For several years, I’ve been teaching courses on Strategy in a graduate business school. Over a hundred learners have all done essentially the same project: Based on the readings and research, evaluate your own organization’s strategy. What needs changing, and why? What are the consequences and opportunities?
The learners are all working leaders, often senior managers in some significantly large organizations; they roll their sleeves up and get it done every day.
So over the years, I’ve started to see some of the same patterns again and again. When things go badly wrong with strategy, they seem to follow one (or more) of a few specific patterns.
I’m also part of two different networks of consultancies, with Resource Associates (about 300 nationally) and with Association of Independent Business Consultants (over 1000 globally). In “members only” discussions, I’ve floated these patterns of mistakes, asking if others have seen these – and they have.
In my consulting practice, addressing strategy with clients, some of these same patterns have to be overcome.
When working for / with some well-known organizations over the last 15+ years, the same patterns were there, too.
So between direct, hands-on experience, polling other consultants, teaching, these patterns of costly mistakes keep popping up.
These patterns have predictable outcomes in how an organization operates, competes, and adapts. Those outcomes can be very, very costly. And some fairly simple (not easy, just simple) guidelines can keep organizations clear of these errors. (These are forming into a "white paper" to be published this summer).
Next week – What is it about strategy that can go so badly?
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