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Effective Strategy Implementation – People over structure
Strategic initiatives can be risky and many of them fail. Strategic plans get developed and even published, but still have no impact. In their 2008 book ‘The Execution Premium’, Norton and Kaplan note that 60-80% of companies fall far short of the expressed targets in their strategic plans. The Economist Intelligence Unit published ‘Why Good…
Read MoreThe Power of Cross-Functional Collaboration for Strategic Success
We cannot underestimate the power of collaboration and cross-functional alignment when implementing strategy. Nobody succeeds alone. The world has become far too interrelated and complex for individuals to succeed without collaborative skills. The ability of different departments and teams to collaborate and align their efforts towards a common goal is key to strategic success. Never…
Read MoreCapability building for productivity: NZ’s missing link
Organisational success means better commercial outcomes for firms and better social outcomes for public sector agencies and not-for-profits. To achieve those better outcomes, our people need to be focused on efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation. This blog explores the importance of capability building for productivity. New Zealand’s productivity levels have been below that of other OECD…
Read MoreEnsuring value for money when hiring consultants
Consultants are an obvious target for cost savings. Why are you paying these people all this money? Fair question. Sometimes you shouldn’t. On the other hand, consultants are called in at short notice to do complex tasks in short timeframes and are expected to meet high standards. They do jobs that are only required occasionally,…
Read MoreDon’t start a project you can’t finish
Many projects go over budget and take longer than expected. Some just fail or need to be rescued. The Corinth Canal was a fascinating project. Read the story below and consider the lessons at the end. The strategy and strategic abandonment Periander, ruler of Corinth In the 7th century B.C., was losing many ships in…
Read MoreWhy a Data Strategy is good business
All organisations need a strategy to achieve and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. Data collection, analysis, and derivation of insights is critical to creating value, and thus critical to strategy. There are many excellent publications and models on data strategy. Some of the best include: For most executives, data governance will not be a core…
Read MoreProject Benefits and Benefits Realisation
Organisations run projects because they expect benefits from them. Those benefits may or may not be well defined in project planning. Planning benefits realisation ties your business case to your project outcomes. It avoids playing catch up later and makes it much easier to prove project success. What is a Project Benefit? A project benefit…
Read MoreStrategic Abandonment – The Art of Letting it Go
We reject new ideas more easily than we reject old ones. Some of the most common reasons for not investing in a strategic change initiative are: Those are good reasons for deciding not to invest. Organisations need to allocate resources wisely. If new projects take up 10% of resources, have you scrutinised the activities that…
Read MoreIt’s a Project Board – Not a Tea Party
I once attended the first ‘steering committee meeting’ for a ‘project’. There were 18 attendees. The meeting took 2.5 hours, including morning tea. The agenda was vague, the participants unprepared and the outcome predictable. There was a wide-ranging discussion and everyone had a say. There were two agreements at the end of the meeting: I don’t know…
Read MoreDoes the fear of failure limit strategic success?
A fear of personal failure can hold us back from doing the things we need to do to succeed. Most of us have felt that at some time in our lives. We find ways to reduce the fear so we can act. Organisations can impose a fear of failure too. Here are 3 ways they…
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