Man­aging Strategy Im­ple­ment­a­tion in the Mod­ern Cor­por­a­tion

Course content

This course deals with strategic and operational challenges of strategy implementations in modern corporations. Strategy implementation refers to the implementation of strategic decisions such as actions to be taken, resources to be devoted, or precedents set. For example, a firm that decides to internationalize its operations needs to gear its organization for the many cultural and operational challenges associated with this type of chance. Relatedly, a firm that decides to change product markets needs to ensure that its employees acknowledge and adapt the new strategic directions.

Often, however, firms experience a number of challenges when implementing strategic decisions. Organizational inertia may prevent the firm changing strategic direction. Employees may lack the motivation to enter new product markets. Firms may realize that the actual costs of implementation significantly exceed the anticipated costs. As a result, too many firms are unable to successfully implement the strategies that are intended to ensure future growth.

In contrast to other courses that focus on strategic planning, this course centers on the actual implementation of strategies that are already taken. We will do this by providing the relevant theoretical and empirical background of the core components of modern strategy implementation, such as strategic decision-making,  organizational evolution and change, ‘Management by Objectives’, the role of subunits, and leadership. In sum, this course aims at providing students with a theoretical and practical understanding of strategy implementation.

The course will fully adhere to building disciplinary skills and transformational capabilities around the Nordic Nine, and will specifically focus on #1 ("You have deep business knowledge placed in a broad context"), #2 (You are analytical with data and curious about ambiguity), #4 ("You are competitive in business and compassionate in society"), and #6 ("You are critical when thinking and constructive when collaborating").