Blog #4: Right implementation of strategies

Readings this week talks about probably one of the most critical aspects of effective strategy development - correct implementation. Implementation, if not done correctly, will result in a half baked strategy: which is of no use to the organization. 

While the McKinsey article talks about the ten-odd tests[1] one can use to inspect their strategy, I believe it all boils down to the fact the whether or not we asked the right questions when developing the strategy. These questions should not be kept until the very end when creating an effective plan, but we should try to answer them as early in the development process as possible[2]. Ideally, our strategy should take into account the immediate need and attributes of the customers, which we, as an organization, can solve without comprising our ideals[3]. At the same time, it should be hard for our competitors to adopt our new plan. There should always be a first movers advantage - if not, it's just not worth it. 

Let's take the example of Google+, a social media platform that Google launched in 2017 and then shut down within two years[4]. When Google first launched this, they believed that since they have such a diverse plethora of products in their lineup, a social media platform will be a perfect fit. Technologically, Google+ was a superior platform with a lot more streamlined integration as compared to Facebook. However, the strategists here still did not consider an important aspect- do customers need another platform, and will Facebook not be able to implement the same features on their's in a short time. The answer to both of these questions was a staggering no. Customers were not really bought into the idea to move to this new platform, and the neat little features that it offered - such as events, and map-based geolocation - was quickly implemented by the Facebook's team. 

To summarise my understanding from this week's readings: even though, as an organization, one has substantial disposable capital available, it's imperative to think about post-launch scenarios and tweak the product or strategy accordingly.  

References:

[1] Have You Tested Your Strategy Lately? (McKinsey Quarterly, January 2011) 

[2] Charles Roxburgh, “The use and abuse of scenarios,” mckinseyquarterly.com, November 2009.

[3] Richard Rumelt, “Strategy in a ‘structural break,’” mckinseyquarterly.com, December 2008.

[4] Talin. (2019, April 3). Why Google Failed. Retrieved from https://onezero.medium.com/why-google-failed-4b9db05b973b.