According to an Ernst & Young study, 66% of corporate strategies are never implemented. Why? Doing something new is always complicated. Organizations and units that constitute them, must overcome traditions, conflict of interest, internal communication channels are very poor and other cultural aspects that are a full-fledged trip. Here are some key management expert gives Lauren Keller in an article published by Harvard Business Review.
Consensus Strategic Plan
The seeds of the implementation problems are planted very early, often for its own development strategy: the process of defining and designing the strategy can not be seen as anything other than creating a plan to run it.

Bill Treasurer, the founder of Giant Leap Consulting consultant, describes this phenomenon as "executive asphyxia." As Treasurer, the strategic plan is created by an executive in his "inner sanctum", isolated from the low ranks of the organization. That being the case, the ability to perform drops. The consultant recommends that customers invite their customers, employees or suppliers to give their views on the direction of the company on its strategy. In other words, should ignore the vertical and go to a more horizontal model.

Understand and define the connection between strategy at the highest level and strategic objectives (supported by lower levels of the organization) is vital. "Our strategy must have a long-term vision and serve as a source of inspiration," says C. Davis Fogg, who is author of "implement your Strategic Plan." "Our strategic objectives are short-term efforts to move precisely toward that long-term vision." In an ideal scenario, the development of the strategy and related objectives are part of the same, is a fluid process.


Building consensus

Many experts warn of the dangers of "strategic dilution", ie trying to run too many goals. The strategic objectives should not be great. It is better to be clearly defined, that are realistic, rather than trying to do big things, like solving world hunger. It is crucial to clearly define the roles and milestones.

Even a strategy designed thinking a lot about its implementation may not come to fruition. Perhaps the easiest way to keep running in place is a thorough plan to sustain and continue to build the same consensus during the phase of strategic development.
"The directors encourage consensus by explaining the emotional and financial benefits to achieve the objectives and the problems of not achieving them," says Frogg

As stated in the article, Karen Silverio, vice president of Addison-Wesley/Benjamin Cummings, do not trust to tell people what to do. Instead, think it is very important to support and serve those within the organization responsible for implementing this strategy. For her the process is as important as the outcome, because if this process is not satisfactory, these same actors will not engage so the next time you have to push forward a plan.

The incentives also play a role in building consensus around a strategy. And not just about hard cash. "Knowing that motivates our employees," said Silverio. "I've seen many times that non-financial incentives, such as making someone public's contribution can be more effective than economic. Many people feel very satisfied knowing that their ideas are being used. "

Multidisciplinary teams

One of the best strategy to implement a plan to mobilize multidisciplinary teams run around each goal and throughout the company. These devices allow people to collaborate to ensure that each initiative supports your goals for and carried out in time.

To increase the sense of responsibility, Silverio linking strategic initiatives team leaders based on their experience, knowledge or interest in new challenges. It also announces the progress of work, so that the feeling of responsibility, both among managers and among workers, is reinforced.

Smart executives ensure that consistently communicate the importance of the strategy to follow and the implementation. Bill Treasurer recommends that customers always explain the connection between strategic initiatives in which its managers and employees are working and the end (higher) than they look. "Leaders must be noted that new need for new behaviors, rules, skills and priorities," he says. "They have to explain why the new strategy is so important."

The main complaint of critics of the Android G1, the first mobile phone designed by Google, manufactured by HTC and distributed exclusively for the United States by the German T-Mobile, already has an answer: if this phone wants to be the future is multi- touch, as if what is Apple's iPhone is only because the form does not want to anger the company that runs Google Jobs.Estrategia Steve

It is considered multi-touch to any phone with touch screen that is able to process the orders that their sensors get several fingers of the user ... at a time. That ability is what allows, for example, zoom in and zoom photos on an iPhone using the thumb and forefinger of one hand.

And no one understood well until now why Google had resigned to making your touch phone was also multi-touch. Now, a report in the U.S. specializing half recounts how own brand of apple begged the Android development team which did not include this capability in the design of its new generation of mobile phones (of which the G1 is just the first member .)

The main reasons why the giant gave information on the Internet without question appear to be two. First, both brands share the common goal to overthrow Microsoft. And second, that Apple is preparing a legal barrage against those who dare to use that technology in other devices.

Apple itself warned of the consequences on the last presentation of business results in a message that everyone understood that was addressed to Palm, to use multi-touch technology in its new Intelligent Mobile Pre. "We will use all weapons at our disposal," said then one of their top executives.

The technology will advance and the workplace in 2018 will be very different in how they are now. That is the prediction made by a group of experts assembled by the Human Resources Management Worforce portal which also gives a wake-up call for companies to begin to take note.

The conclusions of this expert panel are dominated by the feeling that the job is temporary and "village" for teams still more mobile and flexible.

They consider that the figure of "freelance" win integers. Furthermore, with regard to management style, say that social networks will change the "command and control" style prevailing in favor based on collaboration and teamwork.

Participants in this panel include amounts in human resources experts from companies such as Yahoo, Ernst & Young, Infosys Technologies and SAP. Furthermore, had the expert opinion of the American academic world.

One of the predictions in which almost everyone agreed it was about the explosion of social networking and other collaborative technologies such as wikis (web pages can be edited by many volunteers).

In fact, "collaboration" and relationships are two words that are going to sound in the workplace over the next two decades. Yes, these places will be increasingly removed physically and geographically, although technologically very close and connected.

Adaptive structure

The structure of the work will be more "adaptive," with more informal managers. In addition, the use of virtual teams will grow, with many people communicate via video, email and text messages, as argued by the representative of Infosys in the panel.
In fact, the work seeing the faces of peers could be in danger of extinction, as the contacts face to face will be increasingly scarce.

"Our communication is so dependent on email or SMS," says Nandita Gurjar, Infosys, in the journal Worforce Management "that no one will talk on the phone anymore."

Participating experts showed different views on what effect the arrival of Generation Y or workers in the "millennium" (those born in the 80s) to work. Some predict that contribute to the boundaries between private life and working life are diluted. Others, however, anticipate that the presence of this group will not have great impact and talented people will continue to work hard and prosper in organizations.

Business Travel

There was also some disagreement on the number of business trips to be made by 2018. John Haggerty, Cornell University, says that will be made less. By contrast, other participants predict that companies will demand managers with a more global experience, so you are going to have to travel far from their country of origin.

Where there was unanimity that it is increasingly moving to put more emphasis on ethical leadership and corporate responsibility. In 2018 this will be ensured through better training and recruitment that is made will take into account both aspects significantly. Indeed, the recruitment process will become more virtual, and precisely for that reason, also be global.

The representative stressed that SAP will be a transition from leadership based on order and control to styles that prevail collaboration and dialogue. Therefore, organizations are going to be forced to think differently about the kind of leadership they need, and about the capabilities that they must have.

About the benefits that employees will have a few years, this panel of experts said that will be more creative and personalized, and that would include the care of dependent people or pets, among other things unthinkable today.

All participants agreed in pointing out that Human Resources will play a greater role than at present. In this regard, the representative of Ernst & Young predicted that the term "Human Resources" would disappear, and suggested names like "personal" or "employee relations."

I approached a friend who wrote a text specifically for the blog. Thanks MP

FALSE POSITIVE

Reading a recent article published in a newspaper, I think I found the correct definition of a problem I've been looking a few years ago.

The definition of "false positives" arises in the context of the guerrillas who currently suffers Colombia, where it is called "positive" to those interventions on the guerrilla army in Colombia when deaths occur after a clash of FARCS side.

Colombian journalism called "false positive" to the deaths that happen but apparently in a clash took place in a fictional assembly by the Colombian military, which according to the press in that country have been murders, simulating deaths " legal "in clashes.

Thus the army "is noted" some "positive" getting more money from the state, licenses, awards, among other benefits.

It has come to light a case where it is believed that the army executed a young peasant, bringing the forest deceived, dress similar to FARCS and making carrying a weapon (in his right hand when the young man was left-handed).

This implementation, as part of a number of "false positives" occur is assumed by the pressure of President Uribe, on the high command of the army, where at the same time these, derive the pressure (and the incentive system) to reach the soldiers in the jungle.

According to the idea that I wish to develop and given to buy (bridging the gap) in the companies we can find many "false positives".

That is, acts which a priori appear to be positive, but behind them lies a deceptive act, a reality opposed to the objective.

For example we can see a large number of service companies, such as service sellers generally high in terms of meeting their goals (and they are paid), but then given to low-high netting we find the "positive" results negative, since the high casualties have been consumed in the service. Due to investigate we find that many have been high false duplication of clients, family income, among other devices.

Are these vendors totally guilty? Surely in many but not forget that their mode of action depends largely on the incentive scheme to which this subject and the degree of pressure exerted on them.
Many times we are facing over-ambitious goals that seem impossible, it gives the sales force tools scarce. If we add a dictatorial management style, the threat of dismissal or an excessive commission for high sales, we get the most of the time a cluster of "false positives".

A survey carried out by the intellectual property firm Marks & Clerk has shown that 84% of executives believe that a strong brand is more important in times of crisis in the economic boom.

Similarly, 86% said they would be more willing now, as things are, to come out and defend their products and services over its competitors. A fifth said they spent far more time to safeguard the brand.

Almost all (97%) stated that use your brand is a key part of its business strategy to address the recession, particularly using it as a way to focus their marketing efforts on their core products or services.

In this context, more than three-quarters of respondents said they were going to be more aggressive in protecting their brands, with 80% suggesting they were now more for the work before defending their existing products and services.

This is on paper, since the study warns that companies are still acting in a very "embryonic" to protect their brands. Thus, four out of five executives warned that they were too busy to "spend" more time to safeguard your brand.
branding

Only when there are problems

"One of the most important contributions that can offer a brand to a company's long-term resistance," Pan says Withers, Marks & Clerk, in a statement. "In any case, companies have to take responsibility. All too often care only about protecting your brand when your business is threatened by competitors, "he says.

In this regard, eight out of ten executives surveyed said the "realities" would result, inevitably, a cut of the budget directly linked to the brand. Almost half were spending less than one percent of its budget to protect or monitor their brand.

Insecurity in the labor market and the fear of spending is causing changes between consumer trends. Luxury brands and trademarks green are those that are suffering most in favor of others that are cheaper or that simply offer a better value for money.

Only 14% of the executives who responded to the questionnaire thought that would get the luxury brands to thrive in the current economic climate. Similarly, they asserted that the marks relating to the environment or social responsibility would suffer more.

In contrast, over 90% said the quality-price brands emerge victorious from the crisis. 80% said that confidence was becoming increasingly important to consumers

Opportunities and dangers

This research shows that these changes in consumer behavior may be long distance, changing the long-term market. 80% of respondents said that this relative expansion of the "players" of the market creates a real opportunity for new brands, which can retain its market share after the recession.

Although some respondents showed their doubts about the new cheap brands, which have become one of the most successful competition resulting from the recession, 79% admitted that this trend will prosper.

In this line, 81% expected to be launched to the market cheaper versions of existing brands. This despite the fact that 73% said that this could devalue its brand in the long term and that 44% believed that it is a real danger to the mark.

"Companies will have to carefully position their brands and to demonstrate the value and quality they represent," says Withers.

When a person has a business idea because it senses that there is great potential in it often makes the mistake of wanting to copy the entire competition, to be near her to grab their customers and offer a lower price to enter and win them all .

This pathway probably leads to the competitor, in turn, lower prices and differentiations loEstrategia of this becomes a cycle, in a price war that ended up taking them both to the minimum charge for their products and not to obtain the expected gains .

Columbia Ideas at Work Business School published an article on the studies currently undertaken by the professor of economics and business of the university, Michael Riordan, using game theory to see how they react to business owners when new firms enter the market to compete .

Riordan sums it up this way: "The key issue is to design products to avoid direct competition, so that there is a substantial number of consumers in the market that are more or less indifferent between their product line and its competitor . Because if any, will be tempting to try to attract them through lower prices. "

Enter the market without causing a price war

Riordan says that if it is known to enter the market with a well differentiated product that is not interchangeable with the competition and, therefore, less sensitive to price changes, it is likely that prices instead of lowering, increase because everyone will be getting the most out of your segment.

This may be clearer with the example mentioned in the article by Columbia Ideas at Work, in which an aspiring entrepreneur coffee business is a very crowded near a college where many people walk, and decides to open a coffee business the entire front, across the street.

The reaction of the old business is to depress prices to fight for their customers, leading to the new employer also decrease, achieving much lower profit margins than expected.

But the proposal discussed in the article is that if the new owner decides to enter differentiated, can open a tea shop looking to attract that segment of customers in the coffee shop who prefer the new product and would not change because of differences in the price, which would provide incentives to old business owner to lower their prices, and instead could take them up to maximize earnings from coffee drinkers.

According to Riordan, "The profit-maximizing price of the establishment of coffee depends on the price charged by the establishment of tea, and vice versa" and it will be agreeing that stable prices.

Product differentiation strategies

According to these studies, before entering a market, there are three questions that must be considered in order to create a product differentiation strategy that maximizes profits:

1. Is there a customer segment that is not well served by existing firms? There are consumers of all types, some are willing to pay more for certain products not decided by others motivated by lower prices. If you can create a product with added value for those customers who are willing to pay more for it, you can capture some of that value through higher earnings.

2. How much difference should be within their own product line? Advanced segmentation creates value for customers because they feel that they offer something to suit you, but be careful with the way in which this segmentation affects other products and the level of variety so that it becomes profitable.

3. How will existing firms respond to new business entry into the market? If many customers see the new product as a possible replacement of the former, the owner of the latter cut prices. But to avoid this, you can segment the product so that customers prefer one or the other, regardless of price.

The key is to offer a unique product that meets specific consumer needs and has added value for which they are willing to pay, as this is what ensures the success and permanence of the product without relying on other bids.

In the words of Riordan "What makes the entrance, ideally, is to reorganize the consumer in the market, so that the new consumer segmentation among firms, they are less price sensitive"

Asia and Latin America will be the two television markets with higher growth over the next four years, threatening the hegemony of the United States and Europe in the sector since the last decade, according to the report eEspaña Orange Foundation.

In particular, the Asia-Pacific is expected to reach the 84.657 million euros in 2012 thanks to its audiovisual business, frMedios Latino Americanization the estimated 55 510 in 2008. In the case of Latin America, the figure will rise to 24.569 million last year when revenue forecasts were at 15.959 million.

The report also projects growth in the European television market (from 96 199 129 079 000 will euros in 2012), and in the U.S. market (from 116830-145921000). Despite maintaining its leadership, the joint sum of these markets and not enough three-quarters of the market, as happened in 2007. For its part, Canada will raise its turnover in just this period and will be at 7.508 million euros.

In the television section of the cell, the study noted the "spectacular growth" that the Asian experience, to a presence of 18 percent of the total market for the distribution of pay television in 2012, representing more than 8,700 million euros.

On the other hand, the global market of content distribution payments expected to grow over 10% in all regions except the United States and Canada, reaching 219.9 thousand million euros in turnover in 2012.

There are millions of businesses that do not grow stagnant or go to continue selling exactly the same: the original with which they came into the market and to believe that they can not reach further, because most likely see no changes or improvements nor the need to seek to create them.

But there are so many businesses that have discovered the secret of their success and growth in the continuing evolution of its products and original services to reach more and more people and places, and keep up, but go hand in hand fashion and market trends.

Something like this is what Max McKeown says in his article "Reinventing the wheel" published in Management Issues. According to him, any product can reinvent itself many times and the real innovation is done by following what is discovered in the lifestyles of people to enter a world of immense possibilities and profits.

McKeown said that "It is easy to think that something is so simple that you can not improve. That is so important, not earn any money perfecting it. That is so low tech, the intellect would be lost just thinking about it. Which has a margin or volume so low that the company would never make a dollar, yen or euro. It's easy to think that. But one would be wrong. "

The success of reinventing

People like to feel that they have something new or improved products and have always used change over time to adopt new technologies, be in style, offer more benefits and better meet the needs.

McKeown explains in his article, "Paying attention to the lifestyles of our customers, you can create unlimited variations of any product. Setting the details of a product to reflect new tastes and fashions can increase profit margins and follow the curve of popularity of the new trends. "

And as evidence of what he argues, he mentions several examples of big companies get huge profits and that continue to grow from the reinvention of its original products. One is Nike, which now earns 16 billion dollars annually from its continuous reinvention of shoes, sweatshirts and socks.

According to him, once Nike was organized around three product categories: shoes, clothing and equipment, and now focuses on sports, tribal and activities, so it has more than 13,000 different products because it creates special shoes for the cricket player India and others for lacrosse and more for the American athlete.

McKeown explains, "The reinvention of the sneaker is possible to meet the preferences of sports, nations, age groups, genders and individual fashion. The opportunities extend endlessly reinventing advances in materials technology (what they are made) and the production technology (as do). "
He states that "Each reinvention involves innovation."

Personalization

One of the opportunities that currently exist and McKeown emphasizes the customization of products and services, for which he recommends business owners wonder what elements of their products could be adapted to the specific needs of different customers.

Because, as noted by the author, and are developing technologies that allow much customization of products and services in the future, but right now there are companies that implement programs and products tailored to clients as Adidas, Nike, Reebok and Converse, which provide individualized services to measure the feet of people in the stores and send them home to fit shoes at 20 days.

Finally, the important and the conclusion is that all products can reinvent itself as the problems and needs of people continue to occur and require ever more innovative solutions tailored to your lifestyle, your tastes and fashion. That's why paying attention to customers can create new markets from the constant reinvention.

During periods of crisis can assess many factors that change according to the nature of the crisis conditions, and become that make the management decisions of the present and the future.

One such factor is the behavior of the managers of the companies, which are now under pressure and have to make decisions that will determine the future of their employees, their organizations and society in general.

The new global survey by McKinsey & Company, called "Leadership Through the Crisis and After" (The leadership during and after the crisis), investigated the way in which individual leaders are leading and the changes that their styles of leadership have suffered during the economic crisis.

The study found that executives have actually changed their leadership styles markedly during the past year, with the exception of his view of the aspects that can help companies in the long term, and also revealed that many of the styles leadership is most needed at present and in the future, like having inspirational leaders and have a clear direction for the company, are used by women than by men.

Leaders without much leadership

The global survey emphasizes the positive in that most participants have said does not have cut into programs for recruitment, retention and development of women, but also says it is opaque by the fact that only one third of respondents consider gender diversity as one of the ten priorities of their company while relatively few are taking specific actions to promote it.

Moreover, there are some very encouraging figures in the leadership of managers: only 48% of the executives surveyed believe they should inspire and only 46% considered it their responsibility to provide leadership during the crisis. Moreover, these figures drop to 45% and 39%, respectively, if the questions are framed in the way of managing in times of post-crisis.

John Baldoni, leadership consultant and author of several books, published an article on the survey at Harvard Business Publishing, and believes that "A majority of managers just do not understand what it means to be a leader."

And is that only 30% of managers felt they needed to motivate your employees during the crisis, and 23% felt it during the post-crisis; only 23% expressed the need for accountability during the crisis, and 18% during the post- crisis, and only 33% of them claimed to believe that innovation is needed now, while 46% said they believed it was necessary during the post-crisis.

In the words of Balconi, "If a majority of managers do not feel the inspiration and direction are needed to manage corporate performance, and that the motivation and accountability are essential, then our companies are in a much worse than the imagined .

Leadership is more to do to fulfill the tasks

The author of the article explains that leadership can not be alone in getting things done, because that would be a shortsighted not to take the company very far away, but this ability to execute must be accompanied by provision for reach the company to achieve the objectives and have the foundation for growth.

Finally, it is important to clarify that a leader should inspire and be admired, and that inspiration is not about to give the most sophisticated speeches, but set an example and explains Balconi "The word inspiration can be confusing and even overwhelming, for most managers because they can feel that need to be speakers as Winston Churchill or leaders like Colin Powell. No, the inspiration is rooted in the personal example. Managers can inspire employees to put in a position to succeed .... "

IE University and Luarna, the Spanish first 100% digital publishing, have reached an agreement to promote the use of e-book in the field of education, under which each student first curse IE School of Communications, IE University, receive the Booq digital book reader.
The digital readout of the students will include 350 classic works of literature, as well as notes on various subjects. Thus, fostering the use of e-book as a new tool to support the development of future professionals and entrepreneurs.
Currently, students handle a huge amount of distributed information books, notes and documents online. With Booq, can manage all this content on a single stand to benefit from significant savings of space, and better organization, because the device can store and display, in addition to the ebook or electronic book, any document in PDF, web page or mp3 audio files and JPG visual.

The tool can also be of interest to international students, thanks to the ability to upload content in any language and to travel with a large number of books and notes in a single device small space.
"In general, these are devices that allow the easy transfer of content between teachers and students, even at the institutional level is betting more by other teams," says Antonio Quiros, CEO of Luarna Editions. "With Booq, our intention is that students have a working tool and a means to enjoy reading in a single device."

Brands, like other victims of the recession, are also experiencing difficulties: Distributor brands have gained market share, consumers are reducing spending, retailers are pushing more. According to a panel of speakers gathered to discuss branding strategies in a recent Wharton Marketing Conference entitled "Connecting with the consumer trend, marketers should be concerned to innovate against the changes taking place in the economy and take advantage of it. As one speaker said: "I think we are now realizing that no product is immune from the recession."
What are the effects of economic slowdown on consumer behavior? The most obvious of these is that people are less willing to open your wallet. According to Janelle James, vice president of global marketing, advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide, recent research shows that between 80% and 90% of people are willing to replace products or buy products cheaper. He added Chris Kuennen, CEO of Rosetta independent interactive agency, perhaps the behavior of many of these consumers do not accompany the economic recovery. Kuennen compares the effect to "a one-way membrane (allowing the entrance of something but not exiting). In other words, not all will return to having a job when the recession ends and become less sensitive to price things."

Google Vice President of Engineering said the new technologies that can tell where a user is located, are helping the company to create online ads more relevant. The market for 'smartphones' are multiplying the business.

It is a kind of advertising that many companies are claiming, as they can provide targeted advertisements to each user according to the location where they are.
Thanks to these phones, insert advertising opportunities have expanded so much that the company claims that the fees companies pay for search ads on mobile phones exceed the rate of their PCs
And is that the number of searches on mobile phones has increased fivefold. "We hope and believe that there is even the possibility of overcoming the desktop in the future," said Gundotra about cost per click of ads for mobile.
He referred to the availability of technologies such as GPS, that allow Google to know the physical whereabouts of a mobile phone user. If this information is supplied to the company that inserts advertising, it may deliver better targeted ads.
Therefore Google, the search engine world number one with revenues of 23.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2009, has intensified its efforts in terms of mobile telephony because of the increased presence of consumers who access the website from its 'smartphones' and Apple's iPhone.