Strategic frontiers: the starting‐point for innovative growth

Purpose – To encourage top management to recognize the need for adding new value to their organizations and commit to the creation of new internal capabilities for growth via the exploration of their company's strategic frontier. Design/methodology/approach – Explains how the CEO can select a team and initiate a project to identify strategy frontier options. Findings – The authors’ experience suggests that the team should first explore all areas of future growth potential in and adjacent to their industry, creating a long list of potential options. Identifying a breadth of strategic frontier options is more important than a depth of information on any one option. Research limitations/implications – More case studies of strategy frontier projects in action, with quantitative results, would be valuable. Practical implications – The goal of this frontier team is to identify a portfolio of innovative new business opportunities that exist on the strategic frontier. It will be the responsibility of another, more qualified group with quantitative skills (strategic planners, business development) to develop a detailed business design and determine its profitability and attractiveness to the company. Originality/value – The article offers top management an innovative how‐to approach to finding truly new growth opportunities.