HBR Guide to Setting Your Strategy

CHAPTER 16

Identify the New Capabilities You Need

by Ron Ashkenas and Logan Chandler

While strategic plans identify what your organization should do differently, very few provide a road map for how to build the skills, knowledge, and processes needed to carry out and sustain the critical changes. But without building these capabilities, it’s very difficult to achieve the results you want.

For example, a multiproduct technology firm we advised laid out a strategy to significantly increase business with its large enterprise customers by creating single points of contact and focusing on providing solutions as opposed to delivering products. The strategy was sound, but making it happen required many new capabilities: Dozens of sales people had to ...