LEK 1640 Strategy Activation Web Final
LEK 1640 Strategy Activation Web Final
LEK 1640 Strategy Activation Web Final
In a globalized world, where information is plentiful, strategic • The second stage involves implementing the
success is less about identifying undiscovered growth opportunities strategy: the new strategy is translated into an aggressive
and more about effectively making and implementing implementation plan with clear roles and responsibilities,
differentiated business model and organizational choices to win in which is then handed down to the organization for
increasingly maturing and competitive markets. execution. The senior leaders who conceived the plan expect
their teams to roll up their sleeves and start delivering
At L.E.K. Consulting, we believe that rethinking the strategic against the goals they have set for them. Special structures
process to close the gap between strategy development and (e.g. a program management office) are put in place to
implementation can significantly increase the probability of track progress and manage change, essentially to police and
success, while dramatically reducing the effort and cost of strategic enforce execution of the plan.
change programs.
This two-stage approach may have served “traditional”
organizations well, including the military, the public sector and
Handing Down the Tablets? Not some large hierarchical corporations, but it does not meet the
Appropriate for Most Modern Organizations requirements of a modern day business.
Organizations, influenced by a wealth of business school and Separating a strategy’s theory from the practice of its
consulting frameworks, typically adopt a two-stage approach implementation increases the costs of strategic change and
to strategy: reduces its chances of success, for four principal reasons:
Strategy Activation: Improving the Effectiveness and Reducing the Costs of Strategic Change was written by Vassilis Economides, a partner in L.E.K.
Consulting’s London office, Manny Picciola, a managing director and partner in L.E.K. Consulting’s Chicago office and Simon Horan, a partner
in L.E.K. Consulting’s Melbourne office. For more information, please contact [email protected].
• In defining a new strategy, there is insufficient regard to the The resulting approach entails parallel work across four
real execution capabilities of the organization to successfully dimensions (see Figure 1):
execute it. This results in delays during implementation
as gaps in resources, skills and systems are discovered, A. Defining the Strategic Plan: Making the right strategic
sometimes necessitating changes to the strategic plan itself. choices based on a rigorous assessment of a business’s external
environment and internal capabilities
• There is limited upfront engagement of the employees who
will be required to execute the strategy. This significantly B. Securing Value Delivery: Defining clear financial goals,
increases the required effort and cost for change establishing accountabilities to deliver and setting up effective
management, after the strategy has been defined, in order mechanisms to track value realization
to generate buy-in and overcome cultural and other barriers
C. Building Organizational Capabilities: Assessing constraints
to implementation.
in the organization’s ability to execute the strategy, and
• The targeted benefits of the strategy are not always defining required changes to structures, processes, resources,
grounded in reality and the realized value often dissipates roles, skills and systems
during implementation due to weak discipline in tracking or
unanticipated risks materializing (e.g., customer attrition or D. Generating Commitment to Change: Engaging both
initiatives.
1. Agree on aspiration
1. Agree on aspiration 2. Develop plan 3. Embed and deliver
Defining the Define strategic ambition and Detail business model choices
Strategic Plan Pilot, adapt and roll-out
priorities and plans to implement
The first stage entails agreeing on the aspiration. In addition capabilities to execute the strategy.
to defining its strategic ambition and direction, a business should
• Establishing any required temporary governance structures
seek answers to a number of additional key questions:
(e.g., program management office) to oversee correct
• What are the specific benefits that the strategy is targeting implementation.
and what metrics are we going to adopt to measure their • Directly engaging action leaders to co-create the new
delivery? strategic plan and generate real commitment to execute.
• What unique assets and capabilities does the organization The third and final stage entails embedding change
have and what gaps will need to be closed to achieve our by piloting, adapting and rolling out the new strategy, while
strategic ambition? continuing the work on the other dimensions:
• What are the likely implementation barriers and how can
• Enacting the necessary organizational changes to build the
we build commitment to change from the onset?
capabilities required to successfully implement and sustain
The second stage entails detailing the activation choices the new strategy.
across each of the streams. Alongside translating the broader
• Closely tracking implementation progress against specified
aspiration into detailed business model choices, the parallel
process milestones and monitoring delivery of the targeted
work to build execution capability, generate organizational
financial results
commitment and secure results delivery should include:
• Actively engaging the whole organization by
• Establishing metrics, goals, accountability and tracking communicating progress, as well as collecting and acting on
mechanisms to secure value delivery. received feedback
• Designing organizational changes (e.g. structures, roles,
processes, resources and systems) to build real, sustainable
Case Study
L.E.K. recently helped a global manufacturing company to implement a comprehensive performance improvement program
that dramatically increased its profitability. Earlier attempts to improve profitability had failed: some previous initiatives had not
delivered their goals, while others had seen the savings dissipated by unforeseen needs. The leadership of the company was
committed to double EBIT margin within three years.
Consistent with the strategy activation approach, the program was structured in three stages:
• Stage 1 – agree on aspiration. L.E.K. conducted embed changes to the organizational structure. The
a rapid market and performance diagnostic to define organization was already well prepared to execute
specific improvement priorities and estimate the targeted each of the initiatives, both in terms of capabilities and
performance uplift, while engaging a broad cross-section commitment to change, so the transition from design
of management to build early support for the priorities to roll-out was direct and seamless, requiring minimal
and goals of the programme. In parallel, the team assessed external support.
the operating model to identify options to strengthen
Two years after the commencement of the diagnostic, the
capability and accountability for the delivery of results.
business is on track to double EBITDA margin by achieving
• Stage 2 – develop the plan. We worked alongside 20% revenue growth in its core markets, by building strong
different levels of management to co-create the plans new platforms for future business expansion, as well as by
for each initiative, generating real ownership for realizing significant short-term efficiency gains through 13%
the plans and their targeted results. In parallel, we savings in manufacturing costs and 22% savings in SG&A.
supported leadership in designing the organizational
changes necessary to deliver sustainable performance The strategy activation approach enabled the business to
• Asses market context for business • Detail plans for each initiative, e.g., • Pilot selected priority initiatives
• Run detailed P&L diagnostic to drive revenue and - g eographical expansion - n ew business model for small customers
Defining the EBIT growth - c ustomer segmentation and strategy - n ew pricing strategy for large customers
Strategic Plan • Identify and prioritize key performance - S G&A cost reduction - finance activity centralization
improvement opportunities - o ps excellence - range of ops excellence initiatives
• Roll out initiatives across organization
• Estimate size of the prize and goal for the overall • Model targeted upside by initiative • Establish weekly reporting cycle to track progress
Securing program - revenue and margin impact against plans and milestones
• Define initial targets for each priority performance - c osts to implement • Institute new internal mechanism to track
Value
improvement level • Estimate overall financial impact on business: financial results delivery
Delivery • Iterate with leadership to secure agreement revenue, EBIT, ROCE -m argin and cost savings delivered
- c onsumption of budget by initiative
• Assess organization and identify gaps in • Conduct leadership workshops to agree on new • Create Transformation Office to drive
Building capabilities to drive performance operating model for business implementation with internal resources only
Organizational • Identify options to improve operating model • Design new organizational structure • Initiate transition to new operating model
• Integrate business further at global level - c entralization of support functions • Launch new way-of-working for senior team
Capabilities • Build new capabilities to drive growth - integrated management of operations • Provide guidance to sales teams to roll-out new
• Increase accountability for results delivery - g lobal commercial / key account function customer initiatives
• Series of workshops with different • Co-create plan for each initiative • Mobilize broader organization using internal
Generating management levels -m ixed client/consultant teams initiative teams as “change agents”
- review findings and capture inputs - c ross-functional representation • Communicate consistently success stories and
Commitment - agree on priorities and targets • Establish clear accountability to deliver each realized benefits
to Change • Leadership sessions to validate priorities, initiative • Collect regular feedback across organizational
targeted savings and action plan levels and resolve issues
Results: Increasing Rate of Success while • Significantly increase the probability of success of strategic
Strategy activation allows organizations to realize a number with a powerful tool to align their organizations behind their
INSIGHTS @ WORK
L.E.K. Consulting is a global management For further information contact: International
consulting firm that uses deep industry London Paris Offices:
expertise and analytical rigor to help clients 40 Grosvenor Place 3 rue Paul Cézanne Beijing
solve their most critical business problems. London SW1X 7JL 75008 Paris Boston
United Kingdom France
Founded more than 30 years ago, L.E.K. Tel: +44 (0) 20.7389.7200 Tel: +33 (0) 1.4703.1950
Chennai
employs more than 1,000 professionals in Fax: + 44 (0) 20.7389.7440 Fax : +33 (0) 1.4296.1138 Chicago
21 offices across the Americas, Asia-Pacific Los Angeles
Milan Wroclaw Melbourne
and Europe. L.E.K. advises and supports Piazzale Biancamano 8 ul. Pilsudskiego 13
global companies that are leaders in their 20121 Milano 50-048 Wroclaw Mumbai
industries – including the largest private Italy Poland New Delhi
Tel: +39 (02) 8646.2761 Tel: +48 (71) 790.16.30 New York
and public sector organizations, private Fax : +39 (02) 8646.2791 Fax : +48 (71) 790.16.35
equity firms and emerging entrepreneurial San Francisco
L.E.K. Consulting is a registered trademark of L.E.K. Consulting LLC. All other products and brands mentioned in this document are properties of their respective owners.