Following the publication last January of Fast Strategy: How Strategic Agility will help you stay ahead of the Game, the authors, Yves Doz, INSEAD Professor of Business Strategy and Mikko Kosonen, Executive Vice-President of the Finnish Innovation Fund, formerly CIO for Nokia, held book signing events in London (January) and San Francisco (February). Under the INSEAD-Wharton Alliance, alumni from both schools were invited. The book was published by Wharton School Publishing.
Through these events, the authors had the opportunity to meet alumni from both schools and present the three essential capabilities they have identified through extensive research and interviews with 150 corporate leaders and senior executives, which can help companies to become and remain successful.
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- Strategic Sensitivity
- Resource Fluidity
- Collective Commitment
Book signing event in London:
On 15 January over 30 INSEAD and Wharton alumni attended the book signing event at Pearson's Head Office on the Strand, London. Our thanks go out to Pearson for their help in the organisation of this event.
After the one hour presentation, an extremely lively Q&A session took place, followed by champagne cocktails where attendees had the opportunity to meet each other, discuss this topic in greater detail and buy a copy of the book.
Book signing event in San Francisco:
Over 30 INSEAD and Wharton alumni attended the book signing event held on 7 February at Wharton West, San Francisco. Our thanks go out to Wharton for their help in the organisation of this event. Mikko Kosonen made the presentation as unfortunately, Professor Yves Doz wasn't available due to a last minute family matter.
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Yves (left) and Mikko (right sitting down) presenting their book in London
Yves and Mikko
signing books after the
presentation in London
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With an extremely interactive audience, many questions were asked throughout the presentation, which ended with a cocktail reception where attendees were able to continue their dialogue.
Alumni with co-author Mikko (second from the left) enjoying cocktails following the book signing in San Francisco
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Points covered at the book signing in San Francisco: (Download a copy of the presentation here).
1. Companies in fast changing complex environments do need an integrated strategy and an interdependent organisation, sometimes letting business units take strategic initiatives on their own, sometimes having them participate in concert to corporate strategic initiatives. Such dual capability for autonomous AND for interdependent action is not easy to achieve. Most senior executives do not feel comfortable in really collaborative work, personally prefer decentralisation, even at the risk of building silos and not achieving strategic agility. Yet, strategic agility is needed and calls for collaboration at the top.
2. Strategic agility is an institutional capability, a way of working together, not just the genius of a visionary leader, as a comparison between Apple and IBM in the discussion highlighted. Many, within the audience resonated with the suggestion that Silicon Valley companies should develop their organisational capabilities, and build the organisation and management processes needed for strategic agility, not focus exclusively on products and technologies.
3. Another important question was raised in the discussion: are smaller entrepreneurial ventures strategically agile, or not? Assuming small size, and entrepreneurial drive naturally provide for strategic agility may be a mistake.
Read about Fast Strategy and watch a video interview with the authors on INSEAD Knowledge. To purchase a copy of the book online, click here. You can also consult the Strategic Agility website.
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