More on growth vs. ROIC
One challenge I got from the academics on the issue of strategy tools’ usefulness was whether growth is still a relevant question in these recessionary times. Read more
Short online strategy course
Just launched a short course at open learning materials provider, Coggno. Its free intro on ‘what is strategy’ may be useful in any case – it makes the case, with examples, that steering strategy and performance is a larger issue that the infrequent choice of strategic ‘position’ that dominates strategy books and courses. The short course is based on the full 10-week video slide-show course used in MBA programs.
Update on the troubles with strategy
Here’s my latest msg to the B School academics [remember the point of this is to get some useful strategy methods for executives and consultants]. Will let you all know what response I get. Read more
What’s the use of strategy tools?
On behalf of executives and consultants who really would like some useful approaches to strategy, I last week issued the following challenge to the Business School profs’ discussion lists – so far, just a handful of the thousands of recipients have responded, and no explanation offered as yet for the irrelevance of strategy research and teaching. Read more
Other strategy reviewers
I’m not the only person blogging on business strategy of course – try Googling ‘business strategy blog’ – but hope I’m doing a useful job [tell others if I am - tell me if I'm not!]. Another nice resource is Edgevantage, which comes in the form of a more organised regular briefing from Donald Nordberg. The key issue is that people with strategic responsibility [and their advisors!] should be keeping on top of latest intelligence and carefully evaluating its implications for their organizations – so even if you don’t like my blog, at least do something to track what’s going on.
Beware new challengers
BCG reports on the companies from rapidly developing economies who are growing fast to join the ranks of the multinational elite. Read more
Decline and recovery by sector
Experienced execs may have a good feel for how their particular industry may evolve during the downturn and recovery – e.g. consumer sectors tend to fall first, but recover earlier also. McKinsey have mapped the decline and recovery of different sectors in previous recessions, which might give useful pointers for what to look out for in your industry so your strategy can respond at the right time.
Open up to investors
McKinsey quarterly urges executives to embrace transparency if they want to help investors make investment decisions – presumably to invest in their firms. There’s a problem though … Read more
Analysis-based strategy
In Sloan Mgt Review Thomas Davenport of Babson College and Jeanne Harris of Accenture’s Institute For High Performance Business in What People Want Next (and How to Predict It) show how firms like Amazon.com use unprecedented data and sophisticated technology to inform decisions as never before. Great to see so much being written now about powerful strategic management being driven by data and analysis, not just gut and emotion [has anyone done more to devalue and undermine competent, professional strategic management than Henry Mitzberg I wonder?].
Great use of business intelligence is important and good to see. I would just add though, as I think I’ve noted before, that powerful organizations go beyond predicting what people want – they look for what they could be persuaded to want, then go about developing it and doing the persuading.