Managing the strategic change portfolio
Posted by Grant Brewer
It is hard to think of an organisation today that isn't going through some kind of strategic change – whether driven by poor performance that needs to be fixed or whether driven by the desire to increase its advantage over competitors. Ideas to improve strategic vision and become more effective at strategy execution have been previously discussed in this column.
An often forgotten aspect of strategy execution is worth exploring after your organisation got momentum behind a positive strategic direction. And that is developing a project centric organisation.
What is a project centric organisation? It is an organisation that has the ability to coordinate effectively a portfolio of projects grouped into programs in order to implement strategic change. That sounds theoretical - so what does it really mean?
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change (3) | strategic (1) | managing (1) | project (1) | portfolio, (1) | projects, (1)
Innovative strategy is more than passion
Posted by Grant Brewer
It is not unusual to see organisations that are struggling because they allow the passion and the belief in a new idea to masquerade as strategy. It is true that new ideas will almost always fail unless someone has the passion and the belief in the idea to stay with it through all the challenges. However, fresh ideas and people that are passionate about them are not uncommon, yet successful businesses built on these same ideas are a lot less common.
Innovation is more than ideas. Re-inventing an industry or a product category takes more than research and a fresh take on the business model. Managing innovation and implementing new business models is notoriously difficult -- regardless of whether you're an established business, a new business unit or a start up company. It is a common mistake to assume that sheer passion and belief will bring a strategy to life. New ideas need the passion and the belief -- they also need good strategy, leadership and implementation.
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Essays | Strategy | Intelligence Strategym
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implementation (10) | strategy (8) | leadership (7) | innovation (3) | management (3) | change (3) | project portfolio (1) | passion (1)
A special report on South Africa: The price of freedom | The Economist
Posted by Grant Brewer
A special report on South Africa: The price of freedom | The Economist: "The price of freedom Since embracing full democracy 16 years ago, South Africa has made huge strides. But, says Diana Geddes (interviewed here), not everything has changed for the better Jun 3rd 2010 | From The Economist print edition"
This is a must read for anyone living, working or interested in South Africa.