Review, Focus, Reset

During the months of December and January, Compete Weekly will present a selection of nine key thought pieces from the 2017 series that will help you focus and reset for 2018. 

Article Five – Structure Before Strategy, Always

There exists a well-entrenched business principle that you first devise your strategy, and then create the structure to deliver. It’s wrong.

Last year, I was sitting in an advisory board meeting, and one of the members noted that ‘structure always follows strategy’ and therefore there should be no real consideration of operating structure until strategy was settled. Many people within the meeting nodded in agreement. I understand exactly where they are coming from, but the approach is flawed and dangerous.

The golden rule should be more like ‘craft your strategy with an eye to the capability of your organisation’.

A strategy that cannot be delivered is of little use. Your strategy must position you to win, based on your strengths. However, your real underlying strategy must be to build an organisation that is capable of delivering on any competitive strategy that you develop.

The ceiling that you will always hit in trying to grow your business is organisational capability but that capability can be lifted.

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Additional Reading – Crafting The Perfect Design For Your Business

And last week’s article – A Robust Approach To Bringing Certainty Into Your Business’s Future