Corporate Strategy: From The Bottom Up

TRAVERS CITY, MI January 08, 2007— Today, the old-school, top-down management model is gradually being replaced by one in which authority and accountability are pushed further down the organizational ladder. Most companies fail to implement strategy successfully because they do not connect their leaderships’ vision with the realities known only to those operating at the organization’s front lines.

“Senior managers do not do strategy. People down in the guts of an organization are the ones close to the ideas and issues that are essential to making strategy happen,” says author and management expert Daniel Wolf. “They are adaptive and accountable.”

This type of bottom-up strategy is gaining traction because it makes companies more nimble, smarter about changes occurring in the marketplace, and better at execution because their decisions are tied closely to those who have to execute them. More often than not, decisions are based on close contact with actual customers.

In his new book, “Prepared and Resolved: The Strategic Agenda for Growth, Performance and Change,” Wolf proposes that more organizations would see their visions fully realized if their strategy process engaged all levels of the organization – rather than imposing mandates from the boardroom down to the front lines.

“Prepared and Resolved” offers a roadmap for connecting the three essential elements that make strategies work: direction (objectives and choices), integration (resources) and execution (processes).

The Strategic Agenda:

·    Redefines the meaning of “strategy” among those whose daily work make or break a strategic exercise.

·    Helps people at all levels of an organization understand the roles they play in achieving a desired business result.

·    Aligns a company’s communication, decision-making and accountability processes with the realities of today’s complex and fast-moving business environment.

By adopting the strategic agenda, companies can successfully deal with the short and long-term challenges of growth, performance and change. A key attribute of successful organizations is developing organizational depth and “bench strength,” through the leadership and management of their strategic agenda.

Prepared and Resolved is written to managers at all levels of an organization – from the CEOs to team leaders. It is also designed as a platform for offsite meetings, strategy sessions, business reviews and other critical business meetings.

Review copies of Prepared and Resolved are available upon request. Wolf is available for interviews and select article and column contributions.

About Daniel Wolf
 
Daniel Wolf is Managing Director of Dewar Sloan, a consulting practice focused on business growth, performance and change. For more than 30 years, Wolf has been helping major global corporations understand the fundamental linkages between strategy and execution. He has served a wide range of leading companies, including Bombardier, Stryker, Masterbrand, Allied Signal, Herman Miller, W.L.Gore, Fisher Scientific, Cascade, Kelly Services, Siemens, Ingersoll Rand, TORO, Global Device, among many others. Much of Wolf’s consulting work involves the evolution of company direction, organization and resources, always focused on business results.

Before entering the consulting field, Dan held corporate leadership positions in business development, marketing, planning and strategy. Dan, who has an MBA from Michigan State University, is also an engaging teacher, lecturing at leading business schools throughout Michigan on topics including marketing, entrepreneurship and product development. Dan is also active in community development, cultural and athletic organizations in his hometown, Traverse City. Dan is married to his college sweetheart and has two teenage children.

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