Making Sense of Strategy

How "strategic" is planning that's constantly being outpaced by the realities of business? Finally-straight talk about real strategy.

Business strategy is not rocket science. It's about using pertinent information to make smart decisions, and doing it fast enough to keep your business ahead of the curve. And while many companies have embraced the 24/7 business paradigm, their strategies come from the 9-to-5 era. Plain and simple, most strategic planning efforts fail because they can't keep up with the evolving demands of the market.

Standing apart from the piles of discarded management wisdom, Making Sense of Strategy provides real, practical insights and advice for 21st-century businesses. Top strategy consultant Tony Manning cuts through layer after layer of "guru" babble to bring the reader only the most genuinely valuable information: the questions that need to be asked, the principles that every organization and its people must adopt, and the tools that every company needs in order to develop their core business strategies and create profit. Manning's refreshingly streamlined approach to strategy encompasses:

• The value of shared ideas
• The importance of creating and sustaining unique communities for your products or services
• The link between a company's values and those of its customers and shareholders
• And why strategic management is ultimately a conversation, one that empowers its participants with a sense of purpose and ownership.

A real-world, no-nonsense guide, Making Sense of Strategy is the key to turning plans into action-fast!

Contents

• INTRODUCTION
• CONTEXT
• • What's going on?
  • Remember life cycles?
  • Beating the odds
  • Two schools of thought
• CONCEPTS
• • Shareholders first
  • Making a difference makes the difference
  • The First Principles of Business Competition
  • Hard choices
  • Winning votes
  • A systems view of value delivery
  • Strategy and spirit
  • Strategy is change management
  • Action learning for culture change
  • Beyond culture to climate
  • Raise your organization's "strategic IQ"
  • The quest for meaning
  • New assumptions
• PROCESS
• • A questioning process
  • Six abilities that give winners the edge
  • Does your business logic add up?
  • The big test
  • A systematic approach to planning
  • Step 1: Define your purpose
  • Step 2: Define your business recipe
  • Design your business model
  • Step 3: Clarify your organizational character
  • Step 4: Define your goals, priorities, and actions
  • Step 5: Craft your strategic conversation
  • From intentions to action in 30 days
• CONCLUSION
• THE 20 STRATEGY QUESTIONS
• NOTES
• RECOMMENDED READING
• INDEX