The Strategy Activation Canvas is the new standard for accelerating strategies – beginning where classical strategies end: with its activation. While many management and business canvases focus on developing a strategy, the Strategy Activation Canvas helps leaders and decision-makers to bring strategies to life.
This book demonstrates for the first time how entire organizations can be “activated”: how people can not only perceive and implement a new strategy, but how entire organizations can be heavily involved in its making, how strategies are made visible and experienced, and how people can play an active and sustaining role throughout bringing a strategy to life. With their decades of experience in large scale organizations, Thiessen and Wreschniok pair their knowledge with case studies from Allianz, Baloise, E.ON, Hamburg Commercial Bank, Microsoft, NORD/LB, Swisscom or Swiss Re, organizations led by leaders who have significantly accelerated the success and value of their strategies through strategy activation.
This book is an essential resource for managers who have responsibility for strategic initiatives and transformation programs of any kind.
Part I: Introduction 1. Business transformation as a social movement 2. Social dynamics that prevent strategy implementation 3. This book is for… 4. Pictures and figures in this Strategy Activation Canvas Part II: The Strategy Activation Canvas 5. At a glance 6. Field of impact: Defining the context 7. Field of Impact: Accelerating strategy and transformation processes 8. The activation lie: When activation is not an activation Part III: The fields of impact of the Strategy Activation Canvas 9. A guide for practice 10. Defining the focus: The strategic core 11. Form a coalition for results: The movement 12. Putting complexity into context: The narrative and the Big Picture 13. Accelerate strategy and transformation processes Part IV: Strategy activation in major corporations – Thought leaders of a new generation 14. Baloise Group: Emotions, people and networks – not processes and hierarchies 15. Microsoft: Help shaping a new era – activating Microsoft’s strategic core worldwide 16 Swisscom: Playful, interactive and fun: “Come and join” at Swisscom 17. Swiss Re: Agile transformation as a movement – when HR activates agility Part V: Outlook 18. The role of leadership in strategy activation 19. And it goes on 20. Digital tools and platforms for strategy activation 21. Author biographies 22. Studies and academic literature cited
Biography
Ansgar Thiessen is Global Head of Operational Excellence and a member of the Operations Management Committee at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions where he was founding member of the Strategy Activation Group. Prior to that, he spent many years in leadership positions in change and management consultancies. For over a decade, he has been a thought leader in how organizations can make their strategies and transformations broadly accepted and most impactful. Today, Thiessen is a regular lecturer and author on the subject at international business schools such as CBS Copenhagen and IMD Lausanne.
Robert Wreschniok is the CEO of TATIN Institute for Strategy Activation (Munich, Basel, Hong Kong, Zurich). For more than 20 years he has advised organizations on activating strategies and accelerating transformations. He is Chairman of Cluster for Innovation and Digital Transformation (CIDT) and member of the Design Strategy Board. As co-founder of the Future of Leadership Initiative, he has created one of today’s leading networks on cross-industry, cross-generation dialogue about digital transformations. Wreschniok is also a lecturer and author of numerous publications on the subject.
