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Rationale Teaching and Learning Resources The Basics of Strategic Renewal The Case for Change: Strategy for High Performance Information Technology: Strategy and Change in a Real-Time World Globalization: Competing in a Transnational World Nokia Case Study and Discussion Diversity & Multiculturalism: Strategies for Changing Workplace Innovation: The Engine of Continuous Renewal Tests of Innovation Investment Selection & Investment Merit Score Knowledge: The Essence of Competitive Advantage Strategic Leadership: The Core Competency for High Performance Operational Excellence & Organizational Agility Business Integration: Architecting for High Performance   Related Workshops Strategic Management Strategic Planning Strategios   Case Studies Web Cases   Learner Support Career Direction Graduate Services International Student Services Study Abroad Management of Learning Online Libraries Study Skills   Recommended Text Resources Articles Business and Economics Portal   Assignments, Assessment Learning Centres Economics Centre Education, Staff Development and Teacher Training Centre Entrepreneur Centre Financial Centre Foundation Study Centre Higher Qualifications Centre HR Centre IT Centre Language Centre Management and Leadership Development Centre Management Centre Marketing Centre MBA Centre Postgraduate Centre Research Centre Undergraduate Centre

 

Strategic Renewal

Rationale

This is an "advanced" course in strategic thinking and organisational transformation. It is a pragmatic a pragmatic workshop programme on critical strategic issues as related to high-performance and sustained competitiveness and industry dominance.

The objective of this course is to help you develop the skills to "think as a strategist." At the conclusion of the course you will have a foundation for thinking about the fundamental strategic concerns and implications as driven by changing and evolving market dynamics, understanding the big issues as related to continuous high-performance, and developing innovative, winning strategies.

The workshop should be of interest and relevant discussion forum within several modules included in your programme.

 

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Teaching and Learning Resources

• Learning Environment
• Learning Contents
• Teaching Strategies

 

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The Basics of Strategic Renewal

Tutorials

• The Basics of Strategic Renewal

 

Readings

Scenario planning, also called scenario thinking or scenario analysis, is a strategic planning method that some organizations use to make flexible long-term plans. It is in large part an adaptation and generalization of classic methods used by military intelligence.

 

 

 

The original method was that a group of analysts would generate simulation games for policy makers. The games combine known facts about the future, such as demographics, geography, military, political, industrial information, and mineral reserves, with plausible alternative social, technical, economic, environmental, educational, political and aesthetic (STEEEPA) trends which are key driving forces.

In business applications, the emphasis on gaming the behavior of opponents was reduced (shifting more toward a game against nature). At Royal Dutch/Shell for example, scenario planning was viewed as changing mindsets about the exogenous part of the world, prior to formulating specific strategies.

Scenario planning may involve aspects of Systems thinking, specifically the recognition that many factors may combine in complex ways to create sometime surprising futures (due to non-linear feedback loops). The method also allows the inclusion of factors that are difficult to formalize, such as novel insights about the future, deep shifts in values, unprecedented regulations or inventions. Systems thinking used in conjunction with scenario planning leads to plausible scenario story lines because the causal relationship between factors can be demonstrated. In these cases when scenario planning is integrated with a systems thinking approach to scenario development, it is sometimes referred to as structural dynamics.

Crafting scenarios Zero-sum game scenarios How military scenario planning or scenario thinking is done Scenario planning in military applications Development of scenario analysis in business organizations History of use by academic and commercial organizations Critique of Shell's use of scenario planning General Limitations of Scenario Planning Use of scenario planning by managers Process Step 1 - decide assumptions/drivers for change Step 2 - bring drivers together into a viable framework Step 3 - produce initial mini-scenarios Step 4 - reduce to two or three scenarios Step 5 - write the scenarios Step 6 - identify issues arising Use of scenarios Scenario planning compared to other techniques Combination of Delphi and scenarios References   External links Wikifutures wiki; Scenario page ScenarioThinking.org

• Critical Success Factors for Strategic Thinking That Works
• Strategy: Strategic Thinking
• The Strategic Thinking Mindset

 

 

The Case for Change: Strategy for High Performance

Tutorials

• The Case for Change: Strategy for High Performance

 

Readings

• Corporate Strategy
  • Developing a High Performance Strategy
  • High performance work practices: linking strategy and skills to performance outcomes

 

 

 

 

Information Technology: Strategy and Change in a Real-Time World

Tutorials

• Information Technology: Strategy and Change in a Real-Time World
  • IT Matrix

 

Readings

 

 

 

Globalization: Competing in a Transnational World

Tutorials

• Globalization: Competing in a Transnational World
  • Nokia Case Study and Discussion

 

Readings

• Globalization
  • Meaning and debate
  • History
  • Nature and existence of globalization
  • Characteristics
  • Anti-globalization
  • Pro-globalization (globalism)
  • Other uses
  • Measurement of globalization
  • Notes
  • Sources

 

See also

• Marketization
• Mundialization
• Westernization
• Walmarting
• Saskia Sassen
• Global Empire
• The Global Economy
• World Economy
• The World Is Flat
• Llinks
  • Douglas Roche's proposal for UN Parliamentary Reform, in PDF
  • Index of Globalization
  • Latin American Globalization Index
  • The Global Small Business Blog
  • Globalisationguide
  • Globalism/Antiglobalism A survey and a critical analysis
  • Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • The Measure of Money PDF
  • Globalization Essays, Documents, etc. University of Iowa Center for International Finance and Development

 

 

Diversity & Multiculturalism: Strategies for Changing Workplace & Pluralism

Tutorials

• Diversity & Multiculturalism: Strategies for Changing Workplace & Pluralism

 

Readings

• Strategies for Managing Change in the Work Place
• The Management of Organisational Culture

 

 

Innovation: The Engine of Continuous Renewal

Tutorials

• Innovation: The Engine of Continuous Renewal
  • Tests of Innovation

 

Readings

The term innovation derives from the Latin word innovatus, which is the noun form of innovare "to renew or change," stemming from in-"into" + novus-"new". Although the term is broadly used, innovation generally refers to the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that affect markets, governments, and society. Innovation differs from invention or renovation in that innovation generally signifies a substantial change compared to entirely new or incremental changes.

 

Inter-Disciplinary Views Society Business and Economics Organizations   Processes Sources of Innovation Value of Experimentation Goals/Failures Diffusion   Measures Organizational Level Political Level Indicators   Measurement Indices Global Innovation Index   Government Policies See also References External links

 

 

Investment Selection & Investment Merit Score

Tutorials

• Investment Selection & Investment Merit Score

 

Readings

• Investment Valuation
• Investment Valuation: A Little Theory

 

 

Knowledge: The Essence of Competitive Advantage

Tutorials

• Knowledge: The Essence of Competitive Advantage

 

Readings

 

 

 

Competitive Advantage - Definition

A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices.

 

Competitive Strategies

Following on from his work analysing the competitive forces in an industry, Michael Porter suggested four "generic" business strategies that could be adopted in order to gain competitive advantage. The four strategies relate to the extent to which the scope of a businesses' activities are narrow versus broad and the extent to which a business seeks to differentiate its products.

The four strategies are summarised in the figure below:

 

 

Strategic Leadership: The Core Competency for High Performance

Tutorials

• Strategic Leadership: The Core Competency for High Performance

 

Readings

• Core competency
  • Sustainable competitive advantage

 

 

Operational Excellence & Organizational Agility: Sustaining High-Performance

Tutorials

• Operational Excellence & Organizational Agility: Sustaining High-Performance

 

Readings Performance improvement Performance defined Levels Cycle   See also Feedback Test Analysis Development Effectiveness Efficiency Efficacy   External Links Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute CMMI Office of Personnel Management Performance Improvement Elements Employee Performance Reviews Performance Improvement Solutions from SumTotal Systems

 

 

Business Integration: Architecting for High Performance

Tutorials

• Business Integration: Architecting for High Performance

 

Readings

• Business Integration
• How can Business Integration Save Money for Your Organization?

 

 

 

Web Cases

• Case Analysis Method: A Dynamic Approach for Analysing Cases & Strategy Formulation, Professor Michael A. Mische
  • Critical Thinking: Argument Mapping Tutorial
  • Software

Company Presentation Changing Economic and Social Environment Investors Annual report

US Home Page Dell Investors Financia Analysis (Forbes) Dell, Oracle Expand Partnership

Sony UK Sony USA Annual Reports Company News (New York Times)

Intel Corporation Annual Report Press Room Financial Review

 

Articles

Nokia: Background Articles Nokia's Hit Factory Articles

Dell Computer Corporation: Background Articles The Dell Way Michael Dell's Magic

Sony: Background Articles Lastest Sony Reviews The Sorcerer of Sony

Intel Corporation: Background Articles Intel Articles Intergraph

 

 

Recommended Texts

Strategic Renewal: Becoming a High-Performance Organization Michael A. Mische, University of Southern California ISBN: 0-13-021919-3, Publisher: Prentice Hall The objective of Strategic Renewal is to explore the dynamics of strategy formulation and organizational change with the goal of creating high performance and revitalizing the organization. Unlike more traditional approaches, the intent of Strategic Renewal is not to provide a formula for strategy or prescriptive process for strategy development. The reality is that there is nothing strategic about prescriptive frameworks or the canned strategy models that are offered by management consultants. Rather, Strategic Renewal presents a "point of view" and a general blueprint with deep and contemplative insights into the process and thinking of what it means to craft a strategy for high performance and strategic revitalization. Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop.

 

Choosing the Future Power of Strategic Thinking Wells, Stuart Paperback Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop.

 

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development, 6/e Don Harvey & Donald R. Brown The most "user friendly" text available, Experiential Approach to Organization Development offers a practical and realistic approach to the study of Organization Development. It gives students a comprehensive, innovative, and practical introduction to the field. This text provides both conceptual and experiential approaches to the study of OD. It focuses on developing interpersonal skills. ISBN: 0-13-026278-1 Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop.

Total Global Strategy 2/e George S. Yip Written by the subject's leading academic authority, this readable text addresses the most challenging task faced by multinational companies-how to deal with globalization and the resulting need for globally integrated strategies. Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop.

 

 

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