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March 24, 2007
Big Brass versus Crystal
Some balls are easier to juggle than others. But is that stance any way to run a company?
Something we certainly think we'll have to read is Michael Raynor's book The Strategy Paradox. Why? Because, as Deloitte puts it in their website's introduction to the book, "Management orthodoxy demands that strategies be built on commitments, which leaves no alternative to basing today’s decisions on assumptions about an unknowable future." This observation quickly drives down to the more important point they cite from Raynor: "The board should not evaluate the chief executive officer (CEO) based on the company’s performance but instead on the firm’s strategic risk profile..."
Since a review of the book is not where these paragraphs are going (yet), please visit Deloitte or even Raynor himself. What the heck: skip all that and read the book.
Before I read it, I'll turn my cards face up: if Raynor's book winds up telling me something other than that enterprise architecture, theory of constraints, and real options analysis is what's needed (and we assume it should), then I'll probably talk about it again. Maybe here, like, you know, in the next paragraph that could follow this one. Why not. While we're at it, let's go dust off our books about Royal Dutch Shell, do 'em again, and come back in a while.
For those of you with not that much time on your hands, a suitable companion piece is still available from Strategy+Business thanks to our buddies at Booz Allen, whose website offered this bit last year (as announced through emails to the faithful). I'm going to assume that advertising this for them will leave me in friendly territory vis-a-vis their copyright on what they sent, shown here for your convenience:
Sharpening Your Business Acumen
by Ram Charan
Dallas, March 30, 2006 -- The ability to see the big picture, anticipate external trends, and adapt accordingly requires plenty of practice, but can create unique moneymaking opportunities. It requires executives to transcend old rules of thumb and take strategic risks that don't follow precedent; to envision the effects of change before change happens. Here's a six-step thinking process to help anticipate external influences in the marketplace and craft smart strategies accordingly.To read the full article:
http://www.strategy-business.com/enewsarticle/enews033006
Posted by Malcolm Ryder at March 24, 2007 4:34 PM
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