1

08/09/2020
Is Execution Where Good
Strategies Go To Die?
By Mark Bonchek

Group A7
Abhinanda Ghosh (19PGPM001)
Neha Basu (19PGPM035)
Rishap Jindal (19PGPM050)

Rudra Prasad Panda (19PGPM054)

 Introduction 2

08/09/2020
 Execution is defined as carrying out of a plan or course of action.
 Mental models that inform strategy are usually different from those that determine
implementation.
 Thinking process has a great role in execution. It doesn’t mean what we think, it’s
how we think. It is the most powerful tool that either make things or break things.
 3

08/09/2020
Gaps Between
Strategy and Execution
Gap 1 4

08/09/2020
 Strategies are made by leaders of the organisation who have bigger picture in mind
and always things next 10yrs in advance.
 While people who make the execution always think about detail of the plan so that
execution is made easily without any huddle.
 Basically strategy people think about different ideas where as execution people
focus on the process and plan of action.
 People who make strategy always think about destination and outcome of the
strategy where as execution people always think about the risk and roadblocks on
the way that they might face. That’s why sometimes they are defensive and more
focus on resistance.
 Strategy and execution are the two side of a coin. One is incomplete without the
other.
Gap 2 5

08/09/2020
 Result of connection between participation and ownership.
 Diversity always improves the quality of strategy.
 People think adding stakeholders to strategic part may slow down or compromise
the quality. But in actual scenario it speeds up things as they feel the sense of
ownership which is most important for success.
Gap 3 6

08/09/2020
 Another major gap between the strategy and execution is in the narrative around
the strategy.
 Execution doesn’t depend on what is said, it depend on what it heard. In
simplified manner how people perceive about any new product or what kind of
image that create in their mind.
 Its difficult to make people understand about something that is totally new for
them.
 The lack of narrative is the major problem in the relationship between marketing
and sales.
Gap 4 7

08/09/2020
 Measurement and matrics is one of the gap between strategy and execution.
 You can only measure what you can see and mental model determine what is
visible or invisible.
 Financial tools show us what is the progress but matrics are required to measure
how successful the execution is.
 8

08/09/2020
The secrets to successful strategy
execution
By gary l. neilson, karla l. martin, and
Elizabeth powers
Assessment of organizations’ capabilities 9

08/09/2020
 Over the span of five years, the researchers invited many thousands of employees
(about 25% of whom came from executive ranks) to complete an online
assessment of their organizations’ capabilities.
 The process generated a database of 125,000 profiles representing more than 1000
companies
 Employees at 3 out of every 5 companies rated their organization weak at
execution.
What matters most in strategy execution 10

08/09/2020
The element of strong execution 11

08/09/2020
1. Everyone has a good idea of the decisions and actions for which he or she is
responsible.
 In companies strong on execution, 71% of individuals agree with this statement;
that figure drops to 32% in organizations weak on execution
2. Important information about the competitive environment gets to headquarters
quickly.
 On average, 77% of individuals in strong execution organizations agree with this
statement, whereas only 45% of those in weak-execution organizations do
Contd… 12

08/09/2020
3. Once made, decisions are rarely second-guessed.
 In the research, 71% of respondents in weak-execution companies thought that
decisions were second guessed, whereas only 45% of those from strong-execution
companies felt that way.
4. Information flows freely across organizational boundaries.
 The research indicates that only 21% of respondents from weak-execution
companies thought this was whereas 55% of those from strong-execution
organizations did.
Contd… 13

08/09/2020
5. Field and line employees usually have the information they need to understand the
bottom-line impact of their day-to-day choices.
 61% of individuals in strong-execution organizations agree that field and line
employees have this information. This figure plummets to 28% in weak-execution
organizations.
Building blocks to influence execution 14

08/09/2020
Decision
Rights

Informatio
n Flows

Execution

Structures
Motivators
Mapping improvements to the building 15

blocks: some sample tactics

08/09/2020
 Conclusion 16

08/09/2020
“A brilliant strategy may put you on the competitive map. But only solid execution
keeps you there. Unfortunately, most companies struggle with implementation.
That’s because they overrely on structural changes, such as reorganization, to
execute the strategy.”
 17

08/09/2020
FROM STRATEGY TO IMPLEMENTATION

SEEKING ALIGNMENT
PROFOUND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 18

STRATEGY CREATION AND

08/09/2020
IMPLEMENTATION
• STRATEGY is hot air, if more attention isn’t given to the less glamorous but more
important IMPLEMENTATION, that which requires continuous managerial
attention.
• Strategy is market-oriented whereas Implementation is operations-oriented, which
can produce enormous results is done properly.
HERMAN MILLER,INC. 19

08/09/2020
 A leader in the North American office furniture industry.
 Observed the difference in demand of the small businesses unlike its large
corporate clients, i.e. small businesses did not waste money on expensive office
furniture.
 A new strategy was brought up, with a range of mass-customized and basic
furniture for these small clients according to their needs, but the existing
operations had to change, within the organization.
Contd… 20

08/09/2020
 Looking at the entire operation process they finally came up with a lean new
system of operations called the SQA (simple, quick, affordable).
 From the sales staffs till the implementation employees were made about the
importance of these orders and that they should be conducted error-free, fast and
on-time.
 A new supply chain system was created for fast delivery and the vendors were
linked with new IT system that ensured both speed and accuracy.
 SQA showed tremendous results: proves that strategy in the absence of effective
implementation is pointless.
ALIGNMENT 21

08/09/2020
 “Its important to manage your business right than to be in the right business” –
Jeffrey Pfeffer.
 The recipe behind a successful strategy is the alignment of the organization,
which consists of four elements – strategy, processes, employees and customers.
They help each other to bring out an excellent result of the strategy.
 There should be an alignment between the strategy you develop and the different
companies that help run your company.
ELEMENTS OF STRATEGY 22

ALIGNMNET

08/09/2020
• PEOPLE AND INCENTIVES : Be sure you have
people with the skills, resources and attitudes to make the
strategy work.
• SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES : Activities such as
pricing, distribution, order fulfillment, should support the
strategy.
• ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE : Structure the
organization with align with strategic goals.
• LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE : The organization’s
culture should be appropriate for the strategy and vice
versa.
 23

08/09/2020
THANK YOU