The four executive challenges of project-based strategy

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 44-49
Author(s):  
Carsten Lund Pedersen ◽  
Thomas Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Strategy Execution ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose As a great deal of strategy execution takes the form of strategic projects, how you align these projects ultimately determines the success or failure of your strategy. Here, we discuss four executive challenges executives need to tackle to successfully manage a strategy in a project-based world. Design/methodology/approach Conceptual approach entailing illustrative case-examples Findings We find four executive challenges to tackle in order to successfully manage a strategy in a project-based world. Research limitations/implications As the study draws upon conceptual arguments, future studies need to assess the verisimilitude and boundary conditions of the challenges. Practical implications By thinking of a strategy through a project-based lens, and understanding the challenges thereof, executives should be better able to bridge strategy formulation and execution. Social implications A project-based approach to strategy is not necessarily limited to a for-profit sector; NGOs and governmental organizations may similarly learn from and draw upon a project-based approach to strategy. Originality/value As little research within strategy has explicitly conveyed a project-based lens, the study emphasizes a novel approach to strategy.

How to build a business

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 33-36
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Right ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to deconstruct entrepreneurial orientation (EO) using a business model framework. Design/methodology/approach – Develops a conceptual approach supported by illustrative case studies that show how five Swedish small-to-medium-sized enterprises identified entrepreneurial opportunities and how they then modified their business model to exploit them. Findings – What makes an enterprise enterprising? What distinguishes these firms from the conservative, steady-as-she-goes, take-no-risks company quietly supplying its chosen market and expecting to do so for many more? Intuitively you might expect that entrepreneurial activities would be better rewarded – but researchers evaluating the link between EO and firm performance have found ambiguous results. So are we asking the right questions? And are we measuring the right things? Practical implications – Shows that companies can be entrepreneurial in some parts of their business model and more cautious in their approach to other activities. Social implications – Draws attention to the way that differences in entrepreneurs’ background, skills and growth ambitions affect their firm’s activities. Originality/value – Highlights opportunities for further research clarifying the relationship between EO and firm performance.

The balanced scorecard: comments on balanced scorecard commentaries

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Strategy Execution ◽  
Personal Writing ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
The Past ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide the author's insights about five papers written in this volume about his published work on the balanced scorecard (BSC).Design/methodology/approachThe author's comments are based on his personal writing, teaching, speaking about, and implementing the BSC during the past 20 years.FindingsThe author finds that academic commentary on the BSC often ignores its role in strategy execution.Research limitations/implicationsThe commentary is unique to the author's personal experiences and may not be generalizable to other scholars who have not shared the same experiences.Practical implicationsThe paper may help scholars better understand the role of the BSC for strategy formulation, communication and implementation. It may also aid them in teaching the BSC to students and executives.Social implicationsThe paper discusses how the BSC can be used in public sector applications, as well as for companies that want to internalize environmental, social and community objectives in their strategies.Originality/valueThe paper reflects the personal views of the author; it is original to him.

scholarly journals Eye on the customer: breaking away from the inside-out mindset

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Yrjölä
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Customer Focus ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Inside Out ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to plot out pathways for organizations to implement a customer focus. These pathways are outlined with the help of illustrative examples. A well-defined customer focus is vital for organizations to ensure that they are positioned to be in line with the customers’ actual needs. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper where the argumentation is built on previous research findings, the authors’ reflections and the use of illustrative case examples of companies managing to instill a customer focus. Findings This paper builds a framework of potential pathways toward a customer focus by considering four strategic questions related to competition, products, insights and metrics. Practical implications This paper encourages managers to move beyond labeling themselves as customer-oriented and to actually implement a customer focus. This study puts forth a framework with strategic questions and principles designed to help with these endeavors. Originality/value Many companies pay lip service to customer focus, and it is often merely part of the corporate jargon without any real connection to strategy, the business model or everyday practices. This paper addresses the issue further by highlighting the potential pathways through which an organization can achieve a customer focus.

Community resilience to natural disasters: the role of disaster entrepreneurship

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina K. Linnenluecke ◽  
Brent McKnight
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Organizational Response ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Latent Structures

Purpose The paper aims to examine the conditions under which disaster entrepreneurship contributes to community-level resilience. The authors define disaster entrepreneurship as attempts by the private sector to create or maintain value during and in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster by taking advantage of business opportunities and providing goods and services required by community stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach This paper builds a typology of disaster entrepreneurial responses by drawing on the dimensions of structural expansion and role change. The authors use illustrative case examples to conceptualize how these responses improve community resilience by filling critical resource voids in the aftermath of natural disasters. Findings The typology identifies four different disaster entrepreneurship approaches: entrepreneurial business continuity, scaling of organizational response through activating latent structures, improvising and emergence. The authors formulate proposition regarding how each of the approaches is related to community-level resilience. Practical implications While disaster entrepreneurship can offer for-profit opportunities for engaging in community-wide disaster response and recovery efforts, firms should carefully consider the financial, legal, reputational and organizational implications of disaster entrepreneurship. Social implications Communities should consider how best to harness disaster entrepreneurship in designing their disaster response strategies. Originality/value This research offers a novel typology to explore the role that for-profit firms play in disaster contexts and adds to prior research which has mostly focused on government agencies, non-governmental organizations and emergency personnel.

scholarly journals Advantages and potential challenges of data management in e-maintenance

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Maintenance Systems ◽  
Industry Leader ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.

A cell-based smoothed point interpolation method (CS-PIM) for 2D thermoelastic problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1249-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yijun Liu ◽  
Guiyong Zhang ◽  
Huan Lu ◽  
Zhi Zong
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stresses ◽  
Interpolation Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Convergence Results ◽  
Point Interpolation Method ◽  
Point Interpolation ◽  
Thermoelastic Problems ◽  
Gradient Smoothing ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Due to the strong reliance on element quality, there exist some inherent shortcomings of the traditional finite element method (FEM). The model of FEM behaves overly stiff, and the solutions of automated generated linear elements are generally of poor accuracy about especially gradient results. The proposed cell-based smoothed point interpolation method (CS-PIM) aims to improve the results accuracy of the thermoelastic problems via properly softening the overly-stiff stiffness. Design/methodology/approach This novel approach is based on the newly developed G space and weakened weak (w2) formulation, and of which shape functions are created using the point interpolation method and the cell-based gradient smoothing operation is conducted based on the linear triangular background cells. Findings Owing to the property of softened stiffness, the present method can generally achieve better accuracy and higher convergence results (especially for the temperature gradient and thermal stress solutions) than the FEM does by using the simplest linear triangular background cells, which has been examined by extensive numerical studies. Practical implications The CS-PIM is capable of producing more accurate results of temperature gradients as well as thermal stresses with the automated generated and unstructured background cells, which make it a better candidate for solving practical thermoelastic problems. Originality/value It is the first time that the novel CS-PIM was further developed for solving thermoelastic problems, which shows its tremendous potential for practical implications.

Looking in the mirror

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Wells
Keyword(s):  
Business Professionals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Practice ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Individual Perception ◽  
Psychology Theory ◽  
Chartered Accountants ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – There is a widely held stereotypical view that accounting is structured, precise, compliance-driven and repetitive. Drawing on social psychology theory, this paper aims to examine how accountants may contribute to these stereotypical perceptions. Design/methodology/approach – Individual perception data were collected through questionnaires and interviews with accountants from the corporate, public practice and not-for-profit sectors, along with “Chartered Accountants” who no longer work as accountants. Findings – These findings suggest that, contrary to results from an earlier study, the targets of the accounting stereotype contribute to the stereotype formation and maintenance and that increased exposure to accountants may serve only to confirm and reinforce the accounting stereotype. Research limitations/implications – There are a small number of participants in this study, and this limits the ability to generalise the findings. Practical implications – These findings have important implications for the profession in how it communicates and promotes the role of the accountant in society. Failure to address the issues identified may lead the stereotype to become self-fulfilling. This may result in the recruitment of future accountants who lack the required skills and capabilities. This could lead to the loss of non-compliance-related accounting work to other business professionals. Originality/value – This study responds to criticism that little is known about how and why the accounting stereotype is formed and how contact with an accountant may increase stereotypicality. Additionally, this paper proposes a strategy to reduce stereotypicality through contact with accountants.

Achieving leadership behavior change at scale

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 309-318
Author(s):  
Tom Rose
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Change ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Leadership Behavior ◽  
Leadership Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
High Performing ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
New Research

Purpose The growing force of disruptive change is creating whitewater work environments across the profit and not-for-profit world. To help leaders overcome the challenge of achieving improvements in leadership performance, this study aims to outline research and case examples that illustrate a four-point roadmap for improving this performance at scale. Design/methodology/approach The study summarizes new research on leadership and organizational high performance and practices that drive high performance today. It relates these finding to trends evidenced in the work being done by HR organizations and the consulting firms that serve them. It then outlines an evidence-based roadmap for achieving improvements in leadership performance that HR organizations can adopt to achieve improvements in leadership performance. Findings Successful organizations intervene at four leverage points to meet the challenge achieving the shifts in leadership behavior needed for success in today’s permanent whitewater environments. These organizations are focusing on two types of leadership, leveraging two approaches to its development and are leveraging critical enablers that benefit from strong alignments within HR and between HR and their business leader colleagues. Originality/value The study highlights new research finding and research-based models of leadership performance that meet the demands of today’s workplace. It synthesizes a new four-point roadmap to success from trends discovered in recent research on leadership, technology-assisted behavior change and organizational effectiveness, as well as in the example of in high-performing organizations.

Want to reduce the bullwhip? Measure it. Here’s how

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Jin ◽  
Nicole DeHoratius ◽  
Glen Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Small Perturbation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Bullwhip Effect ◽  
End Users ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Beer Game ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The popular “beer game” illustrates the bullwhip effect where a small perturbation in downstream demand can create wild swings in upstream product flows. The purpose of this paper is to present a methodical framework to measure the bullwhip effect and evaluate its impact. Design/methodology/approach This paper illustrates a framework using SKU-level data from an industry-leading manufacturer, its distributors, end-users and suppliers. Findings Firms benefit from tracking multiple intra-firm bullwhips and from tracking bullwhips pertinent to specific products, specific suppliers and specific customers. The framework presented in this paper enables managers to pinpoint bullwhip sources and mitigate bullwhip effects. Research limitations/implications This paper presents a framework for methodically measuring and tracking intra-firm and inter-firm bullwhips. Practical implications A disconnect exists between what is known and taught regarding the bullwhip effect and how it is actually tracked and managed in practice. This paper aims to reduce this gap. For the various products analyzed herein, the authors show how using this framework has the potential to reduce delivered product cost by 2 to 15 per cent. Social implications Properly managing the bullwhip leads to lower inventories and potentially lower product prices while simultaneously increasing firm profits. Originality/value This paper presents a novel approach to systematically tracking intra-firm bullwhips along with bullwhips specific to a given supplier or customer.

scholarly journals Realizing your strategy’s potential: a seven-step model for its effective execution

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Galpin
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Senior Executives ◽  
Strategy Execution ◽  
Step Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Step Model ◽  
Managing Strategy ◽  
Execution Model ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose A seven-step Strategy Execution Model provides a tested guide to agile implementation. Design/methodology/approach Pragmatic actions, key deliverables and a case example for each of the seven steps in the model are presented. Findings Firms that focus more on strategic planning than implementation are often plagued with execution issues. Whereas, organizations that are able to execute their strategies as a well managed, integrated process have a much better chance of realizing the full potential of their plans. Practical implications Supporting the experience of numerous management teams, research indicates that poor execution often squanders the value companies anticipate from innovative, advantageous strategic initiatives. To minimize the likelihood of mismanagement, companies need a repeatable process that provides an integrated and actionable approach to effective strategy execution. Originality/value Senior executives and middle managers need a structured, coordinated system for managing strategy implementation. The author’s seven-step method has been tested in practice and refined. It emphasizes communication and agile adaptability.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document