Table Of ContentWHATEVER YOUR ROLE – YOU ARE A STRATEGIST B BRILLIANT
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No longer just for business leaders, executives or the specialist I
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consultant, strategy now involves the whole organisation and N
everyone in it. T
STRATEGY FOR
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From quick wins you can start using straight away to the deeper
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knowledge you need to understand, develop, implement and R
evaluate a successful strategy, Brilliant Strategy for Business will A
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show you how. E
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• Understand how a strategist thinks Y
BUSINESS
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• Evaluate different strategy models and choose the most relevant to you O
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• Learn how to effectively plan and implement a successful business B
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strategy S
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Brilliant Strategy for Business will give you the skills and confidence E
S CHRIS DALTON
to turn everyday choices into strategic decisions.
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‘Brilliant! This book deserves to be read C
by managers and strategists everywhere.’ £14.99 CO HR
Dr Bruce Ahlstrand, Co-Author of Strategy Safari BUSINESS OLL & IS
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and Professor of Strategic Management at Trent AR A
University, Canada AVID C LTO
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Visit our website at ES
www.pearson-books.com ERI
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Praise for Brilliant Strategy for Business
‘Brilliant Strategy for Business is brilliant! This comprehensive
strategy primer deserves to be read by managers and strategists
everywhere.’
Dr Bruce Ahlstrand, Co-Author of Strategy Safari: Your Complete
Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management and Professor
of Strategic Management at Trent University, Ontario, Canada
‘A great management book which combines strategy, change
management, personal development and system-thinking
aspects. It’s unique in its kind compared to other strategy
books.’
Zoltan Czegledy, Global Commodity Manager, Strategic
Procurement, Bombardier
‘Brilliant Strategy for Business hits the mark at two levels. Firstly,
it provides a great, easy-to-understand synopsis of the major
tools and approaches used in developing effective business
strategy. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it doesn’t
just look at traditional approaches but challenges the reader
to consider how strategy will be developed and deployed
in today’s paradigm-shifting business environment with its
mega trends, global economic influences, and rapidly changing
generational and consumer driven change.
Whether you are new to strategic planning and looking for
an easy entry point into the ideas and language, or a more
seasoned leader who needs a refresher, this book will definitely
give you ideas, challenges and knowledge presented in an
easy-to-consume manner.’
Paul Major, Director, Strategic Delivery and Change
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brilliant
strategy for
business
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brilliant
strategy for
business
How to plan, implement and evaluate strategy at
any level of management
Chris Dalton
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PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow CM20 2JE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1279 623623
Web: www.pearson.com/uk
First published 2016 (print and electronic)
© Dalton Training Limited 2016 (print and electronic)
The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited reproduction,
storage in a retrieval system, distribution or transmission in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, permission should be obtained from the
publisher or, where applicable, a licence permitting restricted copying in the United
Kingdom should be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Barnard’s Inn,
86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN
The ePublication is protected by copyright and must not be copied, reproduced,
transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way
except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the
terms and conditions under which it was purchased, or as strictly permitted by
applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a
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may be liable in law accordingly.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of
any trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark
ownership rights in such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any
affiliation with or endorsement of this book by such owners.
ISBN: 978-1-292-10784-4 (print)
978-1-292-10786-8 (PDF)
978-1-292-10787-5 (ePub)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for the print edition is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dalton, Chris, author.
Title: Brilliant strategy for business : how to plan, implement and evaluate
strategy at any level of management / Chris Dalton.
Description: Harlow, England ; New York : Pearson, 2016. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015044283 (print) | LCCN 2015048195 (ebook) | ISBN
9781292107844 | ISBN 9781292107868 () | ISBN 9781292107875 ()
Subjects: LCSH: Strategic planning. | Management.
Classification: LCC HD30.28 .D35 2016 (print) | LCC HD30.28 (ebook) | DDC
658.4/012--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044283
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
20 19 18 17 16
Series design by David Carroll & Co
Print edition typeset in 10/14pt Plantin MT Pro by SPi Global
Print edition printed in Great Britain by Henry Ling Ltd, at the Dorset Press,
Dorchester, Dorset
NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION
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Contents
About the author viii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xiii
How the book is organised xvii
part 1 Getting to grips with strategy 1
1 How to be a brilliant business strategist 7
2 Strategic issues 27
3 Strategic directions 51
part 2 Business level strategy 75
4 Finding competitive advantage 81
5 Strategy as learning and innovation 107
6 Strategy, day to day 135
7 H ow to lead, implement change and
evaluate strategy 161
part 3 Strategic thinking in a changing world 193
8 The purpose and future of strategy 197
9 How to break the rules of strategy 223
Epilogue 249
Further reading 253
Twenty prominent strategists 257
Index 263
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About the author
A dynamic and creative tutor and facilitator, Chris Dalton is
Associate Professor of Management Learning at Henley Busi-
ness School at the University of Reading in the UK. He joined
Henley in November 2005 and until 2010 was the Director of
the Henley MBA (Flexible Learning), a programme with over
3,000 executives worldwide. Since 2010 he has taught and
facilitated the Personal Development module on the MBA. His
research interests centre on reflective practice in management
and leadership.
Chris has accumulated 25 years of experience in management
education and training in the UK and abroad. Before Henley he
worked at the CEU Business School in Budapest, Hungary as
MBA Program Director and has run corporate workshops and
seminars related to management development in many parts
of the world, including South Africa, Central Europe and the
Middle East.
Chris holds a PhD in Management Learning and Leadership
from Lancaster University and an MBA from Henley. A Fellow
of the Higher Education Academy he is a visiting Professor of
Management at COTRUGLI Business School in Croatia. His
first book, The Every Day MBA, was published by Pearson in
January 2015.
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Acknowledgements
No one learns as much about a subject as one who is forced to teach it.
Peter F. Drucker
Drucker was correct that teaching acquaints you more with a
topic than listening about it does. What he did not say was that
it is only when you write about a subject that your acquain-
tance really becomes intimate.
Although this book has been a personal project, produced
mostly in isolation, it would not have been possible – or much
good – without the support and feedback of those around me. I
am grateful to my wife, Gina, for the love and patience that tol-
erated the writing space. I would also like to thank Professors
Marc Day and Jane McKenzie at Henley Business School, and
Cigdem Gogus, Rupa Datta, Clive Randall and Sabine Jones for
their time and generous comments on drafts at various stages.
Finally, a thank you to Steve Temblett, my editor at Pearson –
not least for sharing my taste in music.
Publisher’s acknowledgements
We are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright
material:
Figures
Figure 3.2 from ‘Strategies for diversification’, Harvard Business
Review 35(5), September–October, pp. 113–124 (Ansoff, I. 1957).
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