PLAYING TO WIN

- STRATEGY TO BUILD
COMPETITIVE, COLLABORATIVE,
AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

NIGEL A.L. BROOKS

THE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Article reprint
 PLAYING TO WIN - STRATEGY TO BUILD COMPETITIVE,
COLLABORATIVE, AND COOPERATIVE ADVANTAGE

Strategy is about winning in the marketplace by acquiring market share to

deliver value, and by improving performance over time. Strategy is the
implementation of both plans and policies, and is deployed and executed
through programs, projects, and perpetual processes. The concept of
strategy originated with governments out of political need, and was
executed as war. In business, strategy is about winning constituency
relationships, especially those of customers.

Strategy is the beneficial positioning and posturing of an enterprise in an

industry and related marketplaces so as to deliver value over time. The
direction towards broad or narrow markets, with either differentiated or
utility products and/or services and lines, is a function of position. Being a
leader, close follower, laggard, or niche player, as either a scale provider
or boutique, is a function of posture. Posturing based upon growth requires
an effective approach to mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Strategy
can be either offensive or defensive in various markets.

Strategy is a set of actions derived from both plans and policies to gain
advantage including:

● Aspirational - loyal relationships between employee, customer,

supplier, and investor constituencies because stated and enacted
values are consistent

● Competitive - the position and posture that offers consistencies better

value than competitors

● Collaborative - relationships between suppliers, or customers, or

peers as a partnership with a common mission, and operating
dependently for mutual value

● Cooperative - relationships between suppliers, or customers, or peers

as an association with a similar mission, but operating independently
for mutual value

Winning customer relationships is essential; building effective

relationships with all constituencies is necessary for delivering value.

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Strategy formulation should begin early and continue throughout the life
of an enterprise - as vision becomes reality, there is more experience to
draw upon. However, building sustainable advantage means being able to
enact change, either by causing or responding to it, on an ongoing basis.

The components of strategy include:

Enterprise:

● Aspiration - vision and guiding principles, mission, vision, value

proposition

● Industry position and posture - sector; segments: single product line,

diversified, or conglomerate; scale provider or boutique

Competitive position and posture:

● Markets: high barriers to entry - either broad or narrow

● Products and/or services: either differentiated by distinctive functions

and features commanding a premium price, or utilities at discount

● Infrastructure: hard to replicate - tight fit between people, processes,

and products and/or services; discount pricing requires effective and
efficient production cost and operating expense management

Performance improvement:

● Repositioning in markets

● Restructuring administrative and operational activities

● Reengineering processes

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Constituency-based objectives, goals, and strategic initiatives:

● Employees
● Customers
● Suppliers
● Investors
● Regulators
● Competitors

Functional:

● Enterprise
● Legal
● Finance
● Human Resources
● Information Technology
● Research and Development (program management and engineering:
market, product, infrastructure)
● Operations (procurement, manufacturing or equivalent, distribution)
● Business Development (marketing, sales, service)

Governance:

● Legal vehicles
● Organizational structure (functions and business units)
● Standard of ethics
● Sustainability - environmental, economic, and social

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Key performance indicators:

● Financial: revenue, costs and expenses, profits, cash flows, financial

capital, operating capital, investment capital, and returns based upon
rates, quantities of input, volumes of output, and gains

● Non-financial: market share and penetration, product and/or service

usage, satisfaction, quality, time-to-market, cycle time, productivity,
asset capacity and utilization

Strategic plans are supported by tactical, operational, and financial plans,

and processes for enhancement and maintenance.

Strategy formulation is an enterpriship (entrepreneurship, leadership, and

managerial) competency.

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For more information...

For information about audiobooks, books, earticles, ebooks, and eseminars

offered by The Business Leadership Development Corporation visit
www.etailia.com

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www.enterpriship.com

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About Nigel A.L Brooks...

Nigel A.L Brooks is a management consultant to entrepreneurs, business

enterprise owners, executives, and managers, and the enterprises they
serve. He specializes in developing the entrepreneurial, leadership, and
managerial competencies that build sustainable advantage from vision to
value. He is an author and a frequent speaker.

He obtained his professional experience as a partner at Andersen

Consulting (now Accenture, Ltd.), as a vice president at Booz Allen
Hamilton, Inc. (now Booz and Company), as a senior vice president at the
American Express Company, as president of Javazona Cafes, Inc., and as
president of The Business Leadership Development Corporation. He has
been a contributing editor for the Bank Administration Institute magazine,
and has served on boards of entrepreneurial networks. He was educated at
the University of Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom.

His clients are in the financial services, food services, high-tech,

manufacturing and distribution, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, professional
services, retail and wholesale, transportation, and government industries.

He has experience in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

www.nigelalbrooks.com

About The Business Leadership Development Corporation (BLD)...

The Business Leadership Development Corporation is a professional

services firm that works with entrepreneurs, lifestyle business enterprise
owners, executives, and managers, and the enterprises they serve.

BLD develops entrepreneurial, leadership, and managerial competencies

that achieve performance excellence by building sustainable advantage
from vision to value through:

 Strategic Management Consulting

 Executive Coaching and Mentoring
 Professional Training via The Center For Business Leadership
Development (CBLD)
 Motivational Speaking

www.bldsolutions.com

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