Chapter 9 Going Forward

This book has introduced the essential elements of the strategy dynamics approach to strategic management of businesses and other organizations. In an effort to make the ideas accessible to the widest possible range of people, I have kept the book short and the examples easy to follow. I have also simplified or left out many features and details of the approach while retaining the most powerful elements.

As with any methodical approach to management issues, it is much easier to make progress if everyone involved shares the same understanding, so it is helpful to develop a coalition of colleagues who have picked up the ideas and tried using them. Equally, it can be difficult to win support for new efforts when there is so much else going on around you. It is best to start small, perhaps using just one or two of the most useful frameworks from this book to work on specific challenges. As confidence grows, you can seek support for doing more.

There is much more to learn about how an organization’s performance develops through time and how professional strategic management can drive big improvements to this trajectory.

• Another short book—my Developing Employee Talent to Perform (Business Expert Press, 2009)—provides guidance on how general managers and their teams can understand their organization’s performance and drive it into the future. Those wishing to study the underlying method in more depth should see my book Strategic Management Dynamics (2008).
• The implications for marketing and brand strategy are well understood and have been put to good use in many businesses (see Lars Finskud, Competing for Choice, 2009).
• Learning materials, including a 10-class online course, simulation-based exercises, and worksheets, are available from Strategy Dynamics Ltd. at http://www.strategydynamics.com. These are designed for individual and team study, as well as for business school degree courses and executive training.