Chapter 2: Leading Strategically
Conclusion
This chapter explains several challenges that executives face in attempting to lead their organizations strategically. Executives must ensure that their organizations have visions, missions, and goals in place that help move these organizations forward. Measures and referents for assessing performance must be thoughtfully chosen. Some executives become celebrities, thereby creating certain advantages and disadvantages for themselves and for their firms. Finally, executives must monitor the degree of entrepreneurial orientation present within their organizations and make adjustments when necessary. When executives succeed at leading strategically, an organization has an excellent chance of success.
Exercises
- Divide your class into four or eight groups, depending on the size of the class. Assign each group to develop arguments that one of the key issues discussed in this chapter (vision, mission, goals; assessing organizational performance; CEO celebrity; entrepreneurial orientation) is the most important within organizations. Have each group present their case, and then have the class vote individually for the winner. Which issue won and why?
- This chapter discussed Howard Schultz and Starbucks on several occasions. Based on your reading of the chapter, how well has Schultz done in dealing with setting a vision, mission, and goals, assessing organizational performance, CEO celebrity, and entrepreneurial orientation?
- Write a vision and mission for an organization or firm that you are currently associated with. How could you use the balanced scorecard to assess how well that organization is fulfilling the mission you wrote?
Attributions
Figure 2.2:
Alcoa by Nick Foust is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (first);
Reading by Petras Gagilas is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence (second);
Canadian Chevron by David Herrera is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (third);
Google China Office by bfishadow is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (fourth);
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner Deluxe Sharp Cheddar & Jalapeno by theimpulsivebuy is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence (fifth);
Crest Toothpaste by Scott Ehardt is in the Public Domain (sixth)
Figure 2.3:
Evb-my hog by Evb-wiki is in the Public Domain (first);
Westjet Boeing 737 C-GWCM by abdallahh is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (second);
Starbucks in Shanghai by Jeff Wilcox is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (third);
MECVan by Mike is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (fourth);
1966 Fender Telecaster (tonemapped) by ArtBrom is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence (fifth)
Figure 2.4:
Darrboard by Ananta Bhadra Lamichhane is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (first);
3D Scales of Justice by StockMonkeys.com is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (second);
WestJet-Boeing-737-YVR by Makaristos is in the Public Domain (third);
They all a bunch of dumbells! by Joe Robb is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (fourth);
Stopwatch A by Wouterhagens is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence (fifth)
Figure 2.7:
Airbus A380 cockpit by Naddsy is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (first);
Pile of Cash by 401(K) 2012 is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/) (second);
Customer service by Alan Cleaver is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (third);
tissot swiss watches 2012 by foeoc kannilc is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (fourth);
Megan’s Graduation | 3 by Will Folsom is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (fifth)
Figure 2.9:
Xbox Console by Evan-Amos is in the Public Domain (first);
BXP135604 by tableatny is used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (second);
Sticky Notes by Ramesh NG is used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/) (third);
A Norwegian soldier relays information over the radio during a military adviser team (MAT) and police adviser team (PAT) training exercise at the Hohenfels Training Area a part of the Joint Multinational by SPC Tyler Kingsbury is in the Public Domain (fourth);
WK2/SS2 from directly below by Jeff Foust used under CC BY 2.0 Licence (fifth)
_and_police_adviser_team_(PAT)_training_exercise_at_the_Hohenfels_Training_Area,_a_part_of_the_Joint_Multinational_131212-A-LO967-007.jpg){kind=link}