Strategy Process

Introduction

All companies have strategies, but many surveys report the same finding: between 50% and 90% of organisations that have decided on a new strategic direction fail to implement it (see www.businessballs.com). Therefore one key managerial challenge for strategists is in developing and executing strategies successfully.

This course is centred upon three central themes; strategy development processes, strategy implementation, and strategic change processes. The first theme considers sensemaking and dynamic processes of forming multiple strategies. The second theme includes strategy execution, such as how to align the organisation in realising a new strategy. Challenges in managing the change process are the third theme.

The course addresses the managerial challenges involved in strategy implementation by emphasizing application and practice. We will discuss state of the art cases in order identify key problems in executing strategy, and how such problems might be solved in order to align the organisation with a new strategy. This will be supplemented with the use of simulations and input from guest speakers (who are senior managers with a responsibility for strategy in their organisations).

Students will have the opportunity to directly apply course material to their own organisations or business units via project reports and case presentations.

Course content

The course content would typically include, but is not limited to, topics such as:

• Strategy development processes
• Sensemaking and the cognitive side of strategizing
• Dynamic processes of formulating and forming multiple strategies
• Execution of strategic intentions
• Translating strategy into actions (AOPs, KPIs)
• Aligning the organisation to achieve change (fulfilment of strategy processes in a variety of strategizing contexts)
• Implementation and strategic change processes