Six necessary mind shifts for implementing strategy

Abstract

Purpose

In the last few years the field of strategy implementation has been growing. Much of the current literature explains the “why”. This paper aims to shift the thinking from the “why” to the “how”. Leaders are now beginning to state that they understand that it is important to implement as well as design the strategy and are asking “What do I need to do differently” so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past and avoid being a casualty of the “9 out of 10 failure rate”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on the findings from eight years of interviewing over 300 leaders about the implementation of their strategy. It is also based on the research the author has done for his new book Beyond Strategy, to be published shortly.

Findings

The key finding is that leaders must adopt six mind shifts.

Research limitations/implications

There is very little research in the field of strategy implementation. Bridges (the company run by the author) is one of the few to have been researching the field for eight years.

Practical implications

The paper targets the six mind shifts leaders must have in order to implement their strategy.

Originality/value

The value of the paper is that there is very little published writing on the field of strategy implementation and even less on how to implement it. There are few tools and techniques available in the field, especially when compared with how you create a strategy.

Citation

Speculand, R. (2009), "Six necessary mind shifts for implementing strategy", Business Strategy Series, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 167-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/17515630910956589