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Sheremata IS a tenured associate professor who specializes in strategy f ormulation and execution as well as the management of technology and innovation. She has taught at Schulich since 2002 and before that at Tulane University. Prior to her career in academia, she worked in IBM for 13 years managing new product development in R&D labs, developing new business and product plans, marketing new products, and working as staff for IBM’s highest level of mana gement.
Brief Description This course addresses the managerial challenge of executing a firm’s strategy, by focusing on organizational elements that must be aligned to support a strategy as well as the tremendous difficulty of doing so. These elements include, but are not limited to, organizational structures and control mechanisms that match” the given strategy as well as strategic leadership. Students learn and apply theory regarding strategy execution by analyzing implementation and performance in specific firms. Prerequisites: SGMT 6000 3. 00.
Contents Course Learning Outcomes 2 Deliverables at a Glance Course 3 Student Preparation for Class and Class Participation: Expectations Class-by-Class Syllabus Written Assignments and Project: Descriptions 12 Evaluation of Written Assignments and Project 14 Calculation of Course Grade 16 General Academic Policies: Grading, Academic Honesty, Accommodations and Exams . . SGMT 6250 Section X p. Empirical evidence indicates that most business strategies”no matter how brilliantly formulated”fail because of poor execution. Strategy execution is particularly difficult.
This course addresses the managerial challenge of execution by focusing on organizational elements that must be aligned to implement specific strategies well as the tremendous difficulty of doing so. It is designed to help students learn how senior managers can design and manage processes and s tructures in order to enact strategy, thereby improving firm performance. One perspective in the field of strategic management is that mplementation components such as control mechanisms and organizational structures must “fit” the firm’s strategy, which is formed first.
Another perspective is that strategy and implementation emerge in tandem, t hrough ad-hoc processes. In this perspective, strategy drives implementation and implementation drives strategy. This course explores both perspectives and examines fundamental aspects of implement ation that include, but are not limited to: The challenge of execution The relationship between making and executing strategy Structure and strategy Multiple types of networks and matrix structures
Financial, strategic, and behavioral control mechanisms Culture and competitive advantage Power, politics, and influence Strategic leadership Top management teams and the power of persuasion Leaders and teams in new product development Execution and the innovation process Lectures and readings highlight concepts and tools that help managers execute strategies and, as a result, improve firm performance. Case discussions apply these concepts and tools to real-life situations. Throughout, students learn how to integrate and apply established knowledg e about the components of implementation.
Upon the completion of this course, students should have a greater understanding of the difficulty of strategy execution and the tools managers can use to make st rategy happen. As the title of the textbook indicates, this course is about “making strategy work. ” Using this case-based approach, this course is designed to help students attai n the following objectives: Acquire science-based knowledge relevant to the problem of strategy implem entation. What do we know about strategy execution? Which organizational structures and processes help firms execute which strategies? Under which conditions?