Books
Making Strategy Work: Leading Effective Execution and Change
By Lawrence Hrebiniak
Wharton School Publishing, 2005
408 pages, $27.95
It’s easier for executives to formulate strategy than to execute it, argues Hrebiniak, a Wharton professor and consultant. He offers a systematic execution roadmap for corporate leaders—steps for building culture, aligning resources and managing change—and includes an M&A case study as illustration.
Out of the Box: Strategies for Achieving Profits Today and Growth Tomorrow
By John Hagel III
Harvard Business School Press, 2005
240 pages, $19.95
An in-depth look at the role of information technology in driving growth, by a leading business strategist and former McKinsey & Co. consultant. Offers advice for executives who are charged with envisioning and executing their companies’ IT/business strategy in order to create and deliver value.
Profitable Growth Is Everyone’s Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning
By Ram Charan
Crown Business, 2004
208 pages, $22
In this book Charan, a well-known business advisor, lecturer and coauthor of Execution, turns his attention to identifying barriers to growth. He offers a set of interdependent core principles aimed at achieving and sustaining profitable growth—including the practice of hitting “singles” and “doubles” instead of home runs.
Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators: From Idea to Execution
By Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
Harvard Business School Press, 2005
288 pages, $29.95
Has your company hit a “growth ceiling”? Dartmouth professors Govindarajan and Trimble studied ten corporate innovation initiatives at companies such as Corning and the New York Times Co. Based on their research, they offer recommendations aimed at fostering breakthrough growth opportunities.
Articles and Reports
“Align the Organization to the Strategy”
By David P. Norton and Randall H. Russell
Harvard Business School Press
September 15, 2004
$4, available for download
Explores best practices in alignment using the Balanced Scorecard approach.
“Value Innovation: The Strategic Logic of High Growth”
By W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
Harvard Business School Press
July 1, 2004
$6, available for download
In this HBR Classic paper, two INSEAD professors discuss what sets apart high-growth “value innovator” companies such as Virgin Atlantic.
“In Search of IT’s Next Contribution to Business Growth”
By Ken McGee and Mark Raskino
Gartner Inc.
September 2005; $195
Looks at emerging IT trends and processes in the workplace that are ripe for automation or that could stimulate significant productivity gains.
“IT and Business Alignment: Are We There Yet?”
By Craig Symons
Forrester Research Inc.
April 13, 2005, $249
CIOs continue to report that aligning IT and business goals remains a top priority. Symons asks why alignment is still so elusive at many companies, and reiterates the importance of good IT governance in meeting organizational goals.
