Introducing a practical system to create, analyze, and communicate top-level organizational strategy.

What you'll learn

Describe the origins and evolution of organizational strategy.

Identify common themes in current interpretations of strategy.

Construct a working definition of strategy.

Translate the working definition into the core strategy framework for analysis.

Discuss examples of things that look like strategy but are not.

Requirements

No experience necessary. We'll teach you a complete system for creating, analyzing, and communicating strategy.

Description

Strategy is a not a static plan or something you do once a year at a two-day retreat. It is a continuous conversation, and one that we as leaders need to be prepared to have every day to make better decisions. Speaking of Strategy is a complete system to support and guide those conversations. The system is built around a practical definition of strategy and a supporting framework for analysis, the core strategy framework, with seven elements:What is strategy?PurposeExternal factorsInternal factorsCore strategyPerformanceStrategy narrativeEach of the seven elements has its own course. What is Strategy? is the first and foundational course in the Speaking of Strategy series. It has five learning objectives:Review the origins of strategy and its evolution over time from military to political to organizational.Survey the current interpretations and definitions of strategy to identify common themes.Construct our own working definition of strategy.Describe the seven elements of the core strategy framework for creating, analyzing, and communicating strategy.Clarify our methodology by discussing examples of "not strategy," including metaphors, plans, and models.If you own or contribute to strategy for your organization, this course will give you a roadmap so you always know exactly where you are in the strategy process. Want to get better at speaking of strategy? This is the way!

Overview

Section 1: Introduction and Overview

Lecture 1 Series Introduction: Speaking of Strategy

Lecture 2 Series Overview: the Core Strategy Framework

Lecture 3 Course Introduction: What is Strategy?

Section 2: The Origins and Evolution of Strategy

Lecture 4 Origins and Evolution: Strategic Behavior

Lecture 5 Military Strategy: The Instrumental Use of Violence

Lecture 6 Political Strategy: The Art of Creating Power

Lecture 7 Business Strategy: Customers and Competition

Lecture 8 Nonprofit Strategy: On the Frontier

Lecture 9 Section Review: Origins and Evolution

Section 3: Core Strategy Definition and Framework

Lecture 10 Section Introduction

Lecture 11 Core Strategy Defined

Lecture 12 The Core Strategy Framework

Lecture 13 Applying the Framework

Lecture 14 Where Do You Find Strategy?

Lecture 15 Section Review: Core Strategy

Section 4: What is Not Strategy?

Lecture 16 Metaphors, Plans, and Models

Lecture 17 Case Studies: Just-So Stories

Section 5: Course Summary and Review

Lecture 18 A Continuous Conversation

People who own strategy: CEOs, board members, C-level executives, and business unit leaders.,People who want to influence strategy: anyone who wants to make their strategy conversations more productive.