This practice-oriented English textbook covers all stages of the strategy process. In addition to strategic analysis and strategy formulation, the true challenges of strategic management, which is operationalization and execution of strategy on various business levels, are explained in detail.

Stuttgart: Schaeffer-Poeschel 2016 (English textbook)

Strategic Management is based on the idea that people and organizations are more successful with systematic strategizing than without.

Depending on the success logic, different strategies and mindsets are relevant, which unfold in the context of the specific culture and structure.

Strategizing is not a mechanical process, but a combination of planned and unplanned

as well as existing and new elements.

The best ideas fail without effective execution. Strategy principles help to think and act strategically in a volatile, uncertain and complex world.

There is more than one strategy in a company. A consistent and successful strategy pattern emerges as a “symphony” of the orchestrated business unit strategies.

Strategy is not a one-time event but a continuous process of making decisions what the company will do and not do to remain successful in a dynamic environment.

All PDFs of publications are password-protected.

All publications are in German if not stated otherwise.

 

You will get access to selected publications upon request via publications@sustainup.com

Business model patterns. Supporting ideation for new business model elements

Zeitschrift Fuehrung + Organisation (zfo), vol. 86 (2017), no. 3, pp. 180–183

More than 90 % of all business model innovations are based on known elements and success mechanisms of existing business models. Business model patterns can be leveraged that support a systematic ideation for the design of new business models.

Business model innovation. Systematically creating new competitive advantages

Zeitschrift Fuehrung + Organisation (zfo), vol. 85 (2016), no. 5, pp. 358–361

Business model innovations are a major lever for the viability of a company. They are considered as the “gold standard” of innovation management. The success logic is critically assessed and systematically refined.

Strategy Alignment. Create a shared strategic orientation

Zeitschrift Fuehrung + Organisation (zfo), vol. 83 (2014); no. 6, pp. 408–412
A key factor for the successful execution of corporate strategy is a consistent orientation of business, functional and regional strategies. Systematic strategy alignment reduces friction losses and creates a shared understanding of strategic priorities. It supports the executive leadership team in realizing added value through the effective coordination of different organizational units.

Four success factors for an effective strategy process

Controlling & Management Review, vol. 58 (2014), no. 1, pp. 54–62 (together with J. Bausch)
Successful companies succeed by being both “different” as well as “better” than their competitors. This is the outcome of a major research study with companies of the food industry. What distinguishes the strategy processes of successful companies from their competitors is shown by four success factors.

Business models. Understanding and designing the success logic of the business

Zeitschrift Fuehrung + Organisation (zfo), vol. 82 (2013), no. 5, pp. 354–360
Business models are key pillars of a company strategy. They determine how a company plans to create value for their customers, and thus, capture profits itself. Their design and continuous advancement are major sources for competitive advantage. As an important element in the strategy process business models support the structured refinement of strategies on a business level.

Strategic management and leadership culture. Why even the best strategy processes sometimes fail

SEM | Radar Zeitschrift für Systemdenken und Entscheidungsfindung im Management, vol. 12 (2013), no. 2, pp. 105 143 (together with K. Stemmermann)
Strategic analysis as well as strategy formulation always take place against the background of a company-specific leadership culture. This paper examines how companies can become aware of their leadership culture and how they can integrate it with the construction logic of their strategy process. Considering typical deficits in the interaction of shareholders, top and middle management in corporate practice helps to understand the specific leadership culture. Possible reasons for these deficits are phenomena of groupthink as well as cognitive biases that often take effect unnoticedly. Bearing these mechanisms in mind while designing, initiating, and continuously managing a strategy process can build a beachhead to the leadership culture, and thus, improve the effectiveness of strategic management. Recommendations are derived to improve the benefit of analytical strategy tools and models used by companies today by aligning them and their application in the strategy process with the prevailing leadership culture.

Strategy Maps. Refining, describing and synchronizing strategies

Zeitschrift Führung + Organisation (zfo), vol. 81 (2012), no. 4, pp. 273–277
Employees, as a key stakeholder of strategy, seek inner meaning and motivation in their work. A Strategy Map can significantly contribute to this aspiration by helping to systematically refine the strategic orientation, describe strategic priorities in a consistent way and by aligning strategies across the entire organization.

New Strategy Alignment in Multinational Corporations

united-kingdom

Strategic Finance, Vol. 87 (2005), no. 5, pp. 35-41

How does a large, diversified multinational company coordinate its strategies? The answer is through a combination of strategy maps, balanced scorecards, and strategic action programs. Strategic goals must be very specific, limited in number, and linked to a balanced scorecard to detail progress in achieving goals.

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