The Economist: Successful Strategy Execution: How to keep your business goals on target - Softcover

Drawing on original research and work carried out by business schools and consultants, and using the experiences of firms such as Reuters, Diageo, Pfizer, Deutsche Bank and IBM, Michel Syrett highlights common failings, such as poor resource planning and performance management and demonstrates how they can be overcome. (Manager Magazine)

This is a very readable - and relevant - introduction to a key issue for strategy. (Professional Manager Magazine)

Strategy-to-performance gaps foster a culture of under-performance Unrealistic plans create the expectation throughout the organisation that plans simply will not be fulfilled. This book shows how to overcome such failings and implement strategy effectively. Common failings include: Companies rarely track their performance against long-term plans - less than 15% of companies make it a regular practice to go back and compare the business' results with the performance forecast for each business unit in its prior years' strategic results Results rarely meet projections - when companies do track performance, it rarely matches the prior years' projection. The consequence is year-after-year of under-performance relative to the original plan A lot of value is lost in translation - a combination of poor communications, misapplied resources, limited accountability and lack of information creates an in-built strategy-to-performance gap