Strategic Direction

Connell, Carol M.; Lemyze, Christine

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/SD-09-2018-0194

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a viewpoint on aligning strategy and execution to produce superior business results.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the long-term financials of the top ten growers to reveal companies that have continued to grow in good economic times and bad, including the Great Recession. While some companies dug deeper into their core businesses during the financial crisis, others continued to innovate.FindingsWhere companies continued to focus on strategy execution, they were rewarded, for example, Amazon’s compound annual growth rate for the ten-year period that included the financial crisis was 36.45 per cent; in the past three years, Amazon’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) has been 56.76 per cent. Most of the top ten long-term growers are headed by the same founder/entrepreneur.Research limitations/implicationsLook beyond the past three years for models of successful strategy execution.Practical implicationsFor long-term company leaders, entrepreneurs, or turnaround experts, strategic execution is no oxymoron, but a requirement for growth and, ultimately, their unique responsibility.Social implicationsThe paper identifies three major focus areas for strategy teams and company leadership: 1. customer centricity and strategy execution; 2. learning from survivors; and 3. rethinking capabilities and talent.Originality/valueAs a professor of strategic management and as a consultant to organizations on strategy and marketing transformation, we have focused on the activities that are necessary for leaders to create effective strategy and to execute successfully. We have also been responsible for equipping the larger teams of strategy professionals (and future strategy professionals) who support these leaders with the approaches, the methods, and the tools necessary to plan effectively, to assess effectiveness, and to correct problems in strategy and execution. We bring that perspective to this viewpoint paper.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0058

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThis research paper concentrates on how organizations can integrate, manage, and evaluate sustainable practices in a strategically planned manner. The human competencies behind sustainable strategic management were identified as the contingent factor predicting the success of an organizational strategy in this area and the success of sustainably managing company practices. These successes rely upon the consistent energy of an ethically aligned leadership vision to prompt widespread action among employees.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0059

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsFor small and medium enterprises in emerging economies, social capital is a crucial resource, often untapped. This is something that central governments need to address to support the SMEs in their economies.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0057

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsNonmarket strategies (NMSs) are an integral part of the bundle of strategies implemented by firms during times of market turbulence. While NMSs have not typically been used to their fullest, there is significant evidence now showing their potential benefits.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0049

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThis case study concentrates on the four-step approach of replace, restructure, redevelop, and rebrand that proved to be an antidote to the negative public relations created by Volkswagen’s (VW) emissions fraud revelation. VW recovered from the blow by aggressively realigning their focus to the environmentally positive electric and autonomous vehicle market.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0054

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThis case study concentrates on General Motors (GM) product and innovation trajectory over a period from 1990 spanning into a future where electric vehicles become mainstream. Reducing the number of models being manufactured and introducing service-based recurring revenue streams such as the “OnStar” in-vehicle communication service were among the crucial elements that allowed GM to survive against intensifying competition in their market.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0050

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsBackcasting provides a useful tool for those involved in strategic planning in a complex and unpredictable business environment.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0051

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints the practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThere is often a disconnect between science and business that is hard to fathom. Sometimes, of course, it is easy to see why two parties can seem so far apart – the scientist in search of truth and uninterested in any practical or commercial use of an invention – the industrialist who is dedicated to one course of action and unwilling to learn from research, which can prove it is the wrong one. Both people are as guilty as each other of missing what is staring them in the face. And yet, this dogged pursuit of a single goal is what represents them and perhaps enables them to more successful than other at what they choose to do.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0055

The purpose of this paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds his/her own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsThere has always been a good deal of talk among business school professors and industry leaders alike regarding the right time to collaborate. It is, of course, an interesting topic and one that probably has no right answer given the myriad of variables and inability of humans to actually look into the future. When this discussion takes place, it centers around what factors should be considered – Is the firm contemplating collaboration on an upswing or a downswing? Does it have a diversified offer or is it leveraged against only one product? Is it global or looking to expand into new markets? All factors, all relevant. But somehow, they fail to get the root of the matter.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

2019 Strategic Direction

doi: 10.1108/sd-03-2019-0053

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds his/her own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsStrategic and operational agility enables companies to increase competitiveness and boost capacity for growth. Becoming more agile has been a critical factor in the ongoing success of online retailing giant Amazon. Senior executive support for experimentation and autonomy, together with a strong focus on future planning, makes the firm better positioned than rivals to innovate and enter new business areas.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.