Guest lecture presented to graduate students at Sripatum University, Bangkok.

1. W H AT G O O D S T R AT EG Y I S A N D W H AT I T I S N OT
STRATEGY AND ITS
COUNTERFEIT
PRESENTED BY:
SARMA VANGALA, PHD
มหาวิทยาลัยศรีปทุม Sripatum University
May 2015

2. SARMA VANGALA, PHD
Chief Executive Officer
Metastrategy, Inc.
 Sarma Vangala is a corporate consultant specialising
in strategy, mergers and acquisitions and IT
transformation.
 Based in Toronto, Sarma and his team have clients
on every continent except Antarctica.

3. WHAT IS STRATEGY?
 NOT innovation
 NOT determination
 NOT leadership
 NOT ‘vision’
 NOT planning
 NOT ambition
 NOT logic of competition
 NOT goals
 NOT synonymous with success

4. WHAT IS STRATEGY?
Analysing a situation;
Identifying the critical factors;
Designing, co-ordinating and focusing actions to address the
identified factors and, where necessary
Mitigating the risks that may be inherent.

5. FAILURES OF STRATEGY
Investment company’s strategy in the face of poor growth
Do deals others reject
Go in with 3% equity and rest by
Short term debt financing
Have no mitigation plan for risks

6. WHO WAS THE STRATEGIST?

7. FAILURES OF STRATEGY
Strategy: Regime change in Iraq
100 days military campaign to gain victory
Easy transition to civil society
Democracy, rule of law and peace easily implemented
Result: Violent insurgency
Counter-offensive: Search and destroy ops by US soldiers outside their
secure bases {Same tactics failed miserably in Vietnam}
Hence, NO STRATEGY to deal with insurgency

8. WHO WAS THE STRATEGIST?

9. FAILURES OF STRATEGY
Strategy: Counter insurgency through:
Gaining citizens’ acceptance of legitimate government
Request citizenry to disavow insurgents
Make available 5 additional brigades
Reduce and then terminate search and destroy ops
Increase protection of general public.

10. WHO WAS THE STRATEGIST?

11. Good
Stategy
Diagnosis
Guiding
Policy
Coherent
Action Set
Assessment

12. STRATEGY
Is not fluff
Is hard work
Is misunderstood

13. METASTRATEGY, INC.
Teams specialise in strategy
Understand the complexities within organisations
Can be reached at:
Sarma.vangala@metastrategyinc.com
+1.416.567.0201

14. Q AND A

15. THANK YOU