Strategy Builder: How to Create and Communicate More Effective Strategies
By Stephen Cummings and Duncan Angwin
3/5
()
About this ebook
YOUR STRATEGY HAS SEVEN SECONDS TO CAPTIVATE ITS AUDIENCE… So how are you going to present it? A big wordy document? A lengthy address? Slides full of bullet points?
The best way to engage and involve people is through pictures. Strategy Builder shows you how to creatively combine the best strategy frameworks to orient and animate strategy discussion and development in your team. This visual, interactive guide, with illustrations by Visory, uses real world examples and practical tips to help you:
- Discover the five key foundations that every strategy should be built upon
- Draw compelling and unique pictures that capture your organization’s distinct strategies
- Develop your skills as a leader of strategy discussions
- Understand how to use interactive drawing to engage others and achieve ‘buy in’
- Additional online resources available including Strategy Drawing Templates, plus Builder Slides and case studies materials for instructors. Locate the 'Companion Website' link towards the bottom of this page to access these materials.
Praise for Strategy Builder:
Cummings & Angwin are pioneers in introducing novel approaches in teaching and applying the principles of strategy --Robert M. Grant, Bocconi University, author of Contemporary Strategy Analysis
In a complex, fast changing world, where we are bombarded by words, numbers and reports, the visual-first approach to strategy provided by Strategy Builder is immensely helpful for inspiring and communicating a clearer vision of how to move forward. -- Rachna Bhasin, VP Strategy, SiriusXM
At last someone has grasped this idea and come up with a way to help us demonstrate strategic plans and ambitions in a creative new way. --Vikki Heywood CBE, Chair of The Royal Society for the Arts
This wonderful book is the first to solve a near-universal problem: communicating strategic ideas is just as hard and just as important as coming up with them in the first place, and both are visual activities. The question is not “Do you understand?” but “Do you see?” --William Duggan, Professor, Columbia University, author Strategic Intuition
This book shows how to draw an organization's strategy so you see what's been considered, what's not been considered, and how things are related,. Strategy building is presented as a fun and involving learning process.The approach is revolutionary in that it enables not only the development but also the easy sharing of strategic understanding. --Roger L.M. Dunbar, Emeritus Professor, Stern School of Business, New York University
What a great idea! They layout is also really thoughtful; it makes you immediately want to get out a pencil and start doodling. --Adam Martin, Customer Solutions Director, The Brakes Group
As a time pressed executive it was a delight to find a book that I can dip into to find the best strategic frameworks - those that have proved the test of time and academic scrutiny as being truly useful in the workplace. Even better for an inveterate scribbler: endorsement that a picture and ‘permission to play’ with ideas visually really does say a thousand words and more! --Sarah Mitson, Global Business Director, TNSGlobal
This is an invaluable resource for any executive wanting to improve engagement in strategy development and c
Read more from Stephen Cummings
The Past, Present and Future of Sustainable Management: From the Conservation Movement to Climate Change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost Sheep Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Strategy Builder
Related ebooks
The Strategy Manual: A step-by-step guide to the transformational change of anything Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Emergent Approach to Strategy: Adaptive Design & Execution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrategy and Innovation for a Changing World: Part 1: Sustainability Through Value Creation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSuper Strategist: The Art and Science of Modern Account Planning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEffective Change Communication Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe One-Hour Strategy: Building a Company of Strategic Thinkers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strategic Foresight: Learning from the Future Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVisual Strategy: Strategy Mapping for Public and Nonprofit Organizations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Strategic Roadmap: An Intentional, Memorable Approach to Achieving Success Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExecution Excellence: Making Strategy Work Using the Balanced Scorecard Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Introduction to Strategy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Thinkers 50 Strategy: The Art and Science of Strategy Creation and Execution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCorporate Strategy: Managing the Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrategy Making: Mastering Strategy Making through Strategic Initiatives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Strategy of Execution: A Five Step Guide for Turning Vision into Action Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOptimizing Strategy For Results: A Structured Approach to Make Your Business Come Alive Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Strategy Book: Create a Strategic Mindset and Future-Proof Your Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrategy = Execution: Faster Improvement, Renewal, and Innovation in the New Economy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElevate: The Three Disciplines of Advanced Strategic Thinking Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Business Strategies and Value Chain Management Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeing Strategic: Strategy-specific Project Management in Times of Crisis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeading with Strategic Thinking: Four Ways Effective Leaders Gain Insight, Drive Change, and Get Results Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strategy Implementation and Control Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Business Strategy: Plan, Execute, Win! Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Unified Theory of Business Strategy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strategic Intent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Being Strategic: Plan for Success; Out-think Your Competitors; Stay Ahead of Change Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Corporate Strategy: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCreative Strategy Generation: Using Passion and Creativity to Compose Business Strategies That Inspire Action and Growth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Strategic Planning For You
Summary of The 33 Strategies of War: by Robert Greene - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCreating a Business Plan For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Checklist Manifesto (Review and Analysis of Gawande's Book) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrategy Skills: Techniques to Sharpen the Mind of the Strategist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Start with Strategy: Craft Your Personal Real Estate Portfolio for Lasting Financial Freedom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBusiness Plan Checklist: Plan your way to business success Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't (Rockefeller Habits 2.0 Revised Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Start Your Own Business: The Only Startup Book You'll Ever Need Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tax-Free Wealth: How to Build Massive Wealth by Permanently Lowering Your Taxes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5MONEY Master the Game (Review and Analysis of Robbins' Book) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of War: A New Translation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Blue Ocean Strategy: by W. Chan Kim and Renée A. Mauborgne | Includes Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fundamentals of Project Management, Sixth Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe One Page Business Plan (Review and Analysis of Horan's Book) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary: Made to Stick: Review and Analysis of the Heath Brothers' Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution: Real-Time Strategic Planning in a Rapid-Response World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Strategy Bad Strategy (Review and Analysis of Rumelt's Book) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Naming Book: 5 Steps to Creating Brand and Product Names that Sell Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The AI Factor: How to Apply Artificial Intelligence and Use Big Data to Grow Your Business Exponentially Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBoth/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStart at the End: How Companies Can Grow Bigger and Faster by Reversing Their Business Plan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 12 Week Year (Review and Analysis of Moran and Lennington's Book) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Power of the Mind: Success, Joy, Buddha, Quantum, Purpose, Karma and Ways to Programme Your Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Strategy Builder
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Strategy Builder - Stephen Cummings
‘This wonderful book is the first to solve a near-universal problem: communicating strategic ideas is just as hard and just as important as coming up with them in the first place, and both are visual activities. The question is not Do you understand?
but Do you see?
'
William Duggan, Professor at Columbia University and author of Strategic Intuition and The Seventh Sense
‘This book shows how to draw an organization's strategy so you see what's been considered, what's not been considered, and how things are related. Strategy building is presented as a fun and involving learning process. The approach is revolutionary in that it enables not only the development but also the easy sharing of strategic understanding.'
Roger L.M. Dunbar, Emeritus Professor, Stern School of Business, New York University
‘I am delighted that at last someone has grasped this idea and come up with a way to help us demonstrate strategic plans and ambitions in a creative new way. A drawing can encapsulate what 10,000 words can't do. By harnessing our innate creativity we can improve strategic communication, comprehension and implementation. This book could provide a vital new tool to help hard-pressed leaders to demonstrate strategic vision and deliver real strategic impact.'
Vikki Heywood CBE, Chair of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and former Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
‘As a time-pressed executive it was a delight to find a book that I can dip into to find the best strategic frameworks – those that have proved the test of time and academic scrutiny as being truly useful in the workplace. Even better for an inveterate scribbler: endorsement that a picture and permission to play
with ideas visually really does say a thousand words and more!'
Sarah Mitson, Global Business Director, TNSGlobal
‘This is an invaluable resource for any executive wanting to improve engagement in strategy development and communication. The accessible layout means that the book itself can play an active and inspiring role in strategy discussions.'
Matt Thomas, Director, Braxton Associates, Strategy Consultants and Divisional Chief Executive, Meyer International Plc
‘At last a book that grasps the implications of recent psychology: people think visually as well as verbally. The authors provide powerful visual devices that will both help managers conceive better strategies and enable their people to execute them more effectively.'
Richard Whittington, Professor of Strategic Management at Saïd Business School, Oxford University and author of Exploring Strategy
'A powerful approach to make strategy more engaging again! Strategy Builder is a landmark book and is destined to make an important impact to the field of strategy, strategizing and strategic management. Executives across the board (and students of strategy) will find the core message of this book counterintuitive and compelling. The idea of drawing
strategy may seem like child's play, yet all great strategists and philosophers know that it is through such serious play
that we're allowed to see things differently so that we can see different things.'
Robert Wright, Professor of Strategy at Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Thanks to Mairead, and to Kay
This edition first published 2015
© 2015 John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Registered office
John Wiley and Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom
For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademark or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-118-70723-4 (hardback) ISBN 978-1-118-70718-0 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-118-70716-6 (ebk)
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: © PGMart/Shutterstock.com
Illustrations conceived by Stephen Cummings and Duncan Angwin, drawn by Rebecca Walthall
CONTENTS
Strategy Builder Team
Authors
Illustrators
App Development
Production
Part One: The Concept
Notes
Opportunities for a New Way of Developing Strategy
5. The need for a third way between the oversimplicity of PowerPoints and the overcomplication of the typical strategic plan
4. A need to reduce the distance or separation between managers and other stakeholders
3. An opportunity to seek other ways to convey complex ideas and possibilities
2. Recognizing that what they teach in business school can, and should, change to embrace forgotten and new insights
1. An opportunity to find a way through the framework and idea overload and inertia
Notes
Seven Strengths of Drawing Strategy
1. Drawing strategy aids memory retention (and more)
2. Drawing strategy provides an effective action orientation
3. Drawing strategy promotes new thinking that builds on the shoulders of giants
4. Drawing strategy enables effective prototyping and ‘design thinking'
5. Drawing helps you see what you think and enables new possibilities to come into view
6. Drawing can bring people together to enable collective understanding
7. Drawing strategy can move people beyond the ‘boilerplate' and numerical short-termism
Notes
What Strategy Builder Does
Part Two: Design
User's Guide to the Strategy Builder's Framework Profiles
Design features
1. World ratings and rankings
2. Simple, matter-of-fact explanations
3. A ‘real-life' storyboard and storyline
4. Space
5. Drawing tips: for getting started, enhancing your creativity and key ‘take-outs'
6. Common pitfalls
7. Menu suggestions for fruitful combinations
8. Mutation possibilities
9. Signposts towards further knowledge
Environmental Ecology
Competitive Positioning
Resources and Capabilities
Strategic Growth Options
Managing Performance Strategically
Part Three: Realization
Note
Well-Built Strategies, Simply Conveyed
Six Stratographic Principles
1. Good stratography attracts and focuses the eye
2. Good stratography spreads the eye
3. Encouraging the eye to wander, engage and find relations
4. Good stratography facilitates zooming in and out
5. Mimesis: good stratography relates to human actions and directions
6. Synaesthesis: good stratography unites different senses and behaviours
Notes
Get Building
How to be a Part of the Strategy Development Revolution
Image Credits
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Seven Strengths of Drawing Strategy
Figure 1.1 Picture tells the story: Minard's Napoleonic invasion of Russia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minard.png
Figure 1.2 The bad old days of travelling by Tube: Punch cartoon (1909). Sourced from http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/punch.html
Figure 1.3 London in the palm of your hand: Beck's Underground map (1933) © TfL from the London Transport Museum collection
Figure 1.4 Fifty ways to be invaded: Luffman's famous ‘invasion map' (1803). The invasion lines have been over-drawn in blue. Sourced from http://www.mapforum.com/04/luffman.htm
Figure 1.5 Massironi's Matrix: optimum communication = graphics (adapted from Massironi's Psychology of Graphic Images, drawn by Rebecca Walthall)
Well-Built Strategies, Simply Conveyed
Figure 3.1 Strategy Builder ‘Strategy on a Page' Template
Figure 3.2 Bad stratography: strategy drawn poorly
Six Stratographic Principles
Figure 3.3 From bullet points to Olympic rings
Figure 3.4 Strategy on a Page: Principle 1 — Simplicity that attracts and focuses the eye
Figure 3.5 Principle 2 in action: The Little Red Caboose. Sourced from http://www.imaginarymuseum.org/MHV/PZImhv/WoodPowerMaps1993.html
Figure 3.6 Principle 2 in action: P&G's graphic spreads the eye
Figure 3.7 Strategy on a Page: Principle 2 – Spread the eye