Taking the initiative

Citation

Randall, R.M. (2003), "Taking the initiative", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 31 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/sl.2003.26131faa.001

Taking the initiative

Here are some executive actions you might take after reading the feature articles in this issue:

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  List the potential benefits for your company if you were to establish a customer/supplier information network connected to product design production as described in "Digital loyalty networks: continuously connecting automakers with their customers and suppliers'' by Peter Koudal and Paul Wellener. Circulate the list and article to peers and your direct reports.

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  Go through the step-by-step process outlined in "'Business wargaming': simulations guide crucial strategy decisions'' by Jay Kurtz to get a better understanding of what your firm would learn from participating in a business wargame. Draft a brief cost/benefit analysis and circulate it and the article to peers and direct reports.

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  Have you been avoiding scenario planning because your line managers think it's a waste of time? The case in "Scenario planning: persuading operating managers to buy in" by Gill Ringland provides tips on how to make the process relevant to their interests. Make a list of your organization's units that face a confusing and uncertain future and need to make coherent sense of the possibilities before they unfold. Circulate the article and list to peers and direct reports.

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  Stuck for fresh approaches to strategic thinking? Read "Assessing your strategic alternatives from both a market position and core competence perspective'' by Brian Leavy to get some new insights. If your company has embraced either core competency or market position as the dominant planning perspective, try assessing your competitive advantage from both approaches to generate some new options. Circulate the article and a memo discussing the alternative approaches to peers and direct reports.

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  While you are reading "Managing stakeholders vs. responding to shareholders'' by the outspoken corporate leader Bill George, make a checklist of how your firm's practices compare. Next, reconsider your approach to stakeholder value in light of the fact that Bill George is one of the most successful CEOs of the last decade. Circulate the article and your list to peers and direct reports.

Robert M. RandallEditor

N.B. My thanks to Contributing Editor Alistair Davidson for supplying photos for several articles in this issue. The full range of his talents are displayed on his Web site (www.eclicktick.com).