1. Dr. Josh Siepel Lecturer in Management Science Policy Research Unit
Good strategies or bad strategies? How successful businesses combine skills, finance and innovation for competitive advantage
Dr. Josh Siepel
Lecturer in Management
Science Policy Research Unit

2. This Session Introduction
Thinking about strategy – what it is (and isn’t)
What makes strategy ‘good’ and ‘bad’?
Strategic combinations of skills

3. What is ‘strategic’?

4. Strategic vs Operational Decisions
Strategic decisions are:
Important
Involves significant commitment of resources
Not easily reversible
…Everything else is operational

5. Good strategy and bad strategy

6. Bad strategies: 1) Fail to face the problem

7. Bad strategies: 1) Fail to face the problem 2) Mistake goals for strategy

8. Bad strategies: 1) Fail to face the problem 2) Mistake goals for strategy 3) Have bad strategic objectives

9. Bad strategies: 1) Fail to face the problem 2) Mistake goals for strategy 3) Have bad strategic objectives 4) Have ‘fluff’ – superficial abstraction

10. Why is there so much bad strategy?

11. Ok… so what makes for good strategy?

12. Rumelt’s ‘kernels’ of good strategy: 1) A diagnosis 2) A guiding policy 3) Coherent actions

13. And… now for something slightly different – a view from the academic coalface

14. Capabilities and combinations of skills: What combinations of skills help firms to grow?

15. Thank you! Feel free to get in touch: j.siepel@sussex.ac.uk