Unique strategic position

I mentioned last time that any effort to craft strategy must be aimed at creating a UNIQUE STRATEGIC POSITION. I also mentioned that current practices are inadequate. What is required is a dynamic approach that replicates the success of strategic innovators.

Such an approach is to be found in this THREE-Fold framework of strategy formulation that concentrates on:

1. Customers and value; the issue here is to question how to achieve full value and service for customers – something that strategic innovators understand – the majority give the area lip service ONLY.
2. How we respond to customer demands for value with a proposition based on our market mission, distinctive capabilities, strategic assets and our ability to differentiate against the competition instead of unimaginative ‘me-too’ responses to every problem and opportunity.
3. Building an organisational environment that supports creativity and inventiveness, excellent relationships with customers, staff, collaborators the development and implementation of our strategy.

More next time

Best wishes

Andrew Pearson

For further information download FREE “How to Create and Exploit a UNIQUE STRATEGIC POSITION for Your Business”

What allows strategic innovators to predict the future is their reliance on measures of BOTH ‘strategic’ health AND ‘financial’ health of their businesses.

By adding strategic measures people it’s possible to get a couple of really powerful indicators:

1. An early warning system that allows them to question things before a crisis occurs, AND
2. A means of identifying new unique strategic positions to sustain growth.

The list of strategic health measures is long, they may include; customer satisfaction, market share, changes in the industry and the company’s fit with the changing environment, distributor and supplier feedback, employees morale, strength of company culture, innovation and new products in the pipe line.

Now if we are in agreement that these pretty fundamental measures tell us a lot about business survival and success, a simple question remains to be answered, namely; what tools do we have that can help us do the job of finding superior strategies – and if we want to go further with this – how good are they anyway?

I’ll tell you in my next post

Best wishes