520 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
Workshops are, however, prone to at least two problems. First, when reduced to a routine
part of the strategic planning cycle, and involving the usual group of senior managers every
year, workshops may not be able to produce new ideas that signifi cantly challenge the status
quo. On the other hand, workshops that are too radically separated from the ordinary routines
of the organisation can become detached from subsequent action: it can be diffi cult to translate
radical ideas and group enthusiasm back into the workplace.
In designing workshops that will be closely connected to subsequent action, managers
should consider:
● Identifying agreed actions to be taken. Time should be set aside at the end of the workshop for
a review of workshop outputs and agreement on necessary actions to follow up. However,
this, of itself, may well not make a suffi ciently powerful bridge to operational realities.
● Establishing project groups . Workshops can build on the cohesion built around particular
issues by commissioning groups of managers to work together on specifi c tasks arising from
the workshop and report on progress to senior management.
● Nesting of workshops . Especially if a workshop has expected participants to question current
strategy and develop radical new ideas, it may be useful to have a series of workshops, each
of which gradually becomes more and more grounded in operational realities.
● Making visible commitment by the top management . The chief executive or other senior man-
ager needs to signal commitment to the outcomes of the workshop not only by their state-
ments but by their actual behaviours.
15.4.2 Strategy projects
Both strategy making and strategy implementation are often organised in the form of projects
or task forces. 34 Strategy projects involve teams of people assigned to work on particular stra-
tegic issues over a defi ned period of time. Projects can be instituted in order to explore problems
or opportunities as part of the strategy development process. Or they might be instituted to
implement agreed elements of a strategy, for example an organisational restructuring or the
negotiation of a joint venture. Translating a strategic plan or workshop outcomes into a set of
projects is a good means of ensuring that intentions are translated into action. They can also
include a wider group of managers in strategy activity.
Strategy projects should be managed like any other project. In particular they need:
● A clear brief or mandate . The project’s objectives should be agreed and carefully managed.
These objectives are the measure of the project’s success. ‘Scope creep’, by which additional
objectives are added as the project goes on, is a common danger.
● Top management commitment . The continuing commitment of top management, especially
the top management ‘client’ or ‘spon.
"Interfaces Between Strategic Management of an Enterprise and Managing Project Portfolios Within the Enterprise" April 1, 2010, Istanbul Keynote paper
This document discusses setting up Project Management Offices (PMOs) for large project initiatives. It outlines the typical challenges of managing large, complex projects including size, cost, scope, collaboration needs, and increased uncertainty. It proposes that PMOs can help address these challenges by providing operational support, oversight of tactical and strategic activities, and improved performance visibility and reporting. The document then provides a 4-step approach to setting up a PMO for a large project: 1) Evaluate the project's needs, 2) Define the PMO charter, 3) Set up the PMO by staffing roles and implementing processes, and 4) Operate and improve the PMO over the project lifecycle by staying aligned with needs.
The document provides information on project life cycles, product life cycles, project management, and organizational culture. It discusses the key stages in a project life cycle as defining, planning, executing, and closing. It also identifies five characteristics of effective project objectives. Project managers must balance technical and sociocultural dimensions of a project. Organizational culture has a significant impact on how projects are managed within a company.
[Whitepaper] The Definitive Guide to Strategic Planning: Here’s What You Need...Flevy.com Best Practices
More Information:
https://flevy.com/browse/flevypro/best-practices-in-strategic-planning-2738
For many organizations, this is the time of the year is when Leadership will conduct the annual Strategic Planning process and plan the near-, mid- and long-term strategies.
This article breaks the full Strategic Planning and Execution processes into 3 sections:
Strategic Planning
Strategy Development
Strategy Execution
For each section, we will highlight important concepts core to the topic, as well as direct you to important resources for further understanding.
1. Strategic Planning
Per Wikipedia, we can define Strategic Planning as:
Strategic Planning is an organization’s process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. It may also extend to control mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the strategy. Strategic Planning became prominent in corporations during the 1960s and remains an important aspect of strategic management. It is executed by strategic planners or strategists, who involve many parties and research sources in their analysis of the organization and its relationship to the environment in which it competes.
Strategic Planning is a crucial process, but often poorly executed, leading to poor translation from Strategy to Execution.
In most organizations, executives complain that their Strategic Planning is overly bureaucratic, insufficiently insightful, and doesn’t accommodate today’s rapidly changing, digital markets. To combat these issues, there are a few best practices we should follow:
Explore Strategy across 3 time horizons.
Encourage productive and stimulating Strategic Dialogue.
Engage a broad, decentralized group of stakeholders.
Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these best practices.
Explore
The 3 time horizons we want to explore can be defined as short term (1-year timeframe), medium term (3–5 years timeframe), and long term (5+ years). Each horizon is uniquely considered and has different objectives.
More Information:
https://flevy.com/browse/flevypro/strategy-classics-value-disciplines-model-5138
According to Treacy and Wiersema, organizations need to make tough strategic choices in order to become market leaders. Market leaders choose to excel in delivering extraordinarily levels of one particular value to their customers. This way they can remain focused and become the absolute best in a certain value proposition.
Gaining market and Operational Excellence requires that the company's entire Operating Model be adapted in a way this it is aligned with the chosen Value Discipline. A Value Discipline is a unique value that organizations can deliver to a chosen market. The Value Discipline Principle is in line with Porter's Generic Strategies, where Michael Porter describes how companies gain Competitive Advantage by either focusing on low cost, differentiation, or a niche market.
This presentation discusses the Value Disciplines Model and the 3 Value Disciplines organizations must choose from.
1. Operational Excellence
2. Product Leadership
3. Customer Intimacy
If your company has not reached yet any of the Value Disciplines, don't wait longer.
"Interfaces Between Strategic Management of an Enterprise and Managing Project Portfolios Within the Enterprise" April 1, 2010, Istanbul Keynote paper
This document discusses setting up Project Management Offices (PMOs) for large project initiatives. It outlines the typical challenges of managing large, complex projects including size, cost, scope, collaboration needs, and increased uncertainty. It proposes that PMOs can help address these challenges by providing operational support, oversight of tactical and strategic activities, and improved performance visibility and reporting. The document then provides a 4-step approach to setting up a PMO for a large project: 1) Evaluate the project's needs, 2) Define the PMO charter, 3) Set up the PMO by staffing roles and implementing processes, and 4) Operate and improve the PMO over the project lifecycle by staying aligned with needs.
The document provides information on project life cycles, product life cycles, project management, and organizational culture. It discusses the key stages in a project life cycle as defining, planning, executing, and closing. It also identifies five characteristics of effective project objectives. Project managers must balance technical and sociocultural dimensions of a project. Organizational culture has a significant impact on how projects are managed within a company.
[Whitepaper] The Definitive Guide to Strategic Planning: Here’s What You Need...Flevy.com Best Practices
More Information:
https://flevy.com/browse/flevypro/best-practices-in-strategic-planning-2738
For many organizations, this is the time of the year is when Leadership will conduct the annual Strategic Planning process and plan the near-, mid- and long-term strategies.
This article breaks the full Strategic Planning and Execution processes into 3 sections:
Strategic Planning
Strategy Development
Strategy Execution
For each section, we will highlight important concepts core to the topic, as well as direct you to important resources for further understanding.
1. Strategic Planning
Per Wikipedia, we can define Strategic Planning as:
Strategic Planning is an organization’s process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. It may also extend to control mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the strategy. Strategic Planning became prominent in corporations during the 1960s and remains an important aspect of strategic management. It is executed by strategic planners or strategists, who involve many parties and research sources in their analysis of the organization and its relationship to the environment in which it competes.
Strategic Planning is a crucial process, but often poorly executed, leading to poor translation from Strategy to Execution.
In most organizations, executives complain that their Strategic Planning is overly bureaucratic, insufficiently insightful, and doesn’t accommodate today’s rapidly changing, digital markets. To combat these issues, there are a few best practices we should follow:
Explore Strategy across 3 time horizons.
Encourage productive and stimulating Strategic Dialogue.
Engage a broad, decentralized group of stakeholders.
Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these best practices.
Explore
The 3 time horizons we want to explore can be defined as short term (1-year timeframe), medium term (3–5 years timeframe), and long term (5+ years). Each horizon is uniquely considered and has different objectives.
More Information:
https://flevy.com/browse/flevypro/strategy-classics-value-disciplines-model-5138
According to Treacy and Wiersema, organizations need to make tough strategic choices in order to become market leaders. Market leaders choose to excel in delivering extraordinarily levels of one particular value to their customers. This way they can remain focused and become the absolute best in a certain value proposition.
Gaining market and Operational Excellence requires that the company's entire Operating Model be adapted in a way this it is aligned with the chosen Value Discipline. A Value Discipline is a unique value that organizations can deliver to a chosen market. The Value Discipline Principle is in line with Porter's Generic Strategies, where Michael Porter describes how companies gain Competitive Advantage by either focusing on low cost, differentiation, or a niche market.
This presentation discusses the Value Disciplines Model and the 3 Value Disciplines organizations must choose from.
1. Operational Excellence
2. Product Leadership
3. Customer Intimacy
If your company has not reached yet any of the Value Disciplines, don't wait longer.
The document discusses key aspects of policy formulation, strategy formulation, and project implementation. It defines what policy and strategy are, outlines the processes of formulating policy and strategy, and describes approaches to implementing projects. Some challenges of policy formulation and strategy formulation discussed include lack of data, political pressures, limited resources and expertise. The importance of effective policy formulation, strategy formulation and project implementation for achieving organizational goals is also highlighted.
Project Management Msc. 7Pjmn009W Project Management Project.Renee Jones
Project success can be defined in different ways and depends on meeting objectives. Key factors that contribute to project success include having clear objectives, managing scope, schedule and budget, effective communication and stakeholder management, competent project team, and support from senior management. A project manager can help ensure success by focusing on these critical success factors throughout the project life cycle from planning to execution to closure.
The document provides an overview of corporate strategy and strategic management. It defines strategy as an action plan to achieve objectives. Strategic management involves analyzing the environment, choosing strategies, and implementing plans. There are three levels of strategy: corporate strategy deals with resource allocation among divisions, business strategy concerns competitive position, and operational strategy focuses on specific functions. While formal strategic planning systems provide structure, the environment's volatility and strategies from different levels require more flexible approaches. Strategic decisions consider long-term environmental factors, resource allocations, and implications across functions, while tactical decisions are shorter-term. The strategic management process involves analysis, choice of strategies, and implementation.
"Interfaces Between Strategic Manaement of an Enterprise and Managing Project Portfolios Within th Enterprise," Istanbul keynote slides, April 1, 2010
Why projects fail avoiding the classic pitfallsTa Ngoc
This document discusses common reasons why projects fail and how to avoid failures. It identifies six major pitfalls: lack of constituent alignment, inadequate risk management, poor performance measurement, unclear project scope, insufficient communication, and failure to follow a project methodology. To improve success rates, the document recommends clearly defining objectives and goals, proactively managing risks, establishing baselines and metrics to track progress, gaining full agreement on scope, creating detailed communication plans, and strictly adhering to a project management methodology. Automation and project management tools can also help by providing oversight and reporting to catch issues early.
The document discusses the initiating process for projects, including pre-initiating tasks, breaking large projects into smaller phases, and key initiating tasks like creating a project charter and holding a kick-off meeting. It provides an example of initiating the Just-In-Time Training project at Global Construction, which was divided into two phases with defined scope, time, and cost goals for phase one. The importance of top management support and developing an organizational project management methodology are also covered.
Estimate budget and project crashing.pptxMIANMNADEEM
The document discusses project budget estimation and project crashing. It provides an introduction to project budgeting, noting that senior management must approve the budget to obtain resources. It then discusses top-down and bottom-up budgeting approaches. Project crashing is defined as shortening a project's timeline, typically by adding more resources, and key stages in project crashing management are outlined, including establishing crash objectives, identifying critical paths, finding crash limits, and selecting economic options to present for approval. The importance of being able to crash projects in response to changing needs is also highlighted.
This document discusses common reasons why large capital projects often fail. It identifies five major categories of issues: 1) lack of documented project objectives, 2) insufficient planning, 3) poor management governance, 4) inadequate staffing of the project team, and 5) unrealistic schedules. It provides details on each issue, such as how undocumented objectives can doom a project and how poor governance structures fail to cut across organizational lines. The document emphasizes that establishing robust planning and governance is critical for project success.
Effective Implementation Of Strategic Initiatives Nov 2009giseke
The document summarizes a seminar on effective implementation of strategic initiatives. The seminar will cover best practices in strategic planning and execution, including developing strategic goals and objectives, identifying strategic initiatives, and managing business change associated with successful strategic execution. The seminar aims to provide an interactive learning experience and pragmatic advice based on the presenter's experience in strategic roles across different industries.
Portfolio management knowledge development event details are provided, including an agenda for presentations and discussions. Research was conducted to discover effective portfolio management practices, with findings around key process questions and problems organizations face. References are made to other sources that provide guidance on aligning delivery, measurement, and governance cycles, establishing a portfolio management office, and using standards to prioritize projects.
A project is defined as a means of moving from a problem to a solution via a series of planned activities. It has a definite beginning and end and consists of multiple interconnected tasks. Successful project management requires thorough planning, control over resources and activities, and monitoring progress against the initial plan. It also depends on factors like clear goals, support from senior management, effective communication, and involvement of stakeholders. When projects go wrong, it is often due to poor planning, lack of control, unrealistic schedules or budgets, and failure to address risks.
Strategic management is often called a "capstone course" because it requires students to use knowledge from prior courses to chart organizations' futures. Performing an external audit generally requires the most time in strategy formulation, as it involves identifying competitors' strengths and weaknesses. Strategy implementation is often the most difficult stage because it requires commitment from all employees. It is important to integrate both intuition and analysis in strategic management, as neither alone is sufficient for good strategic decisions. Vision and mission statements greatly facilitate reaching agreement on strategies, objectives, and policies.
Read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text. .docxcatheryncouper
Read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text.
1. Why are measurements critical to quality management? What types of measures are available for quality?
2. How important is it to include a quality assessment in your project WBS? What can happen if quality is overlooked?
3. Let’s do a little research on Six Sigma. What is it and why is it important to quality management?
Additional Instructions:
For Threaded Discussion 2, read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text.
In your paper explain why are measurements critical to quality management and explain the types of measures are available for quality that a Project Manager can use.
Explain why it is important to include a quality assessment in your project’s WBS and include what can happen if quality is overlooked.
We will use Six Sigma as a means to support quality. Do some research and briefly explain what it is and why is it important to quality management.
Be sure to include an introduction, body of your paper, and conclusion.
TD2’s paper should be a minimum two pages not including APA title and Reference page. Use APA 6th edition, citations and references must be correctly used, and grammar and punctuation at par.
Post your paper due no later than Friday night August 15th by 11:59pmMT, in this discussion. Response to classmate papers is not necessary.
TD1 paper is worth 15 points. (Questions 10 pts., Format/Mechanics 3 pts., Grammar and APA 2 pts.)
I will use Turnitin to validate originality.
Thank You,
Alex
Students will find several direct links to the PMBoK in this text. First, the key terms and their definitions are intended to follow the PMBoK glossary (included as an appendix at the end of the text). Second, chapter introductions will also highlight references to the PMBoK as we address them in turn. We can see how each chapter not only adds to our knowledge of project management but also directly links to elements within the PMBoK. Finally, many end-of-chapter exercises and Internet references will require direct interaction with PMI through its Web site.
As an additional link to the Project Management Institute and the PMBoK, this text will include sample practice questions at the end of relevant chapters to allow students to test their in-depth knowledge of aspects of the PMBoK. Nearly 20 years ago, PMI instituted its Project Management Professional (PMP) certification as a means of awarding those with an expert knowledge of project management practice. The PMP certification is the highest professional designation for project management expertise in the world and requires in-depth knowledge in all nine areas of the PMBoK. The inclusion of questions at the end of the relevant chapters offers students a way to assess how well they have learned the important course topics, the nature of PMP certification exam questions, and to point to areas that may require additional study in order to master this material.
This text ...
Project portfolio management implementation requires executive support, governance structures, and a project management culture. Key challenges include lack of executive sponsorship, absence of governance processes for strategy translation and project selection, and lack of project management discipline. Successful strategies include ensuring executive support, establishing governance structures and processes for strategic alignment, instilling a project management culture, measuring and tracking benefits, and starting small by focusing on critical initiatives in one business unit.
CHAPTER 2 Strategic Management and Project SelectionMore and m.docxcravennichole326
CHAPTER 2
Strategic Management and Project Selection
More and more, the accomplishment of important tasks and goals in organizations today is being achieved through the use of projects. The phrases we hear and read about daily at our work and in conversations with our colleagues, such as “management by projects” and “project management maturity,” reflect this increasing trend in our society. The explosively rapid adoption of such a powerful tool as project management to help organizations achieve their goals and objectives is certainly awesome. In addition to project management’s great utility when correctly used, however, its utility has also led to many misapplications. As frequently noted by both consultants and industry project experts, there are many projects that:
• fall outside the organization’s stated mission,
• are completely unrelated to the strategy and goals of the organization, or
• have excessive funding levels relative to their expected benefits.
In addition to the growth in the number of organizations adopting project management, there is also accelerating growth in the number of multiple, simultaneous, and often interrelated projects in organizations. Thus, the issue naturally arises as to how one manages all these projects. Are they all really projects? (It has been suggested that perhaps up to 80 percent of all “projects” are not actually projects at all, since they do not include the three project requirements for scope, budget, and due date.) Should we be undertaking all of them? Among those we should implement, what should be their priorities?
It is not unusual these days for organizations to be wrestling with hundreds of new projects. With so many ongoing projects it becomes difficult for smaller projects to get adequate support, or even the attention of senior management. Three particularly common problems in organizations trying to manage multiple projects are:
1. Delays in one project cause delays in other projects because of common resource needs or technological dependencies.
2. The inefficient use of corporate resources results in peaks and valleys of resource utilization.
3. Bottlenecks in resource availability or lack of required technological inputs result in project delays that depend on those scarce resources or technology.
As might be expected, the report card on organizational success with management by projects is not stellar. For example, an early research study (Thomas et al., 2001) found that 30 percent of all projects were canceled midstream, and over half of completed projects were up to 190 percent over budget and 220 percent late. This same study found that the primary motivation of organizations to improve and expand their project management processes was due to major troubled or failed projects, new upcoming mega-projects, or to meet competition or maintain their market share. Those firms that “bought” project management skills from consultants tended to see it as a “commodity.” These fi ...
This document discusses the benefits of adopting a project management approach for organizations. It outlines strategic benefits like ensuring projects are tied to business goals and objectives. Tactical benefits for management include providing confidence that project objectives will be met through using plans, change control, and communication. For projects, the framework addresses elements needed for success. Benefits also include improving aspects of the organization's infrastructure like communication skills and procurement practices. Additionally, properly managed projects can create a positive working environment and boost employee satisfaction and morale.
This document discusses a framework called CESR for evaluating the success of organizational change programs. CESR focuses on the "hard side" of change - objective metrics that can be used to measure performance. The key factors of CESR are Commitment, Effort, Schedule, and Review of Results. Commitment refers to support from senior and middle management in terms of budget, time, and communication. Effort looks at work done by those implementing and impacted by the change. Schedule tracks adherence to timelines. Review of Results examines whether objectives were achieved. The document argues that integrating evaluation of these hard factors with softer aspects can help determine if a change program was truly successful.
THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS IN TERMS OF ORGANI.docxarnoldmeredith47041
THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL
PROJECTS IN TERMS OF
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY AND
CULTURE
Chapter 2
HOW ARE INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS LINKED TO ORGANIZATIONAL
STRATEGY?
An organization has a vision it pursues.
To achieve its vision, it has a kind of roadmap or plan: this
is also called its strategy.
To implement its strategy, the organization uses
(international) projects.
During the project and at the end of the project, the
organization checks whether the project has delivered the
desired results.
This is an ongoing cycle we also call strategic
management cycle.
2
Project 3
Project 2
Strategic Management Cycle
Business
Planning
Communi-
cating
and
high-level
aligning
Feedback
and
Learning
Translating
the Vision/
Mission
1
3 2
Project 1
4
Executing
Completing
Planning
Initiating
How (international) projects are part of the organization’s
strategy
3
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN (INTERNATIONAL) PROJECTS AND
(INTERNATIONAL) PROGRAMS
A program can be defined as a bundle of projects.
Compared to a project, a program typically is bigger, requires more resources,
and is crucial for the success of organizational strategy.
The projects within a program serve the same strategic objective.
Projects in a program are interdependent. They share the same objectives and
scarce resources.
They typically have a common infrastructure and share a certain set of risks.
Programs have the following advantages:
Ensuring strategic alignment through interdependency of objectives.
Reducing the complexity of ‘large projects’ by clearly breaking them down
into smaller, easy-to control projects contributes to clearer responsibilities,
minimizes risks, and boosts morale and motivation. It also improves the quality
of the results.
Programs are essentially managed in the same way as projects.
4
PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (PPM)
A project portfolio is a collection of projects managed under
one umbrella. These projects may be interrelated or not.
Purpose of PPM is to maximize the efficacy of projects in the
light of strategy execution.
There are two main management processes within project
portfolio management:
1. Selection and prioritization of projects.
2. Management of the projects within the portfolio by
monitoring target achievement.
A project portfolio is periodically adapted to the
organizational strategy.
The main activities of the PPM process are shown on the
following slide.
5
Required inputs:
1. Program/ project title
2. Project objective in light of
overall strategy
3. Risk level
4. Timeframe
5. Dependencies with other
programs/ projects
6. Estimated budget or ROI
7. Impact of not delivering the
program/project
1
3
2
4
Build or
Update
Project
Portfolio
Analyze
& Prioritize
Project
Portfolio
Monitor
& Adjust
Project
Portfolio
Consider
new
proposed
projects
The Project
Portfolio
Management
Process
1. Categorization.
Christian Schussele Men of ProgressOil on canvas, 1862Coope.docxtroutmanboris
Christian Schussele Men of Progress
Oil on canvas, 1862
Cooper Union, New York, New York
Transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of Andrew W. Mellon, 1942
NPG.65.60
Edward Sorel, “People of Progress” 1999, Cooper Union, New York, New York
Syllabus
The clerks of the Department of State of the United States may be called upon to give evidence of transactions in the Department which are not of a confidential character.
The Secretary of State cannot be called upon as a witness to state transactions of a confidential nature which may have occurred in his Department. But he may be called upon to give testimony of circumstances which were not of that character.
Clerks in the Department of State were directed to be sworn, subject to objections to questions upon confidential matters.
Some point of time must be taken when the power of the Executive over an officer, not removable at his will, must cease. That point of time must be when the constitutional power of appointment has been exercised. And the power has been exercised when the last act required from the person possessing the power has been performed. This last act is the signature of the commission.
If the act of livery be necessary to give validity to the commission of an officer, it has been delivered when executed, and given to the Secretary of State for the purpose of being sealed, recorded, and transmitted to the party.
In cases of commissions to public officers, the law orders the Secretary of State to record them. When, therefore, they are signed and sealed, the order for their being recorded is given, and, whether inserted inserted into the book or not, they are recorded.
When the heads of the departments of the Government are the political or confidential officers of the Executive, merely to execute the will of the President, or rather to act in cases in which the Executive possesses a constitutional or legal discretion, nothing can be more perfectly clear than that their acts are only politically examinable. But where a specific duty is assigned by law, and individual rights depend upon the performance of that duty, it seems equally clear that the individual who considers himself injured has a right to resort to the laws of his country for a remedy.
The President of the United States, by signing the commission, appointed Mr. Marbury a justice of the peace for the County of Washington, in the District of Columbia, and the seal of the United States, affixed thereto by the Secretary of State, is conclusive testimony of the verity of the signature, and of the completion of the appointment; and the appointment conferred on him a legal right to the office for the space of five years. Having this legal right to the office, he has a consequent right to the commission, a refusal to deliver which is a plain violation of that right for which the laws of the country afford him a remedy.
To render a mandamus a proper remedy, the officer to whom it is directed must be one to who.
Christian EthicsChristian ethics deeply align with absolutism. E.docxtroutmanboris
Christian Ethics
Christian ethics deeply align with absolutism. Ethical absolutism claims that moral principles do exist. According to Christians, God created moral absolutes. These absolutes can be seen in God’s revelation. God’s special and general revelation reveal his moral truths. This does not mean that only Christians can understand moral truths. Because humans are made in God’s image, they can recognize moral truths even if they do not believe in God
[1]
. These absolutes were instated by God. Therefore, they apply to all of humanity. This worldview is in direct opposition to the idea of relativism. Christian ethics cannot be viewed through a relativistic point of view. According to relativism, there is no moral truths. There is no absolute distinction between right and wrong within this way of thinking. Right and wrong can be decided by individuals or groups of people. Cultures decide what is right for themselves and their way of life. Even individuals have the ability to decide their own personal moral code. This can seem somewhat reasonable at times. Some things that were considered moral or immoral in the past are viewed differently today. Even with this understanding, Christians deny the idea of relativism. Christians hold to the belief that moral truths come from God. Therefore, these truths do not change. God himself never changes; therefore, his moral truths remain the same. According to Christian ethics, mankind is expected to hold to the moral absolutes mandated by God himself. This understanding is not compatible with relativism. Relativism makes no place of a God. From a relativistic point of view, mankind decides their own morality. Right and wrong are not fixed. In Christian ethics, right and wrong are permanently decided by the God of the universe.
The subjective aspects of Christian ethics can look similar to relativism. The areas that are somewhat subjective in Christian aspects are referred to as the liberties of a Christian. There are some matters that are not said to be morally wrong in the Bible. Some see these issues to be wrong; therefore, they are. Others do not find certain issues to be morally wrong. These individuals are claiming their Christian liberty. One of these issues is drinking alcohol. Some Christians believe that ingesting any amount of alcohol is morally wrong. According to the idea of Christian liberty, it would be wrong for the individuals who hold to this belief to drink alcohol. Others do not have this conviction and are not doing wrong by consuming alcohol. On the surface, the idea of Christian liberty can seem to be related to relativism, but upon closer inspection these ideas are not closely related. Christian liberty is a Biblical concept that harmonize well with the overall message of the Bible. Relativism is nowhere found in the Bible. The Bible is clear that there are universal moral laws. These laws are placed upon humanity by God himself. There are some areas where the Bible remain.
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The document discusses the initiating process for projects, including pre-initiating tasks, breaking large projects into smaller phases, and key initiating tasks like creating a project charter and holding a kick-off meeting. It provides an example of initiating the Just-In-Time Training project at Global Construction, which was divided into two phases with defined scope, time, and cost goals for phase one. The importance of top management support and developing an organizational project management methodology are also covered.
Estimate budget and project crashing.pptxMIANMNADEEM
The document discusses project budget estimation and project crashing. It provides an introduction to project budgeting, noting that senior management must approve the budget to obtain resources. It then discusses top-down and bottom-up budgeting approaches. Project crashing is defined as shortening a project's timeline, typically by adding more resources, and key stages in project crashing management are outlined, including establishing crash objectives, identifying critical paths, finding crash limits, and selecting economic options to present for approval. The importance of being able to crash projects in response to changing needs is also highlighted.
This document discusses common reasons why large capital projects often fail. It identifies five major categories of issues: 1) lack of documented project objectives, 2) insufficient planning, 3) poor management governance, 4) inadequate staffing of the project team, and 5) unrealistic schedules. It provides details on each issue, such as how undocumented objectives can doom a project and how poor governance structures fail to cut across organizational lines. The document emphasizes that establishing robust planning and governance is critical for project success.
Effective Implementation Of Strategic Initiatives Nov 2009giseke
The document summarizes a seminar on effective implementation of strategic initiatives. The seminar will cover best practices in strategic planning and execution, including developing strategic goals and objectives, identifying strategic initiatives, and managing business change associated with successful strategic execution. The seminar aims to provide an interactive learning experience and pragmatic advice based on the presenter's experience in strategic roles across different industries.
Portfolio management knowledge development event details are provided, including an agenda for presentations and discussions. Research was conducted to discover effective portfolio management practices, with findings around key process questions and problems organizations face. References are made to other sources that provide guidance on aligning delivery, measurement, and governance cycles, establishing a portfolio management office, and using standards to prioritize projects.
A project is defined as a means of moving from a problem to a solution via a series of planned activities. It has a definite beginning and end and consists of multiple interconnected tasks. Successful project management requires thorough planning, control over resources and activities, and monitoring progress against the initial plan. It also depends on factors like clear goals, support from senior management, effective communication, and involvement of stakeholders. When projects go wrong, it is often due to poor planning, lack of control, unrealistic schedules or budgets, and failure to address risks.
Strategic management is often called a "capstone course" because it requires students to use knowledge from prior courses to chart organizations' futures. Performing an external audit generally requires the most time in strategy formulation, as it involves identifying competitors' strengths and weaknesses. Strategy implementation is often the most difficult stage because it requires commitment from all employees. It is important to integrate both intuition and analysis in strategic management, as neither alone is sufficient for good strategic decisions. Vision and mission statements greatly facilitate reaching agreement on strategies, objectives, and policies.
Read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text. .docxcatheryncouper
Read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text.
1. Why are measurements critical to quality management? What types of measures are available for quality?
2. How important is it to include a quality assessment in your project WBS? What can happen if quality is overlooked?
3. Let’s do a little research on Six Sigma. What is it and why is it important to quality management?
Additional Instructions:
For Threaded Discussion 2, read about the Quality Management Process on page 25 of the text.
In your paper explain why are measurements critical to quality management and explain the types of measures are available for quality that a Project Manager can use.
Explain why it is important to include a quality assessment in your project’s WBS and include what can happen if quality is overlooked.
We will use Six Sigma as a means to support quality. Do some research and briefly explain what it is and why is it important to quality management.
Be sure to include an introduction, body of your paper, and conclusion.
TD2’s paper should be a minimum two pages not including APA title and Reference page. Use APA 6th edition, citations and references must be correctly used, and grammar and punctuation at par.
Post your paper due no later than Friday night August 15th by 11:59pmMT, in this discussion. Response to classmate papers is not necessary.
TD1 paper is worth 15 points. (Questions 10 pts., Format/Mechanics 3 pts., Grammar and APA 2 pts.)
I will use Turnitin to validate originality.
Thank You,
Alex
Students will find several direct links to the PMBoK in this text. First, the key terms and their definitions are intended to follow the PMBoK glossary (included as an appendix at the end of the text). Second, chapter introductions will also highlight references to the PMBoK as we address them in turn. We can see how each chapter not only adds to our knowledge of project management but also directly links to elements within the PMBoK. Finally, many end-of-chapter exercises and Internet references will require direct interaction with PMI through its Web site.
As an additional link to the Project Management Institute and the PMBoK, this text will include sample practice questions at the end of relevant chapters to allow students to test their in-depth knowledge of aspects of the PMBoK. Nearly 20 years ago, PMI instituted its Project Management Professional (PMP) certification as a means of awarding those with an expert knowledge of project management practice. The PMP certification is the highest professional designation for project management expertise in the world and requires in-depth knowledge in all nine areas of the PMBoK. The inclusion of questions at the end of the relevant chapters offers students a way to assess how well they have learned the important course topics, the nature of PMP certification exam questions, and to point to areas that may require additional study in order to master this material.
This text ...
Project portfolio management implementation requires executive support, governance structures, and a project management culture. Key challenges include lack of executive sponsorship, absence of governance processes for strategy translation and project selection, and lack of project management discipline. Successful strategies include ensuring executive support, establishing governance structures and processes for strategic alignment, instilling a project management culture, measuring and tracking benefits, and starting small by focusing on critical initiatives in one business unit.
CHAPTER 2 Strategic Management and Project SelectionMore and m.docxcravennichole326
CHAPTER 2
Strategic Management and Project Selection
More and more, the accomplishment of important tasks and goals in organizations today is being achieved through the use of projects. The phrases we hear and read about daily at our work and in conversations with our colleagues, such as “management by projects” and “project management maturity,” reflect this increasing trend in our society. The explosively rapid adoption of such a powerful tool as project management to help organizations achieve their goals and objectives is certainly awesome. In addition to project management’s great utility when correctly used, however, its utility has also led to many misapplications. As frequently noted by both consultants and industry project experts, there are many projects that:
• fall outside the organization’s stated mission,
• are completely unrelated to the strategy and goals of the organization, or
• have excessive funding levels relative to their expected benefits.
In addition to the growth in the number of organizations adopting project management, there is also accelerating growth in the number of multiple, simultaneous, and often interrelated projects in organizations. Thus, the issue naturally arises as to how one manages all these projects. Are they all really projects? (It has been suggested that perhaps up to 80 percent of all “projects” are not actually projects at all, since they do not include the three project requirements for scope, budget, and due date.) Should we be undertaking all of them? Among those we should implement, what should be their priorities?
It is not unusual these days for organizations to be wrestling with hundreds of new projects. With so many ongoing projects it becomes difficult for smaller projects to get adequate support, or even the attention of senior management. Three particularly common problems in organizations trying to manage multiple projects are:
1. Delays in one project cause delays in other projects because of common resource needs or technological dependencies.
2. The inefficient use of corporate resources results in peaks and valleys of resource utilization.
3. Bottlenecks in resource availability or lack of required technological inputs result in project delays that depend on those scarce resources or technology.
As might be expected, the report card on organizational success with management by projects is not stellar. For example, an early research study (Thomas et al., 2001) found that 30 percent of all projects were canceled midstream, and over half of completed projects were up to 190 percent over budget and 220 percent late. This same study found that the primary motivation of organizations to improve and expand their project management processes was due to major troubled or failed projects, new upcoming mega-projects, or to meet competition or maintain their market share. Those firms that “bought” project management skills from consultants tended to see it as a “commodity.” These fi ...
This document discusses the benefits of adopting a project management approach for organizations. It outlines strategic benefits like ensuring projects are tied to business goals and objectives. Tactical benefits for management include providing confidence that project objectives will be met through using plans, change control, and communication. For projects, the framework addresses elements needed for success. Benefits also include improving aspects of the organization's infrastructure like communication skills and procurement practices. Additionally, properly managed projects can create a positive working environment and boost employee satisfaction and morale.
This document discusses a framework called CESR for evaluating the success of organizational change programs. CESR focuses on the "hard side" of change - objective metrics that can be used to measure performance. The key factors of CESR are Commitment, Effort, Schedule, and Review of Results. Commitment refers to support from senior and middle management in terms of budget, time, and communication. Effort looks at work done by those implementing and impacted by the change. Schedule tracks adherence to timelines. Review of Results examines whether objectives were achieved. The document argues that integrating evaluation of these hard factors with softer aspects can help determine if a change program was truly successful.
THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS IN TERMS OF ORGANI.docxarnoldmeredith47041
THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL
PROJECTS IN TERMS OF
ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY AND
CULTURE
Chapter 2
HOW ARE INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS LINKED TO ORGANIZATIONAL
STRATEGY?
An organization has a vision it pursues.
To achieve its vision, it has a kind of roadmap or plan: this
is also called its strategy.
To implement its strategy, the organization uses
(international) projects.
During the project and at the end of the project, the
organization checks whether the project has delivered the
desired results.
This is an ongoing cycle we also call strategic
management cycle.
2
Project 3
Project 2
Strategic Management Cycle
Business
Planning
Communi-
cating
and
high-level
aligning
Feedback
and
Learning
Translating
the Vision/
Mission
1
3 2
Project 1
4
Executing
Completing
Planning
Initiating
How (international) projects are part of the organization’s
strategy
3
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN (INTERNATIONAL) PROJECTS AND
(INTERNATIONAL) PROGRAMS
A program can be defined as a bundle of projects.
Compared to a project, a program typically is bigger, requires more resources,
and is crucial for the success of organizational strategy.
The projects within a program serve the same strategic objective.
Projects in a program are interdependent. They share the same objectives and
scarce resources.
They typically have a common infrastructure and share a certain set of risks.
Programs have the following advantages:
Ensuring strategic alignment through interdependency of objectives.
Reducing the complexity of ‘large projects’ by clearly breaking them down
into smaller, easy-to control projects contributes to clearer responsibilities,
minimizes risks, and boosts morale and motivation. It also improves the quality
of the results.
Programs are essentially managed in the same way as projects.
4
PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (PPM)
A project portfolio is a collection of projects managed under
one umbrella. These projects may be interrelated or not.
Purpose of PPM is to maximize the efficacy of projects in the
light of strategy execution.
There are two main management processes within project
portfolio management:
1. Selection and prioritization of projects.
2. Management of the projects within the portfolio by
monitoring target achievement.
A project portfolio is periodically adapted to the
organizational strategy.
The main activities of the PPM process are shown on the
following slide.
5
Required inputs:
1. Program/ project title
2. Project objective in light of
overall strategy
3. Risk level
4. Timeframe
5. Dependencies with other
programs/ projects
6. Estimated budget or ROI
7. Impact of not delivering the
program/project
1
3
2
4
Build or
Update
Project
Portfolio
Analyze
& Prioritize
Project
Portfolio
Monitor
& Adjust
Project
Portfolio
Consider
new
proposed
projects
The Project
Portfolio
Management
Process
1. Categorization.
Similar to 520 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY Workshops are, ho.docx (20)
Christian Schussele Men of ProgressOil on canvas, 1862Coope.docxtroutmanboris
Christian Schussele Men of Progress
Oil on canvas, 1862
Cooper Union, New York, New York
Transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of Andrew W. Mellon, 1942
NPG.65.60
Edward Sorel, “People of Progress” 1999, Cooper Union, New York, New York
Syllabus
The clerks of the Department of State of the United States may be called upon to give evidence of transactions in the Department which are not of a confidential character.
The Secretary of State cannot be called upon as a witness to state transactions of a confidential nature which may have occurred in his Department. But he may be called upon to give testimony of circumstances which were not of that character.
Clerks in the Department of State were directed to be sworn, subject to objections to questions upon confidential matters.
Some point of time must be taken when the power of the Executive over an officer, not removable at his will, must cease. That point of time must be when the constitutional power of appointment has been exercised. And the power has been exercised when the last act required from the person possessing the power has been performed. This last act is the signature of the commission.
If the act of livery be necessary to give validity to the commission of an officer, it has been delivered when executed, and given to the Secretary of State for the purpose of being sealed, recorded, and transmitted to the party.
In cases of commissions to public officers, the law orders the Secretary of State to record them. When, therefore, they are signed and sealed, the order for their being recorded is given, and, whether inserted inserted into the book or not, they are recorded.
When the heads of the departments of the Government are the political or confidential officers of the Executive, merely to execute the will of the President, or rather to act in cases in which the Executive possesses a constitutional or legal discretion, nothing can be more perfectly clear than that their acts are only politically examinable. But where a specific duty is assigned by law, and individual rights depend upon the performance of that duty, it seems equally clear that the individual who considers himself injured has a right to resort to the laws of his country for a remedy.
The President of the United States, by signing the commission, appointed Mr. Marbury a justice of the peace for the County of Washington, in the District of Columbia, and the seal of the United States, affixed thereto by the Secretary of State, is conclusive testimony of the verity of the signature, and of the completion of the appointment; and the appointment conferred on him a legal right to the office for the space of five years. Having this legal right to the office, he has a consequent right to the commission, a refusal to deliver which is a plain violation of that right for which the laws of the country afford him a remedy.
To render a mandamus a proper remedy, the officer to whom it is directed must be one to who.
Christian EthicsChristian ethics deeply align with absolutism. E.docxtroutmanboris
Christian Ethics
Christian ethics deeply align with absolutism. Ethical absolutism claims that moral principles do exist. According to Christians, God created moral absolutes. These absolutes can be seen in God’s revelation. God’s special and general revelation reveal his moral truths. This does not mean that only Christians can understand moral truths. Because humans are made in God’s image, they can recognize moral truths even if they do not believe in God
[1]
. These absolutes were instated by God. Therefore, they apply to all of humanity. This worldview is in direct opposition to the idea of relativism. Christian ethics cannot be viewed through a relativistic point of view. According to relativism, there is no moral truths. There is no absolute distinction between right and wrong within this way of thinking. Right and wrong can be decided by individuals or groups of people. Cultures decide what is right for themselves and their way of life. Even individuals have the ability to decide their own personal moral code. This can seem somewhat reasonable at times. Some things that were considered moral or immoral in the past are viewed differently today. Even with this understanding, Christians deny the idea of relativism. Christians hold to the belief that moral truths come from God. Therefore, these truths do not change. God himself never changes; therefore, his moral truths remain the same. According to Christian ethics, mankind is expected to hold to the moral absolutes mandated by God himself. This understanding is not compatible with relativism. Relativism makes no place of a God. From a relativistic point of view, mankind decides their own morality. Right and wrong are not fixed. In Christian ethics, right and wrong are permanently decided by the God of the universe.
The subjective aspects of Christian ethics can look similar to relativism. The areas that are somewhat subjective in Christian aspects are referred to as the liberties of a Christian. There are some matters that are not said to be morally wrong in the Bible. Some see these issues to be wrong; therefore, they are. Others do not find certain issues to be morally wrong. These individuals are claiming their Christian liberty. One of these issues is drinking alcohol. Some Christians believe that ingesting any amount of alcohol is morally wrong. According to the idea of Christian liberty, it would be wrong for the individuals who hold to this belief to drink alcohol. Others do not have this conviction and are not doing wrong by consuming alcohol. On the surface, the idea of Christian liberty can seem to be related to relativism, but upon closer inspection these ideas are not closely related. Christian liberty is a Biblical concept that harmonize well with the overall message of the Bible. Relativism is nowhere found in the Bible. The Bible is clear that there are universal moral laws. These laws are placed upon humanity by God himself. There are some areas where the Bible remain.
Christian Ethics BA 616 Business Ethics Definiti.docxtroutmanboris
Christian Ethics
BA 616 Business Ethics
Definition of Christian Ethics
A system of values based upon the Judeo/Christian Scriptures
Principles of behavior in concordance with the behaviors of Christian teachings
Standards of thought and behavior as taught by Jesus.
Discussion
What are some of the “ethical” attributes presented in the teachings of Jesus?
What are some ethical attributes presented in the teachings of other religious persons?
Quotes about Christian Ethics
Quotes on Christian Ethics
Recognize the value of work
“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:22).
Do not give the poor the food, rather allow the poor to work for themselves
Discussion
What are examples of the value of work?
Today, some U.S. state governors are trying to get those “able bodied” individuals to work for welfare. They are meeting great resistance politically, why do you think this is?
The value of work
Confirmed by Elton Mayo
Fulfills social, psychological and economic needs of the individual
“If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
Christian Ethics
The fruit of a people that have inwardly committed their lives to Christ and are outwardly aligning their actions with His teachings.
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands” (Psalms. 90:17).
Employees with a Christian Code of Ethics
Welcome accountability
Happy to show their efforts
A system of checks and balances
Sees possible training moment
Fosters collaboration with management
“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense” (Proverbs 12:11)
Employees with a Christian Code of Ethics
Not motivated by greed
Work is its own reward
Measure success in a non-monetary way
Seek payment for the work they do
Money is second to obedience
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23).
Employees with a Christian Code of Ethics
Are highly productive
Are work focused
Work hard throughout the day
Find value in completing assigned tasks
Understand that they are there to work
“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor” (Proverbs 12:24).
Employees with a Christian Code of Ethics
Have a strong work ethic
Believe in a Biblical perspective of work
Reliable
Recognize the value of work
Relate their job to their faith
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23)
Employees with a Christian Code of Ethics
Bring a cooperative spirit to the workplace
Supportive of management
Strong contribu.
CHPSI think you made a really good point that Howard lacks poli.docxtroutmanboris
CH/PS
I think you made a really good point that Howard lacks political aspects-especially for presidency. I have no heard his speeches quite yet (since I tend to stray away from politics altogether because people are so aggressive), do you think he is a great leader-type and is he charismatic at all? Great leaders, especially for presidency, should be honest, charismatic, and not only cater to the audience's needs but to the entire country's needs without sugar coating things.
Also, I am not sure what you mean by "In order to improve his leadership style, Jeff should change his model of carrying out business activities. This is because it can be copied and imitated by other companies (Mauri, 2016)".- how can it be imitted by other companies? In what way?
Do you think Jeff Bezos is a bad leader? and why?
CH/AR
I found your comparison of Howard Schultz and Jeff Bezos interesting and compelling. When I was looking at the list of leaders to select from, it was staggering to me how many of the corporate leaders have run or are planning to run for political office. I'm not sure, given our current political environment, that running a large corporation is the right background and experience for the leader of the United States. We'll see what happens in the next year and a half!
Amazon is an amazing, transformative company to watch. I work in the financial services industry and one of our leaders recently described our competition not as other financial services firms but as Amazon. Financial services firms pretty much all offer the same products and services and at a very reasonable price point. Amazon, however, has excelled in service delivery. I would imagine that at sometime in the future, Amazon will partner with a financial service firm to deliver products and services. I'll admit that I was and still am skeptical about Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods, but Bezos seems to be up for trying just about anything.
In your analysis of the two leaders, you didn't mention directly the challenges faced by either the leaders or the organization. Last year, Starbucks was all over the news regarding the incident involving two African American gentlemen and how they were treated by a manger at Starbucks. I'm curious how you or others in the class through about how Schultz led the organization through that crisis. Bezos, as well, has not been immune to controversy with his recent affair and divorce becoming public. How do the personal lives and behaviors of leader impact the organizations they lead? Should it matter?
SO
The first leader I chose to research is Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google. Sundar began to show in interest in technology at an early age, and eventually earned a degree in Metallurgy, and an M.B.A from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He then began working at Google in 2004 as the head of product management and development (Shepherd). From there, he assisted in the development of many different departme.
Chosen brand CHANELStudents are required to research a fash.docxtroutmanboris
Chosen brand:
CHANEL
Students are required to research a fashion brand of their choice and analyze its positioning strategy in the market.
● The report will assess students’ ability to collect data, in an efficient manner and use this data to scrutinise the marketing aspects of a fashion brand.
● The report will be covering the following subjects:
1. Analysis Of The Macro And Micro-environment of the brand.
2. Positioning Strategy Of The Brand: Target Customer(Pen Portrait)
3. Competitor Analysis.
4. Critical evaluation of the marketing communications strategy of the brand
supporting the development of the individual report, using relevant PRIMARY and SECONDARY RESEARCH.
NB: Please kindly devise a survey (Google forms) and make up some responses to it so as to then incorporate PRIMARY results into the report. Thanks
see attached file
word count: 2000 words
.
Chose one person to reply to ALBORES 1. Were Manning’s acti.docxtroutmanboris
Chose one person to reply to:
ALBORES
1. Were Manning’s actions legal under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and what are the possible penalties for violating the act?
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act states (1977) “It shall be unlawful for any issuer...to offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment of any money, or offer, gift, promise to give... “. Manning assumed the duty of an issuer because he attended dinner with the prime minister to discuss the contract. Then, Manning offered to fly the prime minister to New York, which he then promised to pay for all of the prime minister's expenses. However, according to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (1977) a promise or offer is acceptable if the expense was ”reasonable and bona fide expenditure, such as travel and lodging expenses, incurred by or on behalf of a foreign official… was directly related to the promotion, demonstration, or explanation of products or services”. Manning promised to fly out the prime minister because he wanted to “discuss business further” (UMUC, 2019). Further, Manning used company funds to take the prime minister to luxurious activities and restaurants because he wanted to retain the contract from the prime minister.
Even though Manning did not directly give money to the prime minister, he authorized payment for the prime minster’s two-week stay, which did not involve discussing the contract. Out of the two weeks, business was only conducted for a day. In addition, Manning can be held responsible for bribing the customs officials at Neristan. According to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (1977), it is unlawful to influence “any act or decision of such foreign official in his official capacity... omit to do any act in violation of the lawful duty of such official”. Manning influenced the customs officials because Manning gave each custom official $100 to clear the shipment. Custom officials act on behalf of the Neristan government and sometimes require large shipments to be inspected. Manny will likely be held responsible for offering payment to the customs officials in exchange for expediting the company’s shipment.
If Manning violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, he could face imprisonment. Also, the company may have to pay the penalty. The penalty for violating the act is “a fine of up to $2 million per violation. Likewise, an individual may face up to five years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000 per violation of the anti-bribery provision” (Woody, 2018, p. 275).
2. Were Manning’s actions legal under the UK Bribery Act and what are the possible penalties for violating the act?
Based on the UK Bribery Act (2010), an individual is guilty of bribing an official if “intention is to influence F (government official) in F's capacity as a foreign public official...intend to obtain or retain business, or an advantage in the conduct of business.”. Manning bribed the prime minister because he stated: “If, after we are done conducting busi.
Choosing your literary essay topic on Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee .docxtroutmanboris
Choosing your literary essay topic on
Disgrace
by J. M. Coetzee is the first step to writing your literary analysis paper.
After reading the novel, you should be able to decide in which direction you'd like to take your paper.
Topics/ approaches
(Focus on only one of the following, though some may overlap):
Analyze one of the minor characters, such as Petrus.
Example
: Analyze not only the chosen characters' personality but also what role they played in advancing the overall theme of the novel.
The protagonist's conflict, the hurdles to be overcome, and how he resolves it.
Examples:
It could be hope for change, both in South Africa and in David Lurie. OR: the disgrace David Lurie has suffered over the affair with a student and how that matches the disgrace South Africa has suffered through apartheid.
The function of setting to reinforce theme and characterization.
Example
: post-apartheid South Africa is a setting arguably more important than anything else in the novel. Your outside sources would be a bit of history concerning apartheid.The use of literary devices to communicate theme: imagery, metaphor, symbolism, foreshadowing, irony
Symbolism in the novel--
Examples:
Determine if David Lurie represents the old, white authorities of South Africa, while Lucy represents the new white people of South Africa. OR: Analyze what dogs symbolize in this story. Another example: What is symbolized by the opera David Lurie is writing on Byron?
Careful examination of one or more central scenes and its/their crucial role in plot development, resolution of conflict, and exposition of the theme.
Example:
Analyze one or more scenes in which hope that change for the better is possible through a character's remorse and subsequent action, for example, the scene in which David Lurie apologizes to the parents OR the scene in which Lucy gets raped.
The possible issue to be addressed in introduction or conclusion:
Characteristics that make the work typical (or atypical) of the period, the setting, or the author that produced it. For this information, you must go to a library database (you must read "How to Access Miami Dade Databases" if you don't know how) or a valid search site, such as Google Scholar (there is often a fee for this one).
Do
not
open or close with biographical material on the author. Biographical material is important as it influences the author’s writing only and should not be a focus of your paper.
Guidelines for Literary Essay
Be aware that you will be writing about a novel, which in its broadest sense is any extended fictional narrative almost always in prose, in which the representation of character is often the focus. Good authors use the elements of fiction, such as plot, theme, setting etc. purposefully, with a very clear goal in mind. One of the paths to literary analysis is to discover what the author's purpose is with each of his choices. Avoid the problem th.
Choosing your Philosophical Question The Final Project is an opp.docxtroutmanboris
Choosing your Philosophical Question
The Final Project is an opportunity for you to investigate one of the discussion questions to a much greater degree than in the forums. For your Final Project you will choose a philosophical question (stage 1), conduct an analysis of the claims and arguments relevant to the question by reading the primary texts of the philosopher (stage 2), and then take a position on the chosen question and offer an argument in support of your position (stage 3).
For this first stage of your Final Project assignment, (a) choose a question that appears as a discussion question (listed below, with some exceptions). You may choose one that you have previously begun to answer in the discussion forums, or one that you have yet to consider, then (b) explain briefly why you are interested in exploring this philosopher, the primary text and the question further. Submit this assignment on a Word .docx.
Week Four: Philosopher: Thomas Aquinas, Primary Text: Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 2, Article 1-3
Q1. Does God really exist?
Question to write on, and answer the question fully in all its parts. Be mindful of the question. You are making a claim about something and offering support for it. Try to use examples from the Primary Texts you have read and/or your own experiences in that support.
DISCUSSION QUESTION CHOICE #1: Philosophy of Religion. Study Aquinas' five "ways" of demonstrating God's existence in the learning resources then engage in the study of ontology by examining your belief in God:
Answer the question: Does God really exist?
Use Aquinas and your own reasoning in your argument.
Kreeft, Peter. A Shorter Summa: The Essential Philosophical Passages of St. Thomas Aquinas'
Summa Theologica, Ignatius Press (San Francisco, 1993), chapter II.
Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 2, Articles 1-3
The Existence of God
Because the chief aim of sacred doctrine is to teach the knowledge of God, not only as He is in
Himself, but also as He is the beginning of things and their last end, and especially of rational
creatures, as is clear from what has been already said, therefore, in our endeavor to expound this
science, we shall treat: (1) Of God; (2) Of the rational creature’s advance towards God; (3) Of
Christ, Who as man, is our way to God.
In treating of God there will be a threefold division: For we shall consider (1) Whatever concerns
the Divine Essence; (2) Whatever concerns the distinctions of Persons; (3) Whatever concerns the
procession of creatures from Him
Concerning the Divine Essence, we must consider: (1) Whether God exists? (2) The manner of His
existence, or, rather, what is not the manner of His existence; (3) Whatever concerns His
operations — namely, His knowledge, will, power.
Concerning the first, there are three points of inquiry: (1) Whether the proposition “God exists” is
self-evident? (2) Whether it is demonstrable? (3) Whether God exists?-
FIRST ARTICLE
Whether the Existence .
Choosing Your Research Method in a NutshellBy James Rice and.docxtroutmanboris
Choosing Your Research Method in a Nutshell
By James Rice and Marilyn K. Simon
Research Method Brief Type
Action research Participatory ‐ problem identification, solution,
solution review
III
Appreciative inquiry Helps groups identify solutions III, IV
Case Study research Group observation to determine how and why a
situation exists
III
Causal‐comparative research Identify causal relationship among variable that
can't be controlled
IV
Content analysis Analyze text and make inferences IV
Correlational research Collect data and determine level of correlation
between variables
I
Critical Incident technique Identification of determining incident of a critical
event
III
Delphi research Analysis of expert knowledge to forecast future
events
I, IV
Descriptive research Study of "as is" phenomena I
Design based research/ decision analysis Identify meaningful change in practices II
Ethnographic Cultural observation of a group
Evaluation research Study the effectiveness of an intervention or
program
IV
Experimental research Study the effect of manipulating a variable or
variables
II
Factor analysis Statistically assess the relationship between large
numbers of variables
I
Grounded Theory Produce a theory that explains a process based on
observation
III, IV
Hermeneutic research Study the meaning of subjects/texts (exegetics is
text only) by concentrating on the historical
meaning of the experience and its developmental
and cumulative effects on the individual and society
III
Historical research historical data collection and analysis of person or
organization
IV
Meta‐analysis research Seek patterns in data collected by other studies and
formulate principals
Narrative research Study of a single person's experiences
Needs assessment Systematic process of determine the needs of a
defined demographic population
Phenomenography Answer questions about thinking and learning
Phenomenology Make sense of lived experiences of participants
regarding a specified phenomenon.
III, IV
Quasi‐experimental Manipulation of variables in populations without
benefit of random assignment or control group.
II
Q‐method A mixed‐method approach to study subjectivity ‐
patterns of thought
I
Regression‐discontinuity design (RD) Cut‐off score assignment of participants to group
(non‐random) used to study effectiveness of an
intervention
II
Repertory grid analysis Interview process to determine how a person
interprets the meaning of an experience
I
Retrospective record review Study of historic data collected about a prior
intervention (both effected and control group)
II
Semiology Studies the meaning of symbols II, III
Situational analysis Post‐modernist approach to grounded theory
(holistic view rather than isolated variables) by
studying lived experiences around a phenomenon
Trend Analysis research Formulate a f.
Choose two of the systems (education, work, the military, and im.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
two
of the systems (education, work, the military, and immigration). Explain how they fit into the domain of social work and the social justice issues social workers should be aware of in these systems.
How does the education, military, workplace, or immigration system rely on social workers?
What is one social justice issue found in education, the military, the workplace, or immigration that influences the practice of social work?
.
Choose two disorders from the categories presented this week.C.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
two disorders from the categories presented this week.
Create
a 15- to 20-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation that includes the following:
Describes the disorders and explains their differences
Discusses how these disorders are influenced by the legal system
Discusses how the legal system is influenced by these disorders
Include
a minimum of two peer-reviewed sources.
Format
your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.
Submit
your assignment.
*3 slides on How is the legal system influenced by schizophrenia with speaker notes*
.
Choose ONE of the following topics Length 750-900 words, .docxtroutmanboris
Choose
ONE
of the following topics
Length:
750-900 words, double spaced, 12 pt. font
Identify the different forms of religious groups that are comprised in the typology outlined by the classic sociologists of religion. Explain the basic characteristics of each and provide examples.
Establish a distinction between the popular misuses of the term "myth" and its meaning in the scholarly context of Religious Studies. Explain the functions of myth according to the scholar Joseph Campbell.
.
Choose one of the following topicsAmerica A Narrative.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
one
of the following topics
America: A Narrative History
notes Thomas Jefferson's election to the presidency set the tone of "republican simplicity". In what ways was this still true in 1850 following the "Market Revolution" and in what ways was it not?
Connect the technological improvements in water transportation of the early 19th century to the territory acquired in the LA Purchase.
.
Choose one of the following topics below. Comparecont.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
one
of the following topics below.
Compare/contrast the role women played in Puritan Society in colonial Massachusetts with their role in the Great Awakening of the 18th century.
Why is the Declaration of Independence considered historically as a product of the Age of Enlightenment?
500 words
.
Choose one of the following topics below. Comparecon.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
one
of the following topics below.
Compare/contrast the role women played in Puritan Society in colonial Massachusetts with their role in the Great Awakening of the 18th century.
Why is the Declaration of Independence considered historically as a product of the Age of Enlightenment?
requirement of this assignment
Write a 500 word essay
.
Choose one of the states of RacialCultural Identity Development.docxtroutmanboris
Choose one of the states of Racial/Cultural Identity Developmental Model and reflect on how you will intervine with a client in that stage.
Stages:
Conformity
Dissonance and Appreciating
Resistance and immersion
Introspection
Integrative Awareness
.
Choose one of the following topicsNative AmericansWomenEnvi.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
one of the following topics:
Native Americans
Women
Environment
Latin Americans
Sexual liberation
Read
at least three different newspaper articles between 1968 and 1980 that cover important changes affecting your topic. In the University Library, use the ProQuest
®
historical newspaper archive (available under
General Resources > ProQuest >
Advanced Search
>
Search Options
>
Source Type
), which includes the following major newspapers, among others:
New York Times
Washington Post
Wall Street Journal
Los Angeles Times
Christian Science Monitor
Write
a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you describe the status of the chosen group or idea and how that group or idea was affected by the changes brought about during the 1960s. Include information gleaned from the newspaper articles as well as other material.
.
Choose one of the following films for review (with faculty’s appro.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
one of the following films for review (with faculty’s approval). Put yourself in the movie by choosing one character to follow. What cultural issues would you face? What are cultural challenges? Write a short paper describing the film and your observations. Present your findings in class.
•
Secret Lives of Bees
•
Chocolate
•
Under the Same Moon
•
Maid in Manhattan
•
Walk in the Clouds
•
Get Rich or Die Trying (Gang Culture
) "I like this one"
•
Mu
lan
•
Mississippi Burning
•
A Time to Kill - "
I Also like this one
"
•
Only Fools Rush In
.
Choose and complete one of the two assignment options.docxtroutmanboris
Choose
and
complete
one of the two assignment options:
Option 1: Forecasting Comparison Presentation
Identify
a state, local, or federal policy that impacts your organization or community.
Create
an 8- to 10-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation in which you complete the following:
Describe how forecasting can be used to implement this policy and highlight any limitations of the usage of forecasting.
Compare and contrast the different forms of forecasting used to aid decision-makers when evaluating policy outcomes.
Discuss the types of information needed to ensure forecasts are accurate.
Analyze the relationship between forecasting, monitoring of observed policy outcomes, and normative futures in goals and agenda setting.
Include
speaker notes with each slide. The presentation should also contain and at least four peer-reviewed references from the University Library.
I live in Lawrence, KS if you can find a policy within this community.
.
This presentation was provided by Rebecca Benner, Ph.D., of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
Elevate Your Nonprofit's Online Presence_ A Guide to Effective SEO Strategies...TechSoup
Whether you're new to SEO or looking to refine your existing strategies, this webinar will provide you with actionable insights and practical tips to elevate your nonprofit's online presence.
A Visual Guide to 1 Samuel | A Tale of Two HeartsSteve Thomason
These slides walk through the story of 1 Samuel. Samuel is the last judge of Israel. The people reject God and want a king. Saul is anointed as the first king, but he is not a good king. David, the shepherd boy is anointed and Saul is envious of him. David shows honor while Saul continues to self destruct.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
إضغ بين إيديكم من أقوى الملازم التي صممتها
ملزمة تشريح الجهاز الهيكلي (نظري 3)
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
تتميز هذهِ الملزمة بعِدة مُميزات :
1- مُترجمة ترجمة تُناسب جميع المستويات
2- تحتوي على 78 رسم توضيحي لكل كلمة موجودة بالملزمة (لكل كلمة !!!!)
#فهم_ماكو_درخ
3- دقة الكتابة والصور عالية جداً جداً جداً
4- هُنالك بعض المعلومات تم توضيحها بشكل تفصيلي جداً (تُعتبر لدى الطالب أو الطالبة بإنها معلومات مُبهمة ومع ذلك تم توضيح هذهِ المعلومات المُبهمة بشكل تفصيلي جداً
5- الملزمة تشرح نفسها ب نفسها بس تكلك تعال اقراني
6- تحتوي الملزمة في اول سلايد على خارطة تتضمن جميع تفرُعات معلومات الجهاز الهيكلي المذكورة في هذهِ الملزمة
واخيراً هذهِ الملزمة حلالٌ عليكم وإتمنى منكم إن تدعولي بالخير والصحة والعافية فقط
كل التوفيق زملائي وزميلاتي ، زميلكم محمد الذهبي 💊💊
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chapter wise All Notes of First year Basic Civil Engineering.pptxDenish Jangid
Chapter wise All Notes of First year Basic Civil Engineering
Syllabus
Chapter-1
Introduction to objective, scope and outcome the subject
Chapter 2
Introduction: Scope and Specialization of Civil Engineering, Role of civil Engineer in Society, Impact of infrastructural development on economy of country.
Chapter 3
Surveying: Object Principles & Types of Surveying; Site Plans, Plans & Maps; Scales & Unit of different Measurements.
Linear Measurements: Instruments used. Linear Measurement by Tape, Ranging out Survey Lines and overcoming Obstructions; Measurements on sloping ground; Tape corrections, conventional symbols. Angular Measurements: Instruments used; Introduction to Compass Surveying, Bearings and Longitude & Latitude of a Line, Introduction to total station.
Levelling: Instrument used Object of levelling, Methods of levelling in brief, and Contour maps.
Chapter 4
Buildings: Selection of site for Buildings, Layout of Building Plan, Types of buildings, Plinth area, carpet area, floor space index, Introduction to building byelaws, concept of sun light & ventilation. Components of Buildings & their functions, Basic concept of R.C.C., Introduction to types of foundation
Chapter 5
Transportation: Introduction to Transportation Engineering; Traffic and Road Safety: Types and Characteristics of Various Modes of Transportation; Various Road Traffic Signs, Causes of Accidents and Road Safety Measures.
Chapter 6
Environmental Engineering: Environmental Pollution, Environmental Acts and Regulations, Functional Concepts of Ecology, Basics of Species, Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Hydrological Cycle; Chemical Cycles: Carbon, Nitrogen & Phosphorus; Energy Flow in Ecosystems.
Water Pollution: Water Quality standards, Introduction to Treatment & Disposal of Waste Water. Reuse and Saving of Water, Rain Water Harvesting. Solid Waste Management: Classification of Solid Waste, Collection, Transportation and Disposal of Solid. Recycling of Solid Waste: Energy Recovery, Sanitary Landfill, On-Site Sanitation. Air & Noise Pollution: Primary and Secondary air pollutants, Harmful effects of Air Pollution, Control of Air Pollution. . Noise Pollution Harmful Effects of noise pollution, control of noise pollution, Global warming & Climate Change, Ozone depletion, Greenhouse effect
Text Books:
1. Palancharmy, Basic Civil Engineering, McGraw Hill publishers.
2. Satheesh Gopi, Basic Civil Engineering, Pearson Publishers.
3. Ketki Rangwala Dalal, Essentials of Civil Engineering, Charotar Publishing House.
4. BCP, Surveying volume 1
Philippine Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) CurriculumMJDuyan
(𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝟏𝟎𝟎) (𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟏)-𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐬
𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐏𝐏 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬:
- Understand the goals and objectives of the Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) curriculum, recognizing its importance in fostering practical life skills and values among students. Students will also be able to identify the key components and subjects covered, such as agriculture, home economics, industrial arts, and information and communication technology.
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫:
-Define entrepreneurship, distinguishing it from general business activities by emphasizing its focus on innovation, risk-taking, and value creation. Students will describe the characteristics and traits of successful entrepreneurs, including their roles and responsibilities, and discuss the broader economic and social impacts of entrepreneurial activities on both local and global scales.
Beyond Degrees - Empowering the Workforce in the Context of Skills-First.pptxEduSkills OECD
Iván Bornacelly, Policy Analyst at the OECD Centre for Skills, OECD, presents at the webinar 'Tackling job market gaps with a skills-first approach' on 12 June 2024
This document provides an overview of wound healing, its functions, stages, mechanisms, factors affecting it, and complications.
A wound is a break in the integrity of the skin or tissues, which may be associated with disruption of the structure and function.
Healing is the body’s response to injury in an attempt to restore normal structure and functions.
Healing can occur in two ways: Regeneration and Repair
There are 4 phases of wound healing: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. This document also describes the mechanism of wound healing. Factors that affect healing include infection, uncontrolled diabetes, poor nutrition, age, anemia, the presence of foreign bodies, etc.
Complications of wound healing like infection, hyperpigmentation of scar, contractures, and keloid formation.
520 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY Workshops are, ho.docx
1. 520 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
Workshops are, however, prone to at least two problems. First,
when reduced to a routine
part of the strategic planning cycle, and involving the usual
group of senior managers every
year, workshops may not be able to produce new ideas that
signifi cantly challenge the status
quo. On the other hand, workshops that are too radically
separated from the ordinary routines
of the organisation can become detached from subsequent
action: it can be diffi cult to translate
radical ideas and group enthusiasm back into the workplace.
In designing workshops that will be closely connected to
subsequent action, managers
should consider:
● Identifying agreed actions to be taken. Time should be
set aside at the end of the workshop for
a review of workshop outputs and agreement on necessary
actions to follow up. However,
this, of itself, may well not make a suffi ciently powerful bridge
to operational realities.
● Establishing project groups . Workshops can build on the
cohesion built around particular
issues by commissioning groups of managers to work together
on specifi c tasks arising from
the workshop and report on progress to senior management.
● Nesting of workshops . Especially if a workshop has
2. expected participants to question current
strategy and develop radical new ideas, it may be useful to have
a series of workshops, each
of which gradually becomes more and more grounded in
operational realities.
● Making visible commitment by the top management . The
chief executive or other senior man-
ager needs to signal commitment to the outcomes of the
workshop not only by their state-
ments but by their actual behaviours.
15.4.2 Strategy projects
Both strategy making and strategy implementation are often
organised in the form of projects
or task forces. 34 Strategy projects involve teams of
people assigned to work on particular stra-
tegic issues over a defi ned period of time. Projects can be
instituted in order to explore problems
or opportunities as part of the strategy development process. Or
they might be instituted to
implement agreed elements of a strategy, for example an
organisational restructuring or the
negotiation of a joint venture. Translating a strategic plan or
workshop outcomes into a set of
projects is a good means of ensuring that intentions are
translated into action. They can also
include a wider group of managers in strategy activity.
Strategy projects should be managed like any other project. In
particular they need:
● A clear brief or mandate . The project’s objectives
should be agreed and carefully managed.
These objectives are the measure of the project’s success.
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510 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
involved should vary according to the nature of the issue (see
Figure 15.2 ). 18 For example,
issues that are urgent and could involve major changes to
strategy (such as an acquisition
opportunity) are best approached by small special project teams,
consisting of senior managers
7. and perhaps planners and consultants. Issues which may be
important but are not urgent
(such as deciding on key competitors) can benefi t from more
prolonged and open strategic
conversations, both formal and informal. Urgent issues that do
not involve major change
(such as responding to competitor threats) require only limited
participation. Issues that may
involve major changes but require idea generation over time
(such as the search for global
opportunities) might benefi t from more open participation,
though this might be organised
more formally through a series of planned events, such as
conferences bringing together large
groups of managers in particular geographical regions.
Illustration 15.2 shows one approach to achieving inclusion
at Barclay’s Bank. The
Wychavon end of chapter case provides a public-sector
example.
15.3 STRATEGISING
Whereas the previous section introduced the key strategists,
this section concentrates on what
these people do – in other words, the activities of strategising .
The section starts with strategy
analysis, then issue-selling, decision making and
communications about the chosen strategy.
In practice, of course, these activities rarely follow this logical
sequence, or they may not hap-
pen at all. As Chapter 12 made clear, strategies do not
always come about in such ways and
strategic decisions are often made without formal analysis and
evaluation. So the section ends
with a reminder about the often ‘messy’ nature of strategy
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STRATEGISING 511
15.3.1 Strategy analysis
A good deal of this text is concerned with strategy analysis,
and indeed analysis can be an
important input into strategy making. However, managers often
use a limited set of analytical
tools and do not always follow textbook procedures. SWOT
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats) analysis is by far the most widely used tool, but in
practice managers often deviate
from the technical ideal even with this simple tool. 19 For
example, SWOT analyses tend to pro-
duce unmanageably long lists of factors (strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats),
often well over 50 or so. These factors are rarely probed or refi
ned, little substantive analysis is
done to investigate them and they are often not followed up
systematically in subsequent stra-
tegic discussions. (See the discussion on SWOT in section
3.4.4 .)
However, criticism of managers for their analytical limitations
may sometimes be mis-
placed. There are both cost and purpose issues to consider.
First of all, analysis is costly in terms
of both resources and time. There are of course the costs of
gathering information, particularly
12. if using consultants. But with regard to time there is also the
risk of ‘ paralysis by analysis ’,
where managers spend too long perfecting their analyses and
not enough time taking deci-
sions and acting upon them. 20 Managers have to judge how
much analysis they really need.
Second, with regard to purpose, analysis is not always simply
about providing the necessary
information for good strategic decisions anyway. Ann Langley
has shown that the purposes of
analysis can be quite different. 21 Setting up a project to
analyse an issue thoroughly may even
be a deliberate form of procrastination , aimed at putting off a
decision. Analysis can also be
symbolic , for example to rationalise a decision after it has
already effectively been made.
Managers may be asked to analyse an issue in order to get their
buy-in to decisions that they
might otherwise resist. Analyses can also be political , to
forward the agenda of a particular
manager or part of the organisation.
The different purposes of strategy analysis have two key
implications for managers:
● Design the analysis according to the real purpose . The
range and quality of people involved, the
time and budget allowed, and the subsequent communication of
analysis results should all
depend on underlying purpose, whether informational, political
or symbolic. For example,
prestigious strategy consulting fi rms are often useful for
political and symbolic analyses.
Involving a wide group of middle managers in the analysis may
help with subsequent buy-in.
13. ● Invest appropriately in technical quality . For many
projects, improving the quality of the
technical analysis will make a valuable addition to subsequent
strategic decisions. On
other occasions, insisting on technical perfection can be
counter-productive. For example,
a SWOT analysis that raises lots of issues may be a useful
means of allowing managers to
vent their own personal frustrations, before getting on with the
real strategy work. It may
sometimes be better to leave these issues on the table, rather
than probing, challenging or
even deleting them in a way that could unnecessarily alienate
these managers for the
following stages.
15.3.2 Strategic issue-selling
Organisations typically face many strategic issues at any point
in time. But in complex organ-
isations these issues may not be appreciated by those involved
in developing strategy. Some
issues will be fi ltered out by the organisational hierarchy;
others will be sidelined by more
urgent pressures. Moreover, senior managers will rarely have
suffi cient time and resources to
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512 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
deal with all the issues that do actually reach them, so strategic
issues compete for attention.
What gets top management attention are not necessarily the
most important issues. 22 Issues
17. need to be ‘sold’.
Strategic issue-selling is the process of gaining the
attention and support of top manage-
ment and other important stakeholders for strategic issues.
Managers need to consider at least
four aspects in seeking attention and support for their issues:
● Issue packaging . Care should be taken with how issues
are packaged or framed. Clearly the
strategic importance of the issue needs to be underlined,
particularly by linking it to critical
strategic goals or performance metrics for the organisation.
Generally clarity and succinctness
win over complexity and length. It also usually helps if the
issue is packaged with potential
solutions . An issue can easily be put aside as too diffi cult to
address if no ways forward are
offered at the same time.
● Formal and informal channels . Managers need to balance
formal and informal channels of
infl uence. Figure 15.3 indicates some formal channels for
selling issues in a multidivisional
organisation (based on the American conglomerate General
Electric). Here formal chan-
nels are split between corporate, line and staff. On the corporate
side, they include the
annual business reviews that the CEO carries out with each
divisional head, plus the annual
Figure 15.3 Formal channels for issue-selling
Source : Adapted from W. Ocasio and J. Joseph, ‘An attention-
based theory of strategy formulation: linking micro
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STRATEGISING 513
strategy retreats (or workshops) of the top executive team. The
line channel involves the
regular line interaction of operational managers, divisional
heads and the CEO and other
executive directors. Finally, there are the various reporting
systems to staff functions,
including fi nance, human resources and strategic planning.
However, formal channels are
rarely enough to sell strategic issues. Informal channels can be
very important and often
decisive in some organisations. Informal channels might include
ad hoc conversations with
infl uential managers in corridors, on journeys or over meals or
drinks. Illustration 15.3
shows how informal channels can be important for consultants.
● Sell alone or in coalitions . Managers should consider
whether to press their issue on their own
or to assemble a coalition of supporters , preferably infl uential
ones. A coalition adds credibil-
ity and weight to the issue. The ability to gather a coalition of
supporters can be a good test
of the issue’s validity: if other managers are not persuaded, then
the CEO is unlikely to be
persuaded either. But notice that enlisting supporters may
involve compromises or recipro-
cal support of other issues, so blurring the clarity of the case
being put forward.
22. ● Timing . Managers should also time their issue-selling
carefully. For example, a short-term
performance crisis, or the period before the handover to a new
top management team, is not
a good time to press long-term strategic issues.
15.3.3 Strategic decision making
Strategic decision making is not always rational. Nobel prize-
winner Daniel Kahneman and
colleagues have developed an approach called ‘behavioural
economics’, which seeks to
improve decision making by taking into account real-life human
behaviour. 23 Kahneman
points out that even senior managers bring ‘cognitive biases’ to
their decisions: their mental
processes are liable to neglect, distort or exaggerate certain
issues. The trouble with cognitive
biases is that, by defi nition, it is very hard for people to
recognise what they are suffering from.
However, Kahneman suggests that designing good decision-
making processes can help rem-
edy the ill-effects of these biases. He highlights fi ve common
decision-making biases, along
with ways to reduce them:
● Confi rmation bias is the tendency to seek out data that
confi rm a favoured course of action,
and to neglect information that might disconfi rm it. One way to
counter this confi rmation
bias is to insist that alternative options are always considered in
decision processes. Then
the discussion shifts from whether or not to take a favoured
action, to how much better it
really is compared to the alternatives.
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514 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
ILLUSTRATION 15.3
Dinner with the consultants
Consultants operate through both formal and informal channels
to
27. influence strategic thinking.
Locco * was a major European automotive component
manufacturer. In the mid-1990s, it began to experience
declining profits. The CEO therefore invited consultants to
undertake a strategic review of the firm. This consultancy
team included a partner, a senior consultant and a junior
consultant. Their recommendations led to changes in
Locco’s product and market strategy.
Like all other consultancy assignments the consult-
ants undertook extensive analysis of industry data and
company data. However, in addition to this more formal
work, there was more informal engagement between the
consultants and the management, including three din-
ners held during the period of the project.
At home with the CEO
At the beginning of the assignment the CEO invited the
partner and senior consultant to meet senior managers at
his home for dinner ‘to get together in a more informal
28. way . . . to get to know each other better . . . and . . .
learn
more about the history of our company’, but also to estab-
lish trust between the managers and the consultants.
Others saw it differently. For example, the marketing
and sales manager viewed it as an attempt by the CEO to
influence the outcome of the project: ‘(he) likes to do
this. While dining in his home you can hardly oppose his
views.’ The consulting partner was somewhat wary, fear-
ing a hidden agenda but none the less seeing it as an
opportunity to ‘break the ice’ as well as gaining political
insight and understanding of the management dynamics.
Over dinner discussion was largely between the CEO
and the consultants with the CEO setting out some con-
cerns about the project, not least the danger of cost
cutting leading to a loss of jobs. As they mingled over
after-dinner drinks other sensitive issues were raised by
other managers.
29. At the castle
In the third week of the project the consultant invited the
CEO to a restaurant in a converted castle. He saw this as
an opportunity to get to know the CEO better, to gain his
agreement to the consultants’ approach to the project,
but also to gain a clearer understanding of the politics
among the senior management and establish more
insight into the CEO’s perceived problems of Locco.
Over the meal the consultant established that there
were two management ‘camps’ with different views of
strategy. The consultant also took the opportunity to
influence and gain the CEO’s approval for the agenda for
the next management meeting.
At the pizzeria
Some weeks later the senior consultant invited middle
managers whom he saw as ‘good implementers’ for pizza
and beer at an Italian restaurant to ‘exchange informa-
tion and get opinions on some of our analyses, see how
30. some of the middle managers react . . .’. Some of those
who attended were sceptical about the meeting but went
along. Senior managers were not invited.
At the dinner the consultant discussed his initial
analysis, particularly on strategic competences. He also
raised some issues to do with the political dynamics within
the senior management team. The consultant regarded
the dinner as a success both in terms of establishing
a rapport but also in establishing that ‘some (of the
managers) know exactly why the company has a prob-
lem . . . they already have some ideas for solutions . . . but
their voices are not heard’. The managers who attended
were, on the whole, also positive about the dinner, many
regarding it as ‘good fun’ though others who were not
there felt threatened by their absence.
* A pseudonym used by the researchers.
Adapted from A. Sturdy, M. Schwarz and A. Spicer, ‘Guess
who’s com-
ing to dinner? Structures and uses of liminality in strategic
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STRATEGISING 515
minimising differences: on the analogy with past experience,
they simply expect success to
be repeated. It is important here to ask for other analogies, or to
seek out possible differences
between the successful case and the one being considered. A
form of this saliency bias is the
so-called ‘halo effect’, where a manager or organisation that has
been successful in one
domain is simply assumed to be successful in another: the
manager or organisation is
treated like a saint (with a ‘halo’) and assumed to do no wrong.
35. Again, it is important here
to check for differences. Just because a manager has been
successful in managing a series of
acquisitions does not mean he or she will be equally so in
managing a joint venture.
● Affect bias occurs when managers become too
emotionally attached to a particular option
(too ‘affectionate’). In cases of issue-selling, this is often called
champion’s bias : the likelihood
that people will exaggerate their case in favour of their
particular proposal. If the proposal
comes from a team, it might be worth checking with members
individually for signs of dis-
comfort: it may be possible to obtain a more balanced view
from the less enthusiastic team
members. Having just the lead ‘champion’ present the proposal
on his or her own max-
imises the danger of hearing the most positive side of the
argument.
● Risk bias is where managers hold distorted views of
risk. Managers are often over-optimistic
in assessing their ability to deliver on projects. Here Kahneman
recommends that instead of
relying on the organisation’s own assessment of its capabilities
(an ‘inside view’), decision-
makers also look at the record of other organisations
undertaking similar projects (an ‘out-
side view’). It is easier to acknowledge the failures of other
organisations than to undertake
a sceptical review of one’s own internal capabilities. On the
other hand, managers can
sometimes be biased towards pessimism, so-called ‘risk
aversion’. Their fear of failure may
be greater than their appetite for success. Risk aversion can be
36. reduced by reviewing incen-
tives: the rewards of success can be either clarifi ed or
increased.
Thus Kahneman’s behavioural view leads to concrete
methodologies to reduce biases in stra-
tegic decision making. Overall, he encourages hurried managers
to ‘think slow’ – to take the
time to ask for additional views, analysis and data. Of course,
managers should recognise the
danger of paralysis by analysis ( section 15.3.1 ): in fast-
moving environments, the informed
intuition of experienced managers may be more effective than
thorough but time-consuming
analyses. 24 However, Kahneman believes that the costs of
error generally outweigh the costs
of missed opportunities. It is important too not to exaggerate
the importance of decision
making in strategy. As explained in Chapter 12 , many
strategies are emergent rather than
consciously decided anyway.
These insights from behavioural economics underline the
potential benefi ts of constructive
confl ict in decision making. 25 Confl ict can expose
champion’s biases. It can challenge optimistic
self-assessments of managerial competence. Confl ict is
fostered by having diverse managerial
teams, with members prepared to be devil’s advocates,
challenging assumptions or easy con-
sensus. But productive confl ict needs careful management.
Table 15.1 uses the idea of ‘games
with rules’ to summarise ways in which this might be done (see
also the discussion on ‘organ-
isational ambidexterity’ in section 14.3 ).
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516 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
tailor their messages to each. Shareholders, key customers and
employees are likely to be par-
ticularly central, all with different needs. For every new
strategy, there should be a commun-
ications strategy to match. It is also important to remember that
communication is a two-way
process. Harvard’s Michael Beer and Russell A. Eisenstat 26
argue that effective communication
needs to involve both advocacy of a strategy by senior
management and inquiry about the
concerns of infl uential internal and external stakeholders. In
the absence of the former, there
is lack of clarity, confusion and frustration. In the absence of
the latter, concerns will surface
in any case, but in ways that actively or passively undermine
the new strategy.
As a minimum, effective employee communications are needed
to ensure that the strategy
is understood. In the absence of this there are two likely
consequences:
41. ● Strategic intent will be reinterpreted . As the Key
Debate in Chapter 12 shows, it is inevitable
that people in the organisation will interpret intended strategy
in terms of their local context
and operational responsibilities. 27 The more such
reinterpretation occurs, the more unlikely
it is the intended strategy will be implemented.
● Established routines will continue . Old habits die hard,
so top management may under-
estimate the need to make very clear what behaviours are
expected to deliver a strategy.
Of course, effective communication is only one way in which
change can be managed; the
wider lessons of managing strategic change in this regard need
to be taken into account (see
Chapter 14 ).
In shaping a communications strategy for employees, four
elements need to be considered in
particular: 28
● Focus . Communications should be focused on the key
issues that the strategy addresses and
the key components of the strategy. If top management cannot
show they are clear on
Rulebook
• Establish clear behavioural boundaries.
• Encourage dissenting voices.
• Keep debate professional, not emotional.
Referees • Ensure the leader is (a) open to differing views,
(b) enforces the rules.
Playing field
46. STRATEGISING 517
these, then it cannot be expected that others will be. If possible
it also helps to avoid un-
necessary detail or complex language. CEO Jack Welch’s
famous statement that General
Electric should be ‘either Number One or Number Two’ in all
its markets is remembered
because of this clear focus on the importance of being a
dominant player wherever the com-
pany competed.
● Media . Choosing appropriate media to convey the new
strategy is important. Mass media
such as emails, voicemails, company newsletters, videos,
intranets and senior manager
blogs can ensure that all staff receive the same message
promptly, helping to avoid dam-
aging uncertainty and rumour-mongering. However, face-to-face
communications are
important too in order to demonstrate the personal commitment
of managers and allow for
interaction with concerned staff. So, for example, senior
managers may undertake road-
shows , carrying their message directly to various groups of
employees with conferences or
workshops at different sites. They may also institute cascades ,
whereby each level of man-
agers is tasked to convey the strategy message directly to the
staff reporting to them, who in
turn are required to convey the message to their staff, and so on
through the organisation.
Of course, if this is to be effective, it is essential that the key
issues and components of the
47. strategy are clear. Such roadshows and cascades may, of course,
also raise new issues and
should therefore be part of a two-way communication process.
● Employee engagement . If a two-way process of
communication is to be achieved, it needs to
involve multiple levels of management. Indeed, it is often
helpful to engage employees more
widely in the communication strategy, so that they can see what
it means for them person-
ally and how their role will change. Interchanges through
roadshows and cascades can
help, but some organisations use imaginative means to create
more active engagement. For
example, one British public-sector organisation invited all its
staff to a day’s conference
introducing its new strategy, at which employees were invited
to pin a photograph of them-
selves on a ‘pledge wall’, together with a hand-written promise
to change at least one aspect
of their work to fi t the new strategy. 29
● Impact . Communications should be impactful, with
powerful and memorable words and
visuals. A strong ‘story-line’ can help by encapsulating the
journey ahead and imagined
new futures for the organisation and its customers. One
struggling medical centre in New
Mexico communicated its new strategy, and inspired its staff,
with a story-line representing
the organisation as ‘The Raiders of the Lost Art’, adapting the
fi lm title to convey a simulta-
neous sense of courage in adversity and recovery of old values.
30
15.3.5 The messiness of everyday strategising
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518 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
15.4 STRATEGY METHODOLOGIES
Strategists have a range of standard methodologies to organise
and guide their strategising
activity. The methodologies introduced here are not analytical
concepts or techniques such as
in most of the rest of the text, but widely used approaches to
managing aspects of strategy
work such as issue-selling or decision making. These could
include strategy workshops (or
52. ‘away-days’) and strategy projects. Projects may be driven by
hypothesis-testing techniques.
Finally, strategising output typically has to fi t the format of a
business case or strategic plan.
This section introduces key issues in each of these
methodologies.
15.4.1 Strategy workshops
Strategies are often made through series of managerial
meetings. These meetings frequently
take the specifi c form of strategy workshops (sometimes
called strategy away-days or retreats). 32
Such workshops usually involve groups of executives working
intensively for one or two days,
often away from the offi ce, on organisational strategy . Such
executives are typically senior
managers in the organisation, although workshops can also be a
valuable mechanism for
involving a wider group of managers. Workshops are used
typically to formulate or reconsider
strategy, but also to review the progress of current strategy,
address strategy implementation
issues and to communicate strategic decisions to a larger
audience. Workshops can be either
ad hoc or part of the regular strategic planning process, and
they may be standalone or designed
as a series of events. As well as facilitating strategy making,
workshops can have additional roles
in team-building and the personal development of individual
participant. Illustration 15.4
shows how they can contribute to strategy development as well
as how they can go wrong.
Strategy workshops can be a valuable part of an organisation’s
strategy-making activity.
Research suggests, however, that their form can infl uence the
53. nature of participants’ debate of
strategy and its likely success. Workshop design matters. Above
all, whatever the purpose of
the workshop is, clarity of that purpose is strongly correlated
with perceived success. Given
this, if the purpose is to question existing strategy or develop
new strategy successful workshops
are likely to involve:
● Strategy concepts and tools capable of promoting the
questioning of the current strategy.
● A specialist facilitator to guide participants in the use of
such tools and concepts, free man-
agers to concentrate on the discussion, help keep the discussion
focused on the strategic
issues and ensure participants contribute equally to discussion.
● The visible support of the workshop sponsor (perhaps
the CEO) for the questioning and the
facilitator. In the absence of this the workshop is unlikely to
succeed.
● The diminishing of everyday functional and hierarchical
roles . This may be aided by a distinctive
off-site location to signal how different from everyday routine
the workshop is, help detach
participants from day-to-day operational issues and
symbolically affi rm the occasion is not
subject to the usual norms of executive team discussion. Ice-
breaking and other apparently
playful exercises – sometimes called ‘serious play’ – at the
beginning of a workshop can help
generate creativity and a willingness to challenge orthodoxies.
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STRATEGY METHODOLOGIES 519
ILLUSTRATION 15.4
A tale of two workshops
How strategy workshops are designed is a significant influence
on
their success.
Given the growth of the business the directors of
Hotelco * decided to hold two two-day workshops to
rethink the organisational structure needed for the
company’s future strategic direction. Both workshops
were facilitated by an external consultant.
Workshop 1
The first workshop was held in a luxury rural hotel in
the south of England far away from Hotelco’s modest
offices. This was not just to ‘get away from the office’,
58. but also because: ‘It freed up the mind . . . It was a
great experience.’
Together with one of the directors, the facilitator
had organised the agenda. The ‘command style’ of
the CEO was replaced by a participative approach
orchestrated by the facilitator: ‘He made it a more
level playing field.’ He had interviewed staff about
the core values of the business and provided a report
to the directors as a basis for the discussion: ‘Does
everyone know what Hotelco stands for?’
The directors became genuinely engaged with the
discussion: ‘It focused our minds. It made us all
understand the things we were good at and . . . the
things we were weak at and what we needed to do.’
They regarded the workshop as a success, concluding
that a change was needed from an authoritarian, com-
mand management style to a more structured and
devolved approach to management, with responsibil-
59. ity being passed to middle levels, so freeing up the
top team to focus more on strategy.
This outcome was not, however, carried forward.
On their return to the office, the directors came to the
conclusion that what was agreed during the workshop
was unrealistic, that they were ‘carried away with the
process’. The result was significant back-tracking but
without a clear consensus on a revised structure for
the business.
Workshop 2
The second two-day workshop, two months later, was
for the top team and their seven direct reports and
used the same facilitator. It took place in one of the
group’s own hotels. Again the workshop began with a
discussion of the interviews on Hotelco’s values. One
of the directors then made a presentation raising the
idea of an operational board. However, in discussion
it emerged that the directors were not uniformly com-
60. mitted to this – especially the CEO. Eventually, as the
facilitator explained: ‘I had to sit the four directors
in another room and say: look, until you sort this
out, you’re just going to create problems . . . The four
directors got into a heated argument and forgot about
the other seven.’
This was not, however, how the directors saw it.
Their view was that the facilitator was seeking to
impose a solution rather than facilitate discussion.
With the directors in one room and the direct
reports in another, the comments of each group were
transmitted between rooms by the facilitator. It was a
situation that satisfied no one. In the afternoon the
CEO intervened, replacing the idea of a seven-person
‘operational board’ with an intermediary level of three
‘divisional directors’.
No one was content with the workshop. One of the
seven who was not to be a divisional director com-
64. U
.S
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Key terms
business case p. 521
hypothesis testing p. 521
strategic issue-selling p. 512
65. strategic plan p. 521
strategic planners p. 503
strategy projects p. 520
strategy workshops p. 518
15
THE PRACTICE OF
STRATEGY
Learning outcomes
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
● Assess who to involve in strategising, with regard
particularly to
top managers , strategy consultants , strategic planners and
middle managers .
● Evaluate different approaches to strategising activity,
including
analysis , issue-selling , decision making and communicating
.
● Recognise key elements in various common strategy
methodologies, including strategy workshops , projects ,
hypothesis testing and writing business cases and strategic
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INTRODUCTION 501
15.1 INTRODUCTION
In 2012, 37-year-old Marissa Mayer moved from a senior
position at Google to become Chief Executive of Yahoo, the
struggling web-portal giant. She promised a ‘deep-dive’ review
of
Yahoo’s situation before developing a new strategy to save the
company from its longstanding
decline. In between, Marissa Mayer was also due to give birth
to her fi rst child.
If you were appointed to a leadership position in an
organisation, or took on the role of
strategic planner or strategy consultant, what would you do to
70. review and develop strategy?
Who would you involve and how would you organise them?
This fi nal chapter focuses on the
practice of making strategy. Whereas Chapter 12 introduced
the overall organisational pro-
cess of strategy development, this chapter is about what people
do inside the process. The aim
is to examine the practicalities of strategy making for top
managers, strategic planning special-
ists, strategy consultants or managers lower down the
organisation.
The chapter has three sections as shown in Figure 15.1 :
● The strategists . The chapter starts by looking at the
various people involved in making
strategy. It does not assume that strategy is made just by top
management. As pointed
out in Chapter 12 , strategy often involves people from all
over the organisation, and even
people from outside. The Key Debate at the end of the chapter
addresses the controversial
involvement of external strategy consultants. Readers can ask
themselves how they fi t into
this set of strategists, now or in the future.
● Strategising activities . The chapter continues by
considering the kinds of work and activity
that strategists carry out in their strategy making. This includes
not just the strategy
analysis that has been central to a large part of this text, but
also the selling of strategic
issues, the realities of strategic decision making and the critical
task of communicating
strategic decisions throughout the organisation.
74. Cases
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502 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
● Strategising methodologies . The fi nal section covers
some of the standard methodologies
that managers use to carry out their strategising activities. This
includes strategy work-
shops for formulating or communicating strategy; strategy
projects and strategy consulting
teams; hypothesis testing to guide strategy work; and the
creation of strategic plans and
business cases.
Figure 15.1 integrates these three sections in a pyramid of
practice . 1 The pyramid highlights
three questions that run through this chapter: who to include in
strategy making; what to do
in carrying out strategising activity; and which strategising
methodologies to use in this
strategising activity. Placing strategists at the top of the
pyramid emphasises the role of
managerial discretion and skill in strategy making. It is the
strategists who drive both the
strategising activity and the strategy methodologies that are at
the base of the pyramid.
Strategists’ choices and skill with regard to activity and
methodologies can make a real differ-
ence to fi nal outcomes. The rest of the chapter seeks to guide
practising strategists through the
key choices they may have to make in action.
15.2 THE STRATEGISTS
75. This section introduces the different types of people potentially
involved in strategy. It starts at
the top management level, but also addresses strategic planners,
consultants and middle man-
agers. One key issue is who should be involved in strategy
making.
15.2.1 Top managers and directors
The conventional view is that strategy is the business of top
management. This view suggests
that top management are clearly separated from operational
responsibilities, so that they can
focus on overall strategy. 2 If top managers are directly
involved in operations such as sales or
service delivery, they are liable to get distracted from long-term
issues by day-to-day responsi-
bilities and to represent the interests of their departments or
business units rather than the
interests of their organisation as a whole. In the private sector
at least, top managers’ job titles
underline this strategic responsibility: company directors set
direction, managers manage.
In most organisations, it is the board of directors (or their
equivalents) who holds ultimate
responsibility for strategy (see Chapter 4 ). However,
different roles are played by different
board members, whether chief executive offi cer , the top
management team or non-executive
directors :
● The chief executive offi cer is often seen as the ‘chief
strategist’, ultimately responsible for all
strategic decisions. Chief executives of large companies
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THE STRATEGISTS 503
launching strategic initiatives of ever-increasing ambition. The
over-confi dence of heroic
leaders often leads to spectacular failures. Jim Collins’ research
on ‘great’ American com-
panies that outperformed their rivals over the long term found
that their chief executive
offi cers were typically modest, steady and long-serving. 5
● The top management team , often an organisation’s
executive directors, also share respon-
sibility for strategy. They can bring additional experience and
80. insight to the chief executive
offi cer. In theory, they should be able to challenge the chief
executive offi cer and increase
strategic debate. In practice, the top management team are often
constrained in at least three
ways. First, except in the largest companies, top managers often
carry operational respon-
sibilities that either distract them or bias their strategic
thinking: for example, in a business
the marketing director will have ongoing concerns about
marketing, the production director
about production, and so on. In the public sector the top
management team will also, very likely,
be heads of operating departments. Second, top managers are
also frequently appointed by the
chief executive offi cer; consequently, they may lack the
independence for real challenge.
Finally, top management teams, especially where their members
have similar backgrounds
and face strong leadership, often suffer from ‘ groupthink ’, the
tendency to build strong con-
sensus among team members and avoid internal questioning or
confl ict. 6 Top management
teams can minimise groupthink by fostering diversity in
membership (e.g. differences in
age, career tracks and gender), by ensuring openness to outside
views, for example those
of non-executive directors, and by promoting internal debate
and questioning. Research
indicates that organisations with cultures of internal
‘contestation’ are more able to meet the
challenge of strategic change over the long run (see Illustration
14.5 ). 7
● Non-executive directors have no executive management
responsibility within the organisation,
81. and so in theory should be able to offer an external and
objective view on strategy. Although
this varies according to national corporate governance systems
(see section 4.3.2 ), in a
public company the chairman of the board is typically non-
executive. The chairman will
normally be consulted closely by the chief executive offi cer on
strategy, as he or she will
have a key role in liaising with investors. However, the ability
of the chairman and other
non-executives to contribute substantially to strategy can be
limited. Non-executives are
typically part-time appointments. The predominant role for non-
executive directors in
strategy, therefore, is consultative, reviewing and challenging
strategy proposals that come
from the top management executive team. A key role for them
also is to ensure that the
organisation has a rigorous system in place for the making and
renewing of strategy. It is
therefore important that non-executives are authoritative and
experienced individuals, that
they have independence from the top management executive
team and that they are fully
briefed before board meetings.
15.2.2 Strategic planners
Strategic planners , sometimes known as strategy directors,
strategy analysts or similar, are
those with a formal responsibility for coordinating the strategy
process (see Chapter 12 ).
Although small companies very rarely have full-time strategic
planners, they are common in
large companies and increasingly widespread in the public and
not-for-profi t sectors. As in
Illustration 15.1 , organisations frequently advertise for
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504 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
ILLUSTRATION 15.1
Wanted: Team member for strategy unit
The following job advertisement is adapted from several recent
advertisements appearing in the Financial Times ( exec-
appointments.
com ). It gives an insight into the kind of work strategic
planners do and
the skills and background required.
Strategy Analyst sought for a fast-paced role in a
multinational media business.
Reporting to the company’s Chief Strategy Officer,
the Strategy Analyst will be involved in driving the
company’s overall growth strategy across the business in
86. Europe. The person appointed will be expected to
carry out in-depth analyses of current and potential
business strategies, business unit performance, cus-
tomer markets and segments, and potential acquisi-
tion targets or joint venture partners in different
territories. The person will probably have a Business
Administration, Accounting or similar qualification.
Key responsibilities:
● collection of business and competitor intelligence
● evaluation of business unit performance, actual
and potential
● evaluation of new market opportunities and initiatives
● evaluation of possible acquisition targets and joint
venture partners
● contribution to strategic planning at the
corporate-level
● assistance to business units in preparing their own
strategic plans
87. Essential competences :
● good team player able to work in multicultural
environments
● confidence with senior management
● comfortable with complex or ambiguous data and
situations
● good project management and work priorisation
skills
● excellent strategic and market analysis skills
● financial modelling skills, including DCF
● excellent Excel and PowerPoint skills
● good presentation, communication and influence
skills
● prepared for frequent travel
Desirable experience :
The person appointed will be familiar with a multi-
national corporate environment and be comfortable
working in different country contexts. Top-flight
88. academic qualifications and relevant professional
qualifications are also highly desirable.
Team :
The person appointed will join an existing team of
four junior and senior Strategy Analysts based in the
corporate head-office in central London. Previous
post-holders have progressed to challenging roles
elsewhere in the business within two to three years of
appointment.
Questions
1 What would be the attractions of this job for
you? What would be the disadvantages?
2 What relevant skills and experience do you
already have, and what skills and experience
would you still need to acquire before you
were able to apply for this job?
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92. helping business unit managers with their own plans. Thus the
role is not just about analysis
in the back offi ce. Strategic planning also involves
communications, teamwork and infl u-
encing skills.
Although the job in Illustration 15.1 is being advertised
externally, strategic planners
are often drawn from inside their own organisations. Internal
strategic planners are likely to
have an advantage in the important non-analytical parts of the
job. As internal recruits, they
bring to the planning role an understanding of the business,
networks with key people in the
organisation and credibility with internal audiences. Moreover,
an internal appointment
to a strategic planning role can serve as a developmental stage
for managers on track for top
management roles. Participating in strategy provides promising
managers with exposure to
senior management and gives them a view of the organisation as
a whole.
Strategic planners do not take strategic decisions themselves.
However, they typically have
at least three important tasks: 8
● Information and analysis . Strategic planners have the
time, skills and resources to provide
information and analysis for key decision-makers. This might be
in response to some
‘trigger’ event – such as a possible merger – or as part of the
regular planning cycle. A
background of good information and analysis can leave an
organisation much better pre-
93. pared to respond quickly and confi dently even to unexpected
events. Strategic planners can
also package this information and analysis in formats that
ensure clear communication of
strategic decisions.
● Managers of the strategy process . Strategic planners can
assist and guide other managers
through their strategic planning cycles (see Illustration 12.2
in Chapter 12 ). This can
involve acting as a bridge between the corporate centre and the
businesses by clarifying
corporate expectations and guidelines. It could also involve
helping business-level man-
agers develop strategy by providing templates, analytical
techniques and strategy training.
This bridging role is important in achieving alignment of
corporate-level and business-level
strategies. Researchers 9 point out that this alignment is often
lacking; many organisations
do not link fi nancial budgets to strategic priorities, or
employee performance metrics to
strategy implementation.
● Special projects . Strategic planners can be a useful
resource to support top management on
special projects, such as acquisitions or organisational change.
Here strategy planners will
typically work on project teams with middle managers from
within the organisation and
often with external consultants. Project management skills are
likely to be important.
In addition to these tasks, strategic planners typically work
closely with the CEO, discussing
and helping refi ne his or her strategic thinking. Indeed, many
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506 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
However, there is a strong case for involving middle managers
in strategy making itself.
First, in fast-moving and competitive environments,
organisations often need to decentralise
strategic responsibilities to increase speed of response: it takes
too long to refer everything to
the top. Second, in knowledge-intensive sectors (such as design,
consulting or fi nance, but
many others too) the key source of competitive advantage is
typically the knowledge of people
actually involved in the operations of the business. Middle
managers at operational level can
98. understand and infl uence these knowledge-based sources of
competitive advantage much
more effectively than remote top managers. Many knowledge-
intensive fi rms (e.g. lawyers or
accountants) are organised as partnerships, where a signifi cant
proportion of staff have a right
to consultation on strategic decisions in their formal role as
partners, even if they are not
themselves members of the top management group.
Against this background, there are at least four strategy roles
middle managers can play: 10
● Information source . Middle managers’ knowledge and
experience of the realities of the
organisation and its market is likely to be greater than that of
many top managers. So
middle managers are a potential source of information about
changes in the strategic
position of the organisation.
● ‘ Sense making ’ of strategy. Top management may set
strategy, but it is often middle managers
who have to explain it in the business units. 11 Middle
managers are therefore a crucial
relevance bridge between top management and members of the
organisation at lower levels,
in effect translating strategy into a message that is locally
relevant. If misinterpretation of
that intended strategy is to be avoided, it is therefore vital that
middle managers understand
and feel an ownership of it.
● Reinterpretation and adjustment of strategic responses
as events unfold. A strategy may be set
at a certain point of time, but circumstances may change or
99. conditions in particular units
may differ from assumptions held by top management. Middle
managers are necessarily
involved in strategy adaptation because of their day-to-day
responsibilities in strategy
implementation.
● Champions of ideas . Given their closeness to markets
and operations, middle managers may
not only provide information but champion new ideas that can
be the foundation of new
strategies.
Middle managers may increase their infl uence on strategy
when they have:
● Key organisational positions . 12 Middle managers
responsible for larger departments, business
units or strategically important parts of the organisation have
infl uence because they are
likely to have critical knowledge. Also, managers with outward-
facing roles (e.g. in market-
ing) tend to have greater strategic infl uence than managers with
inward-facing roles (such
as quality or operations).
● Access to organisational networks . Middle managers
may not have hierarchical power, but
can increase their infl uence by using their internal
organisational networks. Drawing
together information from network members can help provide an
integrated perspective on
what is happening in the organisation as a whole, something
that otherwise can be diffi cult
to get when occupying a specialised position in the middle of an
organisation. Mobilising
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THE STRATEGISTS 507
● Access to the organisation’s ‘strategic conversation’ .
Strategy making does not just happen in
isolated, formal episodes, but is part of an ongoing strategic
conversation among respected
managers. 13 To participate in these strategic conversations
middle managers should:
maximise opportunities to mix formally and informally with top
managers; become at ease
with the particular language used to discuss strategy in their
organisation; familiarise
themselves carefully with the key strategic issues; and develop
their own personal contribu-
tion to these strategic issues.
In the public sector elected politicians have traditionally been
responsible for policy and
public offi cials supposed to do the implementation. However,
three trends are challenging this
division of roles. 14 First, the rising importance of
specialised expertise has shifted infl uence to
public offi cials who may have made their careers in particular
areas, while politicians
are typically generalists. Second, public-sector reform in many
countries has led to increased
externalisation of functions to quasi-independent ‘agencies’ or
104. ‘QUANGOs’ (quasi-autonomous
non-governmental organisations) which, within certain
constraints, can make decisions on
their own. Third, the same reform processes have changed
internal structures within public
organisations, with decentralisation of units and more
‘executive’ responsibility granted to
public offi cials. In short, strategy is increasingly part of the
work of public offi cials too. The
Wychavon case at the end of this chapter exemplifi es some of
these issues.
15.2.4 Strategy consultants
External consultants are often used in the development of
strategy. Leading consultancy fi rms
that focus on strategy include Bain, the Boston Consulting
Group and McKinsey & Co. Most of
the large general consultancy fi rms also have operations that
provide services in strategy
development and analysis. There are also smaller ‘boutique’
consultancy fi rms and individual
consultants who specialise in strategy.
Consultants may play different roles in strategy development in
organisations: 15
● Analysing, prioritising and generating options .
Strategic issues may have been identifi ed by
executives, but there may be so many of them, or disagreement
about them, that the organ-
isation faces a lack of clarity on how to go forward. Consultants
may analyse such issues
afresh and bring an external perspective to help prioritise them
or generate options for
executives to consider. This may, of course, involve challenging
executives’ preconceptions
105. about their views of strategic issues.
● Transferring knowledge . Consultants are carriers of
knowledge between their clients. Strategy
ideas developed for one client can be offered to the next client.
● Promoting strategic decisions . Consultants do not take
decisions themselves, but their analy-
sis and ideas may substantially infl uence client decision-
makers. A number of major consul-
tancies have been criticised in the past for undue infl uence on
the decisions made by their
client organisation, leading to major problems. For example,
General Electric blamed
McKinsey & Co.’s advice that the economic crisis of 2008
onwards was only temporary for
its decision to delay cost cutting and rationalisation until long
after many of its competitors.
● Implementing strategic change . Consultants play a
signifi cant role in project planning, coach-
ing and training often associated with strategic change. This is
an area that has seen con-
siderable growth, not least because consultants were criticised
for leaving organisations
with consultancy reports recommending strategies, but taking
little responsibility for
actually making these happen.
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508 CHAPTER 15 THE PRACTICE OF STRATEGY
The value of strategy consultants is often controversial (see the
Key Debate at the end of this
109. chapter). But consultants are often blamed for failures when it
is the client’s poor management
of the consulting process that is ultimately at fault. Many
organisations select their consultants
unsystematically, give poor initial project briefs and fail to
learn from projects at the end. There
are three key measures that client organisations can undertake
to improve outcomes in strat-
egy consulting: 16
● Professionalise purchasing of consulting services .
Instead of hiring consulting fi rms on the basis of
personal relationships with key executives, as is often the case,
professionalised purchasing
can help ensure clear project briefs, a wide search for
consulting suppliers, appropriate pricing,
complementarity between different consulting projects and
proper review at project-end.
The German engineering company Siemens has professionalised
its consult ancy purchasing,
for example establishing a shortlist of just 10 preferred
management consulting suppliers.
● Develop supervisory skills in order to manage portfolios
of consulting projects. The German
railway company Deutsche Bahn and automobile giant Daimler
both have central project
offi ces that control and coordinate all consulting projects
throughout their com panies. As
well as being involved in the initial purchasing decision, these
offi ces can impose systematic
governance structures on projects, with clear responsibilities
and reporting processes, as
well as review and formal assessment at project-end.
● Partner effectively with consultants to improve both
110. effectiveness in carrying out the project
and knowledge transfer at the end of it. Where possible, project
teams should include a mix
of consultants and managers from the client organisation, who
can provide inside informa-
tion, guide on internal politics and, sometimes, enhance
credibility and receptiveness. As
partners in the project, client managers retain knowledge and
experience when the consul-
tants have gone and can help in the implementation of
recommendations.
15.2.5 Who to involve in strategy development?
This chapter has introduced a wide range of people who could
potentially be involved in strat-
egy: as well as the chief executive and the top management
team, non-executive directors,
strategic planners, strategic consultants and middle managers.
The general trend in recent years has been to include more
people in the strategy process,
moving towards more ‘open strategy’. 17 Openness comes in
two dimensions. First, there is
openness in terms of including more participants from different
constituencies inside and even
outside the organisation (e.g. middle managers and other staff
internally, and key suppliers or
partners externally). Second, openness can come in the form of
greater trans parency about the
strategy process itself, in other words what is revealed to both
internal audiences such as staff
and external audiences such as investors, partners and
regulators. Openness is typically a
matter of degree and rarely complete. There are pros and cons
to greater openness. On the
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THE STRATEGISTS 509
ILLUSTRATION 15.2
The Barclays Jam
Barclays Bank used workgroups and ‘jamming’ to involve all
its
employees in its new strategy.
In October 2011, Ashok Vaswani became CEO of
Barclays’ UK Retail and Business Bank. With 35,000
115. employees and 1,600 branches, Barclays is one of the
leading retail banks in the country. Like other UK banks,
it had been hit both by recession and by accusations
of mis-selling of financial products to consumers.
However, the global head of retail banking had
declared an ambition to make Barclays the ‘Go To’
bank for consumers, and Ashok set out at once to
make this happen.
Ashok launched two initiatives to involve employees
in the strategy. He immediately convened six
workgroups of graduate trainees and young man-
agers from around the country to address key issues
for the implementation of the strategy. With about
eight to ten members each, these workgroups were
tasked to work on strategic issues such as customers,
communications, colleagues and community. Working
in their spare time, and mostly communicating
virtually, these workgroups produced a flood of ideas,
116. some of them taken up even before the final report-
out. The formal reporting took place at a senior
management retreat in December, from which a new
strategic concept emerged: STAIRS, in other words
Speed, Transparency, Access, Information and
Results.
Ashok’s second initiative was the ‘Great Barclays
Jam’, launched in March 2012 in order to involve all
employees in the new STAIRS concept. Barclays called
on IBM’s jamming technology, an online collaboration
platform designed to facilitate communications and
debate among large groups of people. The launch of
the Jam was preceded by an intensive communica-
tions campaign. Ashok first ran a series of leadership
days for 400 of the company’s senior managers. A
‘teaser film’, voiced by a well-known British TV per-
sonality, was produced, promising employees the
chance to discuss the company’s future. Over 8,000
117. employees were invited to more than 70 information
events held at 16 cinemas across the country,
where they saw another specially produced film.
Further presentations were held in branches and call
centres to reach remaining employees.
With this build-up, the Great Barclays Jam finally
took place in March over three days. The Jam gave
every employee the chance to debate the practical
meaning of the STAIRS strategic concept and to
contribute ideas on how to deliver it. During the Jam,
there were live Question and Answer sessions with key
executives, including Ashok Vaswani and Bob
Diamond, the Barclays Group CEO at the time. Volunteers
from across all areas of the business facilitated the
discussion, based on the 30th floor of the Barclays
head office, easily accessible by the Group’s top
managers one floor above. The volunteers signposted
the most popular threads, highlighted top jammers and
118. alerted participants to senior manager contributions.
The Great Barclays Jam attracted 19,000 registered
participants, producing 20,000 comments over the
three days. Participants were equally divided between
managerial and non-managerial employees and reflected
the bank’s age distribution. Participation remained
high throughout all three days. In all, the Jam pro-
duced 650 distinct ideas for business improvement.
Ashok Vaswani instituted six new ‘Business Councils’
focused on various parts of the business with the
specific task to implement STAIRS and take forward
the most promising ideas from the Jam.
Sources : Interviews with Ashok Vaswani, Julian Davis and
Tim Kiy at
Barclays, and Richard Mound at IBM.
Questions
1 What do you think were the direct and
indirect benefits of Ashok Vaswani’s initia-
tives to involve Barclays’ employees in the
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STRATEGY METHODOLOGIES 519
ILLUSTRATION 15.4
A tale of two workshops
How strategy workshops are designed is a significant influence
on
their success.
Given the growth of the business the directors of
Hotelco * decided to hold two two-day workshops to
rethink the organisational structure needed for the
company’s future strategic direction. Both workshops
were facilitated by an external consultant.
Workshop 1
123. The first workshop was held in a luxury rural hotel in
the south of England far away from Hotelco’s modest
offices. This was not just to ‘get away from the office’,
but also because: ‘It freed up the mind . . . It was a
great experience.’
Together with one of the directors, the facilitator
had organised the agenda. The ‘command style’ of
the CEO was replaced by a participative approach
orchestrated by the facilitator: ‘He made it a more
level playing field.’ He had interviewed staff about
the core values of the business and provided a report
to the directors as a basis for the discussion: ‘Does
everyone know what Hotelco stands for?’
The directors became genuinely engaged with the
discussion: ‘It focused our minds. It made us all
understand the things we were good at and . . . the
things we were weak at and what we needed to do.’
They regarded the workshop as a success, concluding
124. that a change was needed from an authoritarian, com-
mand management style to a more structured and
devolved approach to management, with responsibil-
ity being passed to middle levels, so freeing up the
top team to focus more on strategy.
This outcome was not, however, carried forward.
On their return to the office, the directors came to the
conclusion that what was agreed during the workshop
was unrealistic, that they were ‘carried away with the
process’. The result was significant back-tracking but
without a clear consensus on a revised structure for
the business.
Workshop 2
The second two-day workshop, two months later, was
for the top team and their seven direct reports and
used the same facilitator. It took place in one of the
group’s own hotels. Again the workshop began with a
discussion of the interviews on Hotelco’s values. One
of the directors then made a presentation raising the
125. idea of an operational board. However, in discussion
it emerged that the directors were not uniformly com-
mitted to this – especially the CEO. Eventually, as the
facilitator explained: ‘I had to sit the four directors
in another room and say: look, until you sort this
out, you’re just going to create problems . . . The four
directors got into a heated argument and forgot about
the other seven.’
This was not, however, how the directors saw it.
Their view was that the facilitator was seeking to
impose a solution rather than facilitate discussion.
With the directors in one room and the direct
reports in another, the comments of each group were
transmitted between rooms by the facilitator. It was a
situation that satisfied no one. In the afternoon the
CEO intervened, replacing the idea of a seven-person
‘operational board’ with an intermediary level of three
‘divisional directors’.
126. No one was content with the workshop. One of the
seven who was not to be a divisional director com-
mented: ‘I didn’t know where I sat any more. I felt my
job had been devalued.’ A director also recognised:
‘We left these people feeling really deflated.’
* Hotelco is a pseudonym for a small UK hotel group.
Questions
1 Evaluate the design of the two workshops in
terms of the guidelines in section 15.4.1 .
2 If you were a facilitator, how would you have
organised the workshops differently?
3 What benefits (or disadvantages) might such
workshops have in comparison with other
approaches to strategy development for such
an organisation?
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130. ILLUSTRATION 15.3
Dinner with the consultants
Consultants operate through both formal and informal channels
to
influence strategic thinking.
Locco * was a major European automotive component
manufacturer. In the mid-1990s, it began to experience
declining profits. The CEO therefore invited consultants to
undertake a strategic review of the firm. This consultancy
team included a partner, a senior consultant and a junior
consultant. Their recommendations led to changes in
Locco’s product and market strategy.
Like all other consultancy assignments the consult-
ants undertook extensive analysis of industry data and
company data. However, in addition to this more formal
work, there was more informal engagement between the
consultants and the management, including three din-
ners held during the period of the project.
At home with the CEO
131. At the beginning of the assignment the CEO invited the
partner and senior consultant to meet senior managers at
his home for dinner ‘to get together in a more informal
way . . . to get to know each other better . . . and . . .
learn
more about the history of our company’, but also to estab-
lish trust between the managers and the consultants.
Others saw it differently. For example, the marketing
and sales manager viewed it as an attempt by the CEO to
influence the outcome of the project: ‘(he) likes to do
this. While dining in his home you can hardly oppose his
views.’ The consulting partner was somewhat wary, fear-
ing a hidden agenda but none the less seeing it as an
opportunity to ‘break the ice’ as well as gaining political
insight and understanding of the management dynamics.
Over dinner discussion was largely between the CEO
and the consultants with the CEO setting out some con-
cerns about the project, not least the danger of cost
132. cutting leading to a loss of jobs. As they mingled over
after-dinner drinks other sensitive issues were raised by
other managers.
At the castle
In the third week of the project the consultant invited the
CEO to a restaurant in a converted castle. He saw this as
an opportunity to get to know the CEO better, to gain his
agreement to the consultants’ approach to the project,
but also to gain a clearer understanding of the politics
among the senior management and establish more
insight into the CEO’s perceived problems of Locco.
Over the meal the consultant established that there
were two management ‘camps’ with different views of
strategy. The consultant also took the opportunity to
influence and gain the CEO’s approval for the agenda for
the next management meeting.
At the pizzeria
Some weeks later the senior consultant invited middle
133. managers whom he saw as ‘good implementers’ for pizza
and beer at an Italian restaurant to ‘exchange informa-
tion and get opinions on some of our analyses, see how
some of the middle managers react . . .’. Some of those
who attended were sceptical about the meeting but went
along. Senior managers were not invited.
At the dinner the consultant discussed his initial
analysis, particularly on strategic competences. He also
raised some issues to do with the political dynamics within
the senior management team. The consultant regarded
the dinner as a success both in terms of establishing
a rapport but also in establishing that ‘some (of the
managers) know exactly why the company has a prob-
lem . . . they already have some ideas for solutions . . . but
their voices are not heard’. The managers who attended
were, on the whole, also positive about the dinner, many
regarding it as ‘good fun’ though others who were not
there felt threatened by their absence.
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THE STRATEGISTS 509
ILLUSTRATION 15.2
The Barclays Jam
138. Barclays Bank used workgroups and ‘jamming’ to involve all
its
employees in its new strategy.
In October 2011, Ashok Vaswani became CEO of
Barclays’ UK Retail and Business Bank. With 35,000
employees and 1,600 branches, Barclays is one of the
leading retail banks in the country. Like other UK banks,
it had been hit both by recession and by accusations
of mis-selling of financial products to consumers.
However, the global head of retail banking had
declared an ambition to make Barclays the ‘Go To’
bank for consumers, and Ashok set out at once to
make this happen.
Ashok launched two initiatives to involve employees
in the strategy. He immediately convened six
workgroups of graduate trainees and young man-
agers from around the country to address key issues
for the implementation of the strategy. With about
eight to ten members each, these workgroups were
139. tasked to work on strategic issues such as customers,
communications, colleagues and community. Working
in their spare time, and mostly communicating
virtually, these workgroups produced a flood of ideas,
some of them taken up even before the final report-
out. The formal reporting took place at a senior
management retreat in December, from which a new
strategic concept emerged: STAIRS, in other words
Speed, Transparency, Access, Information and
Results.
Ashok’s second initiative was the ‘Great Barclays
Jam’, launched in March 2012 in order to involve all
employees in the new STAIRS concept. Barclays called
on IBM’s jamming technology, an online collaboration
platform designed to facilitate communications and
debate among large groups of people. The launch of
the Jam was preceded by an intensive communica-
tions campaign. Ashok first ran a series of leadership
140. days for 400 of the company’s senior managers. A
‘teaser film’, voiced by a well-known British TV per-
sonality, was produced, promising employees the
chance to discuss the company’s future. Over 8,000
employees were invited to more than 70 information
events held at 16 cinemas across the country,
where they saw another specially produced film.
Further presentations were held in branches and call
centres to reach remaining employees.
With this build-up, the Great Barclays Jam finally
took place in March over three days. The Jam gave
every employee the chance to debate the practical
meaning of the STAIRS strategic concept and to
contribute ideas on how to deliver it. During the Jam,
there were live Question and Answer sessions with key
executives, including Ashok Vaswani and Bob
Diamond, the Barclays Group CEO at the time. Volunteers
from across all areas of the business facilitated the
141. discussion, based on the 30th floor of the Barclays
head office, easily accessible by the Group’s top
managers one floor above. The volunteers signposted
the most popular threads, highlighted top jammers and
alerted participants to senior manager contributions.
The Great Barclays Jam attracted 19,000 registered
participants, producing 20,000 comments over the
three days. Participants were equally divided between
managerial and non-managerial employees and reflected
the bank’s age distribution. Participation remained
high throughout all three days. In all, the Jam pro-
duced 650 distinct ideas for business improvement.
Ashok Vaswani instituted six new ‘Business Councils’
focused on various parts of the business with the
specific task to implement STAIRS and take forward
the most promising ideas from the Jam.
Sources : Interviews with Ashok Vaswani, Julian Davis and
Tim Kiy at
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