Purpose – To describe reasons why companies make bad strategy decisions despite having the most capable, motivated, experienced, well‐equipped strategists in history. To recommend practical changes companies can implement to improve strategy decision‐making. Design/methodology/approach –...

Purpose – To provide practicing managers and consultants with advice about common pitfalls encountered in diagnosing the causes of organizational decline. Hopefully, the paper will help managers and their advisors avoid these pitfalls. Design/methodology/approach – Reviews common problems...

Purpose – Middle market businesses – entities from $50 million‐$1 billion in revenue – are a significant force in the economy, generating $3 trillion in annual revenues and employing 20 million here in the USA alone. They are particularly besieged, and vulnerable, and yet they are...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe four levers that managers can use to effectively implement strategy. Design/methodology/approach – Draws on the performance management literature, in particular Simons' levers of control framework, to describe and illustrate practical...

Purpose – In an environment where the challenge for businesses to stay ahead of the curve calls for new ways of strategizing for future success, design holds some important clues. By broadening the definition of “design” and expanding the application of design methodologies and mindsets to...

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to propose a process which ensures boards make risk pay off by identifying and selecting opportunities which more than compensate for the risks assumed. Organizations are increasingly under threat from factors such as globalization, regulations, and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to humorously define various common business and strategy terms to amuse and illuminate. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a lexicon. Findings – Man's search for meaning can end up with one's nose in a dictionary. Again....

Purpose – Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the...

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to discuss specific HR practices that business leaders must embrace to create HR value and competitive advantage for their organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates the authors' previous research on critical HR practices. Findings –...

Purpose – The Romance of the Three Kingdoms ( RTK ) is probably the most popular classical novel in Chinese literature. Of more than 1,000 characters in this extensive, three‐volume novel, Kong Ming in RTK is widely seen by the Chinese as the most remarkable strategist. This paper attempts...