Did the early adopters approach the challenge of creating focus and alignment in the same way?
For the companies we studied, creating a Strategy-Focused Organization was not a homogeneous approach. Each organization approached the challenge in different ways, at different paces, and in different sequences. However, we observed five common principles at work. We refer to these as the principles of a Strategy-Focused Organization: (1) translate the strategy to operational terms, (2) align the organization to the strategy, (3) make strategy everyone’s job, (4) make strategy a continual process, and (5) mobilize change through executive leadership. The first four principles focus on the Balanced Scorecard tool, framework, and supporting processes. Tools and processes along will not create a Strategy-Focused Organization. Experience has repeatedly shown that the single most important condition for success is the ownership and active involvement of the executive team. Strategy requires change from virtually every part of the organization. Strategy requires teamwork to coordinate these
