The six dilemmas of strategy execution

Abstract

Purpose

There is a recurring and universal set of competing forces that strategy implementers must manage, and their ability to marshal resources and hearts while maintaining the current business depends very much on how six key dilemmas are handled.

Design/methodology/approach

The author identifies the six dilemmas and offers a leaders’ guide to managing them.

Findings

Dilemmas do not signal that a strategy is flawed or that leadership is failing. Rather, they are part and parcel of the strategy implementation process; they present consequential choices that need to be understood and addressed.”

Practical implications

Realism dictates that legitimate dilemmas need to be acknowledged and addressed directly and fully.

Originality/value

The leader who is first to recognize and effectively manage the dilemmas of strategy implementation will likely gain a headstart in organizational transformation.

Citation

Lowy, A. (2015), "The six dilemmas of strategy execution", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 43 No. 6, pp. 18-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-07-2015-0062