Strategic management – Gabriel Catalano®

Digital Marketing Roadmaps – @intersection1 by Mark Smiciklas

Are you a fan of those BIG strategic reports? You know… the ones that never get read, gather cobwebs at the back of your filing cabinet or get used to keep the door to your office propped open.

You will be happy to know that your Intersection Digital Marketing Road Map will be presented in a visual, concise and easy to read format.

You will receive a straightforward, no-nonsense plan that includes sets of strategies, tactics and objectives for your organization to work through over a six to twelve month period.

The following areas make up the framework that’s used to design your digital road map:

Research
Planning
Implementation
Management
Measurement

The end result is a manageable plan that is customized to your specific marketing and communication needs – and takes into account the capacity of your organization.

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A 2007 McKinsey innovation report, based on a survey of nearly 1400 executives from around the world showed that the executives unanimously agreed (94%) that people and corporate culture were the most important drivers of innovation. In another major study of 759 firms across 17 major economies, “Corporate Culture” was found to be the primary driver of radical innovation (Radical Innovation Across Nations: The Preeminence of Corporate Culture, Journal of Marketing, Jan. 2009). Booz Allen has been surveying the Global 1000 firms and reporting on them since 2005. In their latest report (The Global Innovation 1000, Why Culture is Key, Issue 65, Winter 2011), they concluded:

“The elements that make up a truly innovative company are many: a focused innovation strategy, a winning overall business strategy, deep customer insight, great talent, and the right set of capabilities to achieve successful execution. More important than any of the individual elements, however, is the role played by corporate culture — the organization’s self-sustaining patterns of behaving, feeling, thinking, and believing — in tying them all together.”

Unfortunately, enterprise culture is a slippery concept. Scholars define it as the bundle of attitudes, experiences, values, norms, assumptions and beliefs embraced by managers and employees; these, in turn, guide behavior. Regrettably, these elements of the definition of culture are equally slippery, with the result that any executive who wants to create a culture of innovation will have no way to measure the current culture; and without measurement, he or she will find it difficult, if not impossible, to identify a clear point at which to intervene and create positive change.

Recognizing this problem, in this book, I offer a model for capturing an innovative culture. I scoured the fields of organizational dynamics, leadership, behavioral science, corporate entrepreneurship and innovation to find theoretical frameworks and models that described organizational culture and culture of innovation. Specifically, I looked for instruments and assessment tools that were actionable; a primary need for all executives hoping to bring about change. In doing so, I found extensive research and models from academia, consulting firms and enterprises themselves, spanning over 30 years.

Innovation at Work

The Culture of Innovation

Hope you all had a great summer (in the northern hemisphere) and peaceful winter down below! Can’t believe that it is already October!

Before I took off for summer, I was hoping to finish off a task I had started in March – summarizing and giving you snippets from my recent book in Spanish. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Anyway, for first time readers, the book is titled (translated from Spanish), “Innovation 2.0: Why do we forget about the people when we talk about innovation? A practical way to create a culture of innovation.” Available from: (U.S. Amazon website, Spain Amazon website, Profit Editorial website, In e-book format from todoebook.com).

To help first time readers navigate and regular readers recall what we have covered thus far, I will quickly summarize my previous 5 blogs.

March 2012 blog: My New Book

Ver la entrada original 1.474 palabras más

The Role of the Chief Strategy Officer

By Taman H. Powell and Duncan N. AngwinBy understanding how the duties of the chief strategy officer (CSO) can vary significantly from organization to organization, boards and CEOs can make better decisions about which type of CSO is necessary for their leadership teams.

THE CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER (CSO) is a comparatively new but increasingly important role in many organizations. To explore the role of the CSO, we conducted 24 interviews with CSOs at U.K. companies that are part of the FTSE 100 Index, across a number of industrial sectors. Secondary data — company reports, strategy documents and presentations — were used to complement the interviews. All interviews were conducted either at the CSO’s office or via telephone and followed the same semistructured outline and set of questions.

They were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through qualitative data management software.From the outset, it was clear that there was a variation in CSO roles, focused on two dimensions.

The first dimension was the stage of the strategy process in which the CSO was involved. Our findings identified a significant demarcation between whether the CSO was focused on the formulation of the strategy or the execution of the strategy.

The second dimension of variation was how the CSO engaged in the strategy process. Some CSOs were facilitators, advising business units during the strategy formulation or assisting in the execution. Other CSOs were enactors, far more likely to execute the strategy process by themselves or with their team.Based on variation in the roles carried out by the CSOs, we have developed a typology of four CSO archetypes. Continuar leyendo «The Role of the Chief Strategy Officer»

Basic Reasons to Audit Balanced Scorecard | by Sam Miller

http://ezinearticles.com

No matter what kind of business you are currently running, you surely understand the importance of reviewing and auditing its financial performance and all types of documents that contain this valuable info. Well, there is no doubt about the fact that the financial aspect is highly meaningful for any company, but what about other things that may seriously affect the financial results? These ones are definitely worth measuring as well.

Nowadays, there are different kinds of tools applied to assess these aspects and the Balanced Scorecard system is one of those that are currently considered the most affordable, comprehensive and reliable evaluation instruments. That is why it seems to be highly important to audit balanced scorecard as well. However, it makes sense to find out the essence and value of this scorecard first. Just like any other kind of audit, this one will help you compare the current performance of your organization with the basic criteria that matter in your business. These may include industry standards, successful practices and results as well as their importance for your business in particular. A scorecard audit (if performed accurately and correctly) helps get an independent and unbiased evaluation of how exactly you manage to track your business performance in general and the validity and quality of the data required for the assessment process in particular.

A typical audit model involves around 17 aspects that comprise such dimensions as scorecard content, its value, technical power and methods of reporting. This model provides the impartial and reliable data that may be further applied to improve the most problematic issues. Balanced Scorecard audit is one of the best ways to evaluate the overall success of your business system and realize your strategic goals more effectively.

What are those reasons, however, that make scorecard audit a necessity for any company concerned with its performance? >>>> Continuar leyendo «Basic Reasons to Audit Balanced Scorecard | by Sam Miller»

Why Strategy Matters in Business

4. Financial Strategy

Financial strategy is important for business growth or expansion. Many companies do not have the funds in the beginning to promote growth within the business, but continue to grow at an exponential rate. This is because the company has a well-planned financial strategy.

A successful business will have a number of investors, but it cannot depend upon them for expansion. The financial strategy details earned income, the number of investors, and reserve funds.

5. Operational Strategy

Operational strategy includes a set of tactics aimed at creating higher profits while lowering production costs. This can include purchasing and installing better manufacturing equipment and the best technology such as computers, software, and hardware. It may also include opening a location close to the target audience or obtaining products from a less expensive source.

The internet is an excellent resource to plan and implement aspects of all of these strategies. It is one of, if not the, best tools for businesses today. Companies are able to research target consumers and competitors on the internet quickly and efficiently. Social media forums are one of the best methods for this research, marketing and advertising products, and attracting new investors.

Magnetic Look works with small to medium size businesses who are looking to improve their positioning on the market and increase their profits. Our programs and services are designed to strategically deliver the results you need in order to succeed. If you need help creating systems and strategies for your small business brand that are easy to implement and bring you desired results fast, we’d love to hear from you. Learn how we can help you and request your quote here.

By Silvia Pencak | http://www.mymagneticblog.com

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu

A business strategy is a set of planned tactics, or steps, that ensure a successful business. A strategy must be carefully planned and executed in order to achieve a desired goal. Starting a new business or advancing a company to the next level is no different. A strategy is the direction one must take to reach the desired goal and tactics are steps that need to be taken to travel in the right direction. Almost all businesses have five strategies in common – marketing strategy, product strategy, pricing strategy, financial strategy, and operational strategy. It is imperative that entrepreneurs take time to research and create a strategic business plan with all of the steps included and stretching your business forward.

1. Marketing Strategy

Marketing strategy targets a desired audience and designs advertisements aimed at that particular audience. This strategy also involves researching similar businesses, their products and /or services, and their advertising methods. Companies can use this information to outshine the competitor’s advertisements, products, and services. Today, one of the most popular, as well as successful, marketing strategies is social media, in all its forums and platforms, on the internet… Continuar leyendo «Why Strategy Matters in Business»

Business Strategy Innovation Diamond (BSID)

Continuing my quest to surface some classics that the Innovation Excellence audience will have never seen, here is another from 2007:

I would like to introduce a visual metaphor that the consultants use at Business Strategy Innovation. It’s called, predictably enough, the Business Strategy Innovation Diamond, or the BSID. There is another reason we use it, to “ID” the “BS” in an organization. Now a lot of people would represent strategy as the top of a pyramid, processes in the middle, and systems as the base of a pyramid, but that ignores two of the most important tools in any organization – policies and reporting. Business Strategy Innovation instead starts with a diamond that looks like this: The BSID focuses your organization on making sure that the policies support the strategy, that the processes facilitate the policies, that the systems enable the processes, and the reporting measures the execution of the strategy. Not focusing on the BSID, may result in just BS instead of strategic innovation.

http://www.innovationexcellence.com
by Braden Kelley

Continuing my quest to surface some classics that the Innovation Excellence audience will have never seen, here is another from 2007:I would like to introduce a visual metaphor that the consultants use at Business Strategy Innovation. It’s called, predictably enough, the Business Strategy Innovation Diamond, or the BSID. There is another reason we use it, to “ID” the “BS” in an organization. Now a lot of people would represent strategy as the top of a pyramid, processes in the middle, and systems as the base of a pyramid, but that ignores two of the most important tools in any organization – policies and reporting. Business Strategy Innovation instead starts with a diamond that looks like this:

Business Strategy Innovation Diamond

Here is an example of how the Business Strategy Innovation Diamond can help you structure an organizational analysis project: Continuar leyendo «Business Strategy Innovation Diamond (BSID)»

In case you missed them, see which articles were most popular with our readers in the third quarter of this year.

1. BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
Clouds, big data, and smart assets: Ten tech-enabled business trends to watch
Advancing technologies and their swift adoption are upending traditional business models. Senior executives need to think strategically about how to prepare their organizations for the challenging new environment. In a set of accompanying podcasts, leading experts offer their views on how these trends will evolve and change business models.

2. GOVERNANCE
Why good bosses tune in to their people
Know how to project power, counsels Stanford management professor Bob Sutton, since those you lead need to believe you have it for it to be effective. And to lock in your team’s loyalty, boldly defend their backs.

3. STRATEGY
Global forces: An introduction
Five crucibles of change will restructure the world economy for the foreseeable future. Companies that understand them will stand the best chance of shaping it. In a related video commentary, McKinsey director Peter Bisson discusses the importance of spotting trends and building them into corporate strategy.

	1. BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY Clouds, big data, and smart assets: Ten tech-enabled business trends to watch Advancing technologies and their swift adoption are upending traditional business models. Senior executives need to think strategically about how to prepare their organizations for the challenging new environment. In a set of accompanying podcasts, leading experts offer their views on how these trends will evolve and change business models.
	2. GOVERNANCE Why good bosses tune in to their people Know how to project power, counsels Stanford management professor Bob Sutton, since those you lead need to believe you have it for it to be effective. And to lock in your team’s loyalty, boldly defend their backs.
	3. STRATEGY Global forces: An introduction Five crucibles of change will restructure the world economy for the foreseeable future. Companies that understand them will stand the best chance of shaping it. In a related video commentary, McKinsey director Peter Bisson discusses the importance of spotting trends and building them into corporate strategy.

Continuar leyendo

Innovation and Porter’s Value Chain

First, let’s remind ourselves of the Value Chain Model. Portner’s insight was to identify all the primary functions of a business and all the support functions of a business and seek to understand what the firm did exceptionally well, and what it must do at least moderately well. While other strategists had thought and written about the linkages between internal operations, Porter was one of the first to create the concept of the Value Chain. Today we often think of the value chain as extending “upstream” to suppliers and “downstream” to distribution channels and even to customers or consumers. The tool is a powerful metaphor when thinking about where and how a firm adds value.

Primary activities are the ones we usually think of as distinct operations or departments and are the “direct” costs in a business – inbound and outbound logistics, “operations” which could be manufacturing or development, marketing and sales, and service. Support activities are those that we traditionally think of as “overhead” – Human Resources, Information Technology, Procurement, and what Porter called Firm Infrastructure – legal, financial, management and so forth.

The model, once again, does not explicitly call out innovation, and in this breakdown of the organization it is hard to decide where and how innovation should add value. Clearly innovation can play a role in any of the primary functions. Innovation can improve the way we make things, or the way we distribute products and services, or the customer support and service we offer. Conversely, innovation could be considered a “supporting” capability that improves all functions from an enabling perspective. It’s possible that innovation exists in both locations. However, there are two other items to consider when thinking about innovation and the Value Chain analysis.

Submitted by Blogging Innovation |by Jeffrey Phillips
http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com

Innovation and Porter's Value Chain I’m reviewing the relationship between a number of tried and true strategic management models and innovation, to see if those models and concepts hold up under the increasing importance of innovation. A few days ago I reviewed Porter’s Five Forces model and concluded that while Porter didn’t explicitly call out innovation, it was clear that the Five Forces model embraced innovation. Today, we’ll look quickly at another Porter model – the Value Chain Analysis – and investigate how it holds up innovation.

In the 1980s, Michael Porter wrote a number of books about corporate strategy that became the basis for much of the education of MBAs, at least where strategy was concerned. Few MBAs in the 80s and 90s failed to study Porter’s Five Forces or Value Chain Analysis. Since many of those MBAs minted in that period are now in leadership positions in their firms, it behooves us to understand the models they carry around with them, and whether or not those models are open and extensible where innovation is concerned, or whether they ignore or resist innovation. Continuar leyendo «Innovation and Porter’s Value Chain»

Strategy – Give Your Online Business a Good Pair of Eyes

Make no mistake. In the kind of ocean the world-wide-web is, it is essential that you learn to navigate if you do not want to get lost. Building a strategy for your online business is going to help you reach your destination easier and faster. In the absence of being strategic, most of these untargeted efforts would only prove to be a big waste of efforts, money and time. Not knowing your way, or the marks that you want to set are a huge disadvantage to begin with.

Looking strategically is big help

Strategy is a lot about how to think more holistically. It enables you to be innovative, lead teams while helping you deliver value tactically daily. Shouting at people through television ads are actually days of the past when it comes to online marketing, and no more does this work like it used to. The consumers are really looking at different forms of consuming media, the social media scenario is a good example of this changing scenario.

Author: admin | //www.provenseo.com/blogging

Looking strategically is big help

CO: / ADVERTISING COLLECTIVE LAUNCHES

Ty Montague and Richard Schatzberger explain the importance of brand storytelling as they launch their innovative house of brand solutions

The doors of brand studio Co: are open for business. Co-founders Ty Montague, Richard Schatzberger, Rosemarie Ryan and Neil Parker boast diverse talents and expertise across advertising (Montague is former CCO and co-president of JWT, North America, where he worked with Ryan, also co-president) and strategy (Parker has served as an innovator at IBM’s corporate strategy group and global head of strategy at Wolff Olins while Schatzberger has worked in interaction design and product innovation at Mortorola and as director of creative technology at BBH.

Contagious caught up with Ty Montague and Richard Schatzberger to hear about their aims and plans.

//contagiousmagazine.com

Ty Montague and Richard Schatzberger explain the importance of brand storytelling as they launch their innovative house of brand solutions

The doors of brand studio Co: are open for business. Co-founders Ty Montague, Richard Schatzberger, Rosemarie Ryan and Neil Parker boast diverse talents and expertise across advertising (Montague is former CCO and co-president of JWT, North America, where he worked with Ryan, also co-president) and strategy (Parker has served as an innovator at IBM‘s corporate strategy group and global head of strategy at Wolff Olins while Schatzberger has worked in interaction design and product innovation at Mortorola and as director of creative technology at BBH.

Contagious caught up with Ty Montague and Richard Schatzberger to hear about their aims and plans. Continuar leyendo «CO: / ADVERTISING COLLECTIVE LAUNCHES»

Leadership and Change

First the bad news: If you’re not willing to embrace change you’re not ready to lead. Put simply, leadership is not a static endeavor. In fact, leadership demands fluidity, which requires the willingness to recognize the need for change, and finally the ability to lead change.

Now the good news: As much as some people want to create complexity around the topic of leading change for personal gain, the reality is that creating, managing and leading change is really quite simple. To prove my point, I’ll not only explain the entire change life-cycle in three short paragraphs, but I’ll do it in simple terms that anyone can understand. As a bonus I’ll also give you 10 items to assess in evaluating whether the change you’re considering is value added, or just change for the sake of change. [Más…]

An Overview on the Importance of Change:

While there is little debate that the successful implementation of change can create an extreme competitive advantage, it is not well understood that the lack of doing so can send a company (or an individual’s career) into a death spiral. Companies that seek out and embrace change are healthy, growing, and dynamic organizations, while companies that fear change are stagnant entities on their way to a slow and painful death.

Agility, innovation, disruption, fluidity, decisiveness, commitment, and above all else a bias toward action will lead to the creation of change. It is the implementation of change which results in evolving, growing and thriving companies. Much has been written about the importance of change, but there is very little information in circulation about how to actually create it.

While most executives and entrepreneurs have come to accept the concept of change management as a legitimate business practice, and change leadership as a legitimate executive priority in theory, I have found very few organizations that have effectively integrated change as a core discipline and focus area in reality. As promised, and without further ado, the change life-cycle in three easy steps:

A. Identifying the Need for Change: The need for change exists in every organization. Other than irrational change solely for the sake of change, every corporation must change to survive. If your entity doesn’t innovate and change in accordance with market driven needs and demands it will fail…it’s just that simple. The most complex area surrounding change is focusing your efforts in the right areas, for the right reasons, and at the right times. The ambiguity and risk can be taken out of the change agenda by simply focusing on three areas:

1. Your current customers – What needs to change to better serve your customers?
2. Potential customers – What needs to change to profitably create new customers?
3. Your talent and resources – What changes need to occur to better leverage existing talent and resources?

B. Leading Change: You cannot effectively lead change without understanding the landscape of change. There are four typical responses to change:

1. The Victim – Those that view change as a personal attack on their persona, their role, their job, or their area of responsibility. They view everything at an atomic level based upon how they perceive change will directly and indirectly impact them.
2. The Neutral Bystander – This group is neither for nor against change. They will not directly or vocally oppose change, nor will they proactively get behind change. The Neutral Bystander will just go with the flow not wanting to make any waves, and thus hoping to perpetually fly under the radar.
3. The Critic – The Critic opposes any and all change. Keep in mind that not all critics are overt in their resistance. Many critics remain in stealth mode trying to derail change behind the scenes by using their influence on others. Whether overt or covert, you must identify critics of change early in the process if you hope to succeed.
4. The Advocate – The Advocate not only embraces change, they will evangelize the change initiative. Like The Critics, it is important to identify The Advocates early in the process to not only build the power base for change, but to give momentum and enthusiasm to the change initiative.

Once you’ve identified these change constituencies you must involve all of them, message properly to each of them, and don’t let up. With the proper messaging and involvement even adversaries can be converted into allies.

by Mike Myatt
//business-strategy-innovation.com

Leadership and Change First the bad news: If you’re not willing to embrace change you’re not ready to lead. Put simply, leadership is not a static endeavor. In fact, leadership demands fluidity, which requires the willingness to recognize the need for change, and finally the ability to lead change.

Now the good news: As much as some people want to create complexity around the topic of leading change for personal gain, the reality is that creating, managing and leading change is really quite simple. To prove my point, I’ll not only explain the entire change life-cycle in three short paragraphs, but I’ll do it in simple terms that anyone can understand. As a bonus I’ll also give you 10 items to assess in evaluating whether the change you’re considering is value added, or just change for the sake of change. Continuar leyendo «Leadership and Change»

Innovation and Porter’s Value Chain

First, let’s remind ourselves of the Value Chain Model. Portner’s insight was to identify all the primary functions of a business and all the support functions of a business and seek to understand what the firm did exceptionally well, and what it must do at least moderately well. While other strategists had thought and written about the linkages between internal operations, Porter was one of the first to create the concept of the Value Chain. Today we often think of the value chain as extending «upstream» to suppliers and «downstream» to distribution channels and even to customers or consumers. The tool is a powerful metaphor when thinking about where and how a firm adds value.

Primary activities are the ones we usually think of as distinct operations or departments and are the «direct» costs in a business – inbound and outbound logistics, «operations» which could be manufacturing or development, marketing and sales, and service. Support activities are those that we traditionally think of as «overhead» – Human Resources, Information Technology, Procurement, and what Porter called Firm Infrastructure – legal, financial, management and so forth.

by Jeffrey Phillips

I’m reviewing the relationship between a number of tried and true strategic management models and innovation, to see if those models and concepts hold up under the increasing importance of innovation. A few days ago I reviewed Porter’s Five Forces model and concluded that while Porter didn’t explicitly call out innovation, it was clear that the Five Forces model embraced innovation. Today, we’ll look quickly at another Porter model – the Value Chain Analysis – and investigate how it holds up innovation.

In the 1980s, Michael Porter wrote a number of books about corporate strategy that became the basis for much of the education of MBAs, at least where strategy was concerned. Few MBAs in the 80s and 90s failed to study Porter’s Five Forces or Value Chain Analysis. Since many of those MBAs minted in that period are now in leadership positions in their firms, it behooves us to understand the models they carry around with them, and whether or not those models are open and extensible where innovation is concerned, or whether they ignore or resist innovation. Continuar leyendo «Innovation and Porter’s Value Chain»

Innovation and Porter’s Five Forces

I’ve been pondering the «truths» we hold dear and wondering whether or not the mental models we were taught in college and graduate school hold up under the changes occurring in our economy. Do the great business thinkers of the past twenty or thirty years and their models and descriptions hold true, especially when we introduce innovation into the mix? Over the next few months I’ll look at a couple of the models we hold dear and place innovation within the context of the model, to see if the model is extensible enough to account for innovation, or whether we may want to revise our thinking to account for innovation.

First up: Porter’s Five Forces. Michael Porter wrote the book on corporate strategy. Well, he actually wrote a number of books about corporate strategy, competitive advantage and a number of other topics. The books that were mantras when I was in school were Competitive Strategy and Competitive Advantage. In these books and others Porter introduced models, tools and methods to analyze the firm and its competitive position and its competitive advantage. Two of these tools, the «Five Forces» model and the Value Chain model, are ones that have become ingrained in the way we think about businesses strategically. What I wanted to know is: does the model hold up in light of an increased emphasis on innovation?
Continuar leyendo «Innovation and Porter’s Five Forces»

How to Get Your Executives to Pay Attention to Metrics (Part 1 of 2)

It has taken many years to get to this point, but almost everyone in recruiting has come to understand the necessity of metrics. Unfortunately however, the vast majority of metrics in use today have little impact because they were not designed to effectively “get the attention” of executives.

The issue isn’t metrics in general; at firms like Microsoft and Google, executive team meetings are often referred to as the equivalent of “math camp.” While other firms may not be as “geeky,” metrics rule the boardroom. The lack of interest in HR metrics also cannot be attributed to HR being an overhead function, as that state is true for both finance and supply chain management, neither of which fail to garner attention.

The real issue few pay attention to HR metrics is a simple one: most simply are not compelling. Let’s face it: HR is rarely a strategic priority, and due to years of bureaucracy and failure to meet expectations, it is something that most managers and executives would rather deal with less rather than more unless it is immediately relevant to their business.

byDr. John Sullivan

For metrics to be effective in altering behavior, they need to be both visible and immediately relevant to the audience that needs influencing, not the party producing them. To accomplish that, recruiting leaders need to proactively identify and understand the factors that make a metric a critical “must-see” metric. The goal behind measurement initiatives should be to get executives to demand access to your metrics, to pay thorough attention to them, and to know immediately how to act differently in response to them. Continuar leyendo «How to Get Your Executives to Pay Attention to Metrics (Part 1 of 2)»

No Strategy – No Innovation

What kills innovation at the start, in the middle and at the end is the lack of a clearly defined, articulated and executed strategy. The reason is simple. If your firm can’t concisely define and communicate what it offers, and why it is different, than other firms, differentiation is almost impossible, and in some cases perhaps undesired. If it can’t define it’s position in the market, as a product innovator, or a service leader, or the operational excellence leader, then it isn’t a leader at all. Simply a follower who believes that “innovation” is quickly copying what other firms are doing. Trying to innovate in the absence of a clear strategy is like driving on a narrow, twisty road socked in with fog. Every turn is fraught with danger, and you move, if at all cautiously, continually testing the roadbed before committing.

by Jeffrey Phillips

No Strategy - No Innovation You’d think with all the fawning press many companies and executives receive that defining a clear, concise corporate strategy would be a “no brainer”. After all, don’t we hire and pay executives exorbitant sums due to their vision and strategy? You’d think that with the hordes of “management consultants” available from a wide array of highly compensated consulting firms that well-conceived strategic plans would simply flow like water from these founts of knowledge. And let’s not forget the virtual library of books on corporate strategy, from the likes of Drucker, Porter, Hamel, Prahalad, and so forth. Clearly there is a wealth of information, advice and knowledge about corporate strategy. Or at least there is a good facsimile.