cost global production network that taps into the strengths of each geographical region is critical. Also crucial to success: innovating products, processes and business models to increase margins wherever possible — and to gain market share. Key … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Sources: Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Knowledge@Wharton | Subjects: International, Strategy

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A shortcut to the big themes in the conversation about corporate strategy.

Content: Article | Author: Walter Kiechel | Source: strategy+business | Subject: Strategy

In a conflict between strategy and culture, culture eventually wins. Always.

Content: Quotation | Author: Thomas A. Stewart | Source: BNET | Subjects: Culture, Strategy

Business leaders can’t develop and execute effective strategy without first gathering the right information, says Harvard Business School professor Robert Simons. In his new book, Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution, Simons explains how managers can identify holes in their planning processes and make smart choices. Here’s an excerpt outlining the seven questions every manager should ask.

Content: Article | Author: Robert Simons | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Management, Strategy

In some respects, developing strategy is the easy part. Executing that strategy in alignment with strategic priorities is where real mastery of management takes place. Harvard Business School senior lecturer Frank V. Cespedes shows how it is done.

Content: Article | Authors: Frank V. Cespedes, Sean Silverthorne | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Management, Strategy

In this interactive presentation—one in a series of multimedia frameworks—Lowell Bryan, a director in McKinsey’s New York office, describes the strategic control map, a framework that tracks the dynamics of market capitalization within industries.

Content: Multimedia Content | Author: Lowell Bryan | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subject: Strategy

Left unchecked, subconscious biases will undermine strategic decision making. Here’s how to counter them and improve corporate performance.

Content: Article | Authors: Dan P. Lovallo, Olivier Sibony | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Strategy

Michael G. Jacobides, Associate Professor of Strategic and International Management, talks about changes in the competitive environment.

Content: Multimedia Content | Author: Michael G. Jacobides | Source: London Business School | Subject: Strategy

Positions are seldom lost because they have been destroyed, but almost invariably because the leader has decided in his own mind that the position cannot be held.

Content: Quotation | Author: A. A. Vandegrift | Source: LeaderValues | Subject: Competition

Although even the highest levels of uncertainty don’t prevent businesses from analyzing predicaments rationally, says author Hugh Courtney, the financial crisis has shown us the limits of our tools—and minds.

Editor’s Note: quite topical, but still an interesting read…

Content: Thought Leader | Author: Hugh Courtney | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Strategy

In order to remain relevant and effective, businesses need some way to monitor both the execution of their strategic plan and the changing environment in which they do business. With these management tools providing input in real time, organizations can quickly adjust course as circumstances present new opportunities or threats. A simple model made up of “Four Ps” can help companies create this advantage. These … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Ron Price | Source: American Management Association (AMA) | Subject: Strategy

Although it is surprisingly hard to create good ones, they help you ask the right questions and prepare for the unexpected. That is hugely valuable.

Content: Article | Author: Charles Roxburgh | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subject: Strategy

As the Initial Public Offering (IPO) market gains momentum, more organizations are evaluating the option of becoming a publicly traded company, and the processes associated with an IPO. Going public certainly represents a significant event and major achievement for any company. With all of its rewards, however, an IPO can be complicated, time-consuming, and involve a high degree of risk. The process requires an extraordinary … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Source: Deloitte | Subjects: Finance, Management, Strategy

Professor Richard Rumelt says its simply the focus of resources on business objectives.

Content: Multimedia Content | Author: Richard Rumelt | Source: UCLA | Subject: Strategy

Visions need to challenge people, evoke a feeling that draws people towards wanting to be a part of something quite special. When a vision is framed as something that is achievable within a set amount of years, then it falls into the terrain of a strategic plan.

Content: Quotation | Author: Mark Lipton | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Strategy, Vision

The vultures are circling. ‘Strategy, as we knew it, is dead,’ proclaims Walt Shill, head of Accenture’s North American consulting practice. A January 25 Wall Street Journal article quotes him explaining, ‘Corporate clients decided that increased flexibility and accelerated decision-making are much more important than simply predicting the future.’ A recent white paper from the Boston Consulting Group hung similar crepe. In its research on … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Walter Kiechel | Source: ChangeThis | Subject: Strategy

Three distinct types of agility—strategic, portfolio, and operational—help companies compete. Each of them has its own sources and dangers.

Content: Article | Author: Donald Sull | Source: McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Strategy

Competition typically focuses on one of two dimensions—either functionality, as in speed, reliability, or power; or convenience, such as ease of use or customization. Whichever is more valuable to the customer is the basis of competition in a market at that time. Dominating a market is a function of delivering more of the kinds of performance that matter to customers than your competitors can. The … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Authors: Daniel Littmann, Michael E. Raynor | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Competition, Strategy