What It Takes To Be A Corporate Strategy Consultant
@ CMC-Today By Mostafa Sayyadi
There are different typologies of strategies, and one typology of these existing typologies can create better results for companies when compared to others. In my experience working with more than 30 fortune 100 companies, executives consider the four dimensions of corporate strategy, including analysis, pro-activeness, defensiveness and futurity. This article summarizes my experience as a senior management consultant in San Diego, California and is about getting the information needed to be successful in the right hands of consultants and executives worldwide.
When consultants analyze strategy, they aim to create more knowledge and find the best solution using a problematic search of various options. The type of strategy stimulates organizations to apply information systems in their decision-making processes in order to investigate various alternatives and options. It is also important for consultants to provide a high degree of freedom for employees to explore their own new ideas and solutions to organizational opportunities while solving problems. They can analyze strategic milestones to meet the goals of the employee intellectual stimulation and personal development. This provides new and more innovative solutions for organizational problems as they arise. Furthermore, consultants can inculcate human capital into social capital to exert change at the organizational level. To develop this strategy, consultants can particularly contribute to the development of a workplace in which there is/are:
- Emphasis on the effective coordination among different functional areas.
- Extensive use of information systems to support decision making.
- Comprehensive analysis undertaken when confronted with an important decision.
- Use of planning techniques.
- Effective deployment of management information and control systems.
- Use of manpower planning and performance appraisal of senior managers.
Consultants can also develop futurity strategy to implement a series of basic research aimed at developing a more comprehensive vision for the future by incorporating upcoming trends in the business environment. They use futurity to expand the growth opportunities available to organizations that may be challenging but important to close the gap between success and failure. To create a futurity strategy, consultants can contribute to the development of a workplace in which there is/are:
- Specific criteria used for resource allocation which generally reflect short-term considerations.
- Emphasis on basic research to provide us with a competitive edge for the future.
- Key indicators of operations forecasted.
- Formal tracking of significant and general trends.
- Regular analyses of critical issues.
Furthermore, consultants can develop relationships and interactions to provide valuable resources for the organization as a whole. They must also take an offensive approach at times and in this case they employ a defensive strategy. A defensive strategy utilizes modifications in order to efficiently and effectively use organizational resources, decrease costs, and control operational risk. To foster this strategy, consultants can particularly contribute to the development of a workplace in which there is/are:
- Regular modifications to the manufacturing/service technology.
- Use cost control systems for monitoring performance.
- Use of current management techniques to ensure that we move smoothly at the required level.
- Emphasis on product/service quality through the use of work improvement teams.
Pro-activeness is a strategy element used by consultants who take a proactive approach to search for better positions in the business environment. In this case, consultants can inspire employees to find better opportunities and solutions to problems. Thus, consultants positively contribute to pro-activeness strategy by setting highly desired expectations and providing a suitable situation for employees to identify new opportunities. To cultivate a pro-activeness strategy, consultants can contribute to the development of a workplace in which there is/are:
Constant search for new opportunities.
Attempt to introduce new brands or products in the market.
Constant search for businesses that can be acquired.
More effective expansion of capacities when compared to our competitors.
Strategic elimination of those operations that are no longer profitable in later stages of life cycles.
In Conclusion, this article raises vital questions as to how consultants can successfully develop and implement corporate strategy in companies. Therefore, I suggest that consultants can positively affect the company’s strategy formulation and execution. This managerial implementation improves both competitive advantage and enhances the time and efficiency of task significance leading to satisfied followers who take better care of stakeholders. This finding indicates that consultants can build a suitable workplace for better implementing corporate strategy through facilitating the four strategic aspects of analysis, pro-activeness, defensiveness and futurity. Consultants can now see how they can cultivate an effective corporate strategy, which will enable superior performance for companies.