CLIENT NEED: COORDINATED ACTION AND RESULTS

CLIENT NEED: COORDINATED ACTION AND RESULTS

Strategy Execution

Strategy Execution

We help teams deliver critical business priorities and change the practices that impede execution across functions.

We help teams deliver critical business priorities and change the practices that impede execution across functions.

Before we move into execution, we make sure the strategy is clear enough to guide priorities, trade-offs and action.

Strategy Execution brings discipline to execution.

Strategy Execution brings discipline to execution.

Strategy Manifesto

Strategy Manifesto

Add services to a product firm.

Add services to a product firm.

Redefine the portfolio for a new segment.

Redefine the portfolio for a new segment.

Shift from products to integrated solutions.

Shift from products to integrated solutions.

Management System

Management System

Create one enterprise review.

Create one enterprise review.

Establish business-level reviews.

Establish business-level reviews.

Create enterprise owners and launch the first project.

Create enterprise owners and launch the first project.

Culture

Culture

Balance execution and innovation incentives.

Balance execution and innovation incentives.

Celebrate the right behaviors.

Celebrate the right behaviors.

Build employee-led culture teams.

Build employee-led culture teams.

Ambidexterity

Ambidexterity

Create a dedicated new-business unit.

Create a dedicated new-business unit.

Test ideas beyond the core.

Test ideas beyond the core.

Fund new businesses in stages.

Fund new businesses in stages.

↓

These choices define the Sprints.

Strategy Execution

Strategy Execution

Defined outcome

Defined outcome

Accountable team

Accountable team

Review cadence

Review cadence

This illustration shows three sprints within a 90-day cycle. The business question determines the scope and cadence of an engagement.

A business priority can lose momentum between organizational boundaries.

A business priority can lose momentum between organizational boundaries.

Functions may each be delivering against their own objectives while the business priority stalls between them. More activity does not resolve incompatible commitments, missing decisions or dependencies that no single team can control.

Functions may each be delivering against their own objectives while the business priority stalls between them. More activity does not resolve incompatible commitments, missing decisions or dependencies that no single team can control.

Execution Sprints focus on a defined priority and the organizational conditions affecting it. We work with the people responsible for delivery and the leaders who can resolve the decisions beyond their authority.

Execution Sprints focus on a defined priority and the organizational conditions affecting it. We work with the people responsible for delivery and the leaders who can resolve the decisions beyond their authority.

A dedicated team tests solutions and brings consequential decisions to its sponsor.

A dedicated team tests solutions and brings consequential decisions to its sponsor.

Each sprint begins with a defined business outcome, a bounded scope and a cross-functional team with time committed to the work. An executive sponsor owns the outcome and can resolve decisions beyond the team’s authority. The team investigates the problem, develops possible solutions and tests them with the people or customers affected.

Each sprint begins with a defined business outcome, a bounded scope and a cross-functional team with time committed to the work. An executive sponsor owns the outcome and can resolve decisions beyond the team’s authority. The team investigates the problem, develops possible solutions and tests them with the people or customers affected.

At agreed checkpoints, the team brings evidence and recommendations about what to implement, adapt, scale or stop. The sponsor makes the resource and scope decisions needed to continue. Our practitioners equip and coach the team through this cycle, while client leaders progressively take responsibility for facilitating the work themselves.

At agreed checkpoints, the team brings evidence and recommendations about what to implement, adapt, scale or stop. The sponsor makes the resource and scope decisions needed to continue. Our practitioners equip and coach the team through this cycle, while client leaders progressively take responsibility for facilitating the work themselves.

Delivery develops the team’s capacity to work across functions.

Delivery develops the team’s capacity to work across functions.

Our practitioners bring structure and facilitation while client teams carry out the work. Teams learn how to frame a priority, test assumptions and make decisions when their objectives and constraints differ.

Our practitioners bring structure and facilitation while client teams carry out the work. Teams learn how to frame a priority, test assumptions and make decisions when their objectives and constraints differ.

The duration and scope follow the business question. The work should produce both progress on that priority and a more effective way of delivering the next one.

The duration and scope follow the business question. The work should produce both progress on that priority and a more effective way of delivering the next one.

Research for this work

Research for this work

Selected books from our professors that deepen the questions examined in this offering.

BOOK

Navigating Change: How CEOs, Top Teams and Boards Steer Transformation

Donald C. Hambrick, David A. Nadler and Michael L. Tushman · 1998

BOOK

Winning Through Innovation

Michael L. Tushman and Charles A. O’Reilly · 2002

BOOK

Leading Sustainable Change: An Organizational Perspective

Rebecca Henderson, Ranjay Gulati and Michael L. Tushman, editors · 2015

See how we work →

RELATED IDEAS

Research and perspectives for this client need.

Research and perspectives for this client need.

LCOR in Action: Case Studies of Leading Change

LCOR in Action: Case Studies of Leading Change

Roughly 10,000 executives have attended the ‘Leading Change and Organizational Renewal’ (LCOR) program at HBS and Stanford over the past 25 years.

Read article →

Agile Innovation Sprints

Agile Innovation Sprints

Despite our expectations that new ventures will succeed and eventually scale, the harsh reality is that approximately 90% of them will eventually fail to find their market-product fit.

Read article →

Data Science is Important – Change Management Requires Data Science and Companies Aren’t Ready

Data Science is Important – Change Management Requires Data Science and Companies Aren’t Ready

Change Logic co-founders Mike Tushman and Andy Binns discuss how data science is becoming increasingly important in change management and how companies can prepare themselves to lead in the data-driven future.

Read article →