Eikelenboom Organization & Advisory
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Strong in strategic management
How does it work?
Challenges:
As we move further into the 21st century, questions about how to deal with the challenges of this century become more and more pressing. How to deal effectively with the pressure of rapid (technological) changes, increased competition, increased customer expectations, more government influence and changing employee dynamics? Formulating business objectives and designing an associated strategy is of little use if insufficient attention is paid to their implementation. The trick is to organize in such a way that the challenges of the current information age can be met: unpredictable economic ups and downs and an (even) higher rate of change of technology and environment.
Research shows that in more than 70 percent of cases, business management fails to actually implement its formulated strategy. Commonly observed pitfalls were: (1) lack of reality in strategic plans, (2) rigidity and (3) ignoring or underestimating resistance within the organization. This often means that the organization is not based on the implementation of the strategy and therefore not on the realization of the company objectives. So those are questions about the "what" and the "how" around achieving a competitive advantage that can outperform other companies.
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Research shows that in more than 70 percent of cases, business management fails to actually implement its formulated strategy. Commonly observed pitfalls were: (1) lack of reality in strategic plans, (2) rigidity and (3) ignoring or underestimating resistance within the organization. This often means that the organization is not based on the implementation of the strategy and therefore not on the realization of the company objectives. So those are questions about the "what" and the "how" around achieving a competitive advantage that can outperform other companies.
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I help you to clarify your mission, goals and strategy (the "what") and to build your organization in such a way that the organizational behavior is optimally supported in the direction of the established goals (the "how").
Organizational capabilities:
Reasoning from the resource-based view within strategic management, the profitability of companies mainly depends on their competitive position in the market, which in turn is mainly determined by how the company uses its resources. The outlined challenges reduce the scarcity of physical and financial capital compared to the intelligence, motivation and the self-management and problem-solving capacity of organizations. All these aspects belong to the ‘organizational capabilities’ of a company.
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My own research has shown that the best performing companies have the most appreciated and aligned organizational skills, enabling them to create a behavioral context in which people behave in an innovative, entrepreneurial, collegial, constructive and service-oriented manner.
Organizational capabilities:
Reasoning from the resource-based view within strategic management, the profitability of companies mainly depends on their competitive position in the market, which in turn is mainly determined by how the company uses its resources. The outlined challenges reduce the scarcity of physical and financial capital compared to the intelligence, motivation and the self-management and problem-solving capacity of organizations. All these aspects belong to the ‘organizational capabilities’ of a company.
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My own research has shown that the best performing companies have the most appreciated and aligned organizational skills, enabling them to create a behavioral context in which people behave in an innovative, entrepreneurial, collegial, constructive and service-oriented manner.
'Hard and soft':
From the research, the organizing capacity was operationalized into the organizational architecture. That is the organizational or behavioral context of the employees. Characteristic for this construct turned out to be the inextricable combination of "hard" and "soft" organizational aspects:
(1) "Hard" aspects such as organizational structure, processes, finances and (automated) systems, and
(2) "Soft" aspects such as organizational culture, spirit, enthusiasm and involvement of employees from all levels of the organization and from all functional specialties.
What turned out?
For a successful and effective organization, both the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ organizational aspects must be in order. Because organizing is about people. However harsh the systems and procedures are, they are always ultimately handled and managed by people. That specific individuality of the human being is the most important success or failure factor of strategic plans. My research shows that there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between your organizational capabiliteis and your ultimate (financial) performance. The conclusion was that if (top) management creates an organizational context that offers both the above mentioned ‘hard’ ánd ‘soft’ support to their employees, the best (financial) results will be achieved.
I have presented my vision on strategic management in this overview article. I am happy to offer it to you.
Put your request for help here and let me know what you expect from me. I will respond as soon as possible and I would be happy to visit you for a free intake interview (no obligations).