Currently viewing the tag: "Capabilities"

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Mature markets, where the customer base begins to stagnate, call for structured Organic Growth founded on a superior Customer Value Proposition (CVP).  CVP encompasses all that is gained by customers for the money they pay—material as well as intangible.  Customer Value can be articulated by the equation:


Customer Value = (Product Performance + Service Delivered + Image) / Price Paid

 

CVP endeavors can be lacking due to many reasons such as use of incorrect Research Method, misapplication of a correct statistical method, incorrect interpretation of research outcomes in the background of current brand position, market situations, or capabilities system of the company.

Crafting an effective CVP requires insight and experience, but the probabilities of realization escalate by applying a structured process.  Organizations that defy odds and repeatedly thrive with many new-product unveilings lean towards applying a disciplined approach to developing their CVP.  The approach that these organizations follow comprises of 3 distinct practices, blending creative inventiveness and analysis.  The 3 Pillars of Product Launch Strategy are:

  1. Market-backed Analysis
  2. Darwinian Competitive Review
  3. Capabilities-Forward Assessment

Each of the 3 practices has the two-fold effect of being an idea generator as well as an idea sifter.

The practices produce fresh thoughts regarding trends for growth and also assist in determining the products and services to launch and the way to position them.

Let us go a little further into details of each pillar.

Market-Backed Analysis

Market Research merely queries consumers regarding their attitudes, inclinations, and aversions.  Real focus of such research should be on comprehending behavior; such as the trade-offs consumers make when deliberating a purchase.   Market-Backed Analysis is a method of collecting consumer insights that isolates the value imputed by consumers to various components of a product or service, and generates practical information as a consequence.

Darwinian Competitive Review (DCR)

Executives are always on the lookout for new product and service innovations that can distinguish their companies.  New ideas are always more exciting than an innovation that the industry has already introduced.  Darwinian Competitive Review suggests that even a new idea must follow some demonstrated Value Proposition—i.e., proven success somewhere else.  DCR calls for scrutiny of those Customer Value Propositions that have exhibited success across several markets, and of competitors who have already instituted themselves in those markets. 

Capabilities-Forward Assessment

Capabilities-Forward Assessment is a thorough evaluation of what the company already does skillfully, and which novel Value Propositions its Capabilities System will be able to sustain.  Possessing the correct Distinctive Capabilities that are aligned can be the difference between being common place and being great.  An example of the above would be the difference between offering a product at low cost and at the lowest cost.

Interested in learning more about the 3 Pillars of Product Launch Strategy?  You can download an editable PowerPoint on 3 Pillars of Product Launch Strategy here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

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Editor’s Note:  If you are interested in becoming an expert on Strategy Development, take a look at Flevy’s Strategy Development Frameworks offering here.  This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can stay ahead of the curve.  Full details here.

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10039968067?profile=RESIZE_400xA question faced by many business leaders in today’s dynamic, uncertain, and changing business environment is:  Is our organization “Fit for Growth?”  In most cases, unfortunately, the answer to this question is “no.”  Reasons include the manner in which costs are managed and resources deployed.

The fundamental question needed to be asked is: how to assess whether the organization is Fit for Growth?  Such an assessment is effortlessly possible through answering the following 3 questions:

  1. Does the company have well-defined Strategic Priorities that concentrate on strategic growth and which direct its investments?
  2. Do the company costs align with the Strategic Priorities? i.e., efficient and effective employment of resources toward the Priorities.
  3. Does the Organizational Structure enable achievement of those Strategic Priorities?

Imagining the converse side of these queries makes the picture clearer.  That is, what are the consequences of: Not having clear Priorities, Inappropriate deployment of Costs, Not having a well-designed organization.

Positioning the company to be Fit for Growth requires basing it on the following 3 pillars of Growth:

  1. Set clear Strategic Priorities.
  2. Transform Cost Structure.
  3. Reorganize for Growth.

Setting the company on the 3 pillars enables it to direct investments towards the Capabilities that are most crucial and reduce—or eradicate—other costs. 

Let us delve a little deeper into the details of these 3 pillars. 

Strategic Priorities

Numerous warning indicators are apparent if the Strategic Growth Priorities of a company are not crystalized.

Warning signs such as being unable to keep track of the numerous initiatives that the company has going at the same time.

Senior executives of the company attending lots of unrelated meetings in a day.  Executives being divergent on the most important capabilities of the company and how they relate to the strategic objectives.

Areas that can distinguish the company from its competitors not being properly invested in.

Research has established an important correlation between Capabilities and Strategy.  Capabilities require lots of attention and investment because of their cross-functional effect and limited number.

It is therefore, needed to have clear Priority regarding which Capabilities to invest in.

Cost Structure

Inappropriate Costs Structure is also an indicator of incorrect priorities, particularly the amount spent on non-essentials.  

Organizations aiming to be Fit for Growth make themselves lean and expend money purposefully.  They can maintain their commanding position in such Cost Transformations by pursuing the 12 principles.

Costs are managed for efficiency as well as effectiveness using tools and practices that are usually grouped into 3 categories.

Growth

Organizations, over time, become slow in reacting to opportunities and do not move quickly enough, or are not in-line enough to work in unison.  These are common manifestations, even in organizations that are run and managed well.

Interested in learning more about Fit for Growth?  You can download an editable PowerPoint on Fit for Growth here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

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“Strategy without Tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without Strategy is the noise before defeat.” – Sun Tzu

For effective Strategy Development and Strategic Planning, we must master both Strategy and Tactics.  Our frameworks cover all phases of Strategy, from Strategy Design and Formulation to Strategy Deployment and Execution; as well as all levels of Strategy, from Corporate Strategy to Business Strategy to “Tactical” Strategy.  Many of these methodologies are authored by global strategy consulting firms and have been successfully implemented at their Fortune 100 client organizations.

These frameworks include Porter’s Five Forces, BCG Growth-Share Matrix, Greiner’s Growth Model, Capabilities-driven Strategy (CDS), Business Model Innovation (BMI), Value Chain Analysis (VCA), Endgame Niche Strategies, Value Patterns, Integrated Strategy Model for Value Creation, Scenario Planning, to name a few.

Learn about our Strategy Development Best Practice Frameworks here.

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You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library.  FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.  Here’s what some have to say:

“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market.  They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions.  I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”

– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects

“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power.  For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”

– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting

“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients.  In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over!  The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”

– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd

Editor’s Note:  If you are interested in becoming an expert on Post-merger Integration (PMI), take a look at Flevy’s Post-merger Integration (PMI) Frameworks offering here.  This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts.  By learning and applying these concepts, you can stay ahead of the curve.  Full details here.

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10005404057?profile=RESIZE_400xMergers and Acquisitions (M&A) generally do not produce the outstanding results that they are envisioned and purported to provide.  Some companies in certain industries, however, demonstrate consistent success when it comes to M&A.

A constant question across all industries, as far as M&As are concerned, pertains to the factors that differentiate organizations with successful histories.  The magic ingredient in the success of these companies is their Corporate Strategy that utilizes Capabilities as the source for inorganic Growth.  Capabilities-driven M&A have managed to raise shareholder value for the acquirer despite the tough years since the economic crisis of the 2000s.  The majority of other inorganic Growth attempts produced a loss of value.

Companies employing the Capabilities-driven Strategy were recompensed with deals that had a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) average of 12 percentage points greater in shareholder return compared to M&A deals by other acquirers in that very industry and region.

Particular industries, for instance Information Technology and Retail, demonstrated a bigger effect. However, all industries displayed a steady, noticeable, Capabilities Premium in M&A.  Capabilities-driven Strategy is exceptionally beneficial in M&A transactions where, frequently, time window is narrow and the risks elevated.

Capabilities Systems are defined as 3 to 6 reciprocally strengthening, distinguished Capabilities that are structured to hold up and drive Organizational Strategy, integrating people, processes, and technologies to create something of value for customers.

Setting apart likely M&A success factors is accomplished more easily by separating successful deals by their declared Intent consequently, capturing the dominant view regarding purpose of each deal.

Intent can be classified into 5 categories: Capability Access Deals, Product and Category Adjacency DealsGeographic Adjacency Deals, Consolidation Deals, and Diversification Deals.

There is a lot of talk about Fit during M&A discussions.  Fit does not mean introducing an ostensibly linked product or service, plugging a gap in a category, or moving in a new geography—such sorts of acquisitions are frequently unsuccessful.

Fit relates to unity, the benefit that ensues when Capabilities of a company fit mutually into a system, lining up to its market position, and employed to its complete array of products and services.

Deals when cross-categorized by their Capabilities System Fit, fall into following 3 categories:

  1. Enhancement Deals
  2. Leverage Deals
  3. Limited-Fit Deals

Let us delve a little deeper into the 3 categories.

Enhancement Deals

Enhancement deals enable the acquiring company to include new Capabilities so as to close gaps in its present Capabilities System or counter an alteration in its market.

Nearly 2/3rd of the deals studied—in a 2011 study spanning 8 sectors—used Capabilities to good effect, either by way of Enhancement or Leverage. 

Leverage Deals

Leverage deals are where the acquirer makes use of prevailing Capabilities System in their company to handle incoming products and services, customarily augmenting the acquired company’s performance.

Leverage deal are frequently low-risk deals that may not require the acquirer to alter anything concerning its inhouse Capabilities System to make it work. 

Limited Fit Deals

Limited-fit deals are deals where the purchasing company generally ignores Capabilities.  Normally such deals provide a purchaser with product or service that need new Capabilities.

Interested in learning more about Capabilities-driven M&A?  You can download an editable PowerPoint on Capabilities-driven M&A here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

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M&A is an extremely common strategy for growth.  M&A transactions always look great on paper.  This is why the buyer typically pays a 10-35% premium over the of the target company’s market value.

However, when it comes time for the Post-merger Integration (PMI), are we really able to capture the expected value?  Studies show only 20% of organizations capture projected revenue synergies and only 40% capture cost synergies.  Not to mention, the PMI process is typically very painful, drawn out, and politically charged, often resulting in the loss of key personnel.

Learn about our Post-merger Integration (PMI) Best Practice Frameworks here.

Do You Find Value in This Framework?

You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library.  FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.  Here’s what some have to say:

“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market.  They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions.  I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”

– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects

“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power.  For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”

– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting

“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients.  In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over!  The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”

– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd