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Why Strategy
Implementation Is So Difficult
Strategy implementation skills are not easily mastered,
unfortunately. In fact, virtually all managers find implementation the most
difficult aspect of their jobs – more difficult than strategic analysis or
strategy formulation. U.S. managers spend more than $10 billion annually on
strategic analysis and strategy formulation. Managers themselves report that
less than half the plans resulting from these efforts are ever implemented.
Outside observers put the success rate even lower: less than 10%.1
Strategies that are not implemented constitute little more
than academic exercises. The ability to implement strategies is one of the most
valuable of
all managerial skills. Managers intent on implementing strategy must:
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master systems thinking
to be able to coordinate a broad
range of interconnected efforts aimed at transforming intentions into
action, and
-
take care of the factors impeding
strategy implementation.
Strategic Cross-Functional Management
Strategic cross-functional management is central to capitalizing on
functional excellence, and in order for functional specialists to make the
greatest possible contribution, they must take a broader view of their
functions and understand how they fit into the web of the organizational
processes and, ultimately, into the overall
strategy...
More
Strategy
Innovation
Never is
strategy implementation more important than when
innovation is at the heart of a strategy. When it comes to innovation,
execution is not about fulfilling the script. It is about constantly
rewriting it. Innovation always involves treading into uncertain waters. And
as uncertainty rises, the value of a well-thought-out, but static,
enterprise strategy drops. In fact,
when pursuing entirely new business models,
no amount of research can resolve the critical unknowns. All that strategy
can do is give you a good starting point. From there, you must
experiment,
learn, and
adapt.3

Strategy
Management...
Differences between
Strategic Management and Classic Managerial Functions...
Strategic Programming...
Launching a Crusade...
Strategy Innovation...
New Systemic Approach
to
Strategic Management...
Analysis of the Business Environment...
Business Portfolio Analysis...
Milestone-based Thinking...
Strategic Innovation:
Road-Mapping...
Strategic Project Management...
Strategic Learning...
FutureStep -
a New Strategic
Management Process...
Dynamic Strategy as a Source of
Sustainable Competitive Advantage...
Creating Change...
Creative Leadership...
Leadership Development as a Strategic Task....
Case in Point
Unilever...
Case in Point
Silicon Valley Firms...
Case in Point
Canon...
Case in Point
Microsoft...
Case in Point
Charles Schwab...
Case in Point
Canon...
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