Strategy That Works

In a PwC survey of 2,800 top executives from companies of various sizes, locations and industries, most respondents are skeptical of the relevance of their company’s strategy to achieve targeted ambitions. Notably, only a third feel that their company can rely on distinctive capabilities to support its strategy! And a large majority of these leaders recognize that their company is present in markets where it doesn’t have a distinctive advantage. This point of view may seem harsh. And yet, the authors of Strategy That Works note that many businesses suffer from a lack of coherence between their strategic intent and the key capabilities they master. In this book, they suggest that companies refocus on a few truly distinctive capabilities, to give themselves a strong and sustainable position in their markets. Each chapter proposes a specific action lever to achieve this objective: make clear commitments, translate the strategy into how operations are organized, leverage the company culture, apply budgetary discipline aligned with the strategy, base growth strategy on the exploitation of these capacities. Each chapter is clearly argued and rich in examples and practical advice. A solid book, both rich and full of common sense.