...Strategy as Stretch and Leverage 06/05/2016 14:29 INNOVATION Strategy as Stretch and Leverage by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad FROM THE MARCH–APRIL 1993 ISSUE G eneral Motors versus Toyota. CBS versus CNN. Pan Am versus British Airways. RCA versus Sony. Suppose you had been asked, 10 or 20 years ago, to choose the victor in each of these battles. Where would you have placed your bets? With hindsight, the choice is easy. But at the time, GM, CBS, Pan Am, and RCA all had stronger reputations, deeper pockets, greater technological riches, bigger market shares, and more powerful distribution channels. Only a dreamer could have predicted that each would be displaced by a competitor with far fewer resources—but far greater aspirations. Driven by the need to understand the dynamics of battles like these, we have turned competitiveness into a growth industry. Companies and industries have been analyzed in mind-numbing detail, autopsies performed, and verdicts rendered. Yet when it comes to understanding where competitiveness comes from and where it goes, we are like doctors who have diagnosed a problem—and have even found ways to treat some of its symptoms —but who still don’t know how to keep people from getting sick in the first place. We can analyze companies in mindnumbing detail, perform autopsies, and render verdicts, but we are still addressing https://hbr.org/1993/03/strategy-as-stretch-and-leverage Page 1 of 24 Strategy as Stretch...
Words: 7792 - Pages: 32
...“Strategy as Stretch and Leverage” G. Hamel and C.K. Prahalad (1993) A Critical Analysis Word Count: 1624 Introduction Strategy, and the form it should take when used in business processes have long been a source of debate – and with extremely varied outcomes being proposed as the ‘best approach’. This said there are some key themes and core strategic ideas that have emerged and developed across these ideas over time. In this article by Hamel and Prahalad (1993), strategy is discussed as stretch and leverage. This analysis will look at where Hamel and Prahalad’s article sits in the grand scheme of the strategy debate. It will go on to analyse the supporting theory including the reality of any assumptions made by its authors. Finally, the analysis will close with a conclusion based on the articles strengths and weaknesses, as well as a personal perspective considering the theory put forward. Placing of the article in the wider strategy debate Elements of Hamel and Prahalad’s article can be attributed to a number of recurring themes in various different strategy debates. The most appropriate position, however, could be that it lies in the resource-based and positioning spectrum. Essentially – and very broadly – these opposing views are organisation and environment-led respectively. There are elements in Hamel and Prahalad’s article that draw on ideas from both these approaches, although it could be interpreted that it largely adopts the resource-based view. The resource-based...
Words: 1963 - Pages: 8
...G. Hamel and C.K. Prahalad (1989) A Critical Analysis Word count: 1098 Introduction "Give yourself an even greater challenge than the one you are trying to master and you will develop the powers necessary to overcome the original difficulty." William J. Bennett says it in one of his best-selling books. This is proven to be true by a significant number of successful individuals all over the world, but what about an organization or an entity? IPO model reveals that organisation characteristics which make enormous impacts on organisation results are the combination of individual employee’s characteristics. Eventually, the implications of the quote should be true for an organisation. Related to the implications, Hamel and Prahalad (1989) had written an article about their unprecedented concept “Strategic Intent”. Placing the article in a wider debate “Strategic intent” is an ambitious and compelling dream that energises, which provides the emotional and intellectual energy for the journey to the future (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994). The article discusses the term “strategic intent” in a broad range of aspects; however, the main arguments of this article can be transfer into the debate of Resource-based view vs. Positioning. Apparently, the authors in this article incline to the idea of resource-based view. The resource-based view deals with the organisation internal resources and takes advantages of those to construct firm’s strategies (Wernerfelt, 1984). Regarding resource-based...
Words: 1437 - Pages: 6
...REVIEW ON COMPETING FOR THE FUTURE BY GARY HAMEL AND C K PRAHALAD This book is providing tools and concepts need to focus on technically produced with strategic planning in order to achieve the future success for a company as it has described the method of reinvention to satisfy corporate needs to be achieved through experience and discovery in the critical situation where company’s were fallen flat by the lack of integration and to have a fresh change that make the employee to work. It also focuses on combining companies and corporate visions for function operations. This book was very insightful in the area of teaching senior and top management skills and qualities that need to be possessed to be a successful company. The core competencies are not product specific but some exceeding resources and patience of single business unit create more options in the market. Business needs involving continuous leverage of core competencies with major contribution at all level of management for building and nurturing sophisticated, and more positive, and strategic architecture as a high-level blueprint for the reconfiguring of the interface with customers. As strategic intent is strategic architecture’s capstone but it’s an ambitious and compelling strategic intent that provides the emotional and intellectual energy for the journey. They are trying to create ambitious aspiration for the future and all in its importance. Gary Hamel and CK Prahalad emphasize that companies are focusing...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
...The Execution Premium: Linking Strategy to Operations for Competitive Advantage Q&A with HBS professor Robert S. Kaplan by Martha Lagace Companies often manage strategy in fits and starts. Though executives may formulate an excellent strategy, it easily fades from memory as the organization tackles day-to-day operations issues, doing what HBS professor Robert S. Kaplan calls "fighting fires." A new book due in August by Kaplan and David P. Norton aims to make strategy a continual process. The Execution Premium: Linking Strategy to Operations for Competitive Advantage (HBS Press) shows managers how to weave organizational principles into a more effective management system that respects the differences between strategy and operations yet integrates them in a powerful way. Kaplan and Norton introduced the Balanced Scorecard, a performance measurement system, in 1992. The Execution Premium is their fifth book as coauthors. Kaplan recently explained the ideas behind The Execution Premium and how they bridge the common divide between strategy and operations. Q: What particular issues around execution need to be better addressed in business? A: There are two key issues. First is leadership. Without strong visionary leadership, strategy will not be executed effectively. The second key issue is to recognize that strategy and operations (or tactics) are both important but different. The normal course of events is for companies to focus on day-to-day operations and short-term problem solving...
Words: 2607 - Pages: 11
...Harvard Business Review Case study Analysis BY John Raphael Marty Vitality Health A better Corporate Performance Management System to Retain Top Talent Vitality Health Vitality Health Introduction Issues Beth Williams stepped in to fill the shoes of Fred Kikuchi in 2009 as the new CEO. Her primary stated purpose was to “find a better way to identify and reward top performers in order to keep ‘A’ players in their positions and accelerate company growth by attracting new top talent.” To do this, Beth created a new performance management team (PMET) to study the existing rewards & compensation, and uncover changes that needed to be made. With over 50% of the staff in Des Moines consisting of scientists and engineers, and a total R&D budget nearing 30% of total gross revenue in 2009; Vitality’s growth depended heavily on continued human resources for R&D, especially due to Vitality’s focus on emerging markets and the volatility that comes along with such growth. Beth’s prompt delivery of a new performance management system only eight weeks after discovering problems likely delighted Vitality’s board as well as some staff, but her no-nonsense approach must have also been a shock internally as she was “a notable contrast from Kikuchi’s more conciliatory management style.” The email sent to management to simply review the online guidebook of the new performance management system hardly created “buy-in” within the organization, that was...
Words: 3093 - Pages: 13
...Harvard Business Review Case study Analysis BY John Raphael Marty Vitality Health A better Corporate Performance Management System to Retain Top Talent Vitality Health Vitality Health Introduction Issues Beth Williams stepped in to fill the shoes of Fred Kikuchi in 2009 as the new CEO. Her primary stated purpose was to “find a better way to identify and reward top performers in order to keep ‘A’ players in their positions and accelerate company growth by attracting new top talent.” To do this, Beth created a new performance management team (PMET) to study the existing rewards & compensation, and uncover changes that needed to be made. With over 50% of the staff in Des Moines consisting of scientists and engineers, and a total R&D budget nearing 30% of total gross revenue in 2009; Vitality’s growth depended heavily on continued human resources for R&D, especially due to Vitality’s focus on emerging markets and the volatility that comes along with such growth. Beth’s prompt delivery of a new performance management system only eight weeks after discovering problems likely delighted Vitality’s board as well as some staff, but her no-nonsense approach must have also been a shock internally as she was “a notable contrast from Kikuchi’s more conciliatory management style.” The email sent to management to simply review the online guidebook of the new performance management system hardly created “buy-in” within the organization, that was...
Words: 3093 - Pages: 13
...The Global Conference for Wikimedia 6 - 10 August 2014 · London Find out more [ Help with translations! ] Industrial market segmentation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Industrial market segmentation is a scheme for categorizing industrial and business customers to guide strategic and tactical decision-making, especially in sales and marketing. While government agencies and industry associations use standardized segmentation schemes for statistical surveys, most businesses create their own segmentation scheme to meet their particular needs. While similar to consumer market segmentation, segmenting industrial markets is different and more challenging because of greater complexity in buying processes, buying criteria, and the complexity of industrial products and services themselves. Further complications include role of financing, contracting, and complementary products/services. The goal for every industrial market segmentation scheme is to identify the most significant differences among current and potential customers that will influence their purchase decisions or buying behavior, while keeping the scheme as simple as possible (Occam's Razor). This will allow the industrial marketer to differentiate their prices, programs, or solutions for maximum competitive advantage. Webster describes segmentation variables as “customer characteristics that relate to some important difference in customer response to marketing effort”. (Webster, 2003)[1]...
Words: 4053 - Pages: 17
...Ian Whadcock 1808 Kaplan.indd 62 12/5/07 5:31:55 PM Successful strategy execution has two basic rules: understand the management cycle that links strategy and operations, and know what tools to apply at each stage of the cycle. the Management System by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton NOT LONG AFTER ITS SUCCESSFUL IPO, the Conner Corporation (not its real name) began to lose its way. The company’s senior executives continued their practice of holding monthly one-day management meetings, but their focus drifted. The meetings’ agenda called for a discussion of operational issues in the morning and strategic issues in the afternoon. But with the company under pressure to meet quarterly targets, operational items had started to crowd strategy out of the agenda. Inevitably, the review of actual monthly and forecast quarterly financial performance revealed revenues to be lower, and expenses to be higher, than targeted. The worried managers spent hours discussing how to close the gap through pricing initiatives, capacity downsizing, SG&A staff cuts, and sales hbr.org 1808 Kaplan.indd 63 | January 2008 | Harvard Business Review 6 3 12/5/07 5:32:05 PM | Mastering the Management System campaigns. One executive noted, “We have no time for strategy. If we miss our quarterly numbers, we might cease to exist. For us, the long term is the short term.” Like Conner, all too many companies – including some well-established public corporations...
Words: 9164 - Pages: 37
...civilly or criminally liable or be dismissed, prejudiced, or harassed on account of refusal to do work if he reasonably believe his/her work would cause a hazard to the environment or other employees. Our VISION To be the world’s leading coal mining company. Our VALUES * Zero Harm – ensure a safe working environment; compliance to rules is absolute; prevent harm to people, environment and equipment; zero harm is achievable and is everyone’s responsibility. * Respect – treat people fairly; recognize that people make the difference; accept accountability for our behaviour; value and leverage the strength in diversity. * Teamwork – encourage participation; pursue common goals; ensure consistent and transparent communication. * Excellence – develop people to their full potential; ensure predictable continuous improvement; stretch our capabilities to benchmark performances; sustain a high performance innovative culture. Management of Railway Hazards and Risks The mine is committed to sound risk management practices that are applied to railway activities in order to promote the health, safety and well-being of our employees, the communities and the environment in which we operate. Identified railway hazards and risks are documented and...
Words: 1970 - Pages: 8
...» THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATION 64 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Companies typically realize only about 60% of their strategies' potential value because of defects and breakdowns in planning and execution. By strictly following seven simple rules, you can get a lot more than that. TURNING GREAT STRATEGY INTO GREAT PERFORMANCE by Michael C. Mankins and Richard Steele hree years ago, the leadership team at a major man- ufacturer spent months developing a new strategy for its European business. Over the prior half-decade, six new competitors had entered the market, each deploying the latest in low-cost manufacturing technology and slashing prices to gain market share. The performance of the European unit - once the crown jewel of the company's portfolio-had deteriorated to the point that top management was seriously considering divesting it. To turn around the operation, the unit's leadership team had recommended a hold new "solutions strategy"-one that would leverage the business's installed base to fuel growth in after-market services and equipment financing. The financial forecasts were exciting-the strategy promised to restore the business's industry-leading returns and growth. Impressed, top management quickly approved JULY-AUGUST 2005 65 » THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATION Chemical, 3M, and Roche, to name a few-develop realistic plans that are solidly grounded in the underlying economics of their markets and then use the plans to drive execution...
Words: 5641 - Pages: 23
...www.hbrreprints.org Successful strategy execution has two basic rules: understand the management cycle that links strategy and operations, and know what tools to apply at each stage of the cycle. Mastering the Management System by Robert S. Kaplan and David P Norton . Reprint R0801D This article is made available to you with compliments of SAP. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www.hbr.org or call 800-988-0886. Successful strategy execution has two basic rules: understand the management cycle that links strategy and operations, and know what tools to apply at each stage of the cycle. Mastering the Management System by Robert S. Kaplan and David P Norton . COPYRIGHT © 2007 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Not long after its successful IPO, the Conner Corporation (not its real name) began to lose its way. The company’s senior executives continued their practice of holding monthly one-day management meetings, but their focus drifted. The meetings’ agenda called for a discussion of operational issues in the morning and strategic issues in the afternoon. But with the company under pressure to meet quarterly targets, operational items had started to crowd strategy out of the agenda. Inevitably, the review of actual monthly and forecast quarterly financial performance revealed revenues to be lower, and expenses to be higher, than targeted. The worried managers spent...
Words: 9673 - Pages: 39
...Assignment for Strategic Management External influences on growth. All industries are influenced by the external environments, the firm's ability to react quickly tho the changes may help the growth of cripple them. There are 2 main models to help identifying them PESTEL and 5 factors. In the following, I will be discussing the relevant PESTEL tool, with incorporated 5 factor contributions due to the lack of information to plot out the 5 factor model. Politics Rules and legal compliance differs from country to country. In the budget airline segment, the delegalisation internationally is to their advantage for them, as they have now a wider geographical market opportunities. On the other hand, budget flights being able to provide international services is a real threat to the commercial flights, in which airlines which are tied to their countries comes as a hurdle in to all flight traveling to or from the country in efforts to protect their national carriers eg Singapore Airlines is ties to Singapore and Britirsh airways are tied to Great Britain. Economy Cost of the raw materials required for the business are high and an extant of good relationship with the supplier plays an active part in negotiations to drive down prices. (bargaining power of suppliers). Most continental flights generate a higher percentage of profits from loyal first class and business travelers. Social the growth in wealth globally has increased the spending power of the consumers and the demand...
Words: 2024 - Pages: 9
...Unique Talent Strategy: A Collection of Case Studies Businesses now recognize the pivotal role that talent plays in the success of their organizations. They need talent strategies and programs that go beyond the ordinary – to achieve solutions that are fact-based and enable greater business performance. To learn more about how Mercer’s depth and breadth of talent management solutions and global resources can benefit your organization, please contact your local Mercer office or visit us at www.mercer.com/humancapital. Contents Creating a talent strategy to drive engagement in China 1 Developing a talent strategy to engage and up-skill staff 3 Developing a highly skilled workforce during rapid growth 5 Implementing lean manufacturing processes for a services-based organization 7 Designing a talent strategy through a three-day summit 9 Creating a "best fit" talent strategy to close skills gap 12 About us 15 About Mercer About Mercer’s talent management services and solutions Creating a talent strategy to drive engagement in China A global pharmaceutical company had committed to a growth and expansion strategy for emerging markets – China being central to this strategy. While business plans had been rigorously developed and agreed by the board, the organization believed its talent management practices were less robust. To ensure the organization would be successful in China, it knew its talent strategy had to be better...
Words: 6285 - Pages: 26
...Lawrence Sports Problem Solution University of Phoenix MBA-550 January 19, 2008 Liquidity must become a primary focus for any business hoping to create sustainable growth. Lawrence Sports, a fictional company, is presently in need of capital management analysis and methodology overhaul. Included in this paper is a discussion of the issues, opportunities, values and solutions that the firm should be considering. The 9 step problem solution model is the format used to take the reader through critical identification, evaluation and implementation of elements that will transform a problem into new growth opportunity. Lawrence Sports is a $20 million dollar revenue company that assembles and distributes sporting goods. The focus of the scenario is to provide the opportunity for the student to develop solutions to trade off issues, thus establishing stability for the firm. Mayo, who is a retailer responsible for 95% of sales, is hindering Lawrence from paying raw materials suppliers. Unfortunately, this cash positioning problem is direct result of the Lawrence credit policy and the Mayo request to delay payment until the week of April 14-20. Borrowing money to deal with supplier payables is not an option, due to the $1.2 million dollar maximized bank limit. Therefore, this paper will strategize from the perspective of a financial manager who will turn a working capital problem into the chance to design a new credit policy, implement cash management models and introduce...
Words: 4123 - Pages: 17
