The New How
Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy
By: Nilofer Merchant
Published: December 2009
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
ISBN: 978-0-596-15625-1
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
"Watching a failed strategy rip through a company is akin to watching a powerful hurricane hit land and devastate everything in its path", writes CEO of Rubicon Consulting and strategist Nilofer Merchant in her groundbreaking and game changing book The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy. The author describes eloquently the problems associated with current corporate strategy creation, and presents a powerful and effective collaborative format for formulating and implementing strategy.
Nilofer Merchant recognizes that many companies have built in structural problems that cause their strategy formulation efforts to fail. Very often companies experience group think in the boardroom, a failure to distinguish strategy from tactics, and a lack of engagement of employees at different levels of the organization. These systemic problems not only lead to misguided or wrongheaded strategy, but fail in the implementation process as well. The disconnect between the often isolated elite members of the strategy group, and the rank and file employees who will put the strategy into action, very often predisposes the strategy to failure. While these shortcomings in the strategic development process may be obvious to outside observers, those inside the company may be in denial or seeking scapegoats, and applying other counterproductive activities.
Nilofer Merchant (photo left) understands there is a need within the corporate world for an entirely fresh approach to formulating and executing strategy. The author proposes a collaborate effort between the top management people and other employees at various levels of the organization. The recognition of the intertwined nature of creating and implementing strategy is a critical element of Nilofer Merchant's recommendation. More than platitudes, and idealistic concepts, the author presents a series of practical and easy to apply techniques for forming a more company wide strategy formulation process. In place of the usual blame being placed on various aspects of either the failed strategy or its allegedly improper implementation, Nilofer Merchant moves toward co-creation and joint implementation. This new and powerful system is both more effective but ensures buy in and engagement of all employees and stakeholders.
For me, the power of the book is how Nilofer Merchant recognizes the flaws with current strategy creation and implementation processes, and provides a powerful and doable alternative for building and employing more effective strategies. The author presents a very practical step by step system to accommodate collaborative strategic planning is effective and that processes are established to ensure smooth application in the marketplace. Nilofer Merchant combines the crucial elements of understanding organizational behavior, building a complete process, while remaining true to core corporate values. Instead of simply suggesting the theoretical value and importance of collaboration, the author demonstrates how to integrate co-creation into the entire strategic process from conception to marketplace. The key insight that employees who are part of the strategy development will also be committed its effective application makes this a leading book on the subject of strategy.
I highly recommend the important and must read book The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy by Nilofer Merchant, to anyone seeking a revolutionary and real world technique for more effective strategic planning and implementation. The book will change the way that corporations approach the idea of strategic thinking, from one of a top down exclusive system, to one of a collaborative and inclusive process.
Read the essential and destined to be classic book The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy by Nilofer Merchant, and transform your corporate strategic planning process from one of systemic exclusion and high probability of failure, to one of collaborative thinking that engages employees. The success rate of co-created strategic processes is much higher, and ensures a more profitable company that solves more problems, along with developing more engaged and productive employees.
