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Strategic Thinking Precedes Strategic Planning (2012) |
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Most organizations engage in strategic planning. Yet, very often the resulting strategic plan looks very much like the continuation of business as usual. Very little is significantly different because the participants did not engage in strategic thinking. Transactional thinking creates transactional plans. Status quo thinking preserves the status quo. Effective strategic planning requires strategic thinking. Read More
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The Acquisition Deal is Done – Now What? (2011) |
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Most acquisitions are made with the expectation that one plus one will equal three. Unfortunately, post-acquisition analysis too often reveals a result that is something less than two. Read More
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The Three Pillars of Organizational Change (2011) |
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The success rate of large scale organizational change remains a dismal 30% despite best intentions and efforts. Analyses of failed change efforts show a consistent pattern of either a lack of alignment at the senior level or a failure to fully understand and implement the multi-faceted aspects of a successful change initiative. Read More |
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Back to the Basics (November 2010) |
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Difficult economic times can create stress and challenges for business. But they also create potential opportunities. It is during difficult times that true leaders sustain and grow their business – ready to expand even more rapidly as the economic climate improves. Read More |
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Translating Strategy into Execution (October 2010) |
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Most organizations create strategies to achieve their business objectives. Strategies may be established for the development of new products or services; for new approaches to marketing and sales; for creating value-extensions to existing products; for internal productivity gains; for talent development; and other initiatives designed to increase organizational performance and create new opportunities. Read More |
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Prospering in Difficult Times (February 2010) |
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In good times most businesses do well. When demand is up and economic conditions are right, growth and profitability are the natural consequences of being in the right place at the right time. The problem is that some organizations may believe that they are successful because of what they are doing…when in fact their success may be in spite of what they are doing! Read More |
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Integrating Strategy and Structure (August 2009) |
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Organizations create business models that define their products and services, and how they will bring those products and services to the marketplace. One of the fundamental elements of a business model is organizational structure. Structure defines the relationships of the various parts of the organization to each other as well as internal reporting relationships. The most common structure is the functional organization. In a functional organization, each department has the competence, resources and work processes to perform its functions.Typical functional departments include marketing, sales, manufacturing, service delivery, finance, human resources, IT, etc. Read More |
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Building Value Proposition (August 2008) |
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What do customers value? Why do customers choose to do business with one organization over another? Customers want the highest value for their money. The dilemma is that customers define value in very different ways. Since no company can be all things to all people, every company has to think about and offer its own “value proposition” – knowing that its position will attract some types of customers and turn others away. Read More |
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Establish Your Market Position (September 2004) |
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Every company has a market position. It may have happened by design or it may have evolved over time. A company's market position answers the question: Why should customers do business with us instead of our competitor? There are three strategic alternatives for answering this question... Read more |
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Manage to the Economic Growth Cycle (January 2004) |
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The economic cycle is now firmly on the recovery path and in the beginning stage of a new growth period. This shift brings the need to look at the world differently and determine whether we should change some of our business assumptions and decisions... Read more |
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Leaders Move Quickly During Transitions (June 2003) |
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As we watch our new mayor form his transition team to define the platform, organization and people for his new administration, we realize that most leaders are responsible for similar transitions at various times. Taking on the leadership of a new organization or major department requires a transition. Acquisitions, mergers, and re-organizations all require a transition process. Following are some guidelines for successful transitions... Read more |
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Heed the Rule of Thirds (April 2003) |
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Leaders must guide change toward their desired vision or they leave themselves and their organizations vulnerable to the actions of others in the world around them...Read more |
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Know When Its Time for Organizational Change (July 2002) |
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There was a time when business seemed stable. You developed your products, built your customer base, served them well. Life was pretty predictable. If you did everything well, you were sailing on a calm sea... Read more |
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Rules for Reorganization |
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Hate to re-organize? Most people do. It's disruptive. Established ways of working are threatened. But there are times when reorganization is necessary... Read more |
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Treat Traditions with a Dose of Skepticism |
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Traditions are special for all of us. Something becomes a tradition because it worked well, set a standard for the future, or we liked it so much that we kept it. Over time it becomes "the way." Traditions help us mark special events and celebrate occasions. They give us guidelines for how to act under certain circumstances... Read more |
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What To Do When Business Rules Change |
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We live in a world of ever-increasing change. Instant communications, global web connectivity, email, cell phones, and other tools have increased the pace of our lives dramatically. Despite these changes, we typically adjust to new circumstances without changing the basic way we conduct our business. We assume that the rules of our business have not fundamentally changed - we just have to "work smarter" to keep up... Read more |
