Whilst business schools are seeing more applications by analysts and execs being down-sized from banks and other sectors, I see from the Economist [Giving advice in adversity] consulting firms are not faring so well. I hope they were expecting this and prepared their staffing plans for it over the last couple of years, as it’s exactly [...]

Good to be starting a collaboration on this for the textbook 2nd edition with Alexander Zock at European Center for Aviation Development, who is trying to get better understanding of the dynamics of this turbulent industry - from airlines back to airports and aircraft production. [BTW - by industry dynamics we mean rates of start-up, exit, [...]

Just remembered to warn about how NOT to go about destroying competitors. See my previous post on candidate for the most dangerous article in strategy.

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Now here’s a really useful tool from McKinsey. Using ‘power curves’ to assess industry dynamics shows the value of seeing the size-distribution of competitors in an industry. It shows the tool for banking, chemicals, software and biotech. You can do much, much more with this though.

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Another interesting one in HBR is Teaming up to Crack Innovation: Enterprise Integration. Essentially makes the same points as the HBS Working Knowledge article on P&G’s New Innovation Model, which, though it is on only one case, is more informative about what was actually done. P&G also pushed the model harder outside the organisation than the HBR [...]

Amongst a rich crop of articles in November’s HBR is Winning the Race for Talent in Emerging Markets, which cleverly shows how the nature of the challenge varies a lot between different countries and some ideas what to do about it.  To see what one big winner has done about it, see the Infosys 07/8 [...]

I’ve just sent off for re-release to Business Expert Press 2 of 3 strategy dynamics booklets I thought had died. I wrote ‘The Critical Path‘ and ‘People Power‘ a few years back [samples at these links - new edns will be updated] , and published with folk who turned out useless [and cost me tons [...]

I have just been asked to include a specific extra section on this in the LBS ADP executive course on which I teach, which reminds me it may be useful to many others, so here’s a very short summary

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I’m sceptical of the value from surveys of executive opinion - why should I care e.g. whether X% of CEOs think that getting the talent they need is a problem? This one on attitudes to socio-political issues is interesting, but

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Talent management has been a big issue in strategic management for a long while now. Shortage of people seems sometimes more of a problem than shortage of customers! So it’s worth taking a look at a pretty solid new book, Smart Talent Management, by Vlad Vaiman and Charles Vance.

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