Book description
In today's world, only the smartest survive. The competitive landscape is littered with graves of well-known firms whose revenues, profits and stock prices rose for decades until they suddenly imploded.
In fast-changing business environments, firms must adapt their strategies and innovate to remain at the top. But many successful firms fail to do so. Instead, they succumb to inertia, hesitate, or stick blindly to their old strategies, until it is too late.
The ability to adapt to change is a measure of intelligence; so why do firms demonstrate such low Strategic IQ? What causes inertia and why is it so deadly? How can leaders help their firms to act more intelligently?
This book identifies the key sources of inertia - strategic, structural and huma - and provides practical advice on how they can be overcome to create smarter corporations. It is both a wake-up call for successful firms and a lifeline for firms struggling to succeed.
To successful firms - beware! You may already be dead!
To struggling firms - have hope! It is possible to pass powerful competitors by raising your strategic, structural and human IQ.
"Hard-hitting and stimulating, Wells' thesis carries a robust message that should make business leaders the world over sit up and think." Archie Norman, Chairman of ITV, UK
"Wells makes a compelling case for dramatic change." Ron Sargent, CEO of Staples, USA
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Perspectives on Strategic IQ from Practitioners and Scholars Around the Globe
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
-
PART ONE: SMART STRATEGY
- 1.1: THE NEED FOR SMART STRATEGY
- 1.2: LOW STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE
- 1.3: WHAT IS STRATEGY?
- 1.4: MODERATE STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE
-
1.5: HIGH STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE
- A Mind-Set of Change
- Creating Problems – Systematically Dissatisfied
- Creating Problems – Creative Destruction
- The Problems with Creating Problems
- Smart Vision
- Capacity for Change – Distributed Intelligence
- Funding Strategic Innovation
- Driven to Strategic Success
- Strategy as Learning
- Perspectives on Leading Highly Intelligent Firms
- Summary
- Notes
-
PART TWO: SMART STRUCTURE
- 2.1: THE NEED FOR SMART STRUCTURE
-
2.2: SMART ASSET MANAGEMENT
- Introduction
- The Nature of Assets
- Accounting for Assets
- Nurturing Strategic Assets
- Trapped by Past Decisions
- Playing Asset-Lite – Smart Fashion
- Playing Asset-Flexible
- Working Capital Lite
- Financial Assets
- Human Assets
- Knowledge Assets
- Relationship Assets
- Reputation Assets
- Declaring War on Fixed Costs
- Turning Asset Traps into Opportunities
- Summary
- Notes
- 2.3: FORMAL ARCHITECTURE – NAVIGATING THE ARCHITECTURE LABYRINTH
-
2.4: INFORMAL ARCHITECTURE – LEVERAGING SOCIAL MECHANICS
- Introduction
- Social Mechanics and the Evolution of the Brain
- Networking between Large Groups – Intergroup Social Mechanics
- The Formation of Informal Architecture
- Integrating Across Social Components – From Tribes to Nations
- Aligning the Informal and Formal Organization
- Turbocharging Informal Architecture – The Promise of Social Networking Technology (SNT)
- Progress in Applying SNT
- Summary
- Notes
- 2.5: TOWARDS SMARTER STRUCTURE
- PART THREE: SMART MINDS
- Bibliography
- Index
Product information
- Title: Strategic IQ: Creating Smarter Corporations
- Author(s):
- Release date: June 2012
- Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
- ISBN: 9780470978283
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