Hands-on Strategy: The Guide to Crafting Your Company's Future

Everyone says that developing and implementing a strategy is important. And almost everyone says that the ideas of the leading thinkers are valuable, but presented in too complex a way for most people to implement. This book provides a new approach. It shows how to make the ideas of the strategy gurus work in the real world. Strategy as taught in the business schools equips managers with many powerful analytical tools, yet offers little guidance in applying strategy to organizations. William C. Finnie, with his impeccable business and academic experience, bridges the gap between the strategy abstractions of MBA programs and the real world of competitive business. He shows managers how to transform an arsenal of strategic weapons into a coherent strategy that will help them win their daily battles for profits and market share. Drawing on his nearly three decades as a corporate strategist and his years as a business educator, William C. Finnie provides a dynamic framework through which to deploy the most effective strategy concepts and paradigms. Step-by-step he outlines a four-cycle approach that has been successfully used in more than 100 corporations: Link long-term with short-term strategic planning; top-down strategic development with bottom-up implementation; and customer-and competitor-driven strategies with shareholder value Combine powerful "strategic thinking" concepts to develop a strategy that unleashes your organization2s enormous untapped potential Develop mission statements and continuous improvement programs to promote teamwork and achieve shared goals Use "predict-and-prepare" techniques and three-cycle annual planning to keep strategy fresh and action-oriented Offering a practical, useful, goal-oriented approach to developing strategies and implementing them for higher sales, profits, and shareholder value, Hands-On Strategy is every executive2s survival guide for the 1990s and beyond. "A very useful blueprint for executives who want to infuse strategic disciplines into their organizations to increase shareholder value. The book lays out practical, commonsense steps that will enable any business to become more customer and market driven, with real impact on sales and profit results." - Thomas R. Sharbaugh Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Advertising Sears Merchandise Group "Hands-On Strategy is an excellent combination of strategic planning concepts and real world examples. Finnie combines his extensive personal experience with current theory into a very useful book that will benefit both students and practitioners." - Jack B. Mayer Vice President, Strategic Planning Hallmark Cards "After reading this book the question will not be 2Do you or don2t you agree with Finnie?2 but 2Do you still think you are doing as well as possible?2 The answer is bound to be 2No.2 Hands-On Strategy will make you think about strategy critically and constructively." - Russell L. Ackoff Chairman, Interact: The Institute for Interactive Management "Hands-On Strategy details Finnie2s proven approach to strategy ... [showing] how to drive implementation using annual planning cycles, quantitative goals, a continuous improvement program, and leadership. The book is essential reading for both current and future senior executives." - John H. Purnell Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Anheuser-Busch International, Inc. "Hands-On Strategy is a breakthrough book that ties together the fragmented theories of strategy and the planning process. Practical templates and probing questions lead to a solid understanding of strategy principles. This book is a must for anyone looking for a no-nonsense way of improving their business performance." -Thomas F. Kirk, PhD Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Rhone-Poulenc "This book provides a clear understanding of the important differences between strategy and tactics. It alsFinnie, William C. is the author of 'Hands-on Strategy: The Guide to Crafting Your Company's Future' with ISBN 9780471045861 and ISBN 0471045861.