The Seven Inconvenient Truths of Business Strategy

The most damning charge frequently levelled at strategic planning is that of irrelevance. Paul Hunter’s The Seven Inconvenient Truths of Business Strategy is an antidote to conventional methods of strategic management that are renowned for being sporadic, biased, poorly articulated and rarely implemented with total success. Drawing on a framework that encapsulates a collection of definitive principles, the author offers a structure to strategy, as a system, and in a format that is representative of a literal reinvention of strategic planning overall; an indicator and explanation of the strategic tools that you already know, but in a more comprehensive format. Paul also provides insights into the collaborative techniques for carrying out the process successfully: formation, evaluation, alignment and implementation. Other topics covered include governance, communication, leadership, learning, teamwork, transformation and the treatment of strategic risk; at the level of a profession. An extended case study, based on the story of Cadbury, the chocolate maker, is woven through the chapters to provide a vibrant illustration of the value and application of the various techniques and processes described. Organisations of all kinds have never needed strategic planning quite as much as they need it today in an environment of increasing complexity, uncertainty and continual change. The Seven Inconvenient Truths of Business Strategy will help you ensure that your strategic process is always effective, visible, professional, relevant and timely.

Paul Hunter is Chief Executive of the Strategic Management Institute, a research and education organisation committed to the collection and dissemination of knowledge in strategy. Under his guidance, the SMI delivers a Certified Strategy Practitioner (CSP) accreditation program. The SMI was established by Paul five years ago as an integral component of an independent consulting firm of which he was co-founder. He has presented at numerous conferences and seminars including the SMS and authored or co-authored articles appearing in publications that include a chapter in a recently published book on the topic of corporate universities. Paul Hunter holds a Doctor of Business Administration and is a past partner of PwC. He developed the methodology supporting the Practice of Strategy described in this book, an area in which he now teaches and consults.