The Keys To Strategy Execution

"The Keys to Strategy Execution: A Global Study of Current Trends and Future Possibilities", was a research study commissioned by the American Management Association and conducted by the Human Resource Institute.

The research identified the leading obstacles that hinder strategy execution and what companies can do to overcome them.

The following is a quick review of some of the main findings:

• Higher performers tend to be better at executing strategies
• Clarity is crucial to the execution of strategy
• Overall, organizations are not achieving clarity to the degree they should
• Higher-performing companies are much more likely than lower performers to provide clarity
• Alignment practices are widely used and highly valued
• Higher-performing organizations are considerably more likely to use certain alignment strategies
• Speed and adaptability are differentiators
• Decision-making speed remains a major problem
• Employee engagement is a concern
• Leadership development seems to be a deficit in the area of execution
• Customer needs/demands and worker capabilities are the most important drivers of execution today
• A lack of resources and the presence of government regulations are the primary barriers to strategy execution today

You can download AMA's full research report here.