Research for Breakthrough Strategy

1Dr Stephen Sweid B. Research May 2014

Breakthrough Strategy has Different Attributes
in Excess Including Wide Scope Research
Challenging , pushing the limits
Entrepreneurial, enthusiasm,
commitment
Facing the unknown: The discovery
and learning
Novelty, Innovation, including
innovative business model
Transformational, quantum leap,
including DNA level
Realizing the full potential of the
organization
Swifter implementation Flexibility to change Ingenuity
Collaboration, synergy, WIN-WIN Disruptive nature
Intensive Research and
facts
Multiple choices and
options
Development of concepts
to WOW effect
Intensive Forecasting
Creative thinking
Parallel and system
Approach : Iterative
Convergence
Testing on the ground to
reduce risk
Dr Stephen Sweid B. Research May 2014 10
This document is a partial preview. Full document download can be found on Flevy:
http://flevy.com/browse/document/research-for-breakthrough-strategy-715

Outcome Of Conventional Strategic Research For
The Organization
• Very little change, and just patch-up
change or wrong direction
• Not ready to face the future
• Status quo, almost static: on land,
e.g. Trenches: Reactive and on the
defensive, with little change and
only gradual
• No challenging goals
• Little innovation
• Boring
• Dinosaur fates
• Susceptible to disease, not flexible
• Customer numbers are dwindling
• Unhappy customers and employees

Broader Scope Of Breakthrough Strategy
Research Adding Value And Innovation
Some examples:
• Dive deeper to see the submerged big part of the iceberg
• Go beyond the boundaries. Expand your options and potential scope of involvement and industries.
Try and explore also what you do not see, what you have not thought about. Go for the unknown.
• Expand your territory of prospects: Explore new territories, push the limits, embrace the new. Go
for a given wholly new territory and see how you can work there, or diversify, just for the sake of
discovery
• Do a lot of analytical research,
e.g. root causes rather than
focus on what you see only.
• Generating new ideas through
search and close linkage with
brainstorming

Features of Breakthrough Strategic Research:
Exploring new Territories
New
Region

Watching Competition Closely

Strategy Research Minimizes Risk
• Cost of business or project is
always higher without initial
research.
• Without research you pay
later a lot on mistakes and lost
opportunities
• A lot of startups close shop
after a couple of years due to
lack or mediocrity of research
• Risk is reduced through facts,
knowledge and better
anticipation of the future and
better coping with the
business environment and
changes
• There will be always a level of
risk in any undertaking, this
due to the multiplicity of
factors involved.

Exponential Response Of Your Chances To Your
Research Thrust
Your
Chances
of
Success
Research Thrust

Without Proper Research
• There is serious danger to loose business
• There is serious danger to miss opportunities.
View Without Research It is a Maze without Research

Mindset: Discovery Stance of Strategy Research
• There are definitely many
paradises out there you do not
know about; they are scattered in
million places you have not been
to.
• There are million things you do
not know about, but also million
companies you have not seen.
• There are million of
opportunities you have not
identified
• It is a must to explore and learn
• Research should not be used to
confirm your views only!

Mindset: There Is Definitely A Hidden Paradise
Out There Waiting For You
• There is definitely a
hidden paradise out
there waiting to be
found, but the trick is to
track it!
• Actual fact there are
many hidden paradises or
treasures to be
discovered or even
created, and strategic
research plays a principal
role in making the
breakthrough.

Most Challenging Research Activities
• Finding new development projects before
they are initiated
• Researching competition
• Finding hidden treasures, great opportunities
• Forecasting research
• Finding solutions to complex problems
• Research to find suitable strategic partners

Different Strategy Projects Imply Slightly
Different Research Methodologies And Focus
EXAMPLES:
• A new start-up project
• Diversification
• Ongoing business
• Expansion
• Merger
• Marketing strategy
• Launch of a new product
• Exporting
109Dr Stephen Sweid B Research May 2014

118
Dr Stephen Sweid B Research
May 2014
Following factors improve the speed of
completion:
• Grasp of the strategic purpose of the research
• A good research execution plan with effective
methodology
• Good organization during the research, with
weekly and daily action plans, good
coordination, recording data and reporting
• Focusing research on relevant issues mainly
• Parallel, holistic and balanced research
• Finding the treasure trove of relevant
information
• Having sufficient resources for research, e.g.
manpower support and financial support, also
for purchase of available studies

127
May 2014
Always Multiple Options and Directions
•As a researcher one should seek
multiple options for solutions or
opportunities and all.
•So keep digging for a while.
This ensures the creative
dimension.
•You should present many options
every time
•Do not rely on one thing
•Be diverse; one of the things
will work out

Typical Business Plan Integrated Questions branching into
hundreds of sub-questions
QUESTIONS Write Below Keyword Answers
1.Have you conducted thorough research on
the ground for the business plan, e.g. a
comprehensive market study?
2.What is the need you are satisfying?
3.How will you satisfy this need?
4.Who are your target customers?
5.How do you differentiate in a tangible way?
6.How do you secure quality, focus and
sustainability and what are your keys to
success?
7.Who are the key players in this business?
8.What is the size of the market?
9.What are your most effective marketing
strategies?
10.What is your business model?
11.What are your production and process
strategies?
12.What is your management structure and
HR strategies?
13.What are the economics of your business?
14.How much money is needed to get started
and generate revenue?
15.How do you break-even? 136Dr Stephen Sweid B Research May 2014

We Finish By Sorting Questions According To The Sources. We End Up
Having A Listing Of Questions For Each Source, Which Is Quite Handy
Question (1)
Question (3)Source (1)
Question (1)
Question (1)
Etc
Source (x) 145Dr Stephen Sweid B Research May 2014

To Make Sure Source Of Information Is
Motivated Or Interested To Share
Information
Dr Stephen Sweid B Research May 2014 154

163
May 2014
Why Should Research And Analysis Be Simultaneous?
Why Should Analysis Start With Start Of Research?
• Connecting the
elements and dots,
i.e. analysis, starts
with start of
research
• This way we can
guarantee that
elements fit
together and that
we are seeing the
big picture all the
time, and we can
guarantee
credibility of
information, and
we can save time
and improve
accuracy

Iterative Convergence Should Apply to Each One
of the Following Couples
Internal Research External Research
Current Situation Future
Research Creative thinking
Research Analysis
Testing of suggested
concepts
Development of
suggested concepts

Sampling For Strategy Research
• There is often need to perform qualitative and quantitative
sampling, i.e. choosing a representative sample
• Sampling can be used to estimate actual size of given
market or to get a representative feedback from the whole
industry
• It can be used to test a strategy concept or even product
concept.
• It is important to get the useful size of sample, and which
reflects representative distribution of characteristics
• Online research is progressing rapidly in this domain, and is
able to provide prompt responses of relatively large sample
sizes.

Strategic Planning =
The Organization Needs To Cope And Resonate With Future Changes
Present
Environment
Firm
Environment
After 5 Years
Environment
After 3 Years

Direct Communication In International Strategic
Research
• Direct communication by phone or Skype
or other apps adds to seriousness of
research and provides more prompt and
better feedback
• You can reach the right contact in the firm
through phone, which might be difficult
through email
• Direct communication clarifies many
things
• Direct communication speeds up the
process of reply and research
• International phone or Skype inquiries
have become very cheap compared to the
past
• Personal visit might be needed
sometimes, but is more costly
• You can meet with your Linkedin
connections in the country you travel to
for your research

208
May 2014
A Good Questionnaire
•Small number of questions not exceeding
10
•Short and clear questions and should test
clarity through an initial trial before launch
of big campaign
•Enough space for reply of open ended
questions
•Few reply choices: 3 – 4 max
•Better talk to interviewee to make sure
questions are understood
•Better for researcher to fill questionnaire
during interview visit

How Do You Know You Have NOT Finished
Researching?
• You have not yet answered all the questions you listed during planning!
• You know you have not finished researching when you did not find a breakthrough
idea or WOW solution or hidden paradise.
• Because you did not come up with hundreds of great suggestions for your business
to choose from
• You know because you do not see the big picture clearly, and how things fit together
• You have not yet tested your assumptions and you are not sure about your strategy
• You know because you cannot
anticipate the future in an acceptable
probability
• You have not yet looked at worlds far
beyond your own
• You still feel you are not ready for the
strategic journey and what route to
take

1
Flevy (www.flevy.com) is the marketplace
for premium documents. These
documents can range from Business
Frameworks to Financial Models to
PowerPoint Templates.
Flevy was founded under the principle that
companies waste a lot of time and money
recreating the same foundational business
documents. Our vision is for Flevy to
become a comprehensive knowledge base
of business documents. All organizations,
from startups to large enterprises, can use
Flevy— whether it's to jumpstart projects, to
find reference or comparison materials, or
just to learn.
Contact Us
Please contact us with any questions you may have
about our company.
• General Inquiries
support@flevy.com
• Media/PR
press@flevy.com
• Billing
billing@flevy.com

Research for Breakthrough Strategy

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Flevy.com Best Practices

More from Flevy.com Best Practices (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Research for Breakthrough Strategy