Strategy in Practice: A Practitioner's Guide to Strategic Thinking, 3rd Edition

Strategy in Practice: A Practitioner's Guide to Strategic Thinking, 3rd Edition

by George Tovstiga
Released November 2015
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119121640

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Book description

A practitioner-focused approach to strategy and real-world strategic thinking

This 3rd edition has been revised and updated throughout to reflect the current thinking in strategy in view of the current economic and business climate. It questions how we are thinking differently about strategy now, in light of emerging from the global economic crisis. It includes new and updated case illustrations throughout, plus a new chapter on Strategy Execution and Performance Appraisal. Rigorously founded on current thinking and theoretical concepts in the field of strategic management, Strategy in Practice:

  • Provides the strategy practitioner with a systematic and insight-driven approach to strategic thinking

  • Establishes and translates the relevance of strategy theory to its application in the practice field

  • Leads you through the strategic thinking process, beginning with the formulation of compelling and clearly articulated strategic questions that set the scene for practical issues

  • Provides tools of strategic analysis in combination with informed intuition to understand the strategic landscape

  • Has additional online resources available for instructors

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    Table of contents

    1. Cover
    2. Title Page
    3. Copyright
    4. Preface to the First Edition
    5. Preface to the Second Edition
    6. Preface to the Third Edition
    7. About the Author
    8. Chapter 1: Introduction to Strategy in Practice
      1. Strategy: A Persistent Dilemma
      2. What then is “Strategy”?
      3. Where Does this Leave “Strategic Planning”?
      4. Insight-Driven Strategy
      5. Summary and Structuring of the Book
      6. Notes
    9. Chapter 2: Strategic Thinking
      1. Scoping and Articulating the Strategic Challenge
      2. Triggers
      3. Framing the Issues
      4. Articulating Strategic Questions
      5. Assumptions, Paradigms, and Prevailing Logic
      6. Notes
    10. Chapter 3: Sense Making and Strategic Insight
      1. Perspectives on Sense Making
      2. Sense Making: A Spatial Perspective
      3. Sense Making: A Process Perspective
      4. Sense Making and Learning
      5. Sense Making in Complex Environments
      6. Insight Formation
      7. Notes
    11. Chapter 4: Insight-Driven Strategic Analysis
      1. Strategic Rational Analysis: How Rational is it Really?
      2. Further Limitations of Rational Strategic Analysis
      3. Getting Started: Value and Stakeholders' Perspectives
      4. High-Level and Supporting-Level Strategic Analysis
      5. Setting Up and Conducting a Strategic Analysis
      6. Notes
    12. Chapter 5: High-Level, “Big-Picture” Strategic Analysis
      1. The Strategic Value Imperative
      2. Value Proposition Concept, Framework, and Analysis
      3. Unique Competing Space Framework and Analysis
      4. The Unique Competing Space, Value Proposition, and Competitive Positioning
      5. Unique Competing Space and the Firm's Strategic Boundaries
      6. Unique Competing Space: Portfolio Perspective
      7. Opportunity–Response Analysis Framework
      8. Opportunity–Response: Competing Trajectories
      9. Opportunity-Side Perspective
      10. Response-Side Perspective
      11. Opportunity–Response: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective
      12. Notes
    13. Chapter 6: Supporting-Level Strategic Analysis
      1. Supporting-Level Analysis: External and Internal Analysis Frameworks
      2. Externally Focused Supporting Frameworks of Strategic Analysis
      3. Macro-Economic Environment
      4. Sector and Industry-Level Analysis
      5. Market-Level Analysis
      6. Internally Focused Supporting Frameworks of Strategic Analysis
      7. The Formal and Informal Organization: “Getting the Organizational Act Together”
      8. Notes
    14. Chapter 7: Strategy Formation and Evaluation of Strategic Options
      1. Formation of Strategic Options
      2. Strategy Formation and Ambidexterity
      3. Strategy Formation: An Opportunity–Response Perspective
      4. Evaluation of Strategic Options
      5. A Strategic Thinking Approach to Strategy Evaluation
      6. Finally, Some Caveats
      7. Notes
    15. Chapter 8: Strategy Execution and Performance Appraisal
      1. Strategy Execution: A “Third Boundary” Perspective
      2. Link between Strategy Formation and Strategy Execution
      3. Strategy Execution: Where and Why it Typically Fails
      4. Strategy Execution: Basic Principles
      5. Strategic Performance
      6. Strategic Maturity Continuum
      7. Stakeholder Engagement: Monitoring and Management
      8. Notes
    16. Chapter 9: Insight-Driven Strategy in Perspective
      1. Multiple Possible Futures Perspective
      2. Organizational Learning Perspective
      3. A Closing Reflection on Insight-Driven Strategy in Practice
      4. Notes
    17. Appendices: Putting Strategy to Practice
      1. Appendix A: Probing the Strategic Boundaries of the Firm's Unique Competing Space
        1. Boundary “1”: The Interface to Competitors' Offerings and the Competition
        2. Boundary “2”: The Interface to Stakeholders' and/or Markets' Needs
        3. Boundary “3”: The Firm-Internal Threshold
        4. Consolidation of Analysis Findings with a Critical Reflection on Implications for the Firm's Unique Competing Space
        5. Inter-Boundary Analysis: Scoping Linked Issues
      2. Appendix B: Strategy Mapping and Narrative (based on Analysis of the Relevant Strategy Building Blocks)
        1. Strategy Mapping
        2. Strategy Narrative
    18. Index
    19. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: Strategy in Practice: A Practitioner's Guide to Strategic Thinking, 3rd Edition
    • Author(s): George Tovstiga
    • Release date: November 2015
    • Publisher(s): Wiley
    • ISBN: 9781119121640