Align: A Leadership Blueprint for Aligning Enterprise Purpose, Strategy and Organisation

by Jonathan Trevor

Overview

Shortlisted for the 2020 Business Book Awards

Why do some businesses thrive, while many more struggle and fail? A key reason – and the focus of this book – is strategic alignment. This is the careful arrangement of the various elements of an enterprise – from its business strategy to its organisation – to best support the fulfillment of its long-term purpose. The best-aligned enterprises are the best performing.

Most executives recognise that their enterprises should be managed in this aligned way, but lack a robust system of thought to allow them to execute strategic alignment effectively and realise its full benefits. There are thousands of organisations globally that are operating below their potential simply because they are not aligned. This book aims to change that.

In Align, Jonathan Trevor provides a blueprint for how strategic alignment can be effectively developed, implemented and sustained. Drawing upon active research at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School (with contributions from the joint works of Dr Jonathan Trevor and Dr Barry Varcoe), Jonathan also provides practical case studies and evidence-based insights – culminating in a thoughtful and compelling message to help leaders everywhere to improve their alignment and enterprise performance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472959386
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/28/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dr Jonathan Trevor is a management researcher, author, advisor, speaker and teacher on the subject of strategy and organisation. Jonathan works extensively with executive leadership teams in all sectors and internationally to apply his research to help them transform their businesses to be fit for purpose. His academic work is published regularly in leading journals, including Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. His research has been featured widely in the media, and he has provided expert comment for the Financial Times, BBC, Wall Street Journal, CNN and Forbes.

Jonathan serves on the faculty of the University of Oxford Said Business School, and teaches on the Oxford MBA, Executive MBA and international executive education programmes. Previously he was a lecturer at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. He holds a PhD in management studies and economics from the University of Cambridge and was a visiting doctoral scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You can learn more about Jonathan's work at www.leadtoalign.com
Dr Jonathan Trevor is a researcher, author, advisor, speaker and teacher on strategy and organization. He is an Associate Professor of Management Practice at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School and regularly publishes in leading journals, including Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. He also advises executive leadership teams in all sectors internationally to help them to transform their organizations to be fit for purpose. Jonathan received his doctorate in management studies from the University of Cambridge and was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Table of Contents

List of Figures ix

Introduction 1

1 Introduction to Strategic Alignment 11

Section 1.1 A familiar story? 11

Section 1.2 Introduction to strategic alignment 18

Section 1.3 The strategic alignment challenge 28

Section 1.4 The Strategic Alignment Framework™ 33

Section 1.5 How aligned is your enterprise? 45

Section 1.6 Enterprise leadership 54

2 Enterprise Purpose 61

Section 2.1 A meaningful purpose? 61

Section 2.2 Enterprise purpose 64

Section 2.3 How meaningful is your enterprise purpose? 69

3 Business Strategy 77

Section 3.1 Boldly going nowhere 77

Section 3.2 Business strategy 80

Section 3.3 The Strategic Alignment Framework™ 92

Section 3.4 Applying the Strategic Alignment Framework™ 102

4 Organisational Capability 117

Section 4.1 Best of intentions, but incapable 117

Section 4.2 Organisational capability 120

Section 4.3 The Strategic Alignment Framework™ 128

Section 4.4 Applying the Strategic Alignment Framework™ 144

5 Organisational Architecture 153

Section 5.1 Not long for this world? 153

Section 5.2 Organisational architecture 156

Section 5.3 The Strategic Alignment Framework™ 178

Section 5.4 Applying the Strategic Alignment Framework™ 199

6 Management Systems 205

Section 6.1 Neither strategic nor integrated 205

Section 6.2 Management systems 208

Section 6.3 A tale of two management systems 215

Conclusion 227

Acknowledgements 231

References 235

Index 242

Editorial Reviews

A unique blend of practical insights and academic research make this a definitive guide to enterprise alignment. Align is a core read for every business leader.” —Dominic Barton, Global Managing Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company

“Jonathan Trevor has done the extraordinary: he's taken a core business concept that most of us think we know well, studied it carefully, and given us a new, deep, and practical approach to alignment. His work is particularly timely as leaders in this complicated time wrestle with defining their purpose and aligning it to their strategy and organizations.” —Professor Peter Tufano, Peter Moores Dean of the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

“As someone who is often resistant to accepting advice from business books for even my own strategies, it is no small feat that Jonathan Trevor's book has commanded my attention and that, more importantly, I have learned greatly from it.” —John Crabtree OBE, Lord Lieutenant of West Midlands and Chair of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee

“In Align, Jonathan Trevor passionately shares why connecting core purpose, strategy and organization lead to a highly successful and sustainable enterprise. Many of us business leaders have relied on our instincts and experience; now Align articulates an alignment framework that enables us to better bridge these critical components to seamlessly navigate our teams into in the rapidly changing future.” —Angela Ahrendts DBE, former SVP, Apple Retail & CEO, Burberry

“Senior leadership teams eager to improve their performance will find this book provides a clear pathway to diagnosing problems and making choices for action to deliver sustainable change.” —Dame Sandra Dawson, Professor Emerita, University of Cambridge

“A tour de force. Jonathan Trevor argues powerfully that the alignment of purpose, strategy and organization are the bedrock of successful performance. He provides a wealth of examples and sets out the questions which leaders need to ask if they are to overcome disruption and intense competition.” —- Lord Richard Wilson GCB, former Cabinet Secretary and former Head of the Home Civil Service

“Strategic and organizational alignment is crucial to the success of any company and this book, with its mix of academic rigour and real-life case studies, makes this abundantly clear.” —Angus Cockburn, Group Chief Financial Officer, Serco Group Plc

“When the business community finds the right balance between customers, employees, communities and shareholders, society as a whole benefits. The key to this is alignment, and Jonathan Trevor's book provides a unique insight into why holistic management has become so crucial.” —Sergio Ermotti, CEO, UBS Group AG

“Align is an invaluable compass for business leaders looking to develop a deeper understanding of their organization, providing guidance that will allow them to plot their future with confidence.” —Hajime Watanabe, CEO, Development Bank of Japan

“The success of any enterprise is highly dependent upon the effective alignment of its various elements. Align is the essential guide for any business leader looking to master this process.” —Ning Tang, CEO and founder, CreditEase

“Jonathan Trevor has succeeded in writing a clear, concise and engaging exposition about the importance of alignment – a mission critical matter for every type of enterprise, whether social, governmental or commercial. Align is a must read for any serious student or practitioner of leadership.” —Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, CEO, Turning Point and Chancellor of the University of Lincoln

From the Publisher