Strategic Agility by Bettina Büchel and Rhoda Davidson - Preview

13

Introduction

(i.e. business efficiency vs. growth). We also look at the geographic dimension, and how this may differ according to the pilot objective, i.e. whether it is driven at the corporate level and pushed out to local geographies (top-down), or whether it is initiated by one of the local geographies and replicated at the corporate level (bottom- up). We then examine the criteria for piloting growth and business efficiency initiatives. Chapter 3 provides guidance on how to select pilot locations and what key conditions need to be in place before they are initiated. The chapter includes a pilot selection tool for the different types of initiatives and contexts that will help you understand the roles of the sponsor, the strategic initiative leader and the team in setting up the pilot and its goals, so that a post-pilot evaluation can take place before the initiative is scaled across the organization. Chapter 4 focuses on how to implement a pilot, including selecting the right team, managing the key stakeholders, ensuring learning happens and building momentum organizationally by proving (or disproving) the validity of the initial hypotheses and/or by generating credibility and commitment across the organization. Chapter 5 examines how to scale the pilot. We discuss the evaluation of the pilot after having ideally completed an after-action review. Then we discuss the different approaches for scaling the pilot and how to speed up the implementation of both business efficiency and growth initiatives. Chapter 6 focuses on the governance of strategic initiatives. This involves ensuring that the strategic initiative is aligned with the strategy, prioritization occurs and is in line with the expected strategic and financial impacts, planning and approval processes are in place, monitoring and controlling are performed and the initiative is supported.

Chapter 7 focuses on leading strategic initiatives. Here we highlight the important role of the execution leaders in providing direction,