Successful Strategy Execution: How to Keep Your Business Goals on Target

Citation

Walz, J.T. (2009), "Successful Strategy Execution: How to Keep Your Business Goals on Target", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 102-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730910927124

Your first response might be like mine, “Not another book on strategy?!” But upon closer investigation, you will discover that this book is not just about developing a strategy; it is about actually executing it. Readers of books on strategy are often left with, “Okay, now what?” Theory never finds its adrenaline; plans never actually run with the bulls. I believe this book will have you not only looking back at the pursuing charge but, it will provide you with an unobstructed view to the horizon, giving you an edge in the marketplace.

Michael Syrett goes beyond theory and looks at a number of well regarded organizations such as General Electronic, Pfizer, Domaine Chandon, Luxfer Gas Cylinders, Diageo Moet Hennessy Japan, IBM, Reuters, and British Airways. Through an examination of how these companies and others have successfully executed past strategies, Syrett has provided a template, of sorts, to guide managers through the execution phase. He begins with a discussion of friction that is often encountered by managers while attempting to execute their strategy. Friction describes, “…what goes wrong once an elaborate strategy that requires the co‐ordination and collaboration of a large body of different units hits the reality of operations on the ground” (p. 9). To illustrate this, he leans on the proverbial military metaphor. Examples include orders that never arrive from headquarters, orders that are not clear or are misinterpreted, the local commander disagrees, troops refuse to obey, necessary information is imperfect, or the strategy is based upon a false assumption. His business version unveils realities such as when the target audience for the strategy is not static, the goalposts can change, there is poor accountability, necessary information is imperfect, and middle managers often complicate things. Most of us have had experiences where these friction points have hindered or crippled the execution of an initiative. Syrett's solution for this is for the organization to develop business goals that are simple and foster a culture of focus.

Finding hotspots forces management to focus. A hotspot is, “…the energy that makes sure best‐practice ideas are incorporated into productivity improvements” (p. 17). This energy erupts when the following three elements combine:

1. 1.

   a co‐operative mindset is established;

2. 2.

   crossing boundaries is encouraged; and

3. 3.

   an igniting purpose is illuminated.

However, as important as focus is, clarity is equally important. “Everyone at all levels has to be clear about the purpose of the strategy, the role they play…and the role their colleagues and collaborators play” (p. 19). To illustrate how clarity is achieved, Syrett includes a discussion of “Mission Leadership”, where tasks are broken down by each department into easy to understand objectives. He also mentions the approach by the consultancy organization, Lipper, to stay with the basics, and Pfizer's emphasis towards empowerment of their workforce. However, these approaches can seem futile if the behavior of individuals within the organization is in conflict with the stated objectives.

Syrett draws upon the work of Julian Birkinshaw of the London Business School to provide models for understanding organizational culture and its impact upon individual behavior. Syrett also provides an entire chapter on metrics which includes strategy mapping, and the balanced scorecard. He tops off the work with chapters on leadership, change and innovation. None of these chapters, in and of themselves, are any great revelation. However, it is the combination of these with real practical illustrations that make this work enviable.

Michael Syrett has provided the reader with a compendium of strategy execution experiences by some well‐known organizations. He has successfully interwoven theory and practice that makes this reading, not only worthwhile, but also interesting. I can't say this about many of the books on strategy that I've read recently. Successful Strategy Execution: How to Keep your Business Goals on Target is a great book for those of us looking for real life examples that we can take into the classroom, or that we can refer to as we consider executing our own organization's mission.