Six Disciplines

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

The cumulative effects of misalignment are a significant constraint on the ability of an organization to execute its strategy. This type of misalignment surfaces suddenly as a barrier to implementing new strategies. BOTTOMLINE: If your leadership does not learn how to align resources with goals, the free market will.

Constraint 70

Constraint Objective Resources Goal 70

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 10, 2015

Today, we must learn how to shape networks around a shared purpose. So executives need to leverage platforms in order to access ecosystems. Therefore, the ability to manage operation and the capacity to inspire employees is no longer enough.

IT Strategy 8

IT Strategy Strategy Operations Resistance 8

Six Disciplines

MARCH 21, 2011

The cumulative effects of misalignment are a significant constraint on the ability of an organization to execute its strategy. This type of misalignment surfaces suddenly as a barrier to implementing new strategies. BOTTOMLINE: If your leadership does not learn how to align resources with goals, the free market will.

Constraint 101

Constraint Objective Video Resources 101

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 2, 2017

Nokia was so immersed in executing its strategy that it lost sight of its purpose. “If one can figure out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access to space could be reduced by a factor of a hundred,” Musk explains on the SpaceX website. In retrospect, it seems inevitable.

Strategy 13

Strategy Company How To Supply Chain 13

Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 1, 2014

Instead, we learned that catalytic converters come in all shapes and sizes and it is impossible to know -- without cracking it open -- how valuable the precious metals inside might be. Panhandle developed its strategy around dealing with this uncertainty.

Travel 68

Travel PR Learning-by-Doing Open-book 68

Eric Jacobson

OCTOBER 13, 2014

Instead, we learned that catalytic converters come in all shapes and sizes and it is impossible to know -- without cracking it open -- how valuable the precious metals inside might be. Panhandle developed its strategy around dealing with this uncertainty.

Travel 73

Travel Learning-by-Doing PR Open-book 73

Eric Jacobson

JULY 2, 2014

Instead, we learned that catalytic converters come in all shapes and sizes and it is impossible to know -- without cracking it open -- how valuable the precious metals inside might be. Panhandle developed its strategy around dealing with this uncertainty.

Succession 77

Succession Travel Learning-by-Doing PR 77

CO2

APRIL 30, 2013

In both of the cases I’ve outlined here, the organization’s culture usually dictates its strategy. When it doesn’t (when strategy isn’t shaped by culture), customers and employees tend to get thrown by the bull. How do you describe it to friends or acquaintances who have no stake in the matter?

Executive Coaching 134

Executive Coaching Operations Strategy System 134

Tim Milburn

AUGUST 14, 2012

Labovitz and Victor Rosansky, co-authors of Rapid Realignment: How to Quickly Integrate People, Processes, and Strategy for Unbeatable Performance. The first step toward rapid realignment is to get leadership team members aligned with The Main Thing of the enterprise and its strategy. This is a guest post by Dr. George H.

System 115

System Critical Success Factor Metrics Consultative 115

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Does Groupon have the fortitude to change its strategy? Do you believe the "they'll come back and pay full price" pledge of deal sites? Should Groupon focus on "excess opportunities" that result in immediately profitable transactions for merchants?

Discount 8

Discount How To Price Brand 8

Change Starts Here

APRIL 24, 2012

When I started putting the methods and tools together that helped my clients overcome challenges and brought them success, a common framework emerged for how to be an effective change agent. The half-hour audio recording, “How to Be an Irresistible Change Agent.”. Define whose support you need and figure out how to get it.

Webinar 78

Webinar Price Resistance Workshop 78

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 26, 2013

Only the largest of enterprises could afford the best technologies, and even for those with the largest bank accounts, IT strategies were limited to basics like CRM , ERP , or email. And given the complexities involved in building up competitive IT weaponry, businesses won by out-spending and out-resourcing their opponents.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Competitive Advantage Information Technology How To 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 28, 2016

For the past 10 years, my research, writing, and consulting have focused on the question of how to build robust ecosystem strategies. The blind spot in its strategy and the root cause of its collapse, was its failure to see how progress in the other components of its ecosystem would eliminate the value of the end goal.

Company 8

Company How To Technology Strategy 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 23, 2016

The company better aligned the workforce mix to its strategy, by optimizing different talent acquisition channels, manager spans of control (number of workers reporting to them), and worker mobility. Educate leaders on how and why to optimize a blended workforce.

Strategy 8

Strategy Span of Control Finance How To 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 8, 2017

“When I was hired, the company said it had a desire to shift its strategy toward mobile and digital. .” That said, he did think about what he learned from the experience — both about himself and what he wanted out of his career. “We spent time talking about opportunities that were out there for people like me.

How To 8

How To Letter Learning-by-Doing PR 8

The Empowered Buisness

JANUARY 2, 2014

So many companies fall short in their goals because they overemphasize strategy with little/no attention to the cultural aspects that drive it. The most ingenious strategy in the world will never come to fruition without creating the right culture to drive it. Strategy can be imitated by your competitors.

Company 135

Company Organization Cost Self-aware 135

Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

You know what you company needs, but how to put it in place? In this blog we take a look at three reasons why you need to get a Technology Consulting Company on board and how they can help you. While you can be great at many things, there are some things that you’ll always lack and one of those might be an in depth knowledge of IT.

Consultative 10

Consultative Technology Budgeting Reputation 10

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Everyone thinks they have a digital strategy these days. But while your company may have a business or IT strategy that incorporates digital technology, an IT strategy does not equal a digital strategy. Because most IT strategies treat technology in isolation.

IT Strategy 9

IT Strategy Strategy Class Offshoring 9

Harvard Business Review

MAY 9, 2012

A crucial element of its strategy to win over consumers to its advanced smartphones was to persuade third-party developers to create a vast array of apps for its phones. But its strategy of customizing hardware for telcos had the unintended effect of imposing high customization costs on would-be developers (i.e.,

Innovation 13

Innovation Supply Chain Telecommunications Core Competence 13

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 10, 2017

Tactical performance is how effectively your organization sticks to its strategy. The second type, known as adaptive performance , is how effectively your organization diverges from its strategy. military says, volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity , where technology and strategy changes rapidly.

Organization 12

Organization Tactics Call Center Metrics 12

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 14, 2014

Take this brief assessment for feedback on how to improve strategic alignment in eight key areas. Most organizational leaders struggle to align day-to-day activities with strategy, even though they know it’s important to do. Why the gap? Let’s compare two fictional companies to see what’s involved.

Strategy 8

Strategy Restructuring Committee Short-term 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 22, 2013

The reason is that strategy is the only way to figure out to what to pay attention to and how to get better. The act of articulating a desired future state — a decision about where to play and how to win — enables the tracking of progress against the desired state.

Uncertainty 9

Uncertainty Strategy System Efficiency 9

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

The feel of Starbucks stores isn’t created merely by the layout and the décor—it exists because the people behind the counter understand how their work fits into a common purpose, and recognize how to accomplish great things together without needing to follow a script. The Gap Between Strategy and Execution.

Execution 15

Execution Strategy How To Budgeting 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 16, 2016

While a company’s purpose generally doesn’t change, strategies and organizational structures do, which can make chasing “alignment” between strategy and the organization feel like chasing an elusive will-o’-the-wisp. And yet it is possible. Your answers to both questions can be plotted on the matrix above.

Banking 13

Banking Strategy Film Operations 13

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

Clarity is so important for good strategies that companies should make an effort to understand what it means and how to achieve it. For me, IKEA’s success is mostly due to the clarity of its strategy. Easy to understand and communicate, they convey clarity internally and externally to the customer.

Strategy 12

Strategy Document Comparison Retail 12

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 2, 2016

A company that creates a sustainable competitive advantage, executes well and reinvests to solidify its strategy will find that its share price accurately reflects its value. So how can boards ensure their company is able to grow sustainably? And if there is no arbitrage to be had, most activists will hunt elsewhere.

Company 8

Company Bureaucracy Long-term Competitive Advantage 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 10, 2017

An enterprise software company confronted this issue after it shifted its strategy to focus on cross-selling in larger, Tier 1 and 2 accounts — those with the most potential spending across the company’s product portfolio. They also struggle with how to get more reps to perform at top levels.

Software 10

Software Metrics CRM B2B 10

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 7, 2014

This month he’s publishing his second book based on the interviews: “Quick and Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation.” He talked with HBR about why a company’s culture is more important than its strategy — and some of the innovative tactics that CEOs have used to help create a high-performing culture.

CEO 11

CEO FAQ Restructuring Performance Review 11

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 10, 2017

This entails viewing costs not merely as an in-year expense but also as a multiyear investment in differentiating capabilities designed to help your company execute its strategy. Second, rethink costs in terms of capabilities. In many companies, the investments you make in capabilities are hidden within an array of functional budgets.

Cost 10

Cost How To Budgeting Strategic Planning 10

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 13, 2017

Having streamlined the portfolio and reset budgets, it is important to redesign the operating model — that is, the way the company is organized to deliver on its strategy — to eliminate any unnecessary work or dysfunctional processes that bog things down. Redesign the Operating Model.

Zero Based Budgeting 13

Zero Based Budgeting Organization Budgeting How To 13

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 2, 2014

Before you can scale the business, you have to understand what your customers really want and value, and how to deliver it to them — and that process requires a lot of flexibility. If your company puts you in charge of developing a foreign market or a new line of business, your challenges are in many ways similar to those facing a startup.

Innovation 10

Innovation Conflict of Interest Strategy System 10

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 13, 2016

The people who work for Ryanair know what the priority is, and thus know how to allocate their time on the job. How would your priorities change in case of a sudden economic downturn? A well-communicated sense of organizational priorities helps to align most of the projects and programs in an organization to its strategies.

Project 8

Project How To Objective Efficiency 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 30, 2014

For over 50 years, Wal-Mart has pursued essentially the same strategy of “offering the lowest price so its customer can live better.” Wells Fargo has become the most valuable bank in the world by sticking to its strategy of building a value proposition around selling more products per customer than anyone else.

Company 8

Company Supply Chain Airlines Health Care 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Caught up in administrative activities such as managing employee records and planning company picnics, human resources departments can too easily lose sight of their primary function: Making sure the organization has the needed human capital to implement its strategy. We’re not talking about Big Data.

Company 8

Company Human Resources Human Capital Engineering 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 17, 2013

High-performing IT organizations appoint executives to sit at the intersection of business areas and the IT function, helping business leaders to shape their IT strategies and marshaling a technology team to deliver against that demand. How to Compete When IT Is Abundant. Reinventing Corporate IT An HBR Insight Center.

CIO 8

CIO Technology Storytelling Strategic Planning 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 15, 2015

At that point, Alphatech’s management reassessed its strategy and sales approach. Here’s how: Identifying good customers. But it needed a Deal Profile first — a set of guidelines that would link the company’s strategy with the approaches used by its salespeople.

Strategy 8

Strategy Team Discount ROIC 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 29, 2012

At a Global 50 consumer products company, management has developed a governance structure that allows it think about risk proactively, and has aligned its risk profile and exposures more closely with its strategy.

Risk Management 14

Risk Management Maturity EBITDA Management 14