This case study describes how a large corporation with several business unites developed and implemented a consistent group-wide process for strategic analysis and strategic planning for the first time.
The rise and fall of strategic planning
This book has been on my list to write a review about for some time. I read it after the Strategy Safari – which was a great entry into Mintzberg’s view of strategy. Although it clearly goes beyond that, for me it is some sort extended, more detailed and more formal version of a chapter […]
Making sense of strategy
If you are looking for a compact framework of corporate strategy – what it is all about and how to do it – this book will be a good choice for you:
The many faces of the strategist
The job description of a professional strategic planning manager or a strategist is manifold. Similarly, expectations on the strategist are diverse. It seems as if almost anybody has his own unique idea of the traits, tasks, and responsibilities of a strategist. Not surprisingly, these many facets are fairly contradictory. Hence, a strategist is torn between […]
Strategy Safari – The complete guide through the wilds of strategic management
This book was the nugget of my complete MBA reading list. All the other books were text books and thus more or less easy to understand. This one, however, was the only one I read as a page-turner.
Strategy making in the past and today – Part 2: Problems with the traditional strategy process
This part two of our article series about traditional and new approaches to strategy development looks at the problems related to the traditional strategy process. They mainly arise from today’s dynamic and unpredictable business environment – a condition that the original process was not designed for.
Strategy making in the past and today – Part 1: The traditional strategy process
Management theory and practice widely accept today that businesses operate in a more and more complex, dynamic, less predictable environment. This situation requires managers to develop new ways of thinking and acting. Nevertheless, many managers still follow the old approach of strategic positioning and strategic planning. This basic model proved to be very worthwhile for […]
Strategy and change – natural order or chicken-and-egg problem?
At the first glance, it is common sense: at first, a strategy is developed. Then, change is necessary in order to implement that strategy. The logic of this order is striking, isn’t it? Unfortunately, life is not as simple as we would prefer. It would be shortsighted to see change only as a means of […]
The big shift in strategy
The last decades have brought a dramatic change in the external environment for almost every business. What has been a fairly stable and predictable landscape for a very long time has become a mix of dynamic, ever-changing and unpredictable forces. It is almost common sense now that the traditional approach to strategy, which builds on […]
How do you get the most out of your strategic planning meeting? Practical advice for preparation and follow-up
Strategic planning meetings are a very controversial thing. They have a bit of a reputation to be just another fancy management trend. I have to admit that I, too, have my doubts if all of these meetings are worth the efforts. My experience tells me that there is much truth in Brian Quinn’s famous quote: […]