Being able to articulate your strategy packaging it and communicating it in a way that not only motivates people but also helps make better decisions is absolutely critical. The fact that you are invoking the power of listening and being willing to engage in conflict with our strategy is a very different way of thinking about strategy in general. And I think that's really powerful for all of us to think about"
As Professor Jesper Sørensen sees it, a winning strategy is the result of conversations, not commands.
Sørensen says strategy can be directed from the C-suite, but it doesn’t have to be. “Lots of great strategies are discovered,” he says, “they're discovered because the leaders were able to listen to their frontline workers or their frontline managers.” A more iterative approach, says Sørensen, helps companies adapt their strategy to an ever-changing landscape.
In the latest episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Sørensen joins host and lecturer Matt Abrahams to discuss how organizations can use better communication to craft better strategies.
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Additional resources:
Making Great Strategy: Arguing for Organizational Advantage, by Jesper B. Sørensen Glenn R. Carroll
Class Takeaways: Crafting and Leading Strategy: Five lessons in five minutes — Professor Jesper Sørenson teaches how to create and implement a successful business strategy.