Tigran Harutyunyan

What do you do with the strategy? Guide strategic development companies

Book Reviews

This is a much needed and desired book. I was among those who, over the years, urged the author, a brilliant practitioner and teacher, to write it. And it happened! A detailed, step-by-step and practical guide to developing a company strategy has been created. And at the same time on competent strategic consulting. Moreover, it is written in simple and figurative language, with examples and humor.

How is this book different from other strategy books? In short, everyone. Russian books on strategy with such a level of consistency, vivid imagery, taking into account Russian practice and features of Russian thinking, today there is simply no more on the market. She is needed innovative business. Students of the top IBDA programs of the Presidential Academy and other business schools of the country are waiting for it.

While studying at the IBDA on the Executive MBA program, I read a lot of literature on strategic management. In my opinion, this book is the best I have ever read on the subject, especially in terms of its complexity and practical presentation.

I communicate with many managers. And I can say that leaders are often intimidated by the need for strategic sessions and group work in general. The book makes a very convincing case for this. I also noticed that managers do not see the challenges and trends of the context in which we are. The value of the book is that it explains that the entire process of working on a strategy is built in constant relation to the challenges of the external environment. And the challenges must be answered!

I also liked the fact that this is not a retelling of foreign sources, but first-hand information reflecting the experience of Russian companies.

I am sure that the book will be a great help for many entrepreneurs and managers.

This book is a real guide for Champions! Accessible, stylish, succinct and deep about the difficult issues of change management in an organization. There is no "academic naphthalene" in the book, it is filled with the spirit of practices from real consulting life, creative seminars with real organizations, teamwork of real people. Everything is practical, well structured, interconnected and supported by the best concepts of modern management. Yes, this is the product that you want to consume.

And this book is about Harmony, about how to strive for it.

In my work as the general director of an oil refinery, I happened to use the strategic hexagon of Tigran Harutyunyan in practice. I can say that it works - it transforms the organization and improves its results.

I am sure that for many business people, entrepreneurs and company leaders in Russia, the book "What do you do with the strategy?" will become a real guide in business.

To my teachers - listeners and clients

This book is about success. Success associated with the constant development of your business and yourself. I `m teaching successful businessmen, top managers and have been working with the best companies from various industries as a management consultant. All these years, I often heard the same question: “Why haven't you written a book yet? You explain everything very well. Your material is well structured. You do not have any secrets, you tell us everything you know yourself, give examples from life. Why?!"

Any serious product must "ripen". And I started writing only after this feeling came. And do you know where I started? I collected and structured all the questions on the strategic development of the company that I was asked over the years. Is a strategy even necessary given how quickly the business environment is changing? Who is involved in the strategic process? For what period to develop a strategy? What is the founder/owner's role in strategy development? How do you know that the chosen strategy is the right one? What tools to use? How is the algorithm for working on a strategy built? How to implement it? Why doesn't it work? In the book, I answer these questions and reproduce the process of company development based on strategy. The way it happens in real Russian life with real organizations.

This book is not "for everyone". First of all, it should be read by the founders / owners of businesses; leaders, especially top-level; students of MBA and Executive MBA programs; management consultants. Moreover, if the book is of interest to teachers or students of economic universities and business schools, or readers who want to understand the practical issues of management, I will only be happy!

I am not a researcher, not a scientist. I am a practitioner! And practice is hardly possible without those for whom I live. These are my respected and beloved listeners and clients. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who kindly agreed to act as a reviewer at the stage of creating the manuscript and made valuable comments on the content, composition and style of the book.

They are Yury Anisimov, Artem Arutyunyan, Lusine Arutyunyan, Yuri Vasin, Alexander Dubinkin, Oleg Dutko, Maxim Zolotov, Armen Kazarov, Natalia Kovaltseva, Xenia Kosousova, Sergey Kostromin, Leonid Krongauz, Vadim Mamontov, Irada Mehdieva, Sergey Myasoedov, Ekaterina Rumyantseva, Samokhina Olga, Ishii Seitaro, Seferyan Ashot, Franco Oleg.

Special thanks to Kosousova Marina. Without her support and participation, this book would not have been possible.

Good luck to you!

Never talk to consultants

One day in the spring, at the hour of an unprecedentedly hot sunset, two citizens appeared in Moscow, at the Patriarch's Ponds. The first of them, dressed in a summer gray suit, was tall, trim, grayish, and elegant gold-rimmed glasses were placed on his well-shaven face. The other, a broad-shouldered, reddish, swirling young man, wore a polo shirt, white trousers, and white moccasins.

The first one was none other than Viktor Nikolaevich Skryabin, a well-known businessman, chairman of an industry professional association. And his young companion is Vadim Yuryevich Morozov, an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of the leading IT company BCM Technologies. Scriabin was the founder of Vadim's company.

Yes, the first oddity of this May evening should be noted. There was not a single person in the entire alley parallel to Malaya Bronnaya Street. At that hour, when, it seemed, there was no strength to breathe, when the sun, having heated Moscow, was falling in a dry fog somewhere beyond the Garden Ring, no one came under the lindens, no one sat on the bench, the alley was empty.

The companions sat down on a bench and started talking. This, as it turned out later, was about strategic management. The fact is that Viktor Nikolaevich instructed Vadim to prepare proposals for business development. Vadim prepared proposals. Viktor Nikolaevich did not like them. According to Scriabin, the proposals had to be written anew. And now the businessman was giving something like a lecture on management in order to highlight the basic mistake of the manager.

It should be noted that the businessman was a well-read man and very skillfully pointed in his speech to the works of the classics of management, while abundantly seasoning his speech with not quite normative vocabulary. The manager listened attentively to Viktor Nikolaevich, fixing his brown eyes on him.

Scriabin's baritone resounded along the deserted alley, and as Viktor Nikolaevich climbed into the jungle, into which he could climb without risking breaking his neck, only a very educated person, the manager learned more and more interesting and useful things about SWOT analysis, and about the models of Porter and Ansoff, and even about the lesser-known Tracy and Wissem.

And just at the time when Viktor Nikolayevich was telling the manager about the strategic architecture of Khamel and Prahalad, commenting in the spirit that “this is complete bullshit”, a man appeared on the alley.

Tigran Harutyunyan

What do you do with the strategy? Guide to the strategic development of the company

Book Reviews

This is a much needed and desired book. I was among those who, over the years, urged the author, a brilliant practitioner and teacher, to write it. And it happened! A detailed, step-by-step and practical guide to developing a company strategy has been created. And at the same time on competent strategic consulting. Moreover, it is written in simple and figurative language, with examples and humor.

How is this book different from other strategy books? In short, everyone. Russian books on strategy with such a level of consistency, vivid imagery, taking into account Russian practice and the peculiarities of Russian thinking to such an extent, simply no longer exist on the market today. It is necessary for innovative business. Students of the top IBDA programs of the Presidential Academy and other business schools of the country are waiting for it.

While studying at the IBDA on the Executive MBA program, I read a lot of literature on strategic management. In my opinion, this book is the best I have ever read on the subject, especially in terms of its complexity and practical presentation.

I communicate with many managers. And I can say that leaders are often intimidated by the need for strategic sessions and group work in general. The book makes a very convincing case for this. I also noticed that managers do not see the challenges and trends of the context in which we are. The value of the book is that it explains that the entire process of working on a strategy is built in constant relation to the challenges of the external environment. And the challenges must be answered!

I also liked the fact that this is not a retelling of foreign sources, but first-hand information reflecting the experience of Russian companies.

I am sure that the book will be a great help for many entrepreneurs and managers.

This book is a real guide for Champions! Accessible, stylish, succinct and deep about the difficult issues of change management in an organization. There is no "academic naphthalene" in the book, it is filled with the spirit of practices from real consulting life, creative seminars with real organizations, teamwork of real people. Everything is practical, well structured, interconnected and supported by the best concepts of modern management. Yes, this is the product that you want to consume.

And this book is about Harmony, about how to strive for it.

In my work as the general director of an oil refinery, I happened to use the strategic hexagon of Tigran Harutyunyan in practice. I can say that it works - it transforms the organization and improves its results.

I am sure that for many business people, entrepreneurs and company leaders in Russia, the book "What do you do with the strategy?" will become a real guide in business.

To my teachers - listeners and clients

This book is about success. Success associated with the constant development of your business and yourself. I teach successful businessmen, top managers and for many years I have worked with the best companies from different industries as a management consultant. All these years, I often heard the same question: “Why haven't you written a book yet? You explain everything very well. Your material is well structured. You do not have any secrets, you tell us everything you know yourself, give examples from life. Why?!"

Any serious product must "ripen". And I started writing only after this feeling came. And do you know where I started? I collected and structured all the questions on the strategic development of the company that I was asked over the years. Is a strategy even necessary given how quickly the business environment is changing? Who is involved in the strategic process? For what period to develop a strategy? What is the founder/owner's role in strategy development? How do you know that the chosen strategy is the right one? What tools to use? How is the algorithm for working on a strategy built? How to implement it? Why doesn't it work? In the book, I answer these questions and reproduce the process of company development based on strategy. The way it happens in real Russian life with real organizations.

Current page: 1 (total book has 20 pages) [available reading excerpt: 5 pages]

Tigran Harutyunyan

What do you do with the strategy? Guide to the strategic development of the company

Book Reviews

This is a much needed and desired book. I was among those who, over the years, urged the author, a brilliant practitioner and teacher, to write it. And it happened! A detailed, step-by-step and practical guide to developing a company strategy has been created. And at the same time on competent strategic consulting. Moreover, it is written in simple and figurative language, with examples and humor.

How is this book different from other strategy books? In short, everyone. Russian books on strategy with such a level of consistency, vivid imagery, taking into account Russian practice and the peculiarities of Russian thinking to such an extent, simply no longer exist on the market today. It is necessary for innovative business. Students of the top IBDA programs of the Presidential Academy and other business schools of the country are waiting for it.

Sergey Pavlovich Myasoedov, Vice-Rector of the RANEPA under the President of the Russian Federation,Dean of the IBDA RANEPA, President of the Russian Associationbusiness education, doctor of social sciences. sciences, professor

While studying at the IBDA on the Executive MBA program, I read a lot of literature on strategic management. In my opinion, this book is the best I have ever read on the subject, especially in terms of its complexity and practical presentation.

I communicate with many managers. And I can say that leaders are often intimidated by the need for strategic sessions and group work in general. The book makes a very convincing case for this. I also noticed that managers do not see the challenges and trends of the context in which we are. The value of the book is that it explains that the entire process of working on a strategy is built in constant relation to the challenges of the external environment. And the challenges must be answered!

I also liked the fact that this is not a retelling of foreign sources, but first-hand information reflecting the experience of Russian companies.

I am sure that the book will be a great help for many entrepreneurs and managers.

Viktor Nikolaevich Baranov, General DirectorMoscow International Commodity and Energy Exchange,President of the Union of Independent Gas Producers

This book is a real guide for Champions! Accessible, stylish, succinct and deep about the difficult issues of change management in an organization. There is no "academic naphthalene" in the book, it is filled with the spirit of practices from real consulting life, creative seminars with real organizations, teamwork of real people. Everything is practical, well structured, interconnected and supported by the best concepts of modern management. Yes, this is the product that you want to consume.

And this book is about Harmony, about how to strive for it.

In my work as the general director of an oil refinery, I happened to use the strategic hexagon of Tigran Harutyunyan in practice. I can say that it works - it transforms the organization and improves its results.

I am sure that for many business people, entrepreneurs and company leaders in Russia, the book "What do you do with the strategy?" will become a real guide in business.

Igor Gennadyevich Kuzmin, Deputy DirectorDepartment for Development of Joint Oil Refining Projectsand petrochemical industry NK Rosneft, managing director of JV ROG NK Rosneft (Germany)

To my teachers - listeners and clients

This book is about success. Success associated with the constant development of your business and yourself. I teach successful businessmen, top managers and for many years I have worked with the best companies from different industries as a management consultant. All these years, I often heard the same question: “Why haven't you written a book yet? You explain everything very well. Your material is well structured. You do not have any secrets, you tell us everything you know yourself, give examples from life. Why?!"

Any serious product must "ripen". And I started writing only after this feeling came. And do you know where I started? I collected and structured all the questions on the strategic development of the company that I was asked over the years. Is a strategy even necessary given how quickly the business environment is changing? Who is involved in the strategic process? For what period to develop a strategy? What is the founder/owner's role in strategy development? How do you know that the chosen strategy is the right one? What tools to use? How is the algorithm for working on a strategy built? How to implement it? Why doesn't it work? In the book, I answer these questions and reproduce the process of company development based on strategy. The way it happens in real Russian life with real organizations.

This book is not "for everyone". First of all, it should be read by the founders / owners of businesses; leaders, especially top-level; students of MBA and Executive MBA programs; management consultants. Moreover, if the book is of interest to teachers or students of economic universities and business schools, or readers who want to understand the practical issues of management, I will only be happy!

I am not a researcher, not a scientist. I am a practitioner! And practice is hardly possible without those for whom I live. These are my respected and beloved listeners and clients. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who kindly agreed to act as a reviewer at the stage of creating the manuscript and made valuable comments on the content, composition and style of the book.

They are Yury Anisimov, Artem Arutyunyan, Lusine Arutyunyan, Yuri Vasin, Alexander Dubinkin, Oleg Dutko, Maxim Zolotov, Armen Kazarov, Natalia Kovaltseva, Xenia Kosousova, Sergey Kostromin, Leonid Krongauz, Vadim Mamontov, Irada Mehdieva, Sergey Myasoedov, Ekaterina Rumyantseva, Samokhina Olga, Ishii Seitaro, Seferyan Ashot, Franco Oleg.

Special thanks to Kosousova Marina. Without her support and participation, this book would not have been possible.

Good luck to you!

Tigran Harutyunyan

Never talk to consultants

One day in the spring, at the hour of an unprecedentedly hot sunset, two citizens appeared in Moscow, at the Patriarch's Ponds. The first of them, dressed in a summer gray suit, was tall, trim, grayish, and elegant gold-rimmed glasses were placed on his well-shaven face. The other, a broad-shouldered, reddish, swirling young man, wore a polo shirt, white trousers, and white moccasins.

The first one was none other than Viktor Nikolaevich Skryabin, a well-known businessman, chairman of an industry professional association. And his young companion is Vadim Yuryevich Morozov, an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of the leading IT company BCM Technologies. Scriabin was the founder of Vadim's company.

Yes, the first oddity of this May evening should be noted. There was not a single person in the entire alley parallel to Malaya Bronnaya Street. At that hour, when, it seemed, there was no strength to breathe, when the sun, having heated Moscow, was falling in a dry fog somewhere beyond the Garden Ring, no one came under the lindens, no one sat on the bench, the alley was empty.

The companions sat down on a bench and started talking. This, as it turned out later, was about strategic management. The fact is that Viktor Nikolaevich instructed Vadim to prepare proposals for business development. Vadim prepared proposals. Viktor Nikolaevich did not like them. According to Scriabin, the proposals had to be written anew. And now the businessman was giving something like a lecture on management in order to highlight the basic mistake of the manager.

It should be noted that the businessman was a well-read man and very skillfully pointed in his speech to the works of the classics of management, while abundantly seasoning his speech with not quite normative vocabulary. The manager listened attentively to Viktor Nikolaevich, fixing his brown eyes on him.

Scriabin's baritone resounded along the deserted alley, and as Viktor Nikolaevich climbed into the jungle, into which he could climb without risking breaking his neck, only a very educated person, the manager learned more and more interesting and useful things about SWOT analysis, and about the models of Porter and Ansoff, and even about the lesser-known Tracy and Wissem.

And just at the time when Viktor Nikolayevich was telling the manager about the strategic architecture of Khamel and Prahalad, commenting in the spirit that “this is complete bullshit”, a man appeared on the alley.

He was taller than average. Dressed in a T-shirt with a huge image of a tiger, torn jeans and red loafers. Unshaven. Brunette. On the shoulder is a laptop bag. “Surfer,” Vadim thought, looking at the stranger's bag.

Passing by the bench on which both partners were seated, the stranger glanced sideways at them, stopped and suddenly sat down on a neighboring bench, a stone's throw from his friends.

“You, Vadim,” Scriabin said, “you write very well and beautifully about the strategic vision. But the point is that all this is the invention of business school professors. They also need to earn money ... And also these consultants ... - Scriabin again switched to profanity.

And it was at this moment that Scriabin had to interrupt his speech, because the stranger suddenly got up and went to the businessmen.

They looked at him in surprise.

“Excuse me, please,” the approacher spoke up, “that I, not being familiar, allow myself ... but the subject of your learned conversation is so interesting that ...

It must be added that the stranger made a disgusting impression on Vadim from the very first words, but Scriabin rather liked it, that is, not exactly liked it, but ... how to put it ... interested, or something.

- May I sit down? the stranger asked politely, and the friends somehow involuntarily parted; the stranger deftly settled himself between them and immediately entered into conversation.

- If I heard right, you said that the strategic management of the company is not needed in FIG? the foreigner asked, turning his left eye to Scriabin.

“No, you heard right,” Scriabin answered courteously, “that's exactly what I said.

You have no idea how many times I have heard this phrase! exclaimed the stranger.

"What the hell does he want?" Morozov thought and frowned.

- Did you agree with this? the unknown inquired, turning to the right to Morozov.

“It does,” he confirmed.

– Super! - the uninvited interlocutor exclaimed and, for some reason, looking around and muffling his low voice, said: - Forgive my obsession, but I understand that, among other things, you don’t believe in strategic management at all? - he made big eyes and added: - I swear, I won't tell anyone.

“Yes, we don't believe in strategic management,” Scriabin replied, slightly smiling at the surprise of the stranger.

Meanwhile, the stranger continued:

– But this is the question that worries me: if there is no strategic management, there are no patterns, then, one asks, who manages human life and the whole routine on earth?

“The man himself manages,” Morozov hastened to angrily answer this, admittedly, not very clear question.

- I'm sorry, - the unknown responded softly, - in order to manage, you need, after all, to have an exact plan for at least some decent time. Let me ask you: how can a person govern if he is not only deprived of the opportunity to draw up any plan, even for a ridiculously short term, well, let's say a thousand years, but he can't even vouch for his own tomorrow? And in fact, - here the unknown turned to Scriabin, - imagine that you, for example, begin to manage, dispose of both others and yourself, in general, so to speak, get a taste, and suddenly ... kheh ... kheh ... crisis ... - here the stranger smiled sweetly, as if the thought of the crisis gave him pleasure, “yes, the crisis,” he repeated the sonorous word, squinting like a cat, “and now your management is over!” Nobody's fate, except your own, no longer interests you. Employees begin to lie to you, you, sensing something is wrong, rush to business school, then to consultants, and sometimes even to so-called trainers. Both the first and second, and the third are completely meaningless, you yourself understand. And all this ends tragically... Can you really say that it was you who ruled this way yourself? Isn't it more correct to think that someone completely different has dealt with you? - and here the stranger laughed a strange laugh.

- You, colleagues, as I understand it, do not smoke? - suddenly turned to his friends unknown, - do you mind if I smoke?

The stranger's cigarette case somehow did not fit with his casual outfit. It was big and metal. A large letter T, stylized as the Tyr rune, flashed on the lid. “A shaman, or what?” Morozov thought...

Then the stranger spoke again:

- Yes, there are problems in business, but it's not so bad. The bad thing is that sometimes problems happen suddenly, that's the trick! Sometimes you don't know what's going to happen even tonight.

"Some kind of absurd posing of the question ..." - thought Scriabin and objected:

Well, that's an exaggeration. Tonight I know more or less exactly. It goes without saying that if a brick falls on my head on Bronnaya...

“A brick for no reason,” the stranger interrupted impressively, “will never fall on anyone's head. In particular, I assure you, he does not threaten you in any way. Your business is in danger of something completely different.

“Perhaps you know what it is and can tell me?” Scriabin inquired with perfectly natural irony, getting involved in this really absurd conversation.

“Willingly,” said the stranger. He looked at Scriabin as if he was going to make him a suit, muttered something through his teeth: “Business is old ... Employees ... One, two ... Expansion, most likely ... three, four ... A bunch of symptoms of aging ... No strategy ... five, six ... evening - seven ..." - and loudly and joyfully announced: - In the near future, a competitor will unexpectedly overtake you!

Morozov widened his eyes at the stranger, and Scriabin asked with a wry smile:

– And who exactly? Americans? Or maybe the Chinese?

- No, it will. Russian company. Annushka LLC.

- What these? Scriabin was indignant. - They're in the garage. And they are not our competitors at all.

“What other competitors,” the stranger objected firmly.

- Why?

“Because,” the foreigner answered, and narrowing his eyes, he looked up at the sky, where, anticipating the coolness of the evening, black birds were drawing noiselessly, “that Annushka LLC has almost finished writing new software. And not only to write, but also to test. So…

Here, as one would expect, silence reigned under the lindens. The silence was broken by a stranger.

“Excuse me for forgetting to introduce myself in the heat of our argument. Here is my card, passport and an invitation to come to Moscow for a consultation,” the stranger said, looking shrewdly at both businessmen. Morozov managed to make out the printed word "professor" and the initial letter of the name - "T" on the card.

- Are you invited to us as a consultant, Professor? Scriabin asked.

Yes, a consultant.

- What is your specialty? Scriabin asked.

“I am a specialist in magic.

"On you!" - knocked in the head of Viktor Nikolaevich.

- And ... and you were invited to us for this specialty? he asked, stuttering.

“No, it’s a joke,” the Professor laughed and explained: “There’s one famous company a new impetus for development is required. So they want me to help them. I am one of the few specialists in the world.

And again, both the businessman and the manager were extremely surprised, and the Professor beckoned both to him and, when they leaned towards him, whispered:

– Keep in mind that strategic management works.

“You see, Professor,” Scriabin replied with a forced smile, “we respect your great knowledge, but we ourselves adhere to a different point of view on this issue.

“You don’t need any points of view! replied the strange Professor. It just works and nothing else.

“But what the hell is needed is some kind of proof…” Scriabin began.

“And no evidence is required,” the Professor answered and spoke softly: “It’s simple: you just have to take it and try it…”

Strategy: pros and cons, why, for what?

What is the organization's strategy for?

What arguments can be given "for" and "against"?

What is the rationale for strategic management in terms of the internal and external environment of the organization?

Project start

“It's simple: you just have to take it and try it,” said the Consultant. Together with Scriabin and Morozov, they were sitting in the office of BCM Technologies. It should be noted that there have been dramatic changes in the Consultant's appearance. He was clean-shaven, dressed in a suit and tie, even cufflinks. Thank you for taking the time to continue our conversation. What will we discuss?

“Professor, you are talking about strategic management,” Scriabin began. – You see, I have an excellent business education, I have read a lot of books on strategic management. We even tried to do some things with some success. At the same time, the feeling that all this is terribly far from life does not leave me. Especially ours, Russian. And right here I can give you a lot of arguments against the need for serious strategic management.

- I also! exclaimed the Consultant. He had a tablet in his hands. - A little later, I will provide you, colleagues, with a large structured list of all kinds of arguments against strategic management. Now, let me give you a snippet. So, let's begin! – and the Consultant began to speak and show.

Does an organization need a strategy? Arguments against"

"Devil's Advocate" - in modern parlance, this term is often used to refer to people who defend a position that they themselves do not necessarily adhere to. Sometimes they do it just to argue, sometimes in order to identify possible logical flaws in their own position or try to prove their case “by the contrary”.

So does an organization need a strategy or not? Sometimes it's very helpful to become the devil's advocate and look at the issue from the opposite point of view. I tried to systematize the key questions and doubts related to strategic management. And that's what happened.

Strategic management of the organization is not needed. And that's why:

1. External environment business is changing too fast. It has become commonplace to talk about its unpredictability and "turbulence". Under such conditions, planning for any long period loses its meaning. Life will simply move forward while we think about the future.

2. Here you can add the notorious "Russian specifics." The political, economic and legal situation in Russia is changing even faster than in the global environment. So there is no strategy here...

3. And yet everything is decided by the administrative resource. So it is necessary not to deal with the strategy, but to “bring in” correctly.

4. Strategic management is based on market forecasts, on understanding trends... At the same time, all forecasts are not worth a penny - a few months before the last crisis, analysts cheerfully predicted the growth of indices of leading exchanges, etc.

5. What is the strategy in a crisis?! You have to spin here!

6. Strategic management is the lot of top management. No need to involve strategic process cleaners! However, top management can develop any kind of beautiful strategies. They are not implemented later, because the middle management (lazy parasites) should implement the strategy. And middle management is only interested in solving short-term problems (bonuses are paid for the result) and in drinking on Friday nights. Not only that, when you involve them in working on a strategy, they turn up their noses and begin to demand more for themselves.

7. Also, the strategy can be opposed by “old-timers”, carriers of technological competencies who are afraid of change.

8. The level of development of our managers is too low to seriously engage in strategic management.

9. Attempts to build a company's strategy often end in a scandal and showdown among the owners or between the owners and top managers.

10. To development strategic plans often involve outside consultants. Consultants do their job and leave, and the strategy is shelved. After all, an external specialist is not interested in the implementation of this strategy in any way and is not responsible for the results of his work.

11. Our businesses are still too young (both in time of existence and in terms of phase life cycle) to engage in strategic management seriously.

12. Our businesses are very leader-centered. What the hell is the strategy, if everything in the company is decided by one person - the Founder (he is also the General Director, President, Leader and, in general, of All Russia). And the Founder's plans change every day and in general a bunny dances in his head ...

13. Perhaps a multi-volume strategy is needed for large public companies to splurge on minority shareholders. Medium-sized businesses, and even more so small ones, do not need a strategy at all - we will sit down with the owners and decide everything.

14. My employees complain that they do not know the priorities of the company: as a founder, you see, I did not show the future of the company at least five years in advance. Bullshit! They know everything, they just do not want to work, so they are looking for excuses. And hide behind the strategy.

15. And we are generally monopolists in our market and have a good administrative resource. Why do we marketing strategy?! So and so all our clients ...

16. To build a good strategy, you need to involve employees. To engage employees, you need to train them. We don't have the time or money for that. Yes, and I don’t really want to teach them - they will learn and go to competitors. Or more money will require.

17. In nature, there are a lot of companies that have no strategy, but meanwhile they are successfully developing.

18. A lot of books have been written on the topic of strategic management, and all of them are very thick, but there are practically no examples of successfully implemented strategies ...

So, colleagues ... This list, as you understand, can be continued indefinitely. I have brought here only the main objections. Try to refute these theses yourself!

What do you do with the strategy? Guide to the strategic development of the company

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Title: What do you do with the strategy? Guide to the strategic development of the company

About the book Tigran Harutyunyan “What do you do with the strategy? Guidelines for the strategic development of the company"

You have in your hands a detailed practical guide to strategic management. Based on many years of consulting experience, the author offers his own algorithm for building and implementing a strategy in an organization, and also answers the most common questions of business owners.

For what period to develop a strategy? Who is involved in the strategic process and what is the founder's role in it? What tools to use and how to implement the strategy?

The book is aimed at business founders and owners, top managers, and will also be useful to management consultants and students studying marketing and management.

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Organization model with components, life cycles, organization health, management styles, organization strategy. Everything is interconnected much more than it might seem at first glance ...

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The strategy looks exactly the same. Success inspires! If you ask the founder, he will most likely say that the strategy exists, but not everyone knows about it. Or they know 70% (this is interesting: most founders will tell you exactly this figure). However, in the vast majority of cases, there is nothing on paper. And how can it be if priorities are changing at a cosmic speed?! This phase is the finest hour of the founders. Here you can turn on [C] at full power. After all, now there are no restrictions inherent in the Formation phase - lack of resources, dependence on clients and other contractors. And the organization begins to grow chaotically in all directions.

And here - attention! – for the first time we are faced with the need for a structured strategy. The growth of the company must be structured, framed, streamlined. Otherwise, the organization will never move to the next phase. And for this strategy is simply necessary!

Transition: Learning to Say No to Some Opportunities

An organization in the Expansion stage is characterized by arrogance, uncontrolled rapid growth, centralized decision making, and a lack of structure, systems, and policies. In such an organization, a crisis can easily break out. Management feels that the company is out of control. It is necessary to make the transition from a founder-driven organization to a professionally managed organization.

The basis of this transition is the strategy of the organization. Real strategy! With all the elements worked out, developed with the participation of management, understandable to everyone. Above we got acquainted with the model of transformation of organizations. We now know about kabe, "walls" between phases. So, overcoming these walls is primarily associated with a change (or at least a clear formulation) of the company's strategy. Further structure, rewards, information system ...

In this phase, the function [R] – regulation, ordering – becomes key.

Founders hate going into this phase. I think now you yourself can answer why ...

SeiJuku ("harmony", "peak form"): do not waste energy on internal conflicts

In this phase, all systems of the organization are harmonized. Flexibility and control, innovation and manageability, freedom and responsibility/accountability. However, maintaining this state is more difficult than achieving it. Champions have to put in a lot more effort to stay first than they did when they won the championship. The organization must make constant changes in order to remain at its "peak shape". Pay attention to the words of Arsene Wenger at the beginning of this chapter: he is not the only one who thinks so!

As for the strategy, I think it's obvious. A company in SeiJuku has a clear, understandable, structured strategy; it fully operates the mechanism that I call "strategic development of the organization." The organization both leads the market and follows it.

Saturation/Aging: A wall you don't have to climb over!

After being in the SeiJuku phase for a while, a company can easily slip into the Saturation/Aging phase if it doesn't consolidate the achievements of the previous development phases. There are a number of reasons for aging: a management style that is inadequate to the phase of the life cycle; imbalance of organizational components; organizational fatigue; complacency in the analysis of their position in the market.

As you now understand, the Saturation/Aging stage organization will have a very beautiful strategy. With many numbers, indicators, coefficients, kipiai; Another question is that, most likely, no one needs it at all. Or rather, it is necessary - to throw dust in the eyes of shareholders (and to calm ourselves, too, you know ...).

Lack of understanding by managers of the life cycle phase and health status can lead to fatal consequences. One of the most typical examples is when managers try to solve a problem without understanding its nature at all. Strategy development is one of the common cases.

The same goes for company management. Management styles, or leadership styles, must change with the changing phases of the life cycle. This is one of the reasons why well-managed companies have a high level of teamwork: there is a synergy of different styles in them.

You see, everything came together in one point - the model of the organization with its components, life cycles, the health of the organization, management styles, organization strategy. Everything is interconnected much more than it might seem at first glance ...

What and how to diagnose?

What happens during a diagnosis? The management team collects all the symptoms in the organization. Next, management answers the question: “Which component does this or that symptom belong to?” It's as if we're sorting out the symptoms on the shelves of a locker, each shelf corresponding to one of the components of our organizational model. By identifying all the symptoms, grouping them, looking at the number and nature, you can determine: a) the phase of the life cycle of the organization and b) the level of health of the organization.

All this work is carried out in a group mode. It is very important to develop a common understanding among the entire management team of where the organization is and where it should go.

Management Diagnostics

About management diagnostics

“Professor, everything is more or less clear with the diagnostics of the organization,” said Scriabin. - We will determine the age and health of our organization, identify all the symptoms, decompose them into organizational components and start working with it. But what about our managers? After all, you say that it is management that is the driving force or the reason for the failure of any organization. Will we diagnose management?

“That would be very helpful,” said the Consultant. – Then we will be able to get a complete picture of the situation in the organization. And what happens to the company as a whole, and what happens to people.

– Are there any working management diagnostic tools? Vadim asked. – As far as I know, now many companies and consultants offer different questionnaires for testing employees and managers. However, there is some skepticism about the effectiveness of such methods. What tools do you use?

“Until recently, I myself was very cool about all kinds of tests,” the Consultant replied. – At the same time, I have been actively using the IIOSS methodology for the past few years. Unlike other similar methods, IIOSS determines precisely the managerial profile of an employee or manager. Let me tell you a little about the model and how it is implemented.

What do managers often complain about?

We train employees, we invite fashion teachers, but there is no effect. In the worst case, they also go to competitors.

Many managers have an MBA degree, but there is little sense.

We regularly hold team building events, but there is a feeling that in fact we do not have any management team. And after the "rope training" in general, everyone quarreled.

We build complex motivational systems, introduce KPIs, but motivation does not grow.

The balanced scorecard was introduced, but there is no happiness ...

What is the reason? Everything that happens only makes sense in a certain context. For example, learning activities cannot be taken out of the overall organizational context that influences the behavior of the people in it. We are always talking about the fact that an organization is, among other things, specific people, individuals. And that management is a key component for the organization. It depends on her success or failure. Therefore, it is very important to analyze managerial, "managerial" behavior. How does a person govern? What controls does it focus on? What elements are ignored? What mistakes does he make? What can the organization gain/lose by having this person as one of the company's managers?

When we say "management" we usually think about the perception of the world around us, learning, interests, motivation, communication skills, stress, conflict, meetings, authority, power, influence, decision making, attitudes, values, charisma, ability to be in a community, interaction, loyalty, involvement, intuition, "body language", the ability to solve problems, planning, organizing, managing people ... Such a list of descriptors of the "Management" component can be very long.

The behavior of managers in the company studies the section of management "Organizational behavior". There are many theories and models of organizational behavior in nature. We use the IIOSS Organizational Behavior Model.

Four Basic Dimensions of Organizational Behavior

The IIOSS determined that the main descriptors of organizational behavior of managers can be expressed in terms of four basic dimensions of organizational behavior associated with the management code.

[A] Accomplishing. Dimension [A] reflects the extent to which a person is results-oriented. [A]-people are focused on what needs to be done "here and now" in a particular situation. They are clearly action-oriented, work hard and demand the same from others. Their focus is the precise achievement of goals. Their strength comes from their knowledge, competencies, and they are ready to use them at any moment. At the same time, they are pragmatic, realistic, resourceful and determined.

[R] Regulating. The [R] dimension reflects the extent to which a person is oriented toward systematization. [R]-people are focused on how to do "here and now", in a particular situation. They are aware of the need for a certain degree of stability, unification, standardization. The work must be carefully systematized, with the definition of volumes and deadlines, all elements of the "mosaic" must be carefully adjusted. The strength of [R]-people comes from their knowledge, logic, rules and order.

[C] Creating. Dimension [C] reflects the extent to which a person is future-oriented. [C]-people are focused on why and/or when something should be done in the long term in a particular situation. These people have a vision for the future, and they consider projects only as a tool to achieve the vision. They are constantly looking for new features and improvements. They feel comfortable in the role of leader, exude confidence and charisma. However, they often do not have enough time to deal with everyday problems; then they dump these problems on others. Their strength comes from creativity and enthusiasm.

[U] Uniting. The [U] dimension reflects the extent to which a person is people-oriented. [U]-people are focused on who should do something in a particular situation. These people are extremely important when the situation calls for teamwork. They are responsive to the opinions of project team members who are responsible for their own decisions. At the same time, [U]-people should make sure that all issues on the project are identified, discussed and resolved to the overall satisfaction of the team members. Such individuals tend to be modest, sensitive and willing to compromise. Their strength comes from their ability to convince others of the need for compromise.

What is diagnosed and how?

Any manager combines (in one proportion or another) all four dimensions, forming his own, absolutely unique type of manager. No one can reach the maximum in all four dimensions. There is no system vocational training, which is able to "produce" the ideal manager. The average normal manager can perform all functions, but in different circumstances and for different purposes.

In the process of management diagnostics, the personal managerial style of the company's managers is determined. It includes a unique combination of four main dimensions, as well as a number of key indicators:

Basic management style;

Behavior in the workplace;

Characteristics of the style from different points of view:

– attitude to time (time management);

- relationships with other styles;

– communications;

– development of solutions;

Success strategies for this style;

Disharmonies generated by this manager, and their impact on every organizational component.

The link "diagnostics of the organization - diagnostics of management"

So, once again: it is highly desirable to carry out diagnostics of the organization and diagnostics of management in conjunction. These are parts of a single process of diagnosing and transforming a company into a new qualitative state.

You and I proceed from the fact that it is management that is the driving force and at the same time the cause of the failures of organizations; therefore, management styles should change as the company develops. We can say that the style of management in the company also has its own life cycle phases, corresponding to the age of the organization. The strategic process at different phases of the life cycle also requires different approaches.

Understanding the situation in the company allows managers to adjust their management style in accordance with current circumstances. A joint discussion and analysis of the results of diagnosing the situation in the company and management styles are an excellent integrator of the management team.

Pre-transformation of the organization

What is pre-transformation of an organization?

What happens during pre-transformation?

What is a leadership council and temporary project teams?

Development Board and Interim Project Teams

- And what will happen in the company after the diagnosis? Vadim asked. – I know many cases when the results of diagnostics hang in the air and no major changes occur in the organization.

“Yes, it happens,” said the Consultant. - And quite often.

– And how to avoid it? And will not remain in the company a large number negative after diagnosis? - put in Scriabin. “Digging into your sores, you know, is not very pleasant ...

– Interesting, but in real life everything happens exactly the opposite, – the Consultant said with a smile.

- What do you have in mind? What happens the other way around? – Vadim asked, frowning.

“Look,” the Consultant continued. “During a good diagnosis, a huge amount of energy is released. Positive and. After the diagnosis, any company feels great enthusiasm. Finally! We've said it all! Now we know what prevents us from developing more dynamically! Now it is clear what needs to be done. Again I use the medical analogy. You went to the doctor, he made a diagnosis and determined that the main reason for your ailments is your excess weight. Reset it and many of your problems will go away on their own. Everything seems simple and easy to achieve. Difficulties begin later, when you really start to lose weight. Suddenly it becomes clear that you need to strain. Get up in the morning, run, for example, follow a diet. So the moment of truth is usually not the diagnosis itself, but what happens after it.

- And what happens after? Do not torment, Professor, - Viktor Nikolaevich pleaded.

The consultant clearly enjoyed talking about this topic:

– So, you have carried out a deep diagnostic of your company. We determined the phase of the life cycle, the state of health, collected and classified all the main symptoms, developed a common understanding among the management team of where the organization is located. Determined with the help of any methodology managerial profiles of managers. What to do next? Obviously, start developing a plan of action.

What should be done specifically? Your business school teacher will likely tell you to start building new strategy companies. "Organizational consultant" will offer work on corporate culture, and a coach is coaching for you or your managers. Everyone will be motivated by the fact that the above components of the organization are "root". Like, cure the causes, and the consequences will pass. This is mistake! I myself thought so for many years. At the same time, life inexorably pushed me to realize the falsity of this thesis. You see, I went to this seven years of consulting practice, and you will know right away. The fact is that the average organization is not able to immediately go to work with the "root" components - too many symptoms have accumulated over the years of existence. Therefore, first you need to "clear" the territory, remove the most acute symptoms. And along the way, improve management skills, change the culture and management styles.

Therefore, preliminary transformation begins with working on the symptoms. The management team analyzes the symptoms, selects the most important (or severe, dangerous) or clusters of symptoms. The following happens next:

1. Determination of the manifestations of this symptom.

2. Determining the causes of this symptom.

3. Determination of the influence of this symptom on other components.

4. Definition of a specific action plan: "what can be done about it."

Usually symptom management (or pre-transformation) is managed by development council. Council creates temporary design teams who work with symptoms and offer solutions. In a well-managed company, this structure must be in place all the time!

Who will be on the Development Council? Vadim asked. - And on what basis will temporary project teams be formed?

– Great question! For a million dollars! exclaimed the Consultant. – The development council includes the entire top management of the company. Usually this is the CEO, his deputies, heads of business units, functional divisions. In a word, the management team is a set of people on whom the development, adoption and implementation of management decisions depends. We can say that this is the core of the company. And already the development council forms temporary project groups around itself, which, like satellites, revolve around it. The composition of temporary project teams is also formed according to the principle of "capacity": the group must be able to develop, accept and ensure the implementation of the task assigned to it.

Let's try to illustrate the idea of ​​a development board and temporary project teams.

Often, a pyramid is used to describe a company's management system. What does she symbolize? Stability, statics, stability, hierarchy. The management principles of Henri Fayol described in the last century work well in it: unity of command, chain of command, mandatory implementation of decisions, top-down management, etc. The pyramid copes well with current, operational tasks, which can conditionally be classified as tasks. But then the question arises: what to do with innovative tasks, with organizational changes? Where is the teamwork, the initiative of employees? Especially if we say that the pace of change is accelerating and the organization must evolve all the time?

Let's imagine that our management pyramid is a Christmas tree. And garlands hang on it. Garlands, as seen in the figure, cover different levels of the hierarchy. Then we remove them and lay them out on a plane. It turns out another figure - a network, symbolizing the absence of hierarchies, large quantity horizontal connections, flexibility, mobility, initiative. The network works more with -tasks.

Please note that the network (development council and temporary project groups) has the same personalities as in the pyramid. They just work according to other principles - according to the principles of teamwork.

Then we can talk about the presence in the company and operational (current) management system, And innovative. Let's remember these metaphors - the pyramid and the network. We will use them often in the process of working on a strategy.

Any successfully managed organization has some semblance of an innovative management structure. It doesn't matter what all this is called - working groups, project teams ... It is important that the company, like a Christmas tree, is "hung" with teams that mainly solve problems related to change.

We can say that the lion's share of work on the development of the company's strategy is carried out precisely in the innovative management structure. And it is based on the principles of group work.

“But it is known that group or team work is often ineffective,” Skryabin put in. - You yourself, Professor, have recently expressed skepticism about the team building work carried out in our company, that only now we will learn how to work in groups.

“Of course,” said the Consultant. – There are certain principles of group (team) work. And all of them must be followed. Hard. Otherwise, what often happens with so-called “team” work will happen: waste of time, frustration, loss of faith in teamwork. Let's talk about this a little.

About group (team) work

Teamwork is one of the cornerstones of organizational change. Practice shows that in an average company, only 20-30% of organizational problems can be solved alone. The rest requires group work. In general, two main prerequisites for group work can be named: the absence in nature of “ideal managers” with one hundred percent style, as well as the need to form the necessary pool of authority, power, expertise, and information to solve complex problems. As a rule, such a pool includes much more than one manager.

In certain cases, especially in the process of organizational change, group work is more preferable than individual work. A well-formulated group decision is more likely to be carried out, since all members of the group are interested in it and together form the pool described above.

However, teamwork creates problems. The very word “group” (“team”) evokes both positive and negative associations in people. In seminars, I usually say that the work of the group is like a circus act with an elephant, a tiger, a python, an eagle, bunnies, a mouse and two parrots. Everyone is ready to devour each other, but at the same time they must work harmoniously together. The members of the group differ from each other just as much - in style, temperament, speed of decision-making, etc. Group work is perfectly illustrated by the scene “Water Truce” from the domestic cartoon “Mowgli”. Check it out, it's all very well shown!

The history of management knows a lot of cases when teamwork failed miserably. Teamwork either degrades, turning into endless boring "meetings", or stops altogether. There are risks in the very idea of ​​group work: after all, we gather people with very different management styles and very different interests (goals).

In order for a group to be effective, it is necessary to know the typical reasons for the failure of teamwork:

Fuzzy definition of the task that the team is solving.

The lack of a "pool" in the team: authority, power, information, expertise.

Fuzzy distribution of group resources (time, members).

Unclear definition of the roles of team members.

Fuzzy agenda, schedule, rules; their violation.

Lack of an algorithm for developing and making a decision.

Wrong logistics of group work.

Lack of constructive atmosphere.

Random, disorganized gatherings of people who lack skills and discipline joint work, and also lack the necessary authority on the problem that they are offered to solve - a direct path to loss of time, frustration and fatigue. This can completely discourage further participation in solving the problems of the company, lead to the loss of even the minimum level of mutual trust among the group members. As a result, poor quality managerial decision, which will either not be fulfilled, or its implementation will require unreasonably much effort.

Diagnostics and pre-transformation at BCM Technologies

About a year has passed since the first conversation of the Consultant with business partners. During this time, BCM Technologies has undergone major changes. A deep organizational diagnosis was carried out, the age and health of the organization were determined, organizational symptoms were identified, systematized and ranked. Based on the results of the diagnostics, a development council was created in the company. Some of the symptoms were given to the individual managers of the company; Temporary design teams have been set up to address the most severe symptoms.

Thus, a systematic process of preliminary transformation was going on in the company. A number of problems that had accumulated over the years and hindered the successful functioning of the business were resolved. The management of the company has grown a lot. The level of team interaction has increased, there are more "diagonal" connections (by the way, Viktor Nikolaevich Skryabin especially liked this term). Vadim used a different term. He said, "Communications have improved tremendously." As an indicator, he cited the fact that, firstly, there were much fewer industrial conflicts in the company, and secondly, managers now ran much less to him as to to CEO and solved many issues on their own.

In addition to work within the framework of the transformation of the company, a number of training (developmental) seminars were also held. In general, the company has changed a lot. Finally, the management decided to start systematic work with the BCM Technologies strategy…

Technological issues of working on a strategy

Who, what, when and how does the strategic process?

What is the sequence of steps in setting up a strategic process in a company?

What is Tigran Harutyunyan's "strategic hexagon"?

What are strategic business units, what is their role in strategy development?

Is the strategy being developed for the entire company or for each business unit?

Strategic hexagon of Tigran Harutyunyan

What ideology will we adhere to when developing a strategy?

What is the general strategy development algorithm?

How is the strategic hex used?

The ideology of the strategic process

The challenging companies have succeeded in creating entirely new advantages over competitors and in radically changing some activities.

It is not the fog on the horizon that often prevents companies from imagining the future and opening up new space for competition, but rather the tendency of managers to look ahead through the narrow aperture of existing markets and the markets they serve.

G. Hamel, K. Prahalad

- Well, Professor, a happy day has come! Scriabin rubbed his hands happily. - It's time to start serious work on the strategy.

- It's time, - the Consultant smiled. - It's already possible. The main thing is that you, as founders and leaders, are ready for this. I always say that when implementing organizational change, you need to listen to the feelings of the founders and CEOs.

I propose, as usual, to define a philosophy that we can adhere to. Over the years of working with organizations, I have identified for myself the following main stages of the strategic process:

Context (business) analysis.

Development of a system of strategic guidelines.

Strategic analysis of the organization's marketing environment.

Policies on the components of the organization.

Implementation of the strategy.

reflection of the organization.

You see six basic steps. Hence the term "hexagon" (hexagon).

What school of strategy is this from? Vadim asked. - There are many different schools and approaches to strategy development?

The consultant smiled.

- A long time ago I was in the construction team. There was such a case. I saw how the master electrician leaves pliers on high-voltage wires. In response to my bewildered look, he said a brilliant phrase: "What is not necessary will burn itself out." So, everything that I tell in the classroom and offer to clients as a consultant is what “did not burn out”; what is actually used and works in practice. You will see approaches, elements of different strategic schools in my toolkit.

“So what, are we going to use them all?” Life is not enough! Scriabin exclaimed.

“Of course not,” the Consultant replied. – You will get acquainted with all the tools, and together with you we will choose the tools that are suitable for your particular case. But here is what I would like to focus on this stage work. I really like the philosophy that G. Hamel and K. Prahalad once spoke in their bestseller Competing for the Future . You will see echoes of this philosophy in my strategic hex. In addition, they introduced a number of very important concepts into business use. Let's take a look at them.

Any company, from the point of view of Hamel and Prahalad, must ask itself three strategic questions:

1. What new consumer goods will we have to provide in 5, 10 or 15 years?

2. What new competencies or capabilities, that is, sets of skills and technologies, will be needed to deliver these benefits to consumers?