Apprehensive, Nervous and slightly confused. No, don't get me wrong, I am not taking a sneak peek into the mind of a prospective interview candidate. These are my feelings as I get down to the business of putting my thoughts to a blog.
Seems very funny that as we human beings have progressed, is it that we have fallen into the habit of not being very comfortable expressing ourselves through words??? Maybe. Or maybe that the spectre of verbosity in a blog is what is scaring me. Anyways, what ought to be done should be done.
So lets dive into the world called "Strategy".
Born in time, brought up by vision and nurtured by technology, change has become the one constant thing in the world of today. Our lives are being shaped by the continuous process of transformation that is being at play throughout. As the venerable Peter Drucker said - "Every few hundred years in Western History occurs a sharp tranformation .... its paradigm, its basic values, .... its key institutions". However today, the change is happening even faster. The question then remains as to "WHY DO WE NEED STRATEGY when we are not sure of the MACRO-ENVIRONMENT?"
To know this, we first need to understand what strategy is: Here's what Michael Porter has to say about strategy.
So that is what is strategy. Its not about a company's decision to insource or outsource or spend a certain amount on new product development. Its about how an organization can create a unique and sustainable positioning worthwhile to gain and maintain a competitive advantage. And that is why, even in this deluge of change, organizations still need to develop a strategy to be and remain competitive.
Of course, before it decides on its strategy, it needs to have a clear idea of its mission and vision, its goals and objectives and only then can it decide on a strategy.
Here again, is a source of confusion for many organizations. Well, these days having mission and vision statements is sort of cool, but how many of them actually understand the difference between them. Lets start with the mission first - A mission is the purpose of the organization; it is what the organization does in the present. Whereas, the vision of an organization is something starkly different - It is what the company strives to achieve in the future, more of an aspirational goal than perfunctory.
This will perhaps enhance clarity:
So, that is what is meant by "Strategy" - An amalgamation of steps to create a unique and sustainable advantage through managing the 4C's - Company, Customer, Competition and Context. Thats all for now. Until Next time.
Signing off
Cheers!!!!!!
Shauvik
Seems very funny that as we human beings have progressed, is it that we have fallen into the habit of not being very comfortable expressing ourselves through words??? Maybe. Or maybe that the spectre of verbosity in a blog is what is scaring me. Anyways, what ought to be done should be done.
So lets dive into the world called "Strategy".
Born in time, brought up by vision and nurtured by technology, change has become the one constant thing in the world of today. Our lives are being shaped by the continuous process of transformation that is being at play throughout. As the venerable Peter Drucker said - "Every few hundred years in Western History occurs a sharp tranformation .... its paradigm, its basic values, .... its key institutions". However today, the change is happening even faster. The question then remains as to "WHY DO WE NEED STRATEGY when we are not sure of the MACRO-ENVIRONMENT?"
To know this, we first need to understand what strategy is: Here's what Michael Porter has to say about strategy.
Of course, before it decides on its strategy, it needs to have a clear idea of its mission and vision, its goals and objectives and only then can it decide on a strategy.
Here again, is a source of confusion for many organizations. Well, these days having mission and vision statements is sort of cool, but how many of them actually understand the difference between them. Lets start with the mission first - A mission is the purpose of the organization; it is what the organization does in the present. Whereas, the vision of an organization is something starkly different - It is what the company strives to achieve in the future, more of an aspirational goal than perfunctory.
This will perhaps enhance clarity:
So, that is what is meant by "Strategy" - An amalgamation of steps to create a unique and sustainable advantage through managing the 4C's - Company, Customer, Competition and Context. Thats all for now. Until Next time.
Signing off
Cheers!!!!!!
Shauvik
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