Publisher's Synopsis
Change management theory has failed industry for forty years. A new approach is required, one that provides the structure and the discipline to actually follow through and implement business strategies. Most strategy implementation efforts don't work; as many as 90 per cent fade out along the way or simply fail to deliver. Only 10 per cent succeed. Overwhelmingly, this is because most business leaders waste critical time creating ineffective change management activities. They need to grasp the fact that to succeed, business strategies require implementation over an extensive period of time. The key to success lies in adopting a disciplined, long-term approach. This entails the use of an implementation compass; a generic tool that provides the structure and the navigation to implement strategies. The compass contains eight components: people, the business case, communication, measurement, culture, process, reinforcement and review. It guides companies through the implementation maze, enables them to assess strengths and weaknesses, to adopt best practices and provides a clear roadmap for action. Robin Speculand has spent many years advising governments and blue-chip companies, such as Microsoft and Citigroup, on how to achieve the goals that a new strategy sets in place. In the four years he spent conducting primary research for "Bricks To Bridges", he interviewed 150 executives at different levels in organisations. The results are a comprehensive, engaging and highly readable guide, with numerous illustrative case studies, that reveal precisely why strategy implementation fails and CRUCIALLY how to get the building blocks of success in place -- brick by brick. This is a straight-talking, no-nonsense guide that is invaluable to any business that truly wants to make fundamental organisational change. Read it and you will: Know where you're going and how to get there with the 'Implementation Compass'; Discover the six new fundamentals of successful strategy implementation; Find out why change management fails; Find out how to galvanise your workforce into action beyond a coffee mug and t-shirt; Learn how to recognise and deal with the office groupies, mavericks, double agents and saboteurs; Acquire the discipline required to follow through on strategy; Communicate your message clearly, simply and with passion; Constantly review progress: this is the golden rule of strategy implementation.
