business leaders led by blunt authorityGeneral DiscussionPaper details:In the past, many business leaders led by blunt authority, relying heavily on the power of their positions to motivate their employees. This authoritarian leadership style rarely produces top results in today’s business climate. Instead, modern business leaders seek to inspire loyalty and hard work in their employees by modeling these behaviors themselves.This week, you will continue to explore concepts related to “organic growth” strategies, focusing on effective leadership as a key element of successful implementation of strategy in general.Review the Learning Outcomes for this week, and based on those objectives and your analysis of the readings and video segment, respond to either “a” or “b” below, making direct references to several of the week’s required or optional readings:a. Identify the major internal elements that shape business strategy options and performance for a selected business with which you are familiar.b. Outline general issues of culture and leadership, as they affect strategy formation and implementation. Use the example of a selected business with which you are familiar.Note: Be sure to read the special posting and response guidelines below.Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional sources.Course Text: The Road to Organic Growth: How Great Companies Consistently Grow Marketshare From WithinChapter 6, “Measure Everything”Chapter 7, “Build a People Pipeline”Chapter 8, “Leaders: Humble, Passionate, Focused Operators”Chapter 9, “Be an Execution and Technology Champion”EpilogueSWOT Analysis II:Looking Inside forStrengths and WeaknessesExcerpted fromStrategy:Create and Implement the Best Strategy for Your BusinessHarvard Business School PressBoston, MassachusettsISBN-10: 1-4221-0553-9ISBN-13: 978-1-4221-0553-55535BCThis document is authorized for use only in Business Administration by Angela Montgomery, Laureate Education – Baltimore from September 2015 to March 2016.Copyright 2006 Harvard Business School Publishing CorporationAll rights reservedPrinted in the United States of AmericaThis chapter was originally published as chapter 2 ofStrategy,copyright 2005 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests forpermission should be directed topermissions@hbsp.harvard.edu, or mailed to Permissions,Harvard Business School Publishing, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02163.You can purchase Harvard Business School Press books at booksellers worldwide.You can order Harvard Business School Press books and book chapters online atwww.HBSPress.org, or by calling 888-500-1016 or, outside the U.S. and Canada, 617-783-7410.This document is authorized for use only in Business Administration by Angela Montgomery, Laureate Education – Baltimore from September 2015 to March 2016.SWOT Analysis IIKey Topics Covered in This Chapter•Identifying and assessing core competencies•Understanding your financial capacity forundertaking a new strategy•Evaluating management and organizationalculture in terms of change-readiness•A nine-step method for evaluating strengthsand weaknessesLooking Inside for Strengths and Weaknesses2This document is authorized for use only in Business Administration by Angela Montgomery, Laureate Education – Baltimore from September 2015 to March 2016.Having tested theouter world for threats andopportunities, strategists must look inward and eval-uate their strengths and weaknesses as an enterprise.As with the outer world, knowledge of the inner world imparts apractical sense about what company goals and strategies are most fea-sible and promising.What are a company or unit’s strengths and weaknesses? Thecost structure of its operations is one place to look for answers. An-other is the company’s brands. Are they powerful and capable of ex-tending the organization’s reach into the marketplace? How about itspipeline of R&D projects, and the acumen of its employees?There is much to be considered in an internal analysis. Thischapter addresses three of the most important areas in which a com-pany’s strengths and weaknesses should be evaluated: core compe-tencies and processes, financial condition, and management andculture. It then presents a method you can use for conducting yourevaluations.Core CompetenciesA core competence is a potential foundation for any new or revisedstrategy. The termcore competencyrefers to a company’s expertise orskills in key areas that directly produce superior performance. One ofSony’s core competencies, for example, is its ability to unite micro-electronics and innovative design in a stream of useful consumerThis document is authorized for use only in Business Administration by Angela Montgomery, Laureate Education – Baltimore from September 2015 to March 2016.
