The DNA of Strategy Execution

1INTRODUCTION: STRATEGY EXECUTION IN A DANCE‐WORLD

“The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

Marcel Proust

Imagine your organization is a mirror. In the beginning, when you are getting started, you can look in the mirror and see; you can connect and organize various aspects of the business, and it is manageable. As the organization grows, the mirror multiplies. There is addition of new mirrors of different sizes and shapes. Soon, it starts to get muddled with multiple mirrors and, you can't see clearly anymore. It appears that everyone seems to be working hard, but there is confusion. Execution does not mirror strategy, and there is no alignment between different parts. It makes sense to organize the mirror into more manageable divisions. You reorganize and break down the mirror with good intentions to better manage it. What do you think predictably happens?

On the surface, it looks like the resulting divisions and silos are well organized and working. But you don't realize that the organization is like a mirror, and as you divide and reorganize it, it is bound to crack and fracture in unpredictable ways. It is a broken mirror, and no matter how hard you try to bring it together, it is not going to look the same again. It causes organizational dysfunction, finger pointing, mixed priorities, and confusion—far from the much‐needed clarity and coherence in an increasingly complex world.

Does this sound familiar? This is ...