Always-On Strategy
Leading companies are improving upon their traditional strategy-setting processes by adding something much more dynamic and agile. We call it always-on strategy.
The best strategic-planning processes focus on insight, preparedness, and agility—not bureaucracy.
Most organizations are dissatisfied with the way they make strategy. They see their strategic-planning approach as too rigid, bureaucratic, reactive, and disconnected from execution. Confronted with faster-changing environments, they doubt their process can see around the bend to reveal the big, disruptive opportunities that will drive long-term value creation.
At the heart of these concerns is the misconception that strategic planning is just about annual budgets and five-year plans. These traditional planning approaches work well in stable and relatively predictable sectors, but stability is less and less the norm. More turbulent environments call for nimbler approaches that match the clock-speed of planning to that of the market.
Leading companies are improving upon their traditional strategy-setting processes by adding something much more dynamic and agile. We call it always-on strategy.
Now more than ever, companies need to devote time to strategy. But far too many strategic-planning processes fall short. It doesn’t have to be that way.
BCG interviewed 48 CSOs from around the world to better understand how their roles and responsibilities vary depending on company size, industry sector, and CSO model.
A major global brewer was frustrated with its existing planning process. The focus was financial—developing three-year budgets—rather than strategic.
Learn how we helped this brewer develop a robust strategic-planning process