Blog – Decision Processes International

Do you assume that your leadership team agrees on what “strategy” means?

dpieurope — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 12:34:52 +0000

One major obstacle leaders encounter when trying to develop a game changing strategy is that the leadership team cannot agree on what strategy actually is. Each executive has his or her own view or definition. This is not surprising. Even the strategy gurus that confused leaders turn to when seeking an answer cannot always agree!

Our definitions are simple. Strategy is what, and operations is how. Strategy determines what you want to become as a company, and operations determines how you get there. Strategy and operations require different processes of thinking and contain different concepts.

Some organisations are proficient at both strategy and operations. In other words, they have a clear strategy that is sound and well understood (what), and they are very competent operationally (how). However, our experience has shown that few companies are highly proficient at both. Most firms are so involved in operational activity that they do not spend enough time thinking about the future of the business. If this is your company, then you can consider yourself “normal”, but you also need to be thinking about how you can you transform how your company operates by being proficient in both these areas.

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How confusing Strategy with Vision can prevent us from developing a game-changing strategy

dpieurope — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:40:43 +0000

Although the concepts of vision and strategy are frequently used, few executives understand the relationship between them and this can prove a real obstacle in developing a game-changing strategy. Let us attempt to demystify these two separate but complementary concepts.

Vision, in our view, is the construction of a mental picture of what an organisation should look like at a given time in the future. A vision is usually long term in nature, typically decades, and in some instances centuries!

Strategy, in our view, is the process that leaders go through to convert that future picture into a tangible future strategic profile. They can then go on to use this profile as their filter for decision making, in order to grow the company over a specific time frame. Strategy is a verbal description of the business concept that the organisation will deploy in order to realise that mental picture or vision of itself in the future.

To find out more about how DPI’s tailored services and training programs enable its clients to consistently out-think and out-pace the market place contact us at contact@dpi-europe.com

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What are the three fundamental skills of leadership?

dpieurope — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:32:07 +0000

Many books have been written on leadership, but few have been able to describe the skills of leadership in any detail except to attribute it to a “trait of personality”. Our view is that there are some fundamental skills of transformative leadership that can be articulated, learned and perfected by almost anyone in any organisation. Leadership consists of mastering three critical management skills that should be practiced consciously:

1. Strategic Thinking - the thought process used by a leaders to formulate, articulate and communicate a coherent vision and strategy for the organisation.

2. Innovative Thinking - identifying or inventing new products or services on a continuous basis and the ability to instil this creativity in every member of the organisation.

3. Situation Management – being adept at dealing with operational problems and decisions successfully on a day-to-day basis in a manner aligned with the strategy.

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In an ever more fast-paced world of business, what’s the one thing that won’t change?

dpieurope — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 08:31:12 +0000

Amid all the changes facing leaders, there is one thing that will remain constant: formulating and executing strategies and plans that will ensure survival and generate future sustainable growth and wealth for their organisations. This has always been, and always will be, the primary and most important task of C-level leadership.

A vital input into this process is obtaining the best available view of what the future social, political, and economic global environment will look like in relation to the specific sandbox the organisation intends to compete in. Only then can the leader be confident that plans are relevant to the anticipated conditions. Developing the best possible understanding of the various possible future scenarios demands the leader’s attention so they can achieve the following:

Protect their organisations from future threats
Pursue future opportunities
Attain that desired but elusive goal of sustainable organisational growth

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How to be, not just a leader, but a transformational one

dpieurope — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 12:36:22 +0000

Leadership is rooted in the ability to think critically, instill such practices in others, and engage the entire organisation in critical and aligned thought in the areas of strategy, innovation, and implementation.

In the years ahead the need for critical thinking is only going to grow. The dynamics of global competition have shifted significantly, and the rate of change will continue to accelerate, resulting in tougher and rougher conditions “out there.”

In the face of stiff competition from across the globe, it is tempting to cry foul and blame losses on low-cost competition, unreasonable government policies, or those playing to new and unfair rules. But that is the very nature of competition! Our view is that the losers are simply being “out-thunked.” Thinking has become the lost skill of the losers.

To avoid being outwitted, decision making needs to improve at all levels, requiring systematic, creative, collective critical thinking to be pervasive in your organisation. It is your role as a transformative leader to make this happen. If you can, you will already be halfway to supremacy in your chosen sandbox.

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